96 Taco Build/Discussion Thread
 

This is sort of an continuation of this thread, but got a new truck :).
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ild-27221.html

So the story behind this truck is that I wanted one truck for MPG that I drove quite often, and a 4x4 v6 truck for hulling larger loads and having a bit a fun. Anyway, after tons of research and waiting for the right deal I ended up with a 1996 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 SX with a 3.4L v6 and manual transmission with the factory 31 inch tires. Trip home with it on the highway and ~60-65mph yielded around 27mpg (ultra gauge seems a tiny bit high on my first fill-up). First tank of driving it to work wasn't so nice at 18mpg, but that is with around 90% in 4x4 on snow and ice covered roads.

So far I'm noticing that the engine warms up a tiny bit slower than the 4cyl trucks, but not much slower. The interesting part is it keeps getting better and better mpg the further I go and the engine temp sticks right at 195F, so I'm suspecting the axles/transmission/transfer case warming up helps tons on the mpg. I'm probably going to put in some sort of synthetic fluid for everything including 5w30 for the engine as the owners manual calls for. Anything anyone suggests? I'm leaning towards Amsoil 75w90 full synthetic.

Now I know I have basically everything going against me except the fact it is a manual, but I'd like to get a nice summer average of 30mpg or better, even better would be year around average but I'll target low for now since it is a v6 and 4x4 :).

I'll have to get some photos up of the truck factory and start getting things done up to help the mpg. So far seems the best mpg is around 40-45mph in 5th (in this snow at least) at around 28mpg, and 4th around 30mph I see 30mpg quite a lot. So hopefully in 2wd and getting the synthetics in will help with this cold weather even though they won't help keep the roads clear lol.

Glad to have another Tacoma on here.

I put all Amsoil fluids in my 2005 Tacoma, except for motor oil I use Mobil 1 as it is more convenient to purchase that locally. Amsoil has multiple fluids of identical weights, so you need to be sure you purchase the correct fluid of that weight. Make sure you correctly use GL-4 or GL-5, which ever your Tacoma needs. Wrong fluid have the potential to eat syncros or cause excessive force to shift.

Do you know what gearing you have, and how many RPMs are you turning at your normal driving speeds?

With a 96, factory would have sealed beam headlights, so you can always convert them to LED, as there are DOT approved sealed beam LED replacements with good optics available from major manufacturers. (Not ebay drop in blind everyone junk.) Add some lexan covers over the headlight recesses and you would be set.

I wasn't aware of the DOT approved LED headlights. I had to replace mine because one was burned out.

As for gearing, I suspect it is the 4.82 gearing (number is from memory), it is the lower geared option due to the 4x4 + 31in tires from factory. I don't remember the RPM exactly, but I know driving in 5th typically i'm around 2.5k rpm. I think that is around 55 or 60mph.

My dad picked up a 1995 T100 with the same setup except the standard factory sized tires and his is quite a lot higher geared even though it is still a 4x4 with the 3.4L. We already joked about swapping 3rd members even though that isn't a direct swap (mine has the locking rear diff package).

Ironically I was planning to run Mobile 1 in the engine. The oil change was just done, but pretty sure the last owner used standard dino juice most likely 10w30 due to the way it acts when I start it in the cold.

My dad found out you can replace the front hubs with the old stock locking hubs from say a 1986 4x4 Toyota pickup which i have 2 of :). The benefit is the fact the guts of the front axle isn't always spinning. Should save a lil in mpg and wear on the axle I'd suspect.

I did the upper grill block this morning with the almighty trash bag mod (same as my corolla) and engine temps held in at 199.4F, warmed up as fast or faster than my corolla distance wise and mpg didn't change too much, maybe 1mpg at best but as normal we have snow on the roads, lots of 4x4 use.

We have basically the same truck :thumbup:

I'm happy to answer any questions or if you want someone to bounce ideas off of feel free to do so. Good luck on your mpg quest. In my opinion it's about the most versatile truck there is with the v6 in it along with 4x4. I honestly feel any smaller an engine would have a hard time pulling my 6x10 trailer when it's full and 4x4 is a must have around here right now :)

@ the RPM comment, I was way off. 2.5k rpm in 5th gear is 61mph the speed I travel the express way :).

@mikeyjd

Your build thread is the first result I could find about ecomodding a Tacoma so I already read it but thanks for the link anyway :). I'm *hoping* to beat some of your numbers :), but I don't do any short trips except to my mom/dad's place which is about 8 miles. Work is ~40 miles each way and town is around 20 miles.

