my quest for 20 mpg while towing 1k - Page 4

BigBallsMcFalls · 04-28-2008, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jay204

If i'm only getting 350kms roughfully 217miles on a tank of gas...should I be checking my O2 sensor ?

maybe...

that could be

injectors spraying droplets instead of mist

could be dirty MAF

could be lazy 02 sensor or air fuel sensor

you should easily hit the reserve light at 240 miles on a tank in a 3.4
average 79 miles per hour on highway

so yeah something is chewing up yer gas.

provided you are using stock spec tire size and a mud/snow tire, not an aggressive heavy tire.

if this is all intown, short trips and a lot of hills then it may be normal. hills eat mpg like no ones business

if you have 130,000 miles or more and original o2 sensors, just man up and replace the front one.
get the oem part for your VIN at the dealer.
they definitely do not last much longer than 130,000 miles. and right before they blow the MIL lamp, your
mileage drops

Jay204 · 04-28-2008, 06:16 PM

Cleaned my MAF sensor a few months back...hopefully its just my O2 sensor. If my injectors are spraying droplets instead of mist...how do I know if they are ?

denpacc · 04-28-2008, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onesojourner

ok Just got back from our trip north. So far I am not at all happy with my results.

16.4 mix of city and highway no towing.
16.7 on tank number 1 towing 55-65
16.6 on tank number 2 towing. 55-65

Does any one have any tips to get 3 more mpg?

When I told you what I got towing my tent trailer (20+mpg) you have to keep in mind a few things:

First it was 100% highway driving with excellent traffic flow and little to no wind (only 10 minutes of stop and go traffic, that's all). Secondly my truck had B rated summer/all season type of tires (stock size). Thirdly my tent trailer is much more aerodynamic than your trailer with jet ski's. Fourthly I rarely broke 60mph and cruised mainly at 55-60 (55 was the posted speed limit). The second I went over 60mph I found my mileage dropped due to drag. And lastly some highways I went on I would get 16-19mpg as a constant pulling my trailer. For whatever reason, I'd get 20+mpg on some highways and not others. I think it had to do with traffic flow, posted speed limits, wind direction, and overall altitude gain/loss. If you are gaining overall altitude over the course of 300-400 miles theoretically your mileage should be worse than if you are going downhill over the course of those miles.

The mileage you got is repectable and what I consider within normal limits with the set up you have and the speed you drove. Probably what you didn't want to hear. Sorry. I would have to agree with many on this thread, 20+mpg while pulling a trailer is not the norm but is certainly attainable with the right conditions, including 4runner-trailer set-up.

Cheers

cackalak han · 04-29-2008, 07:13 AM

As hard as it was, I drove 65-67MPH with the cruise on on the last 188.1 miles on the road. I'd say 80-85% of it was on the highway. Filled up this morning - 8.078 gallons. 23.29MPG. I am going to keep doing this for the next week (if I can bear to do so) and see if it levels out.

onesojourner · 05-04-2008, 08:09 AM

I just drove to tulsa with out the trailer. I was going 70-80 the whole way with some drafting int there. I got 19.1. I thought driving the faster speeds would hurt the mpg more but the drafting might have made up for it.

jtlinna3vze · 05-04-2008, 08:44 AM

not sure why eveyone thinks o2 sensors last so long.. while they may not throw a code or light.. they start becoming inaccurate at around 60K. the college in my town, Michigan Tech University, one of the top three engineering colleges in the michigan.. they did i study on emissions control systems for DaimlerChrysler. nine times out of ten at around 60K miles o2 sensors were causing a average ten percent increase in emissions and a five to eight percent increase in fuel consumption. obviously this was with one brand of cars.. cant imagine its any different with any other..

jtlinna3vze · 05-04-2008, 08:45 AM

hmmmm

Whitey13 · 05-04-2008, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jtlinna3vze

the college in my town, Michigan Tech University, one of the top three engineering colleges in the country..

More like top 3 in Michigan. University of Michigan and Michigan State University are consistently ranked among the top engineering schools in the country.

Michigan Tech's College of Engineering ranked 78th overall out of 198 schools evaluated, up from 84th of 191 schools last year.

BigBallsMcFalls · 05-04-2008, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jtlinna3vze

not sure why eveyone thinks o2 sensors last so long.. while they may not throw a code or light.. they start becoming inaccurate at around 60K. the college in my town, Michigan Tech University, one of the top three engineering colleges in the country.. they did i study on emissions control systems for DaimlerChrysler. nine times out of ten at around 60K miles o2 sensors were causing a average ten percent increase in emissions and a five to eight percent increase in fuel consumption. obviously this was with one brand of cars.. cant imagine its any different with any other..

