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JSH · 10-11-2019, 02:14 PM

Before we can recommend modifications, it would be good to know why you want to improve your MPG. There are generally two camps here on ecomodder:
1. Those that want to modify their cars to get better fuel economy so they can save money.
2. Those that modify their cars just to try to get the highest MPG they can without consideration of whether they will ever recover the money spent on the modification in fuel savings.

You are driving a vehicle where even a relatively large MPG improvement like going from 50 mpg to 55 mpg returns a very small savings. Driving 10,000 miles per year and paying $3 per gallon you would save about $55 per year. Going from 25 to 30 mpg on the other hand saves $200 per year. Going from 15 to 20 mpg saves $500 per year.

Tires are a good example. You can likely improve your fuel economy by 5-10% by switching to narrower tires with a lower rolling resistance. However, those tires will cost $600 - $700 and last about 60,000 miles. Does it make sense to you to spend $600 to save $330 in fuel? That depends which camp you are in.

Your active shutters still save fuel because they trap a pocket of still air in front of the shutter. Yes, it would be a bit better to have the shutter on the outside of the grill but Toyota decided that small gain wasn’t worth the downsides.

10-11-2019, 02:14 PM	#23 (permalink)
JSH AKA - Jason Join Date: May 2009 Location: PDX Posts: 3,600 Adventure Seeker - '04 Chevy Astro - Campervan 90 day: 17.3 mpg (US) Thanks: 325 Thanked 2,147 Times in 1,454 Posts	Before we can recommend modifications, it would be good to know why you want to improve your MPG. There are generally two camps here on ecomodder: 1. Those that want to modify their cars to get better fuel economy so they can save money. 2. Those that modify their cars just to try to get the highest MPG they can without consideration of whether they will ever recover the money spent on the modification in fuel savings. You are driving a vehicle where even a relatively large MPG improvement like going from 50 mpg to 55 mpg returns a very small savings. Driving 10,000 miles per year and paying $3 per gallon you would save about $55 per year. Going from 25 to 30 mpg on the other hand saves $200 per year. Going from 15 to 20 mpg saves $500 per year. Tires are a good example. You can likely improve your fuel economy by 5-10% by switching to narrower tires with a lower rolling resistance. However, those tires will cost $600 - $700 and last about 60,000 miles. Does it make sense to you to spend $600 to save $330 in fuel? That depends which camp you are in. Your active shutters still save fuel because they trap a pocket of still air in front of the shutter. Yes, it would be a bit better to have the shutter on the outside of the grill but Toyota decided that small gain wasn’t worth the downsides.