I really think the transmission, transfer case, and axle lube is dragging down my mpg. Also from a tiny bit of research, it sounds like the carrier bearing for the drive shaft goes bad on these semi often. Not where it stops you from driving, just the vibration and extra friction. On my other 1985 GMC pile of crap truck, I put a straight drive shaft in and it seemed to help a little with its huge lack of power, but I'd fear the clearance issues on my yoter since I don't plan to keep it only on the road :).

My truck came with 31x10.5x15 tires factory, I'm thinking about trying to find some skinnier ones that are semi aggressive to meet my off-roading/snow requirements while still trying to keep the rolling resistance down. The tires on my truck are pretty shot already, and am pretty amazed how well it handles the snow and ice.

I'm down to 3 tires for the truck. I want off road performance (idc about looks), yet I also have the mpg goal in mind. 235/86/16 is around 31.6-31.9 inches tall depending on brand etc which will gear me up a tiny bit. I also have a ~31 inch tire in mind but it does not look too areo friendly.

My friend swears by these tires, most expensive, but probably the best of both worlds i'm suspecting:

New LT235 85R16 10 BF Goodrich Mud Terrain T A KM2 Tire 120 116 Q Set of 4 | eBay

These are the cheapest, and I'd think they do pretty well yet. My dad's truck has tires on it that are very similar.

4 New Lt 235 85 16 Ironman Electra PM66 M T Mud 10 Ply Tires | eBay

And finally the old superswamper style tire from like 40 years ago. Bias ply tire kind of sucks, and load range c (lower max psi), but should be lighter I'd suspect, but the areo drag probably is pretty killer. Rolling resistance I'm not sure on. People comment the tire is a very hard rubber and the center ribs are nearly solid. I have read comments saying these tires last forever, one person mentioned over 160k miles on their set across 34 years.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-New-Tires-...3b3246&vxp=mtr

Anyone have any experience with any of the tires above? I'm sure they all perform well off road, so my request is more experience with mpg and such.

I will post my experiences. I run 235/85R16 Michelin LTX M/S2 on my 2005 Tacoma on factory 16” TRD alloys. I also have a set of 255/85R16 Cooper Discoverer S/T on a second set of factory 16” TRD alloys for off-road use. On my truck both fit with no lift and don’t rub (note I am on stock wheels). I later added Bilstein 5100’s on the front at 1.75” and they still fit and don’t rub.

The 235/85R16s are only going to be available in LT rated sizes which are heavy but more durable for off-roading (versus P or SL). The weight of the tire will affect the ride slightly (sprung vs un-sprung ratio increases). My mainly highway MPGs stayed the same (+/- 0.5 or less) between cheap brand 245/75R16 on steels to 235/85R16 Michelin LTX M/S2 on alloys when adjusted for diameter. If I put the off-road 255/85R16 Cooper Discoverer S/T on the truck, the highway MPG goes down approximately 2MPG adjusted for diameter, mainly due to the aggressive tread pattern. The sound of the mud terrain drone is the sound of aerodynamic drag. Look at my fuel log to see the actual tanks; I usually make a note on the log when I am running the different tires. (Note I think this gap was wider prior to my front air dam.)

The 235/85R16 Michelin LTX M/S2 are awesome on pavement (wet, dry, whatever) and do ok (better than you would think by looking at them) offroad, except in mud where they quickly get loaded up. The 255/85R16 Cooper Discoverer S/T aren’t that great on the pavement, but seem to do better off the pavement, especially in mud/soft soil. I would not want to run mud terrain tires on the highway all the time, maybe it is the lack of siping but the handling just isn’t the same.

Switching back and forth is a pain, so I may just switch to some all terrains when these wear down. I will be looking at Michelin A/T 2 or Cooper AT3 when my tires wear down. The Cooper AT3’s have plenty of sipes like my current M/S 2.

Good info. I figured the 235/85/16s would fit since nearly all Toyota trucks/suvs can take upto a 32in tire with no prob, I didn't think the 255/85/16s would fit though, interesting food for thought on my part.

Another factor with your Coopers are the fact they are a wider tire, but I'd figure the extra height would help offset the mpg loss.

Based on Tire Size Calculator

235/85/16 = 31.7in tall, 9.5in wide
255/85/16 = 33.1in tall, 10.04in wide

Looking at your tank fillups, it looks like the offroad tires pushed you down to around 23.5 and with the street tires you got 25.5ish as of lately, so around a 7-8% loss in mpg.

