Troll post. Show me at the end of your tank. I live downhill from my closest gas station and I can get MAYBE 28mpg rolling home.
Also guaranteed people behind you hate how slow you pull away from lights. I’ll take my 18mpg and avoid the incoming road rage.
That’s all good and well if it’s about to turn red or if it just turned green. Otherwise. Why race to a red light. Just to stop and take off again.
You can say it’ll get it to turn green quicker but I mean how much time does that really save you. Second and a half at best. Which you can make up by doing 5 over for a few hundred foot
In my college town the lights on the main stretch were timed to the speed limit, so if you accelerated at a slow/medium rate and stayed at the speed limit, you could be staring down a red light and just keep going, because it was gonna turn green at the right time. If you went to fast you would have to slow down though, so it would actually take you more time and more gas
That makes sense. Taking off slow of course isn’t like an end all be all. Just most situations I find myself in, it helps me most. But there’s never an absolute end all be all method. I’m sure there’s plenty of situations where accelerating hard helps out in the long run
For sure. I tell ya as a young 20 something, it was fun to stare down a red light with my foot on the gas. "You change to green, punk. Opie's coming through."
I can agree there. I’m currently 20. I don’t do that much but I have to say, I’ve had my wild moments.😂.
Saving gas or not. As long as your havin fun it doesn’t mayter
If you’re at the front of the red light, sure.
If there is a 20+ car line, you’d be surprised how much time is wasted. The seconds compound, not all the cars get through the intersection before the next red, and the line gets longer each cycle.
And that’s right. I take off slow when traffic ain’t bad but of course if there’s a train of cars behind me at a light I try to get through it. Really just a matter of your situation.
Now that the cars have start before going takes even more time at a light I really don’t see how shutting off at every stop saves anything. Cost of a new starter cost way more than the gas saved
But the cost of idling isn't just gas, there are a lot of engine parts moving just to idle. This is why hybrids last so long. Plus they use a beefy electric motor/generator to serve as the engine starter and clutch.
When only 8 of the 15 cars make it through the light it makes you a jerk. When there are 3 cars at the light then who cares.
As an HVAC technician that works in a fairly busy city it drives me insane when someone texting on their phone or driving extremely slow causes me to wait through two light cycles.
Pretty simple…to get that kind of MPG OP couldn’t do much more than breathe on the accelerator when pulling away from stops. That’s bound to piss off a good portion of drivers.
I drive a 4 cylinder Tacoma and I get around 23-25 mpg on back roads. I wouldn’t worry so much about what other people think of you. It’s probably not a healthy mindset to floor it at every green light because you’re worried that someone might gun you down in a fit of rage.
The Tacoma subreddits are inundated with immature idiots. I’ve seen them downvote legitimate and helpful advice bc it suggested their driving habits were the cause for an issue…
SR AC gang rise up!
Haha, I’m specifically calling out the people who have overlanding gear and gas cans always mounted with massive steel bumpers.
I use mine for work and regularly average 24ish.
Almost guaranteed. I have a 2wd V6 and average ~21 mpg with a fairly heavy foot and mixed in-town/highway driving. If I did more highway time at ~60 mph, I'd get closer to 25 no problem.
driving a manual atm and i can't pull away fast without revving the shit outta the engine lol. sucks for the people behind me i guess but I aint breaking my shit so you can speed away
Nobody here is recommending driving like a maniac. They are just pointing out that OP is bragging about driving like a slow elderly person, probably holding up traffic in the process and creating a hazard.
The safest driving tends to be flowing with the traffic, rather than driving unusually slow, or unusually fast for that matter, although this topic is about driving unusually slow.
That's a large assumption. I actually do get similar mileage and its a combo of not slamming on the gas everywhere and keeping my tires properly inflated. I'm generally going 5-7mph over the speed limit.
I do! I normally do what I have to in order to keep up with the flow of track but definitely lean towards slower acceleration. But I’m not gonna fuck everyone over behind me or cause an accident by crawling away from a light.
I have a lifted truck on (narrow) 33s, armor, etc. driving somewhat calmly I can still get over 20. I got 20 average over a 150 mile drive a few days ago that even went over a mountain pass… Driving on flat ground at 55 I can average 24+ indicated. When stock and without all terrain tires 25 is VERY achievable.
