How do I increase the gas mileage? Tundra 04

There are only a few things you can do to improve gas mileage AND pay for themselves. Don't waste money on any gizmos.

-air up your tires. I like 35 front & 32 rear.

-drive slower.

-drive less.

-no fast starts.

-don't carry around a lot of heavy junk unless you actually need it.

-don't have a ladder rack, kayak rack, etc., ditto above.

-do plug & air filter changes on schedule...30,000 miles, sooner for the air filter if you're in a dusty area. No one has proven that $1.59 Denso or NGK copper plugs and a Denso OEM air filter can be beat.

-some folks speculate that a bed cover or canopy improves mileage, while others say that an air bubble forms in the bed and does the same job. In any case, if it won't pay for itself in gas savings, don't buy one unless you need it to cover the bed for your own reasons.

And, 17-18 really isn't bad for a 2-1/2 ton, tall, V-8 truck at highway speed.

Ken

searacer wrote:

I don't know how you do it. I would give my left nut for a ride as sweet as the Tundra -- if it had decent gas mileage. I absolutely refuse to contribute to the non-renewable fuels industry more than I have to......

I heard the same thing from the people who bought a 2000 Tundra V8, especially from those who like to drive 80 on the highways.

Keep the speed down, have your tires properly inflated, keep the engine in good shape, changing oil, plugs, air filters, etc., don't keep things in the truck you don't need to reduce weight and avoid jackrabbit starts.

I drive at the speed limit and get around 18-19 city and 20-21 highway. Last Monday I drove from Reno to Los Angeles and I got 22mpg but then it's mostly downhill.

Skip

I'm averaging 15 mpg's on an '05 for city driving including an 8 mile commute to work in typically near gridlock traffic (30-60 minutes one way, depending...). However I knew what I was getting into mileage-wise before the purchase so I'm a happy camper - I may sing a different tune when gas hits $3 a gallon (or not).

...guess that doesn't really answer your question - sorry.

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Pump up the tires a bit. I cruise daily at 80-85in my '02, getting around

1. This is a heavy truck.

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> > Visit Topic URL to contact author (reg. req'd). Report > abuse: > > IS a K&N cold air system vs the K&N replacement filter better on mileage? Is so is it worth the expense?

searacer

Slow down. Trucks are a brick in the wind, and you'll find that you drop close to

1% in gas mileage for every MPH above 55 you go.

--- Rich

...it will be interesting to see where the oil and gas industry goes in the next 20 years. In principal I think you are right on track where/how you spend your money.

A plus to offset the mileage (for me) is that I used to have both a car and a truck (both 4 cyls), and both got low to mid 20 mpg's. Now I have only one vehicle and so somehow that seems more economical.

I tell you, the extra room, the butt loads of bottom end torque and (to me) it's totally non-pretentious, is making it quickly one of my favorite vehicles to date - but I digress...

If I were Bill Gates I'd buy you a Tundra (you can keep your nut) and a couple of years of fuel bills! (smile)

Last I heard, the Brits were somewhere around $6 or $7 USD per gallon (2004). Italy was $4 USD per gallon over 20 years ago. By all accounts, we (in the US) are paying far below most of the world.

Equally extreme, we are seriously damaging our environment. Even so, peak oil has passed so I don't think we will have oil pollution issues much longer. Too bad these idiots developing fossil fuels are content to keep on pumping crude as long as they allowed.

Thanks for the sentiment, my left nut also thanks you. As sweet as it is.......I'm not sure Bill Gate could afford to run a Tundra. :-)

Leave it in your driveway. Other than that, suck it up and drive the damn thing!

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Tundra has a cold air intake stock. Neither the K&N filter nor the air intake does any good. Look at K&N's dyno chart of the intake and you'll see that it is responsible for a small hp loss below about 3600 rpm, all in the range where we do most driving. It provides a small boost, maybe 4-5% at peak, but a hp loss at the commonly used rpms means a fuel mileage loss.

Ken

searacer wrote:

LOL...cute reading all the reply's eh!

Simple answer is nobody that worries about gas mileage should think about buying a truck. They are heavier, torqued differently and way less aerodynamic....trade it in for an echo if ur worried about mileage.

I have a 04 Tundra double cab 4x4 and am quite happy at 17-18 combined. The convenience and the room are worth more than squishing my family into a compact.

On the positive side...Ford introduced the first hybrid SUV this year and according to Ford it should get 43mpg city, 40mpg highway....I figure trucks can't be far behind and the prius is one of the leading hybrids out there...hopefully Toyota will introduce a hybrid truck soon and we can all start saving gas dollars.

Peter

Only because we have (comparatively) fair tax rates on our fuels.

--- Rich

It'll be interesting to see what type of fuel economy the diesel will have when that's released (06/07?). But then again, the cost of the diesel engine will most likely run higher than all of gallons of petrol you'd use in those engines. :(

Its not an even comparison by any means. Other more civilized countries have completely different lifestyles then we do. They have real mass transit systems. They don't have two or more hour commutes. Gasoline in Saudi Arabia is about 19 cents a gallon... So if cheap gasoline is someone's wet dream goal, then Riyadh is the place to go!

completely different lifestyles then we do. They have

in Saudi Arabia is about 19 cents a gallon... So

Most of the "more civilised" countries of which you speak aren't even a 10th of the size of the US which allows mass transit to be a viable solution. Although I agree most larger American cities could do a far better job in implementing mass transit for their populations, it's simply not realistic to do so on a nation-wide scale in a country of such great size (especially once you start heading West).

The point I was (so very, very poorly) trying to make is that our gas prices have jumped in the last 5 years more than any time in history with the exception of the embargos. What we *can* absolutely count on is continued market manipulation of oil prices. What we *can't* forsee is where oil prices will be tomorrow.

The oil industry is the single most important industry in the country. Personally, I think the oil industry should be nationalized with a date set for phaseout and permanent shutdown. The government should then treat the issue of developing alternate fuels for what it is -- A national security issue. It does not appear that private industry is up to the task......

If Toy follows the US automakers lead, they'll probably put a 6 liter pig in their truck. Seems to be a US phenomena - take an efficient engine and supersize it to ridiculus proportions where it's no longer economical. Sheesh. An American owner of a '84 Toy-built diesel truck (sold at that time in the US) says that his truck goes 40+ MPG. Some comparison huh?

I would rather pay an unused premium to an automaker rather than make unknown payments to an oil company (a very unstable industry). During research, it appears there is also a very small movement afoot to convert gas Toys to diesel drivetrains.

Granted - utilizing a diesel for it's torque is a natural thing. But, also look on the low end - there is not a single *really* fuel efficient engine offered for the Tacoma.

My work requires a truck with several hundred pounds of tools and to haul materials. That constitutes 95% of the trucks useage. I rarely need to haul more than a 1000 pounds at a time......