I suspect going from 10.5in wide to 9.5in wide should help some to off set some of the mpg loss for the tires I have in mind.

I should note that my truck is the second generation Tacoma, so I don’t know if 255/85R16’s will fit your first generation Tacoma or not.

I would note that there can be big differences between actual dimensions of tires even within the same “size.” I would suggest as you narrow your search in to purchase, you look up the manufacturers specifications versus using an online calculator. Tire Rack has most of the information available for their tires. For example: 235/85R16 Michelins: Tread width 6.6" & Diameter 31.7" but 235/85R16 Bridgestone: Tread width 7.2" & Diameter 31.8".

I should also note I have some other comparison data for these tires (as they are a hand-me-down from other trucks I own.) On my 1991 Chevy 2500LD 4x4 (5.7L, NV4500 Manual, RCLB) which I was driving for a while, I also had the two tire/switch back and forth set up going. I had LT265/75R16 Uniroyal Laredos for one set and the LT255/85R16 Cooper Discoverers for the other. Note the Uniroyals are wider and more of a street oriented all terrain tread pattern, and the Coopers were taller and more of an offroad oriented all terrain pattern. Both set ups weighed about the same, and I adjusted my speed and mileage for diameter when I ran them. In almost identical conditions, over several tanks the Coopers would get 2.5 less MPG than the Uniroyal’s. (14.5 MPG versus 17 MPG) Note that this is the shorter wider tire outperforming the taller skinnier tire. I gather from this that tread pattern and rolling resistance have more to do with the MPG from a tire than width, height, or weight.

Also the handling/stopping of the truck was much worse with the Coopers than with the Uniroyals. This truck didn’t have fancy things like antilock brakes. There were several times I was forced to do emergency panic stops in my truck (do older trucks look farther away…?). Stopping with the Uniroyals was ok (not great but in control), but stops with the Coopers would literally send me sliding into other lanes (not at all fun). I know this was more of a truck brakes issue than a tire issue, but it illustrates the advantages of an onroad tread pattern which increased the performance of the truck in a sticky onroad situation. Let’s face it, most of us drive our 4x4 trucks way more on the road than off of it.

My suggestion is to not overlook the importance of tread pattern. My recent tire purchases have focused on picking a tread pattern first, and a size second.

Good advice and interesting results. I live in the country, so my trucks do get used as trucks :). My dad uses his a ton more, but he burns wood, sadly he don't keep very good mpg records so I can't compare the tires he uses.

I'm leaning towards the bgf's, I need to talk to a friend that had a set of them and find out what sort of mpg change he saw as well as how long the tires lasted. I never paid more than $200 for a set of tires (typically lightly used), so it is hard for me to throw $850+ at a set lol.

Settled on the 235/85/16 ironman tires, which are made by Cooper. The brand had good reviews on other tires, but couldn't find any for these exact tires. Oddly I found a lot of people had issues with the BFG's. I also picked up a set of 4runner rims with 3 good tires to resell for $60. Same style as my truck came with, except 16 inch :).

Anyway, I got to trail ride my truck for the first time yesterday, did great! I could probably have just left it in 2wd in the snow and did find with my crappy street tires that are bald.

For the transmission fluid, transfercase, and axles I'm going to go with Red Line. From research, ANYTHING todo with transmission issues and such people suggest red line and report with with great results. Amsoil, royal purple, and mobile1 are all good fluids, but none of them helped with shifting problems and such. Interesting read since the red line 75w rate gear lube is about as thick as motor oil, I think the one use was guessing around 10w30, that should help a little with mpg.

Since I have been driving my truck, I found there is for sure some sort of lube issue with cold weather, I suspect someone put in too thick of fluid. I can feel it dragging me down till everything warms up in a good 15 miles or so. My truck is a bit hard to shift into 1st when it is cold so I'm hoping the red line will help with that too.

Still no photos, I'm slacking!

Yesterday morning I threw in my scan gauge 2 and drove "normal" to work and it indicated 20mpg, on the way home I played around with speeds, gears, etc to see what effects what. 55mph on the express way and 45mph on the back roads netted me 22.5mpg for the trip home which normally is worse. That is WITH 4x4 usage due to slick roads on the way home. When I put it in 4x4, the mpg dropped about 12%, but I do have a miss matched tire in the front, and I suspect that is causing some extra drag. I'm thinking manual locking hubs would really help when I don't need the 4x4.

Anyway, last night I took the mechanical fan off and removed my grill block. No fan currently, but I have extremely little city driving, only 4 stop lights. I plan to install an electric fan before spring hits.

