Gas Mileage V8 TUNDRA

Hello I have a Tunndra SR5 V8 4X4. I have been getting 12 to 14 mpg , all of the sudden I'm getting 15 to 16. I don't think my driving habits have changed. The weather has been warmer though. Whats everybody else getting out there?

Stephen

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Reply to
Stephen
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Did you switch gasoline brands?

Mileage is better with Shell or 76 as both have eliminated MTBE. I get fifteen mpg with either as opposed to 13 with others.

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Reply to
Eric Dreher

16.5 when cruising 80-85mph, 17.5 when cruising legal. 2002 V-8, Mobil1, no MBTE gasoline in this tank ever.
Reply to
Bob H

Interesting figures. While I get about 15 around town, I get closer to 19 at 80 mph.

--------------------------------------------------- "America has authentic values, and even politicians should be held accountable for knowing what these values are." - Paul M. Rodriguez {}

Reply to
Eric Dreher

Reply to
Stephen

Reply to
Stephen

It's MTBE - Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether

An anti-oxidant for fuel, which composes about 15 percent of each gallon of gas. It is NOT flammable, so does not add to the energy capacity of your gasoline. Hence, that 15 percent of each gallon is wasted mileage capacity.

--------------------------------------------------- "America has authentic values, and even politicians should be held accountable for knowing what these values are." - Paul M. Rodriguez {}

Reply to
Eric Dreher

Yup. Hence its ban in California as of January, 2004.

--------------------------------------------------- "America has authentic values, and even politicians should be held accountable for knowing what these values are." - Paul M. Rodriguez {}

Reply to
Eric Dreher

We got 16-17 Around Town. Have got as high as 18.5 on the highway on several tanks. When the wife drives she usually get about 1 MPG more per tank than when I drive.

12-14 MPG seems extremely low unless you're towing a boat around all the time then it's understandable.

Our cousin swears that he gets 19-20 MPG on his same Tundra V8 4x4... I was extremely skeptical of his claim at first until I got a chance to ride with him couple times then I became a believer. Old ladies would run this guy off the road... it takes him 30 seconds to get from 0-60 and if the speed limit is 65 he would do 60 and leave a mile of car trailing him. :) Slight exaggeration but close to it.

Reply to
Fluffy

OR have a heavy foot. ;-) But you're right about the boat. When I'm towing mine, I drive more conservatively and get just about the same mileage as when not towing.

I have "nursed" better mileage from my Tundra, but I usually don't have the patience for that kind of driving.

--------------------------------------------------- "America has authentic values, and even politicians should be held accountable for knowing what these values are." - Paul M. Rodriguez {}

Reply to
Eric Dreher

The gas I'm currently using has ethanol. It also delivers about

10% better mileage than any MTBE counterpart.

I'll take ethanol over MTBE any day.

--------------------------------------------------- "America has authentic values, and even politicians should be held accountable for knowing what these values are." - Paul M. Rodriguez {}

Reply to
Eric Dreher

Which means you USE 15% more gas to get the same power(ie - press harder on the accelerator to go as fast as you are accustomed to).

Virtually no decrease in pollution in actual driving because of this, AND less miles per gallon. Pollution: say you have 100 units per gallon for normal gasoline. Now you have 85 units, but burn 15% more gas at 85 units per gallon - you're actually saving only 2.25% emissions for 24 cents a gallon out of your pocket(15% of $1.60 a gallon).

Oh - it also leeches into groundwater and is like most petrochemicals in that it is carcinogenic, toxic, and does NOT go away for a long time.

Reply to
Joseph Oberlander

Exactly.

Right again.

All reservoirs in California are tainted with the stuff. No exceptions yet found.

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Reply to
Eric Dreher

X-No-Archive: yes

Hi, Stephen:

I don't have the same vehicle as you, but I'd like to give you my perspective. I actually have a VW Golf GTI with the VR6 engine right now. I aspire to a Toyota Pick-Up. And the Toyotas are great vehicles across the product line. As to fuel economy, people drive under so many different traffic conditions, environmental conditions, and personal driving habits, that it's really not possible to say what you should be getting. Some general points can be made, though--someone correct me if I'm wrong.

