the truck: 1995.5 V6 SR5 4x4 with auto tranny. the truck has ~123k miles on it (all original). i got it when it had 88k and in the time i've owned it i've done all the maintenance. when i first got the truck it would get 17-18mpg on average, now its a little lower like 15-17mpg.

in the last year i've added new OEM parts:

-fuel filter
-o2 sensor (front)
-plug wires

the mods are:

-K&N intake with heat shield
-3" susp. lift
-265/75-16 BFG AT's

also in the last year i've changed all the fluids (tranny, f. diff, r. diff, t. case) and it has fresh synthetic oil. i seafoamed the engine at the last oil change and got a decent amount of smoke out. i'm still trying to figure out what else i can do to get better gas mileage. i hear about guys getting upwards of 20mpg and i'm frustrated because i'm averaging less.

*on a side note, on ONE trip i got 24 mpg coming back from denver (to albuquerque), following my mom who was towing a trailer going 60mph!


SOOOO, what do you guys think i can do? i don't drive crazy around town...i pretty much drive my truck like an old man...my WRX on the other hand i drive like a dumb teen with a wild hair up his arse. i've heard about people cleaning the maf sensor, would that help? what if i reinstalled my stock intake piping with drop-in K&N filter and deckplate mod? would that increase mpg's? also i may need new spark plugs, what would you recommend?

thanks!

 

The lift kit & tires are probably what shot your MPG down. You could try re-gearing.

 

15 -17 is what i'm getting with my 3.4 as well.... lift and bigger tires = more drag = less MPG... if you're worried about mileage get a commuter car.

what gears are you running? may want to regear to match the new tires.

 

I am in a pretty similar situation, but with 285/75/16 MTR's, I get about 15-17 MPG at the best. I only get 300-325 kms, (200-225 Miles per tank). My best was about 250 miles on a tank. I dont know how these people are getting 300-400 miles per tank...I call BS!!. However I do drive harder, not like a grandam, but 15 MPG is rediculas, thinking of doing a V8 swap to improve my mileage, maybe a carberator will improve things !!! I wish 4runners had a larger gas tank.

I must say though, coming from a 3vz 3.0 it uses the same amount of gas but at least there is some power, I can hold my speed or even accelerate up a hill on the highway in the mountsains.

 

i've got stock gears...the 265/75-16 isn't much larger than stock, maybe 1/2" taller. i know guys in town with 35's and get the same gas mileage with gears. as far as the commuter car, i drive a wrx daily and my motorcycle when the weather is good.

 

I am getting about 20mpg. I drive mainly highway and for the most part all stock. I go about 240 miles and then fill up 12 gallons. It's like clockwork... the fuel light comes on around 240 miles and I know at that point I have about 2 gallons left.

 

I've had my 4runner for about 8 months. And have been getting a max of 15 mpg. I saw that someone on here recommended BG 44K. So I got a can and ran it through the tank and got 19.8 mpg on that tank. I'd give that a shot. The cheapest place for me was ebay. Everyone around here wanted a min. of $25 for a can of it. Just my .02 :o)

 

17 mpg was about avg in my 93 auto.... still is, most I ever got out of a tank was 300miles, and that was all highway @ 55mpg, this rig is stock on 235's, seems to me the 5spd's get the best mpg's both of mine avg well over 20....

U could try manual hubs, I have heard they help more on the auto's than 5spd's for whatever reason

 

If you're filling up with 12 gallons, that means you have 6.5 gallons left, not 2.

 

It could be just wear and tear.
BUT, you did keep up with its records so i doubt it could be that really.

I really think its the lift and tires on the truck. Added weight for it to pull, and bigger tires. I wouldnt worry about the mileage too much, cause like you said, is hasnt gone down that much.

If you want the mileage to go back up, switch back to its stock stance and tires.

 

What air pressure are you running in your tires? 5 psi can make a big difference over a full tank. On my 4Runner, I run my tires at 30 psi on the street.

 

The softer tread on the A/T's and M/T tires has a much higher rolling resistance as compared to a Highway Terrain tire. Also, the increased size of the larger tire will make it less efficient than stock.

For the most part, unless you're willing to swap in a diesel, you can't have offroad ability, and fuel economy. You're going to have to pick one.

 

after my 3.4 swap i was running some 36" tsl sx's, that were maybe 25-30% tread left. I got 16mpg CONSISTANTLY with those tires. No matter how i drove that is what i got, except one trip i got 17..

Well i just traded my buddy for some 35" bfg mt's, these tires are exactly the same size, but these have a bit more tread. Anyways, my mpg jumped to 17.5 at the lowest and 18+.

 

One thing not yet brought up is driving habits. Do a goggle search on hyper milers and see some of the secrets they use. By no means am I suggesting going to the extremes they do like turning your engine off at stoplights ETC.

But driving habits can GREATLY effect mileage. My wife who is a very relaxed and sedate driver gets 20mpg in my 4runner driving 65mph and almost never passes anyone. Me on the other hand I'm doing good to get 17mpg but I driver 75-80mph all the time and cannot stand to be behind a sandbagging soccer mom on her cell phone.

If you have a OBD-II scanner that is capable of displaying live data, have it display throttle position and engine load and try to keep them as low as possible while you drive. After a tank of gas total your mileage and you will be suprised at the millage increase. If you don't have one look at getting a scan gauge (www.scangauge.com)

BMW has has mileage gauges built into their gauge clusters for years and I really think all vehicles should. It makes it allot easier to get more out of a tank of gas when you have constant feedback to how your driving habbits are effecting your fuel consumption.

 

i actually 35 psi usually. the only time i'll drop it down is at the lake in soft sand and i'll drop it down to ~15psi or so for extra traction in the loose sand.

 

A couple of things....

What gearing do you have? 4.3, 4.56...?

Grab a good GPS and check your speedo. Mine is about 4 MPH fast.

Run the GPS ODO an entire tank. Fill and then do the math. You might be surprised.

With your lift, you significantly increased the air resistance over AND under your vehicle. The tires may or may not be engineered for rolling resistance. Most likely-they are not.

If you are getting a true 17MPG with the mods, consider yourself luck.

And ditch the K"&N unless you drive in a very clean environment and/or clean religiously.

 

I wish! My 14 Gallon tank might say otherwise!

 

Try to put 4-6 oz of MMO in your gas tank. On our trip to Vegas, I got 1-2+ mpg (22.2mpg) with MMO on my 96 SR5 running 75-85 mph.

*19-21mpg without MMO with 80% Freeway running at 65-75 mph.

 

excuse my ignorance...but whatever stock gearing is, i have that! so 4.3, 4.56...not sure to be honest. i like your idea about the gpd speedo...because i know for a solid fact that my speedo is off by almost 5mph. the cops have these little trailers setup around town that flash what your speed is when you drive by via radar and i could have my speedo at 40 mph on the dot and the radar says i'm going 35 mph. does that mean i need to recalibrate my speedo?! anyone have info on how to do so??

 

Where are you getting 14 gallons from? It's an 18.5 gallon tank.