I guess ...before they light the MIL of course they degrade somewhat

I sure accept they degrade, both external contamination,
(exhaust crud internally, and grease and dirt externally on the ports)
and slow degradation of the element which is a factor of time
at working temperature (molecules at a time)

for best efficiency, yeah change them often.

to pass inspection, change when they trigger I/M not ready, or light up MIL

jtlinna3vze · 05-05-2008, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whitey13

More like top 3 in Michigan. University of Michigan and Michigan State University are consistently ranked among the top engineering schools in the country.

Michigan Tech's College of Engineering ranked 78th overall out of 198 schools evaluated, up from 84th of 191 schools last year.

i changed it for you.. but that was mostly my opinion. things like location.. being ranked among the top twenty schools in the nation in engineering bachelor's degrees awarded. average graduate of Michigan Tech has one of the lowest amounts of debt in the nation, ranking 17 out of the 248 top national universities. mchigan Tech is located in one of the top ten "healthiest, safest and most fun places to live." Houghton, Michigan was given a top ranking as a place to live according to Men's Journal. National Geographic Adventure Magazine ranked Houghton as one of our Nation's Top Ten Summer Sports Meccas. Houghton is the safest college town in Michigan and the eighth safest in the nation (out of 467) according to: The Student Guide to Personal Safety. Michigan Technological University has earned top marks for safety preparedness in a Reader’s Digest survey of 135 colleges and universities. Michigan Tech ranked third in the nation among 45 campuses that received an “A” rating. Michigan Tech is one of 'The Best 361 Colleges,' according to The Princeton Review for 2008. Only about 15 percent of the four-year colleges in the nation are listed. Calling the university a 'tech powerhouse,' the book states that 'Michigan Tech will definitely prepare you for your future.' thats why i said number 1.. but if you wanna go my number of people they cram in a class and shove out the door.. sure there number three in michigan...

but do you agree with what they found??

Whitey13 · 05-05-2008, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jtlinna3vze

i changed it for you..

but do you agree with what they found??

I can see that being true.

Andrey · 05-09-2008, 12:59 AM

I guess I'm also on the side of those who get at most 300 miles on one full tank. Granted, I have S/C installed, but even without it I never got 400+ on the tank (22.2mpg) even when 4Runner was brand new and driving straight on interstate. So I'm pretty sceptical about 23 mpg claims that some are making...

One possibility is that your engine is an exception, but as we can see from this thread the mean is around 18-19 mpg. So, it would be very practical to say that unless you've been getting 22+ mpg to begin with, there is no magic that will suddenly make 4Runner run 400+ on a tank, especially towing 1k load.

cackalak han · 05-09-2008, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrey

I guess I'm also on the side of those who get at most 300 miles on one full tank. Granted, I have S/C installed, but even without it I never got 400+ on the tank (22.2mpg) even when 4Runner was brand new and driving straight on interstate. So I'm pretty sceptical about 23 mpg claims that some are making...

One possibility is that your engine is an exception, but as we can see from this thread the mean is around 18-19 mpg. So, it would be very practical to say that unless you've been getting 22+ mpg to begin with, there is no magic that will suddenly make 4Runner run 400+ on a tank, especially towing 1k load.

As it has been said about 20 times in this thread, your "miles per tank" figures mean nothing. Please figure out your MPG instead. Thanks.

Andrey · 05-09-2008, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cackalak han

As it has been said about 20 times in this thread, your "miles per tank" figures mean nothing. Please figure out your MPG instead. Thanks.

Actually, since we all have the same tank with the same capacity, miles per tank do mean the rough numbers of mpg

-- Andrey

Red_Chili · 05-09-2008, 11:07 AM

FWIW, I get around 13 towing my Starcraft 10/RT (not the most aerodynamic of pop-ups, and not the lightest of right feet when I'm going to Moab) at ~70mph. I get around 14mpg in mixed winter driving, mostly city. Around 17 at moderate highway speeds. Roof rack used to cost me ~2mpg.

OH:

Perhaps it is the mid-80s 5.29 35x12.50 4Runner wrapped around that wonderful 5VZ-FE? Uh... could be...

All you fellers are getting great mileage. Look at the incremental cost of mileage improvement. How much per tank are you saving? Yeah, an O2 sensor R&R at 60K will save you money, and yeah, the payback is getting shorter, but... you see what I mean. Total ROI.

MPG comparos are a little like relative measurement of third members.
And I am not talking driveline.

No need to break out the machine guns.

BTW, the feller who fueled up in Da Junk and got x MPG to Cisco, UT... I'd like to know where in Cisco you fueled up!

cackalak han · 05-09-2008, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrey

Actually, since we all have the same tank with the same capacity, miles per tank do mean the rough numbers of mpg

-- Andrey

I see your point, however, at what point do you consider "per tank" to be? 18.5? (full capacity, but I doubt any of us dry out the tank) 15 gallons? 13 gallons? Do you see how inconsistent this is, and what you consider "per tank" to be could drastically differ from others? "300 miles per tank" could mean 20 MPG (300miles / 15 gallons) or 17.6MPG (300/17) or 16.2MPG (300/18.5).

