'08 Toyota 4Runner aero mods = 14% better fuel economy!

[Piotrsko]

Originally Posted by Xist

The gorilla tape on my front bumper has held up through rain and snow storms, as well as a high-pressure washer, for about a year.

How do I remove it?!

Heat gun

[Galane]

Originally Posted by mannydantyla

4,200 mile later... I'm back.

I didn't listen and the gaffing tape fell apart after some snow in Idaho. I got some duct tape and it's holding up a little better but there's strips falling off. Should have got gorilla tape.

I was going to suggest stops in Wall and Murdo SD. Wall for Wall Drug - which seems to have expanded to about half of downtown. Get some of their fudge.

Murdo for the Pioneer Auto Museum, which has plenty of other non-vehicle stuff. Kinda run down but still neat stuff. Spring or fall would be the best time to hit those tourist traps. I went last summer and it was HOT, especially in Murdo.

[csnyder]

You need to remember that 4 runner is a BRICK - both inweight and aero. Tuffer than nails, but not an economy machine. Even with the V6 it's thirsty.

That said, removing the rear spoiler will in all likelihood hurt mileage.
Removing the roof rails will help - particularly at over 60mph.
Getting your baseline on a 10 or 20 mile run going by fillup volume is a little better than guessing - - - -

Using cardboard and gaffer tape when anticipating wet weather is asking for trouble. CorPlast and tie wraps are MUCH better. Make a cardboard template taped up to hit all the gaps, then cut corplast to fit. Watch the gaps at the edges. Remember to leave access for the oil change!!!

Be REAL carefull about taping up air intakes. Try to take advantage of high pressure areas and smooth out the transitions to the rad with corplast baffles behind the grille. Make sure your belly pan does not restrict air exit from the engine compartment. An overheated engine or transmission will cost youmore than a lifetime of fuel savings.
Taping over body gaps will help. A stiff transparent tape like SlickStrip applied on the edge of the hood overlapping the fenders for instance, or on the door edge or fender bridging the gap (stuck to one part - doubled to provide a slide fit over the other) will do wonders on a lot of vehicles.
The 4 runner already has flush mount glass.

If you don't go offroading run it as low as possible. Is it a Limited with air ride?If so lowering is a cinch.

As noted by others, lowering your speed even 5mph will likely do more for your milage than all your modifications, and i've found a bit lower driving speed on a long trip doesn't change the overall travel time very much. You don't get as tired and stressed and you can stretch your fuel/rest stops a bit. Every extra minute in stops is a mile and a half you need to make up. Every 5 MPH is only 5 miles every 60. - an extra maybe 10 minutes per 100 miles at best.

Not sure how much good or harm removing the mud flaps will do - they clean up the air going over the tires and ARE relatively streamlined - particularly in comparison to the tire.

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by csnyder

Using cardboard and gaffer tape when anticipating wet weather is asking for trouble. CorPlast and tie wraps are MUCH better. Make a cardboard template taped up to hit all the gaps, then cut corplast to fit. Watch the gaps at the edges. Remember to leave access for the oil change!!!

Good suggestion, I've been using that method for over 50 years to get things to fit.

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by mannydantyla

Probably around 16.5 or 17 mpg. I haven't done all the math yet.

Just wondering: did you do the math yet ?


Also, for the guys saying that rear spoiler might have been better left on, I'd need to see more photos of it before making a guess. I've seen some that are clearly designed to force the airflow around the corner to keep the rear glass clean, and there's little doubt in my mind that type would increase drag.


When I saw you had removed the running boards, though, I recalled that some OEM truck designs include running boards that are drag-reducing. Dodge Ram comes to mind for some reason. Lemme see if I can find an example...

[MetroMPG]

Found it!


FYI, Dodge claims their OEM "wheel-to-wheel" running board design on the new Ram offers better aero than naked.

With aerodynamic tweaking, which includes the incorporation of full-length running boards to reduce aerodynamic drag, the new regular cab Ram achieves of Cd (coefficient of drag) of but .363, which compares very favorably to the .386 figure available on the 2012.

2013 RAM 1500: New York Auto Show - AutoTrader.com