possible mpg's? 2001 Toyota Sienna 3.0L v6
 

Can anyone tell me if the Toyota Sienna has the ability to get better mpg's?
I know there is always room for improvement but in real numbers what can i expect if i change the habits of the "loose nut behind the wheel"? I'm ordering a scan gauge so I can monitor my/her habits.

I know this is a easy target for many jokes and one liners(all in fun I know) but using the van in a "Moms Taxi" way(twice a day, 5x week, commute to school 4 mile round trip, twice a week club volleyball practive 40 mile roundtrip on I-95).

Thanks for any help/advice you can offer!!
Hip

What is the fuel mileage now? My in-laws have an AWD Sienna with a V6 and they get about 18-20MPG. When I drive it, I get about 24MPG.

opps sorry I left out that information.
This is a FWD Sienna XLE. The last time i drove a complete tank it was 21.22mpg but we were cruising 85mph up I-75. I remember a couple 24mpg tanks from a few years ago. Van had all the service done last year including timing belt kit, tune, & a pair of $100ea O2 sensors!

Just ordered a ScanGauge II. I'll give it a trial run on the van to see how I'm performing with my right foot.

I think I can see your first problem: Since when is 85 MPH cruising? I think the word you are looking for here is 'barreling'. Fuel consumption goes up exponentially with speed so keep it below 60 and you will probably see much higher MPG Remember, when you are an ecomodder, every day is a Sunday drive;)

No jokes from me. I drive a Previa for my business. Minivans are better than SUVs for just about everything. Safer, much more cargo space, seating, MPG, much harder to roll over, etc. Let em laugh.

Yes, you can get good mileage from a Sienna. How high all depends on how far you are willing to take it. I get 35+ on the highway with my Previa but I have done a lot of mods.

For easy mods, start with tire pressure and/or LRR tires, grille block, low viscosity synthetic oil for the engine, smooth wheel covers, block heater.

For driving, watch far ahead and anticipate lights. Cruise between lights, don't race up to red lights then slam on the brakes. That's your biggest loss in the city. Don't idle. Turn off the van when you are stopped for longer than a few seconds. This makes a bigger difference than you think.

Bigger mods will give you bigger savings but there's somewhere to start.

We have a 99XLE (to haul the whole family) and it gets similar mileage. It's a van and has the aerodynamics of a rounded off brick along with a fair amount of weight. Getting something you can see your instantaneous milage to modigy driving behavior is your only hope for better FE... unless you want to make it look like the aerocivic, and then I'm not sure how much you'd accomplish. I think you'd be better off with a different vehicle as a starting point if high MPG is your goal.

Fidalgoman,
Thanks for the reply! I would LOVE to have her drive my Passat TDI for the "Moms Taxi" but she has mobility issues from back surgery.:o The height of the van, automatic transmission, & 7 passenger size is all i have to work with at the moment. I am not aware of any other options to accomplish these needs. Anyone have any ideas? Maybe some sort of a diesel engine swap and run it on Veggie oil? Or buy a full size Econoline with a Diesel? :rolleyes: NNNNaaaaahhhhhh she'd never go for that!!

[QUOTE=orange4boy;227802]I think I can see your first problem: Since when is 85 MPH cruising? I think the word you are looking for here is 'barreling'. Fuel consumption goes up exponentially with speed so keep it below 60 and you will probably see much higher MPG QUOTE]


Orange4boy,
Yea i understand that the cruise set at 85mph is a gas waster to some extent. But previous trips with cruise set at 69mph did not even get 2mpg better.

Maybe I would be willing to try a 60mph test for a short distance.......:rolleyes:..........but 60mph up I-95 To Jacksonville, across I-10, up I-75 To Atlanta and across I-20 to Birmingham to my parents house, 600 miles, sounds like a painful trip not to mention the traffic problems and the hand jestures.

I'm not looking for 40mpg just upper 20's would be acceptable! Just not sure it can be done:confused:

I'm all for hypermiling and ways to improve driving styles, and i'm willing to change what i can. My main question is it even possible to have a van that gets close to 30mpg?

The old toyota Previa, or the old Honda Oddesy both had 4cyl motors. Are they able to do 30mpg? or are they just underpowered box cars?

Your 600 mile trip would have cost about $9 less in gas if you got 2 mpg better just by slowing down. That's about 10%. Add smooth wheel covers and you would save another 2.5%, grille block can add another 5%, air dam, 2.5% etc. There's another ten percent at least. Keep adding up the seemingly small mods and soon you have a big change. The other thing about aero mods is you can drive faster and get the same or better mileage if you want.

I don't find my van under powered but I'm not drag racing it or doing hill climbs with 8 passengers. I get about 30 mpg in mixed driving with all my mods and about 25 without the major aero mods but I live in a mountainous area. I do load it to the gills and it does just fine. Weight is not a big problem if you drive well.

Techniques and some simple mods can get you to 25, I'm sure, but it's a matter of ignoring the crazy people a bit. Perhaps Canadians are more polite or it could be people are distracted by the mods and forget they are in a hurry but I don't get a lot of grief when I drive. People just pass me and slam on the brakes at the Red... their loss. If you imagine that you are driving like a trucker... who gives guff to a trucker?

Seriously? Have you read any of the success stories here? It's not just Aerocivic or nothing.

If you have some skill you can make nice looking mods and many you can't see. Smooth wheel covers look cool, wheel shirts look cool, grille blocks can be invisible, alternator deletes are invisible. I get lots of compliments on my van. Yeah, there are the jackasses but who cares what they think anyhow?

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-or...9-p1010706.jpg

I generally find it pretty easy to hit 10-30% above highway epa driving any car I'm not used to. Its really pretty simple, go the speed limit, pump up the tires, avoid brake use (a big one with as much as your vehicle weighs), and other simple things listed in the 100+ hypermling tips. 30% above highway EPA would put you at 28.6 mpg. So, high 20s are possible. However, there is no way you're gonna come close to that doing 85 mph. At 85 your vehicle requires over double the power to push it along vs going 65 mph. I'm not saying you need to go 65, but you can't expect to get amazing mileage at 85 mph.

Just got my Scanguage today! woohoo! just gotta figure out how to use it now :-)
That's a nice looking van Orange4boy!

24-25ish mpg if i drive it easy according to the scan guage. Just drove 1200miles and 23mpg was my average.

Driving how fast? How does that compare to its EPA estimated highway mpg at fueleconomy.gov?

Taking the Passat TDI this time!!
 

17 city - 23 hwy is what is listed.
And under 70mph for the trip. Maybe you are right saying it's like a rounded off brick in the wind!

Wanted mods include: Mirror & roof rack delete, grill block, LRR tires on skinny wheels(custom wheels on it now) with solid wheel covers, front air dam and or lower the van. The van runs and drives so good it is a shame it does not get better MPG's.

I'm making the exact same trip leaving this evening but this time I'm taking my 1996 Passat TDI on it's first road trip since I've owned it. It is rated at 31 city and 41 highway. The last tank with combined city and highway driving was 921.1 miles on 18.56gal = 49.6mpg. :D I'm already over 20% above the Gov estimated highway figure. I've heard that these Passat TDI's can get in mid 50's and over 1000 miles on a tank. Still working out the bugs and the last owners neglect :-(