Andrey · 05-09-2008, 12:58 PM

Full tank is assumed to be full, i.e. at capacity. Thus, it would be 18.5 gallons.

Number of miles per tank is much easier for folks to estimate. Granted, there will be slight discrepency in mileage of a few miles but not that much different. To be specific:

280 miles on a tank ~ 15.1 mpg <-- statistical mean for members here
300 miles on a tank ~ 18.5 mpg
350 miles on a tank ~ 18.9 mpg
400 miles on a tank ~ 21.6 mpg

So, to make things even simpler, those who're claiming 22+ mpg in 4Runner should be getting at least 400 miles on a tank. Personally, I find it very difficult to be believe, especially when towing a trailer. And that's my point. =)

cackalak han · 05-09-2008, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrey

Full tank is assumed to be full, i.e. at capacity. Thus, it would be 18.5 gallons.

Number of miles per tank is much easier for folks to estimate. Granted, there will be slight discrepency in mileage of a few miles but not that much different. To be specific:

280 miles on a tank ~ 15.1 mpg <-- statistical mean for members here
300 miles on a tank ~ 18.5 mpg
350 miles on a tank ~ 18.9 mpg
400 miles on a tank ~ 21.6 mpg

So, to make things even simpler, those who're claiming 22+ mpg in 4Runner should be getting at least 400 miles on a tank. Personally, I find it very difficult to be believe, especially when towing a trailer. And that's my point. =)

Ok, I still do not get how you can assume how many miles your truck will get without completely running it dry. For instance, when you said, "300 miles per tank", do you mean you went 300 miles, the engine puttered to a stop, and you had it towed to a gas station and put in 18.5 gallons? I really doubt that.

When people say that they get 280, 300, or whatever per tank, rarely, do they mean running it completely dry and putting in 18.5 gallons. Most of the time, they run it until either the needle hits "E" or the dummy light comes on. Some put in 13 gallons, some 15, and others 17. Maybe few have ventured into the 18 gallon range, but no one that I know of. This is why these figures are inconsistent. "Per tank" is not a consistent figure. "Per gallon" is. That is why we use it.

Greg_Canada · 05-09-2008, 01:47 PM

The most i've ever got out of a tank was 530 km which is 330 miles, and i got 20.5mpg on that trip, and i BABIED it.. i really dont know how you could get any more than that.
Oh and my scangauge reads 18 on the TPS when im cruising, mpg is around 20....
btw w/ 265/75/16 (+1)

04-29-2008, 07:13 AM	#79 (permalink)
cackalak han Registered User Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Salt Lake Posts: 1,230	As hard as it was, I drove 65-67MPH with the cruise on on the last 188.1 miles on the road. I'd say 80-85% of it was on the highway. Filled up this morning - 8.078 gallons. 23.29MPG. I am going to keep doing this for the next week (if I can bear to do so) and see if it levels out. __________________ 01 Tacoma DC TRD OR 4x4

05-04-2008, 08:09 AM	#80 (permalink)
onesojourner Registered User Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Springfield, mo Posts: 153	I just drove to tulsa with out the trailer. I was going 70-80 the whole way with some drafting int there. I got 19.1. I thought driving the faster speeds would hurt the mpg more but the drafting might have made up for it. __________________ 98 4x4 limited 4Runner, e-locker, 4.30 gears

05-04-2008, 08:44 AM	#81 (permalink)
jtlinna3vze Registered User Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: in da UP eh! Posts: 160	not sure why eveyone thinks o2 sensors last so long.. while they may not throw a code or light.. they start becoming inaccurate at around 60K. the college in my town, Michigan Tech University, one of the top three engineering colleges in the michigan.. they did i study on emissions control systems for DaimlerChrysler. nine times out of ten at around 60K miles o2 sensors were causing a average ten percent increase in emissions and a five to eight percent increase in fuel consumption. obviously this was with one brand of cars.. cant imagine its any different with any other.. __________________ 1994 4Runner SE-R IFS 5 on the floor - KYB shocks - MOOG chassis and steering - YMJ intake - YMJ taillights / corner markers - bed liner floor - 1st gen midland 102" - 31 10.5 15 kelly AWR - cup holder Last edited by jtlinna3vze : 05-05-2008 at 02:29 PM.