First, you can probably expect a 5 to 10% increase in fuel economy in the warmer spring/summer/fall weather over colder winter weather. I say that, even living in Northern VA where the terperature differences between winter and summer are not nearly as great as say, Western NY where I'm originally from. Rainy weather, and having your lights on, or _any_ power usage decreases fuel economy. But, use your headlights as needed and even I'll not turn off my radio or not use my CD to save that small amount of fuel. Using the AC kills fuel economy and I rarely use mine, just every month or so to keep seals moist, keeps belts in good shape, and just to check it for proper operation. Frankly, I long for the days of no AC, no power steering, no vacuum-assisted brakes, no power windows/door locks/sun roof/ad infinitum.

Using a good multi-grade synthetic motor oil _may_ also help, if you do not already do so. Try

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for helpful, but way too much information. Where you drive is almost everything--highway or urban or off-road. Now, a lot of people are not going to want to hear (read) what I next write, but here it goes... After the above, driving behavior is everything. Even in suburban (lots of traffic signals in the area I live) driving, I get _more_ than the EPA Highway Fuel Economy for my VW and in my last car, a 1995 Saab 900 Turbo. I use a light foot most of the time to get to speed, I use coastdown (not downshifting) as I approach a red traffic signal as much as I can and as practical. Most people seem not to see beyond the end of their hood and race to the next signal, knowing full well, if they paid any attention at all, that it will be red when they get there or that the queued traffic already there will force them to stop. As people typically drive the same routes most of the time, I simply don't understand why they don't recognize the benefit of simply slowing it down a bit to avoid the extremes in speed. I tend to avoid the extremes of speed in my suburban area, by simply not racing to lights I know will be red when I get to them. _Yes_, I do stay in the right-hand lane. I turns out that what forces me to brake and/or come to a stop, as often as otherwise, are the queued vehicles who passed me in their mad race to the next red traffic signal. In short, avoiding extremes of speed increases fuel economy, saves wear on engine, drivetrain, brakes, and tires. Of course avoiding extremes can be taken to extremes ;-). Some common sense is advised, all too rare in the Northern Virginia area where most people try to compensate for getting caught at a red light by simply running the red light. Not merely "cheating", but running the traffic signal.

If most of your driving is on-road and not in-city, I think (ignoring my own warning in the first paragraph) that you should be able to get close to the EPA Highway Fuel Economy for your vehicle, even if not on open highway.

Pete

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Stephen wrote:

Reply to
ptgrunner

I drive a 2000 Tundra, extra cab, 4WD, V8. I get exactly the same fuel mileage whether drive with lights, stereo, AC, etc. or not: 15-17 city, 19-20 hwy.

Skip

Reply to
Skip

X-No-Archive: yes

Hi, Skip:

Lights and stereo on probably won't affect fuel economy by an amount you will see on your trip computer--the difference is probably just too small. As for the AC, it _may_ be that with the big and quite powerful V8, you just don't notice the extra load. Or that the AC doesn't have to work that hard where you are. Conservation of Energy Principle at work. You can't get energy to power these extra devices from nothing--it simply takes more fuel. In my 4 cylinder Saab, I'd notice the drop in fuel economy almost as soon as I turned the AC on in _hot_ weather, which of course is when it has to work the hardest. My bet is that, if you could measure fuel usage more precisely and over a fairly extended period of time under constant environmental and driving conditions, you would see the difference. I can't prove it. I think you could easily see the difference by putting your vehicle on a "test bed"--set of rollers, constant temperature/RH/etc., constant speed over even a short time period.

The fact is, any power equipment you use affects fuel economy. It may not be noticeable in the short term. Anything you can do to reduce the drag coefficient (all other things remaining the same), will result in an increase in fuel economy. Yep! Even washing/waxing a grundgy, mud splattered vehicle will increase fuel economy, at least at highway speeds. But it would be very difficult to measure.

Pete

Skip wrote:

Reply to
ptgrunner

I don't have a trip computer. I'm happy just to figure out mileage on on my fingers. I live in Los Angeles. Lots of heat during the summer, very little humidity.

Maybe if I was back in my physics class in college but it's doubful I'd worry about it enough to do all that.

Reply to
Skip

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