Hopefully the scan gauge says my mpg increased today, I'm sure it will since I'm going to leave a bit early and go slower.

Just some fun numbers (purely from memory before any mods but the grill block)

70mph warmed up - 19-21mpg
55mph warmed up - 22-25mpg
55mph cold (first ~10-15 miles) - 17-20mpg
45mph warmed up - 24-26mpg
35mph warmed up - 28-31mpg

MPG figures are not calibrated! But the % differences should be semi accurate.

Another update on the Taco. I picked up another set of 16in rims with 265/75/16 tires on them in fair-good shape with 1 junk, but I have a spare tire that is the same. Popped them on, adjusted the brakes up, one side the adjuster was hung up so that should help it work better. Front end spinning the tires with the trans in 1st is hard! lots of resistance, rear tires are nice and easy to spin. I wonder if the front diff is a limited slip or something. Anyway, both front tires are the correct size now, and I found the old tires were only around 20psi. "New" tires are at 55psi (50 max side wall), and what a difference in feel, ride, and take off. Also found the right rear leaf spring is broken, 2nd from top and the same side's shock is completely blown out. Drivers side is working but looks OEM with 225k. Engine oil has a red color to it, so I suspect there might be a mix of oil + trans fluid in it. Adjusted the scan gauge at +5% and is now my speedometer. Short trip around 7 miles and back messing around figuring out how far off everything is and such with a GPS and idling a bit got me around 22.5mpg, way back was 24.5mpg. ~8 miles back to my house was 24.4mpg. Short trips seem to be a LOT more mpg, since to trip to my dad's house was 17.5mpg. All trips were with warmed up engine (150f+).

Also no fan has been no problem at all. Highest temp I have seen while driving was 202F when I coasted off the highway and took off up a hill over the overpass. I took it out in my woods a bit and sat idle for around a min, and saw 206F as the peak and it cooled right back down to 200F by the time I got back to the road going 10mph no grill block.

Trans and Diff oils should be in before long, really hoping the Red Line will be a positive switch for better mpg and still protect everything well. Engine oil will be Mobile1 advanced synthetic 5w30 (15k miles for oil change guaranteed). I ran 18k miles on my corolla on the standard mobile 1 full synthetic, and the oil came out dark (not black), but still not bad so this next step up (highest they offer I think), should be good for the truck.

I suspect 30mpg is very reachable with my situation of work being quite a drive away and the mods to the truck so far and it's winter! No areo mods yet since I took the grill block off for safety. Maybe in the spring I'll look into making a belly pan, not real sure on the material, but I'm thinking fairly thin steel kind of like skid plates. Not trying to add 500 pounds to the truck and I'm not sure on chloroplast for the truck, the carolla's 1/2 front belly pan has been bottomed out a couple of times and it don't really like it much lol.

Well, success story, left late for work, so 60mph back road and 70mph on the highway. Pulled into work with an indication of 22.5mpg, which is about the same as my best with the old tires. On the trip home I did 60mph highway, and 45 back roads, pulled in the driveway with an indication of 27.2mpg :). At speed 45mph is 30-31mpg, so I think I did pretty good for what my mods are so far. Fill up in in 1-2 more work days.

Scan gauge was giving too high of numbers, unless I didn't have it in the truck since the last fill up. Was around 10% too low for the fill up. Est (tire change in the middle of the tank) was 21mpg. Last few days been getting 22-24mpg to/from work according to the scan gauge. I'm wondering if the tailgate up/down rumor would prove good in my case with a shorter box, guessing not but I'm thinking about trying it for a day.

I received my new 235/85/16 tires, so they should be on the truck before long, and the scangauge will be off once again lol.

With small amount of research, posts suggest that the supercharger option for this engine increases mpg slightly (1-2 mpg claimed). Nothing special, but the extra power for the once in a while fun factor might be worth while. Down side is the rebuild every 100k miles (~4-5 years for me) but +75hp is nice :).

Really need to get a notepad in the truck so I can start my fuel log.

Lots of info, here are a couple of my thoughts from your posts.

I also live in the country and use a truck as a truck. :)

Running mismatched tires in 4x4 is bad in a typical truck, because your transfer case doesn’t have a differential (unlike your axles), thus the difference in diameter forces one or more tires to constantly slip. This is hard on your transfer case. (I know you already got new tires since you posted that, just wanted to mention it for others reference.) You may want to find a used 235/85R16 to have as a spare tire.

