Hello to all! I have recently aquired a 2000 4Runner SR5 Sport. I am very please with this vehicle so far and dont see that changing. I have had SUV's in the past, both Ford and Chevy. After reading a lot on this message board, I have the following questions.

I am wondering what mods I can do, that do not cost that much, to increase the gas mileage on my yota? I do not want to do this for the reason of going faster, I merly want to see if I can get better gas mileage with it. I already get 7 MPG more than the Yukon that I had. So I am happy with that. I dont want to change anything on the exhaust side, I like how quiet it is. I know about the electric fan replaceing the clutch fan. I plan on getting a K&N Filter for it today. Other than that, what can I do? I see mods for the intake side but which is the best?

Thanks for your time and listening.

Stephen

 

Gas mileage huh? Not much. There are lots of things you can do here or there to get you maybe 1mpg (deckplate, air filter, etc.). It's truck, it sucks down gas, period. Not much you can do about it. If you really wanted to, try to find ways to make your rig lighter, especially the wheels/tires. If you can make it so it takes less effort to spin your wheels, you'll see an improvement in mileage.

As for the K&N... do a search on the board for K&N. They are one of the poorest filtering filters on the market. If you are looking to upgrade your filter, consider the TRD filter.

 

Intake: (Deckplate or elbow mod, ISR mod), exhaust, fuel atomizer...

Check out the tech section. Dr Z has a write up on the ISR mod.

Let us know if you have any other questions.

 

Yeah, stay away from K&N, also look at Amsoil filters.

Alan has a write-up for his fuel atomizer install, take a look at it in the tech section.

 

My question basically is any of these worth doing? If I do them all and only get 1 mpg increase, that is not worth it.

 

Its not worth it.

 

What's your average so far?

After the electric fan, switch to synthetic 0W-30 or 5W-30 motor oil. A lot of people swear by Amsoil, I use Mobil 1. To each their own.
Change your differential fluids with synthetic.
Clean your throttle body. This will improve mileage and engine response.
Check your sparkplugs. Are they worn? If so, change them.
When you change your oil, use an engine cleaner like Amsoil Engine Cleaner or BG Quickclean. Avoid Gunk's Engine Flush.
When you change your oil, try adding a can of BG MOA to the new oil.
It's a 2000, so I don't think it would be an issue, but check your fuel filter.
Clean your fuel system with BG 44K. This stuff works wonders!

A change in driving habits can do wonders, too. Easy into the throttle instead of flooring it. Coast to stops instead of waiting until the last second to slam on the brakes. Add a few PSI to your tires. I'm running 38-40.

If you'd like a spreadsheet to keep track of your mileage, e-mail me. I made one that will calculate mileage and adjust for my larger tires.

 

This thread may be of interest to you.

 

So what is this BG Product that everyone is referring to? Where can it be purchased????

 

After my first tank of gas in my new (used) 2000 4Runner, I averaged 19.61 MPG. I have added the BG44K to the next tank to clean the system out. I want to again measure it after this runs through to see what difference it might make. I also installed a K&N Filter at the same time. So any increase will be attributed to both of those things.

I will keep everyone posted.

 

Sell that thing and get an Amsoil. I got $50 for my K&N on ebay. Amsoil = $45, better filtration.

 

I only paid 35 for my K&N and have had good luck with them on all other vehicles that I had.

 

I agree.....sell the K&N !!! Be Afraid....be very Afraid!

I have had a K&N in my Runner for the past 10 years. When I did the ISR mod last night, I was appalled at all of the crap in the intake tube and throttle body area. There was grit and dust coating everything.....I thought I might find Jimmy Hoffa in there too!! I wash and oil the filter religiously and all that stuff still made it through into my motor. If I had it all to do over again, I'd go the Amsoil route. I thought in a previous thread, that Gadget did a comparison and found the Amsoil to be the best. Also, I thought I read in that same thread that the TRD was a re-labeled Amsoil and more expensive....I could be wrong.

Save yourself and your motor and get rid of the K&N.

David

 

That's $15 profit on ebay!

 

That's at least part of the problem. K&N reccomends rediculously long cleaning intervals - longer than I would want it to go for sure. But part of the idea is that as the filter becomes dirty it filters better.

C