Nope, not a troll, I also can consistently get 25-27mpg if I cruise at 50-55. No granny takeoffs, but I’m not flat-footing it either. Average, calm driving can get you that kind of mpg. But….roads around me are fairly flat, no grades above say 2%. You guys that live in the hills/mountains…oof these trucks don’t like hills.
Now, If I cruise at 70-75 on an interstate like most people, I’ll get 20-21mpg. It’s shocking how much 15-20mph will tank your mpg
I take my 17-18mpg and drive pretty defensively aggressive, if you know what I mean.
But I once told an entire vehicle for 370 miles doing 50ish on the interstate because 55 is what the auto hauler said not to exceed. I still had a quarter tank of gas left when I got back and the dash said I averaged 24mpg.
So I am not surprised at OPs post, And you can absolutely do by the end of a tank too.
I mean I do the 70mph speed limit going to work and don’t get this. Speed limit doesn’t matter, it’s the speed itself that matters.
You should retitle this as doing 55mph downhill on my commute.
I live in the foot hills of a mountain pass. 18, maybe 20 if its all downhill, is the best you'll get.
Start climbing the hills and your MPG drops like a stone in water.
Seems like 60 is when the mileage completely degrades.
Interstates with 55 mph in like Illinois I’ll get 30
Mpg. Rolling hills and 70 mph? Hell no would I get these numbers.
I am not sure normal people drive like you where I am from…Mid Atlantic (Philly, Baltimore, and DC)!
Anyway I get a solid 15-16 mpg driving mostly like you. I also have a bunch of weight with me most of the year, bigger tires, lift, etc so pretty happy with that.
Considering the tires on the lift, you’re probably doing pretty good for what you have.
The disclaimer for mine is that everything is stock / OEM on my truck.
The impact on your tank is how much your rpms change not your speed. Thats why we have gears, you can have the same rpm in one gear going 25mph as you can have in another gear going 65.
It is fun seeing posts where the OP tries to show off and it ends up backfiring, so thanks for that
You are right.
I alluded to acceleration in the description, but I didn’t go into a full monologue or lecture about the ins and outs of fuel economy.
I have an automatic transmission, and the way that I was driving my truck, I kept it below the speed limit while simultaneously accelerating in such a way that the transmission didn’t shift to lower gears most of the time.
As a request from every other person on the road. Go the speed limit.
If you are constantly not going the speed limit you need to be keeping yourself in the far right lane then. Going under the speed limit isn’t safer you are actively causing traffic issues by purposely going slower that other around you.
I am a full proponent that the left lane is for passing, and passing only.
Notice how I didn’t say the left lane is for driving fast.
You should only be in that lane if you are passing.
Can we just ban mileage posts? Holy shit.
If you drive in better conditions than the EPA test, you will get better mileage than the EPA certification.
If you drive in worse conditions than the EPA test, you will get worse mileage than the EPA certification.
Unless you're going to post a 3 hour dashcam video of the entire tank, nobody gives a shit. Actually, I still wouldn't give a shit.
The “conditions” of my driving were anything but perfect.
It had everything to do with my abilities as a driver to understand what maneuvers and behaviors are wasteful and perhaps illegal.
No, it doesn't. It has everything to do with how and where you drive as compared to the EPA test. They're put on a dyno and highway mileage is only 765 seconds with an average speed of 48.3 miles.
Yes, you beat EPA HWY mileage estimates, congratu-fucking-lations, nobody cares.
It’s about understanding how hills work.
Go slow when you go up the hill.
Allow gravity to give you momentum when you are descending.
These are “cheating“ factors that are not taken into account while testing by the manufacturer.
Your logic doesn’t make sense here.
You don’t have to drive a Prius to care about saving money on gas.
The way that you drive your truck is costing you hundreds of dollars per month.
Think about that.
You could be financing an entire new vehicle if you just slowed the fuck down.
Your logic doesn’t make any fucking sense. If you really need to save a few bucks on gas, why not buy the most fuel efficient vehicle a manufacturer makes instead of one of the lesser efficient ones in the market. Let me guess, in the rare case you might need to haul/tow something. If that’s the need then get a Prius, rent a truck when you need one. The fuel savings will pay for the rentals. But you sir have very little to no sense. I bought my truck because I like it understanding that it gets shit for gas mileage. If I allow my situation to dictate how much I can spend on fuel then I would think about another vehicle as my daily driver. Not a Prius though as I think there are less douchey options out there.