05-04-2008, 08:45 AM	#82 (permalink)
jtlinna3vze Registered User Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: in da UP eh! Posts: 160	hmmmm __________________ 1994 4Runner SE-R IFS 5 on the floor - KYB shocks - MOOG chassis and steering - YMJ intake - YMJ taillights / corner markers - bed liner floor - 1st gen midland 102" - 31 10.5 15 kelly AWR - cup holder Last edited by jtlinna3vze : 05-04-2008 at 08:46 AM.

05-09-2008, 12:59 AM	#87 (permalink)
Andrey Registered User Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Arizona Posts: 1,000	I guess I'm also on the side of those who get at most 300 miles on one full tank. Granted, I have S/C installed, but even without it I never got 400+ on the tank (22.2mpg) even when 4Runner was brand new and driving straight on interstate. So I'm pretty sceptical about 23 mpg claims that some are making... One possibility is that your engine is an exception, but as we can see from this thread the mean is around 18-19 mpg. So, it would be very practical to say that unless you've been getting 22+ mpg to begin with, there is no magic that will suddenly make 4Runner run 400+ on a tank, especially towing 1k load. __________________ '01 4Runner SR5 - 4x4 - 1" lift PP springs, deckplate mod, amsoil air filter, optima battery, alum. skid plate, alum. tube steps - Pioneer 8500MP, PhoenixGold Amp + Infinity Kappas, RockfordFosgate Amp (mono) + Audobahn 10" Sub - Yakima roof rack, Silverstars, Black Pearl emblems, Wet Okole seat covers, Wood Trim - TRD Supercharger, 7th inj. kit... weee heee!!!

04-28-2008, 06:16 PM	#77 (permalink)
Jay204 Registered User Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 82	Cleaned my MAF sensor a few months back...hopefully its just my O2 sensor. If my injectors are spraying droplets instead of mist...how do I know if they are ?

05-09-2008, 11:07 AM	#90 (permalink)
Red_Chili Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Littleton, CO Posts: 276	FWIW, I get around 13 towing my Starcraft 10/RT (not the most aerodynamic of pop-ups, and not the lightest of right feet when I'm going to Moab) at ~70mph. I get around 14mpg in mixed winter driving, mostly city. Around 17 at moderate highway speeds. Roof rack used to cost me ~2mpg. OH: Perhaps it is the mid-80s 5.29 35x12.50 4Runner wrapped around that wonderful 5VZ-FE? Uh... could be... All you fellers are getting great mileage. Look at the incremental cost of mileage improvement. How much per tank are you saving? Yeah, an O2 sensor R&R at 60K will save you money, and yeah, the payback is getting shorter, but... you see what I mean. Total ROI. MPG comparos are a little like relative measurement of third members. And I am not talking driveline. No need to break out the machine guns. BTW, the feller who fueled up in Da Junk and got x MPG to Cisco, UT... I'd like to know where in Cisco you fueled up! __________________ -Bill Red Chili II: 1987 SASed 5VZ-FE 4Runner with more stuff than I can afford. Not that that makes me unique 'round here. Shadowfax: 1993 minitruck. Getting the Engnbldr full meal deal. Hunting truck and DD! Bio Page Last edited by Red_Chili : 05-09-2008 at 11:09 AM.

05-09-2008, 12:58 PM	#92 (permalink)
Andrey Registered User Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Arizona Posts: 1,000	Full tank is assumed to be full, i.e. at capacity. Thus, it would be 18.5 gallons. Number of miles per tank is much easier for folks to estimate. Granted, there will be slight discrepency in mileage of a few miles but not that much different. To be specific: 280 miles on a tank ~ 15.1 mpg <-- statistical mean for members here 300 miles on a tank ~ 18.5 mpg 350 miles on a tank ~ 18.9 mpg 400 miles on a tank ~ 21.6 mpg So, to make things even simpler, those who're claiming 22+ mpg in 4Runner should be getting at least 400 miles on a tank. Personally, I find it very difficult to be believe, especially when towing a trailer. And that's my point. =) __________________ '01 4Runner SR5 - 4x4 - 1" lift PP springs, deckplate mod, amsoil air filter, optima battery, alum. skid plate, alum. tube steps - Pioneer 8500MP, PhoenixGold Amp + Infinity Kappas, RockfordFosgate Amp (mono) + Audobahn 10" Sub - Yakima roof rack, Silverstars, Black Pearl emblems, Wet Okole seat covers, Wood Trim - TRD Supercharger, 7th inj. kit... weee heee!!!

05-09-2008, 01:47 PM	#94 (permalink)
Greg_Canada Registered User Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Toronto Posts: 748	The most i've ever got out of a tank was 530 km which is 330 miles, and i got 20.5mpg on that trip, and i BABIED it.. i really dont know how you could get any more than that. Oh and my scangauge reads 18 on the TPS when im cruising, mpg is around 20.... btw w/ 265/75/16 (+1) __________________ http://www.cardomain.com/ride/1147271/1 My 1989 Toyota 4runner