Today, I drove to ST. Augustine, Florida from my house (about 380 miles round trip). For the first time I measured the MPG.

I filled the tank yesterday, drove 370.6 miles, and refilled it tonight with 17.662 gallons. This comes out to 20.98 MPG.

The original window sticker said 21 MPG highway, so the EPA rating seems to be right on the money. I'm very pleased.

It was almost all interstate driving, and overall I averaged the speed limit. Yesterday, I had inflated the tires to 35 front/rear, so that may have helped.

 

drive it the way you want it to perform.the ecu "learns" the way you drive.if you want it to perform then drive it that way.if you drive it around like granmma its going to perform like granma.& yes it will likely get at least some better after some miles are put on it

 

Never heard that before.

The ECM matches the fuel mixture and ignition timing to factory determined setpoints based on various factors determined by sensors such as air flow, RPM, ambient temperature, coolant temperature, etc. It controls idle speed, and also varies automatic transmission shift points according to RPM, speed, etc., and can sense a few other things (like maybe E85 fuel versus pure gasoline, exhaust O2 levels, etc.).

It does this no matter how you drive.

I guarantee I can get in a grandma's Tacoma that's identically equipped to mine and it will basically perform just like mine. Any difference in performance will be due strictly to variations in manufacturing tolerences, break in technique, weather conditions, and miles.

 

My '05 Tacoma TRD DC SB 4x4 (24.5K on odo) gets 15mpg around town, and that is with 285's, ARB bumper, sliders, tool box and a canopy--so it is hauling a bit of extra weight.

 

In my little world of engines, which includes performance VWs, and model engines for r c cars that are a highstrung as a hairlip on meth (40,000 rpms and over three horsepower for a .32 ci engine). i've always been told to and practice breaking them in like you would drive them. the biggest thing i pay attention to during breakin is engine temp. DO NOT go out on a cold morning, start your truck and haul nuggets like your in the indy 500. but on the same note like everyone else has said, try not to be too nice to it.
Drive it. don't be scared of it. it's built by toyota! it can handle some abuse.
I'm driving a 07 4x4 doublecab trd sport. a love it! and it gets better everyday.

 

Do you commute and sit for a long period of time in traffic? On the worst days I have it adds 30 minutes to my 17 mile(one way) commute and I sit almost at a standstill inching along. 20 stoplights can lower the milage too.-Rich

 

I have the same vehicle in a short box version. Tires are Cooper A/T3s., 265/65R17 w/35lbs pressure getting 17 mpg. Just installed snows allround, 245/70R17 Cooper Discoverer M&S w/32 lbs pressure same mpg. No joy here.
What I don't understand is how the identical vehicle can have such a wide variance in fuel consumption. I've seen 14 mpg to as high as 25 mpg. Not hard to get to the low side if I start punching it around town but the high side is impossible and I'm driving realy, realy gently.

 

I've read in other forums how a snorkel improved gas milage.
I didn't really like the idea of a snorkel sticking out of a hole in my right fender,
so I removed the intake pipe to see what was sticking inside the fender well.

There is a quarter elbow facing the opposite direction of air flow on the 3 inch pipe,
(it is probably facilitated to attach to a snokel connector)
the rest of the piece is designed like a velocity stack (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velocity_stack),
so I cut two section of the quarter elbow out and left the frame, I also used 1/4 in wire mesh and fabricated a screen
Similar to these

the screen is an added benifit in my case since durring this exploration,
I found a little surprise inside the air filter plenum where a rodent was going to make there nest.

Replacing the OE filter with a oiled high flow (TRD offers one),
helps and probably was extra protection in my case from the nesting stow away.

The estimated MPG is about right on in most cases.
If you look at the torque ratings of other vehicles compared to your truck
The pay off is in how much weight you can haul or tow or in the ability to go places off the pavement where ground clearance and gearing is to your advantage.

 

Hey gents,

Thanks for the input. No traffic jams in my part of the country to worry about. My truck is well maintained with 105,000 miles(had 95,000 when purchased).
I know about air/fuel adjustments from playing around with my Harley. However, when allowing for more air to intake, also calls for more fuel which in turn makes more power which in turn uses more fuel.
I don't need nor am i looking for more power. I am trying to understand why two identical trucks, in similar climates, road conditions and driving habits, have such a large variance in gas mileage. In some instances the variance is as much as 9-10 miles to the gallon. That adds up to a fair bit of money over the course of a year.

 

I can tell you I was not getting better fuel miliage with a restriction from the rat's nest sitting next to my air filter.
But because of that I cannot tell you if there is significant improvement,
from the fender pipe modification.

I think the winter fuel formula has something to do with an increase in fuel economy,
but I won't be able to calculate it from my personal driving habits for at least two more tankfulls.

Energy expediture is going to be a trade off between economy and performance.
Even electric vehicle owners have to contend with that.

I've been considering the electronic braking controls and their role in my fuel consumption.
I can tell if I turn them off my acceleration isn't as abrupt if I put my foot into it.
Also in driving on winding roads my forward momentum isn't going to be stifled.
It is going to take some relearning of the handeling characteristics and familiarity of the roads, but my previous truck was a 99 and it didn't even have ABS .

When you mention two almost identical trucks you need to look at the differences in detail
it could be anything from engine oil ,to gear ratios, tire sizes, sprung and unsprung weight, or just spark gaps.