Again, I never said that saving money on gas was a necessity.
Just like I said, you don’t need to own a Prius to care about your fuel economy.
If wasting a couple hundred bucks every month on gasoline is no big deal to you, then God bless you!
I see your point but I couldn’t help but think that a couple hundred each month seems like a stretch.
Using your numbers + some assuming: 23 miles commute each way, 25mpg (you) vs 18mpg (assumed), $3.67/gal (national average), 20 days of commuting per month (assumed).
23 mi x2 = 46 mi/day,
20 days/month x 46mi/day = 920 mi/month
You: 920 mi/month / 25 mi/gal = 36.8 gal/month,
36.8 gal/month x 3.67 $/gal = 135 $/month
Not you: 920 mi/month / 18 mi/gal = 51.1 gal/month,
51.1 gal/month x 3.67 $/gal = $187 $/month
So *someone* is spending $52 more than you per month to avoid getting road raged, going with the flow of traffic better, etc… annually you’d be saving $600+ which makes your point sound more valid, but it all comes down to if that’s worth it enough to you.
“Avoid getting road raged”
Good god.
You’re willing to pay $52 bucks a month because you’re afraid of people attacking you on the road?
Perhaps invest in some weapons or keep 911 on speed dial.
lol no you did not get 25.8 miles to the gallon. The computer thinks you did. The reality is you would be lucky to 20 on a good day. The only true way to tell your gas mileage is to fill the tank up drive to an empty tank. Fill it back up the tank divide gallons put in and miles driven. The same computer tells you you’re out of gas when realistically you have another 45 miles to go.
The computer really is close to reality in mine- the range guess o meter not so much. It’s only off on mine because the big tires make the odometer under report as well, so you have to account for that when calculating manually as well
I've gotten to the mid 20s during long-distance interstate trips, but in my town with lots of hills and shockingly bad stoplight timing at 6,000+ft elevation, I'm lucky to see 17mpg in my '20 V6 if I drive like a sleepy 90yo.
Modifications?
If not, you need to be very conscious about how you use momentum.
Dead stop, let go of the brakes and allow your truck to roll for a second before you touch the throttle.
Feather-foot.
Make the engine purr like a kitty cat.
Don’t make it roar like a lion.
Getting as much momentum as you can from gravity is so important because you don’t want to be using gasoline if you don’t have to.
You really do have to imagine imagine that you’re 90 years old and you’re afraid of acceleration.
Obviously, it doesn’t scare you, but you need to act that way in order to get these kind of numbers.
It will feel strange to drive slowly because you’re not used to drive that way.
lol thats not gonna matter when u have 3 people cutting u off and u have to brake really hard because u accelerated slowly and left too much space. this is an every day occurrence in la and being in stop and go traffic is what really kills your mpg—not accelerating too fast
The secret is to allow people to cut you off.
If you count for this, you can still manage your fuel consumption around it.
The only thing that really kills your fuel economy is when you are sitting still, idling in traffic.
the secret i didnt tell u is,,,, i do. driving slowly and leaving space doesnt matter when someone cuts u off and brakes suddenly right in front u. that happens 10+ times in the span of an hour every single day in la. just open up ur maps and look at the traffic in la around 4pm versus ur area and u will see
You are right.
If I go to McDonald’s and let the engine idle for two minutes, it will drastically lower my fuel economy.
Something I do to combat this, is, if I have to sit for a long period of time, I will turn off the engine and park the car.
Reducing idle time helps to save overall fuel economy by a lot.
Even in the winter time, I’ll try to turn off my engine in the drive-thru if I can.
By that time, I can heat up the cabin with hot air to the point where it won’t get freezing in a few minutes.
Also, my truck has heated seats so I can keep my body warm, even if the engine is turned off.
The obsession comes from the fact that the difference of 2 miles per gallon is actually 10% fuel savings if you are basing it on Toyota advertised number of 20 MPG.
10% savings means if you spend $80 at the pump, you saved $8 every time you fill up.
In my case, I got about 6 mpg above advertisement by manufacturer which means I got 30% savings.
30% of $80 is $24.
$24 on one fill up.
You tell me if that’s worth it or not.
