07 Tundra Mods
 

On my last tank of gas I started my mods

First mod was to increase the pressure of my tires to Max sidewall pressure
They were at 32psi I pumped them up to 44psi Max according to the tire

That netted me .5 mpg for that tank

I actually expected more out of it but since I am just learning to coast it should improve as my driving does

Front air dam
 

This weeks project a front air dam made from garden edging

First I measured the lowest piece under the truck
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Then I measured the front bumper clearance
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So it looks like I need about 4-5 inches
Here is the garden edging I had in the garage collecting dust
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Not as wide as I need but I should be able to at least see how the install will work and if I see some improvement I will be willing to buy wider edging

So here is the truck
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And here is the front
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Here are the tools I used
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Here I put the truck on ramps and chalked the back wheels (safety first)
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At first I just screwed the edging up with out trimming off the extra fins
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But it looked horrid so I trimmed all but the last fin
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And this is the results I got
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After a little Duct Tape work
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You will notice I also dammed those bottom vents as I feel they are not needed at all

Talked to my brother-in-law last nite (a Toyota mechanic) he has a decal plotter, he looked at my black shiny duct tape and told me he had some flat black decal material he will give me for to replace the lower vent block.

I will post pics later

That looks good, does it feel differant when driving?

I will know later today I will be driving on a route that I am very familiar with

I like the looks of the air dam, great job.

It looks like the air dam is working well so far a little more then 100 miles on this tank and 70+ miles with the air dam and the mileage according to the computer is 17.8.

I have to admit that is pretty impressive and I hope that kind of result will hold up.

Friday I have a trip to Austin so I will short this tank for a mostly freeway tank.

At speed (above 45) I have noticed a smoother ride, however the steering seems a bit more sensitive at 60+ not sure why.

That's probably the increased tire pressure.

And the reduced lift at that speed.

Results of Austin Trip (not scientific)

Trip to Austin
Miles driven = 151
Roads = Freeway 20% Rural Highway 80%
Winds = NW 15mph headwind
Elevation = net +440 ft
Average speed = 65-70mph
MPG = 18.1
I tried to stay 5mph under the speed limit but the average posted speed limit on the trip was between 70 and 75 mph and I could see the fuel economy was really taking a hit especially with a 15mph head wind

Trip back from Austin
Miles driven = 154
Roads = Freeway 20% Rural Highway 80%
Winds = SE 15mph headwind
Elevation = net -440 ft
Average speed = 62mph
MPG = 19.1

On the trip back I set the cruise control to 62mph using the GPS for my speed
I again had a 15mph headwind (just cant catch a break) my average for the weekend ended up being 18.6, I expected more but head winds on both trips really screwed me but setting the cruise to 62mph helped on the return trip.

I was worried that going so far under the speed limit would upset other drivers but I had no Road Ragers in fact on the smaller 2 lane highways I would just pull into the emergency lane to allow the fast movers to pass, almost all passers waved or flashed there lights in thanks.

I originally thought that driving at or below the speed limit would be a death sentence, as soon as I started I was amazed at how many others are doing the same. Good job on the 19 MPG!

Mod #3 Carbon Filter Delete

It seems that Toyota in all its "Engineering Brilliance" decided that in order to get a better test result on a closed shed EPA test, added a non replaceable carbon filter in the intake after the filter to capture gases that might backup the intake when the vehicle was turned off.

This seems logical except for the fact that this filter is not replaceable, it is plastic welded into the top of the air intake box.

Now I am no chemical engineer but I have been around enough to know that this filter is probably only good for the first year before the carbon reaches its saturation point or is fouled by anything getting passed the filter.

Obviously if this were critical to the operation of the motor then after market intakes would have included such a filter in there systems, if for no other reason than to stand out from the crowd. Even TRD's CAI's do not have a carbon filter.

While searching the Tundra Talk forums for the best results on different after market intakes (very mixed results and no agreement) almost all agree that removing this obstruction to the airflow was an absolute plus.

So following directions found on the forum I removed by 5yr old carbon filter yesterday and promptly through it in the trash.

If anyone can see an error in my suto logic please let me know.