As for the hard to spin tires, are you sure your calipers aren’t dragging slightly? You may want to get out and feel your wheels after a long drive for heat.

As for your engine oil having a red tint, are you running red coolant? It would seem more likely to me that coolant and oil are mixing than transmission fluid.

Instead of running no fan, you should consider getting a junkyard electric fan for cheap and wire it up to a switch in the cab. That way you can have a fan that you can switch on for when you have to idle the truck. I will admit I am a bit paranoid about cooling after spending multiple thousands of dollars addressing issues with my older trucks that looking back now would have been prevented by less than one hundred dollars worth of cooling parts that I ended up having to buy anyway.

The electric fan would also be useful for off-roading, if you drive for long periods in low range (too slow for much natural airflow) you could leave the fan on. A used fan would be cheap insurance against a motor overheating. I have an electric fan from a V6 Camry that I am going to swap into my Tacoma.

I will admit I am skeptical that forced induction by itself would increase the MPG of a gasoline truck engine. Forced induction usually accompanies other upgrades (headers, intake, custom ECM tuning, etcetera) that I would think would have more of an effect. Conceivably a truck that had been heavily modified (excess weight, excessively large tires, excessive wind drag) to the point where the V6 was struggling to keep up or being lugged could benefit from the extra horsepower, but I am not so sure about a stock-ish truck. Not saying it isn't true, but I am skeptical.

If you get paper receipts from your fill ups, just write the mileage on your receipts and you have an instant fuel log. Save your receipts until you have time to log or upload the MPG data, and then throw them away.

Oh and pictures are always appreciated. :D

Thanks for the reply, as for the transmission fluid in the oil, I was meaning someone might have put trans fluid in it to clean out the engine which is a commonly known trick at least in my area. Coolant is Green, I'd NEVER run anything else!

I do plan on putting on an electric fan, I have a couple laying around from older cars, but I'd prefer to stick with ones that came with a Toyota due to their known reliable electronics. The highest I have had my temp empty is 202F which is the same as when I had the fan on it engine.

The supercharger was designed by toyota's racing division (TRD) and the supercharger is a bolt on option that gives 75hp increase, headers, 7th injector etc are other mods that can be done that also increase power output, but headers lower low end grunt a bit, so I'd be sticking with the stockers.

Front calipers could be hanging up, I haven't had much time to dig into it. I just picked up another parts truck with manual lockouts, so most of the front end parts are going to be swapped out when I get some more time :).

Speaking of that, picked up a 1999 tacoma, base model, automatic 2.7L for parts (was hit in the rear by a beat truck). I was pressed for time, so going the ~100 miles I was speeding a little and got 18mpg empty (65 highway, 60 back roads). With the truck on the back I got 15.4mpg going 45-50mph back roads and 55 highway.

Tailgate up vs down isn't likely to be a large change in drag, but everything I've seen in the past indicates tailgate up should offer a slightly better trailing wake.

I could be wrong, but I was under the impression that the supercharger would create a less efficient bottom end torque curve in exchange for more top end power. I look forward to your results.

I also experience a 10-15% decrease in FE with 4x4 engaged. It's worth every penny when you need it though (which has been allot around here the last few days). :thumbup:

With winter here, it is pretty hard to tell the effects of things, so I'll probably have to wait till around spring time for the tailgate test, but I suspect either way it won't effect it much.

The 10-15% drop I saw in FE with 4x4 on was with the odd ball tire up front (larger), low tires, and driving though snow. Now with all the same sized tires and tested on clear roads, I don't really see a change. The catcher with how my truck is setup, the front wheel hubs are direct locked in all the time so my front diff is always spinning. I'm sure once I get the manual lockouts swapped over that I'll see a new gain while in 2wd :).

I haven't drove the truck much, but it seems FE hasn't really changed except in the distance before I'm getting warmed up numbers. I might be getting slightly better MPG while cold. I have not changed the trans / transfer case fluids yet, hoping to within the next week or so.

I won't have any SC numbers for a long time, I have a couple of other projects that need the funds before the SC. The claimed numbers were from sites where people are looking to either make their trucks fast or go though more mud, so their numbers are probably nothing special to go by, one claimed a drop 1-2mpg, and 2-3 claimed either no change or a slight increase. Depending how things go, I might get a Camry v6 manual and do an engine transplant into it with another Tacoma/4runner 3.4L :). According to my research the swap is a mechanical direct bolt in, electronics are another story though.