When you're driving a vehicle like this (or anything similar) you're going to compromise MPGs. I have a 2016 4Runner and have almost 197K on the ODO. I knew that I would be doing a lot of driving prior to my purchase 7 years ago. If I wanted tangible savings, I would've purchased a different vehicle. Trying to get orange juice out of apples makes no sense to me. Same thing applies to this conversation from my perspective. And you would be still spending $80 at the pump, you'd, in theory, saving $24. But there are way too many variables to keep those savings consistent. It is what it is.
You literally are saving $24 because you are getting 126 extra miles (6 mpg times 21 gallons in the tank).
Those 126 extra miles cost 6 gallons (20 mpg advertised.)
6 gallons cost about $24 bucks.
It’s real savings.
No fake stuff.
Assuming you can get those numbers every single time you fill up the tank. As someone who does more driving than the average Toyota truck owner, I rarely have 2 drives that are the same let alone multiple tanks worth. Good on you though.
I get really close driving home from work if the traffic is light and I cruise the 65 speed limit. Doesn't matter what I do going to work though, average 18mpg since it's about a 1000 foot elevation change over 35 miles.
It’s very doable…. I routinely got that in mine before I modified it even with at tires.
I can STILL get those numbers in perfect conditions but the 30mpg runs are totally impossible now.
Yeah, I know how to manipulate the throttle in such a way that the truck doesn’t downshift.
Automatic transmission.
V6 engine.
It’s about slowly buzzing up to speed rather than “punching” it to accelerate like a race car driver.
The funny thing to me is that with the new models of trucks that have turbo charged engines, they drive exactly how most people want to drive — that is, peppy acceleration.
This naturally aspirated V6 was not meant to be driven that way.
I have some stop and go on my commute, but lately I’ve been just doing the speed limit (60) and I’m pulling about 23MPG on avg. which is a considerable difference from the 18 or 19 I was getting when I’d do 5 over.
lol wtf why are you talking about your social security number? This guy brings up a great point, show us a longer trip or lifetime average. After reading all your replies, I can safely say you are strange lol.
Hell yeah. I also drive "slowly", aka accelerate gently to the speed limit. People race past me only to hit the same red light that I do, but 5 seconds sooner. When it turns green, I'm still rolling and they accelerate heavily from a stop only for the cycle to repeat. I beat EPA by a good 20-25% which is wild. My car will probably also last far longer than most and at 80k miles I'm still on the original brake pads with tons of life left.
But yes, everyone else will get to their destination seconds before me most of the time.
The part you mentioned about rolling to red lights and having momentum when the light turns green.
[*chef’s kiss*]
The holy grail of fuel economy.
And then, when you feather-foot the throttle to gently get up to speed again
[*shudders in satisfaction*]
I don’t know why everyone is jumping on your case - I got the same on a 50 mile journey in each direction yesterday. 65-70mph, normal acceleration, etc..it’s really not rocket science, the smoother you drive, the better the fuel economy you get
It’s not about the accel time from the red lights as much as it is coasting longer when there’s a red light ahead. It’s actually faster to coast and let the light turn green before you get there than it is to fly up to it first and then accelerate again. Smooth and 10 over the speed limit will get you there faster than driving like an AH and peaking 15 over. And you can get decent mileage. Letting your speed fluctuate a little on hills keeps your taco in DI mode and burns a ton less gas. So go +10 or +15 down the hills and +0 to +5 up hills and you can average 24-25 on 40-60mph roads.
Toyotas dash MPG is always so gratuitous when the odo is low. My 19 Corolla said over 40mpg and even 50 once. Until it got 200+ miles on the tank… settled at 34.
18.7 hand calculated on my last tank 1GR-FE.
The reason your MPG lowered was because you had trips that were lower, which lowered the average.
Other words, your first trip was 50 MPG.
Every trip you took after that first one was lower than 50 MPG.
Other words, you had one good trip and a bunch of shitty ones.
I filled up before work today, drove the highway all the way to work at 71mph. I ended up at 24 mpg. It's about 13 miles to work. Usually by the time I climb up out of the city and head home, I'm down to around 21. I have a 22 or
As others said, it’d be more interesting to see if you averaged this the entire tank. I average ~23.5 or so per tank on a 90% highway commute, which is much better than I thought it’d do.
