I Bought a 94 4Runner V6 SR5 W/automatic Transmission, and the thing is a gas hog. Surprised me. I expected maybe at worst, 18 MPG highway. It does have oversized mid tires on it. Seems to run good. Any ideas out there on improving the mileage? or does anyone have an idea on the MPG on the sticker when it was new? I would enjoy getting a little further on a tank of gas than I do. I am new to 4X4 SUV's, so I am looking for some experience with these things. Thanks for any help!
That they are. Mines the same way, I get about 220 miles per tank which is about 13.75 MPG. Mines a 90 same engine though. We have a 97 Ford Explorer that gets almost 23 has more pep and a smaller engine.
If you have big or agressive tires, it will hurt MPG a good bit and is may also be wanting higher octane fuel. The last few Yota I had ran better on 89 or higher. Also inflate tires to near max pressure to reduce rolling resistance. It all adds up.
Isn't GVW the max weight loaded --- it really doesn't weight that much with just you and gas in it. (GVW is maximum weight allowed). Had read elsewhere that the automatics used on these up til '96 did not have efficient gear lock up and that really hurt the mileage. To add insult to the MPG --- the engine is not that powerful (only 150 hp). (Road tests back then faulted its fuel economy of 13.8 MPG and acceleration). EPA was only 14-16 mpg.
Do you have Automatic front hubs? If so a change to manual (Warn or OEM AISIN) would give a little mileage as would chand\ging to a smoother tread smaller tire (stock was 225x15 or 31x9.5 - check door sticker). There are air intake kits and larger header exhausts that improve performance and mileage.
I have an 03 4Rnr SE 4L V6 that gets 16-23 mpg --- still not great but is heavy fairly quick box. In '04 the V6 4RNRs all switched to 5 spd automatics - my 03 is a 4 spd - that may increas their mileage a bit too.
You do see many articles about swaping the OEM 3L for a GM 3.8L engine -- for better performance and gas mileage. .
I have a 99 Tacoma extended cab 4x4 with the 3.4L V6, and I average
17mpg on the highway. Keep your oil changes regular, your tire pressure at or above Toyota specs. I've seen Toyota err on the low side on tire pressure to smoothen the ride, but it really hurts mileage. (be sure to check your tire specs rather than the specs from your Toyota owner's manual). and drive conservatively. That is, no quick takeoffs, an sticking to the speed limit on the highway. The 55 mph law may be making a comeback soon. It was put in place not for safety, but to save gasoline. An estimate is that for every 100 pounds you add to the vehicle, you suffer a loss of 1 mpg, so by all means, leave the mother-in-law at home on long trips : )
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