Also question for ya mikeyjd, I see the last 3-4 tank fill ups are a steady increase in MPG, the temp hasn't done the same thing, so what are you doing different? I'll take a stab and guess you were P&G, seems my truck loves predicted stops, MPG before the coast vs MPG after up to speed is always higher after the stop for me.

I haven't been towing the trailer as much lately. One of my business ventures is buying and selling used appliances. I had been using the trailer quite a bit for a while, often totally full of scrap. Recently I've joined forces with a scrapper, in a mutually beneficial exchange. As he brings them to me and I give him several peices of scrap for his more desirable machines. That way I don't have to deal with scrap runs and can make more for my time. As an added bonues, I avoid bad roads with a full trailer and can maximize my tanks. I still have to use the trailer at times for larger deliveries (only once this last tank), but the difference in FE is substantial. With 4x4 and a fully loaded trailer and bed on snowy roads I get about 16mpg instant on flat. When empty the roads are clear and I can pulse and glide I can usually get 30+ on my trips, since I rarely drive less than 20 miles 1 way. :D

Interesting, just out of interest, what mpg do you get at different speeds on flat ground (like 45 and 55mph?) Just wondering how much your mods are better than mine currently :).

Been getting right around 20mpg with the truck. I have noticed that cold starts are MAJOR killers on mileage. My cold start idle is 2000-2500rpm, seems a bit high to me. I suspect the computer is adding extra fuel from when it had a fan installed, but now is over reving. I'd love a simple adjustment for this, but I suspect the ECU controls it and the only way to override it will be to alter the temp sensor readings to the ECU to be warmer.

I always wanted to do the coolant temp sensor mod to my corolla due to the fact it won't shift into overdrive till the engine hits 130F, of course with my Tacoma stick, I don't have that problem :).

Finally got my first fuel log added in since I grabbed a couple of pens and tossed em in the truck lol.

Been driving 60 highway, 45 back roads and 40 for the first ~4-5 miles. Most trips are right around 20mpg, 19 if i'm in a rush, and 21-22 if i take it really easy.

Finally finished my fluid changes, now everything but master cyl and power steering have fresh new fluid. Going to be doing a basic tune up before long (plugs + wires + air filter), and probably sprint time I'll be doing a pretty major pm as I have no service history of the engine, and the way things look so far, not much has been done. Going to replace water pump, front main seal, radiator hoses + clamps, all 3 belts, timing belt + tensioners, possibly power steering lines, possibly valve cover gaskets and anything else that jumps out as needing replacement.

Filled up again, scan gauge seems to need a lot of adjustment every fillup. Currently it is at +8% calibration, last fillup it indicated 14.1gal but actual was 14.76gal. I adjusted it to the middle, 14.4, hopefully it it semi accurate.

I turned off the fuel cutoff to 0, maybe I need to adjust it up a little since it probably does cuts the full off between shifts. I don't coast down in gear so I didn't think it would be just a huge effect. Before I disabled it, it was set to 23, I suspect that might be a bit high for the truck.

45 warmed up in this weather yields roughly 29mpg. 55 yields roughly 27.

Very Nice, I only see over 25mpg when I'm going 35mph in 5th. I might have to try a day of extreme slow driving and find a different route off the highway. :turtle:

I avoid the highway if I have time, although I rarely do these days. Every other week we visit our friends up north near Mt. Pleasant which is 160 miles round trip on back roads. I've gotten 40+ mpg round trip doing hardcore P&G during the summer. Typically 30+ is more realistic in the winter on bad roads.

Crazy you're getting near the mpg my corolla gets (at speed at 45mph, 45-50mpg, but averages ~40-45mpg).

I'm wondering which method of P&G you use, there seems to be no real standard. I haven't seen too much of a change with my truck, but I'm not EOCing atm.

I had fair success with my corolla P&G, 80% load to say 50mph, then EOC down to 30-35mpg and repeat. Sadly it was an automatic so I had to use the starter.

I'm finding it strange that my truck seems to have a hard time meeting the EPA ratings for highway with me driving, I suspect there must be something going on that is eating up my MPG besides the areo. I have been thinking it is just the cold.

My dad has a T100, I drove it 65mph in warmer weather up and down hills and averaged around 20mpg with a check engine light and leaking intake boot.

Cold start this morning at -4F coolant temp was 1.58gph @ 2200rpm. Driving home at 45mph I was using around 1.8-2.1gph depending on hills etc. Warm idle is 0.33-0.35gph. Side note on this, my corolla idles at 0.33gph warm too).

Thanks for the input so far. and lets see a v6 truck get 40mpg average tank (in the summer of course)! :D