4x4 guy . . .

[95tojo]

hello everyone . . . chris d. led me toward this site . . . . we are both on customtacos.com

i know i won't get great milage out of my tacoma, mainly because it is set up for offroad/highway driving (lifted, 32" tires, 4.10 gears) . . . but i am setting my goal at 22 mpg . . .

just by changing my driving habits i have been able to gain 4 mpg out of this last tank . . . i am not trying to do anything drastic to the body or anything, but i am thinking about putting smaller tires on my stock wheels to lesson up on the load of the engine trying to turn the bigger tires . . . i also have 220xxx miles on my truck so i am trying to keep it well lubed and tuned up as good as possible to keep it efficient . . .

any advice is always welcome ! its good to be on here !

[Red]

Welcome to the site tojo. I think you guys with tacos have a better chance of making the ideal weekend wheeler/gassaver than us Wrangler guys

[RH77]

Welcome to EM

...glad to see that you're taking fuel economy seriously.

Enjoy the site, and...

Best FE to ya

RH77

[LostCause]

Something to consider is that dropping to smaller tires is going to increase engine rpm's at cruise. Your high gearing is being moderated somewhat by large tires. Small tires will ease the pain as far as air drag and stop & go driving are concerned...

If your car is a manual, engine off cruising and engine off at stop lights will easily get you 2 more mpg. If you don't already, driving 55mph or less on the freeway will make a major difference, especially with a lifted truck. Run max sidewall psi in your tires. Drive without brakes.

I'm glad to see all kinds are interested.

- LostCause

[DifferentPointofView]

well, if he's planning on driving paved roads for a while I say run around max. If he's gonna wheel then he's probably not gonna feel like pumping it up, only to deflate it for wheelin' later.

Bigger tires aren't always bad, if you cruise for a long time then it won't be soo bad, but for stop and go, or where you have to accelerate a lot, you might consider getting some eco-tires for highway cruisin', and have your mud/All terrains for off-road applications.

I'm guessing those rims already on there with the 32's aren't stock? if you've got 2 sets of rims, you could go with 2 sets of tires/wheels. one with LRR tires for highway, and one for mud/snow/sand/dirt/rocks/etc. Depending on how you wanna go.

Welcome to the site!

[H4MM3R]

Welcome to the community!

[SVOboy]

As has been mentioned, something I would look into is the kind of RPMs you're pushing on the highway and trying to fine tune it. Unfortunately, I don't think anyone has ever tested big tires/low rpm versus small tires/high rpm for a truck like yours!

Welcome to the site!

[95tojo]

right now doing 60-65 on the interstate i am running between 2250 and 2500 rpm and it seems to run good in this rpm band . . .

i raised my psi from 26 to 40 in my tires this past tank, and they call for a max of 50 but my truck rides so rough already that i think 40 is enough . . .

i can't drive with my truck off because it is very aero inclined so i lose speed way to much in our hilly terrain . . . so i just lay low on the throttle and just stick it out . . .

i have a bad rear o2 sensor so i am hoping to get it fixed once i get the funds and maybe i will be able to get some descent numbers soon but i was happy with 20.5 on my last tank . . .

i had high hopes for this 3rd tank but i have 5 " of snow around here now so that puts a drag on it . . .

[DifferentPointofView]

hey! if your o2 sensor is bad then just replacing that could probably get you that extra 2mpg and then some!

2250 and 2500 rpm and it seems to run good in this rpm band . . .

not too bad for your gearing. I don't know what my stock gearing is, but it allows me to run 1500 rpm at 55, 1750rpm at 60, and 2000rpm at 70. I went 40mph in first gear the other day (tried to see how fast I could go before it hit the 5k "redline") so I'm pretty sure that it can go faster than 100, but it's the drag that probably prevents it from doing so.

How would I test if I had a bad o2 sensor? I've contemplated on replacing it a few times just to see how much it actually helps. But I'm still having trouble finding funds to spend on the vehicle *sigh*. Good to see you trying though! most lifted people wouldn't dare try to get good FE.

[LostCause]

Originally Posted by 95tojo

i can't drive with my truck off because it is very aero inclined so i lose speed way to much in our hilly terrain . . . so i just lay low on the throttle and just stick it out . . .

If you live in a more rural area this might not apply, but turning your engine off at stop lights will still bring a major improvement. I would only caution against it if your car has trouble starting, you are scared of negligable starter wear, or it is extremely cold outside. If you install a kill switch/starter button it would be a lot easier to do.

I guess it just matters how bad you want those 2 mpg.

- LostCause