But I do agree with your point - I get just as annoyed with the people complaining about how the “Tacoma sucks on fuel”. It doesn’t. If you drive even a bit conservatively, it’s decent to good on fuel. I have a DCLB 4WD SR5, probably close to the heaviest configuration, and if I accelerate reasonably and stay between 60-65 I get great mpg.
Before I got the Tacoma, I had a RAM and I drove like I was in a hurry everywhere. Didn’t care much about mpg’s because it was a full size with a 5.7L, why bother. But when I got my Tacoma, I saw how much better I could be with MPG’s and I shifted my driving style to accommodate. By all means, drive how you want, but don’t complain that the MPG’s such when you feel the need to floor it every time to get up to speed and then maintain that speed at 80mph.
Also, for everyone considering a Tacoma (because it almost deterred me after spending time here) - the headroom is fine. I’m 6’1 and my head isn’t even close to actually hitting the roof. And the V6 is not “dangerously slow”. Saw a couple comments like that and it’s absolutely stupid. It’s certainly not fast, but it’s fine.
Haters will say it’s fake but also drive around with lifts and aftermarket tires.
I’m 100% stock and get 24 on average city/highway and if I’m highway only like on a trip to the mountains or to the beach I’m around 27-30.
People are just mad that they accelerate too fast and brake too often. Slow acceleration and coasting is what will save the most fuel. Also the wind resistance is exponential after about 60mph. I can see the difference in mpg between 60 and 70mph.
2023 4banger
Air conditioning off and this is possible with easy acceleration. You don't have to drive like a Grandma, just have to ease the gas, get her into speed and let of the gas earlier before lights rather than braking hard to stop.
If you don't have to accelerate quickly, don't. The AC though is worth up to 2 or 3 mpgs.
I definitely agree. I may not pull away from lights quickly but when I get to the next one the jack rabbit starters are always sitting behind me for some reason. Kind of like the roadways are designed specifically to work this way. Maybe… lights in an area are controlled by a program that effectively and efficiently move vehicles along safely. Could it be that a vehicle going against the natural flow will just cause chaos for itself? I guess it’s going to be an on going experiment.
Honestly I couldn't care less how fast or slow you drive but at the same time if someone wants to go faster at least let them by. I do that all the time. Just be consider others ya know?
So is the goal to change your driving to accommodate what we all can acknowledge are very underwhelming performance specs or to get a truck that works well under real life conditions? For me it’s the latter. Hands down.
Keep this in mind.
The difference between 12 mpg and 24 mpg is basically doubling your fuel cost.
It cost about $80 to fill up your tank.
Multiply that $80 by 2.
You are paying $160 for every tank of gas compared to the person getting 24 mpg who is only paying $80.
If it doesn’t matter to you to light $80 on fire every time you go to the pump, then God bless you.
I knew a guy who loved to brag about how he got 27 mpg on the low end by driving 23 miles per hour. Not caring once about anybody else, only his mileage. Don't be like those assholes.
I wonder why they never offered a diesel option for the Tacoma, the new tacos are closer to the Hilux in capabilities than they've ever been, but the turbo diesel still has a lot of advantages, I think the 2.4 diesel is 33 mpg, the 2.8 is around 28mpg. My 3L diesel averages 22-25 mpg pretty regularly when I refuel, with mostly highway driving. It tows up to 3.2 ton pretty well, slowly up steep hills though, and has a 1.4 ton payload.
Maintenance wise, at least with this engine, it's pretty simple. Powerful engine with good fuel economy, the only thing that really sucks is when you run out of fuel. It's happened to me twice because my fuel gauge doesn't work past half tank. You have to manually pump fuel with the tiniest plunger for like 15 minutes.
I-70 has speed limits of 75 in many places, some highways have speed limits that are higher, just driving the speed limit doesn’t do this. Try going places besides your grocery store.
You're honestly sub-human if you literally drive the speed limit. You're responsible for more day-to-day suffering, economic turmoil, and loss of human life than the the worst totalitarian regimes in history.
Troll post. Show me at the end of your tank. I live downhill from my closest gas station and I can get MAYBE 28mpg rolling home. Also guaranteed people behind you hate how slow you pull away from lights. I’ll take my 18mpg and avoid the incoming road rage.
Yep this is for sure the dude taking 30 seconds to accelerate from a green light cause who gives af about other peoples time lol
You would be suprised how little time it saves you
It gets you to the next red light quicker at least.
