Toyota tundra mods.

[miket]

My painting contractor father is going to be upgrading hs 2002 toyota tundra sr5 4.7L 2WD access cab truck. Hes going to install a bed slide and ladder racks and other stuff for utitlity but i showed him some information on increasing efficiency and he was very interested. I dont know about the engine or gearing but i believe some aero mods should be pretty cost effective. The utility stuff will add some weight.

What is the estimated mpg saving i would get for doing the following.

He might replace the leer 122 hi cap on it with a utility cap. The leer hi cap slopes up 1 foot higher than the cab.

I might lower the truck a couple of inches if i get a good deal on a kit.

Rim covers.

rear wheelwell fairing.

air dam and side skirt

partial or full bellypan.

grille blocking

cap/cab gap filling.

Removing 3 or 4 long extension ladders from the racks. (Depending on the miles between jobs and the Cd it might not be worth the effort to take them off and put back on sometimes.)


What are the advantages of the $150 mpg gauge vs the $50 kind?

[Daox]

Welcome to the site Miket.

Its very hard to say what those mods would all do. It really depends on how the vehicle is driven and under what circumstances. There are just too many variables to know for sure, but you could guess at a couple of % per mod.

The difference between the scangauge and most other things is that the scangauge is a very well developed tool that has been around for years. The others haven't been out quite as long and generally don't have as many features. You'd have to compare them each individually.

[miket]

I dont need to know the exact difference each mod will do on the tundra, i just want to know where i should spend my money and time to save gas.

I'll try and get some information from him on his highway/city ratio and overall mileage.

I've heard the mpguino is more accurate because it measures the injectors and not the maf. How much of a difference is there in accuracy?Besides MPG how is the scanguage usefull?? I can get my check engine light codes read for free at autozone. I can see the engine temperature and battery voltage and rpms on the dash already. Is the mpguino readable at night?

I've installed accessories that required me to run a small wire through the firewall to the dash before. I've never tapped into the injector wires or any sensor but how much time could it take? Id save $100.

[Daox]

In general the mpguino will be more accurate since it does measure injector pulse width. You don't need to run wires through the fire wall, just tap into them near the ECU in the cabin.

If your driving is consistent, the scangauge can become fairly accurate (+/- less than 1 mpg). However, the scangauge also reads OBDII codes as well as almost every sensor on your engine. This makes it great for learning how to drive more efficiently. The mpg gauge is only one feature and IMO isn't the most important thing.

As for where to start with the mods, I'd always start with the cheapest stuff! Thats airing up the tires, removing the ladders, grill block, and probably belly pan.

[miket]

Besides mpg, tach, odom and gas pedal positon what does one need to know to learn to drive efficiently? What things is the mpguino missing?

I was thinking about belly pans. Where does the air leaving the engine go? Is there anything under the vehicle that needs cooling?

I would make the pan easy to install and remove for maintenance. I think id put tall wedge shapes on top of the pan around where frame pieces are so that when lifting the pan up it self aligns into position.

Given the different heights of things under there id install some brackets on the higher places to screw to rather than have screws of many different lengths. Alternatively i have an idea of attaching it with a cable instead of screws but im not sure if its practical. I could run a cable underneath making loops around or through various parts of the frame and go up into the engine bay. The pan would have cable clips so i could place it under the vehicle, reach under and clip the loops of cable to the pan and then go to the engine bay and pull it up tight.

[Daox]

I personally watch the LOD (engine load) more than any other gauge. However, the scangauge also can read the coolant temp which is very useful in winter, and I also use the 12V quite a bit as I have an alternator disable switch.

For a belly pan, air can still go out the wheel wells. Nothing under the car needs cooling really, but I'd be careful with your pan around the CAT.

[KamperBob]

Originally Posted by Daox

I personally watch the LOD (engine load) more than any other gauge. However, the scangauge also can read the coolant temp which is very useful in winter, and I also use the 12V quite a bit as I have an alternator disable switch.

I'd like to hear more about your alternator disable. I'm considering a mod so my alternator can ignore the tug battery once recovered from starting to concentrate on the camper battery. The trailer is handicapped by thinner wires so much farther from the alternator.

Cheers
KB

[KamperBob]

Originally Posted by miket

My painting contractor father is going to be upgrading hs 2002 toyota tundra sr5 4.7L 2WD access cab truck. Hes going to install a bed slide and ladder racks and other stuff for utitlity but i showed him some information on increasing efficiency and he was very interested. I dont know about the engine or gearing but i believe some aero mods should be pretty cost effective. The utility stuff will add some weight.

What is the estimated mpg saving i would get for doing the following.

He might replace the leer 122 hi cap on it with a utility cap. The leer hi cap slopes up 1 foot higher than the cab.
<snip>
What are the advantages of the $150 mpg gauge vs the $50 kind?

My '02 Tundra 4WD xCab 4.7L says 16 mpg highway on the sticker but I regularly exceed that commuting or towing a trailer and have reproduced 22 mpg when bob tailing on the highway. The ScanGauge has everything to do with helping me drive smarter. Better MPG is just gravy though. Knowing transmission temperature is what I really value most. With 2WD your dad may have more upside with his numbers.

Cheers
KB

[Daox]

Heres the link: Daox's 1997 Paseo Build Thread - Page 12 - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com

Please ask questions about it in that thread or another to keep this one on topic.

[aerohead]

Miket,in the 4th Sticky down from the top of the Aero Forum are some mod data info that might help you guestimate potential savings from different mods on the Tundra.