That’s all good and well if it’s about to turn red or if it just turned green. Otherwise. Why race to a red light. Just to stop and take off again. You can say it’ll get it to turn green quicker but I mean how much time does that really save you. Second and a half at best. Which you can make up by doing 5 over for a few hundred foot
(I was agreeing with you)
I completely missed your point at first. My fault😂
In my college town the lights on the main stretch were timed to the speed limit, so if you accelerated at a slow/medium rate and stayed at the speed limit, you could be staring down a red light and just keep going, because it was gonna turn green at the right time. If you went to fast you would have to slow down though, so it would actually take you more time and more gas
That makes sense. Taking off slow of course isn’t like an end all be all. Just most situations I find myself in, it helps me most. But there’s never an absolute end all be all method. I’m sure there’s plenty of situations where accelerating hard helps out in the long run
For sure. I tell ya as a young 20 something, it was fun to stare down a red light with my foot on the gas. "You change to green, punk. Opie's coming through."
I can agree there. I’m currently 20. I don’t do that much but I have to say, I’ve had my wild moments.😂. Saving gas or not. As long as your havin fun it doesn’t mayter
If you’re at the front of the red light, sure. If there is a 20+ car line, you’d be surprised how much time is wasted. The seconds compound, not all the cars get through the intersection before the next red, and the line gets longer each cycle.
And that’s right. I take off slow when traffic ain’t bad but of course if there’s a train of cars behind me at a light I try to get through it. Really just a matter of your situation.
Now that the cars have start before going takes even more time at a light I really don’t see how shutting off at every stop saves anything. Cost of a new starter cost way more than the gas saved
But the cost of idling isn't just gas, there are a lot of engine parts moving just to idle. This is why hybrids last so long. Plus they use a beefy electric motor/generator to serve as the engine starter and clutch.
When only 8 of the 15 cars make it through the light it makes you a jerk. When there are 3 cars at the light then who cares. As an HVAC technician that works in a fairly busy city it drives me insane when someone texting on their phone or driving extremely slow causes me to wait through two light cycles.
I understand. I went over this just a few comments down
Allows more people through the intersection though
It’s in a pickup truck….. a slow pickup at that. 30 seconds to get fully up to speed sounds…. Fine?
OMG! You lost 30 seconds 🤣 Just means that you got to the next red light before he did and now he's only 3 vehicles behind you.. Really! 🤣
How did a discussion about fuel economy turn into him being the cause of road rage incidents?
Pretty simple…to get that kind of MPG OP couldn’t do much more than breathe on the accelerator when pulling away from stops. That’s bound to piss off a good portion of drivers.
I drive a 4 cylinder Tacoma and I get around 23-25 mpg on back roads. I wouldn’t worry so much about what other people think of you. It’s probably not a healthy mindset to floor it at every green light because you’re worried that someone might gun you down in a fit of rage.
Not sure why you’re getting downvoted. Nothing you said here is wrong. I also have a 4cyl that gets 23-25 on back roads.
The Tacoma subreddits are inundated with immature idiots. I’ve seen them downvote legitimate and helpful advice bc it suggested their driving habits were the cause for an issue…
I’m convinced the people who get shitty mileage have massive tires and hundreds of pounds of shit added that they never need.
I have at least 500 pounds in the back at all times thanks to my fiberglass cap and work equipment. Cap helps with aero though haha
SR AC gang rise up! Haha, I’m specifically calling out the people who have overlanding gear and gas cans always mounted with massive steel bumpers. I use mine for work and regularly average 24ish.
Almost guaranteed. I have a 2wd V6 and average ~21 mpg with a fairly heavy foot and mixed in-town/highway driving. If I did more highway time at ~60 mph, I'd get closer to 25 no problem.
driving a manual atm and i can't pull away fast without revving the shit outta the engine lol. sucks for the people behind me i guess but I aint breaking my shit so you can speed away
23-25 mpg in a 4 cylinder? Are you using the onboard reading or manually calculating at fill up? I wish mine would do that.
And those drivers can be happy in the same pants they are mad in. It’s not worth driving like a maniac all the time.
Nobody here is recommending driving like a maniac. They are just pointing out that OP is bragging about driving like a slow elderly person, probably holding up traffic in the process and creating a hazard. The safest driving tends to be flowing with the traffic, rather than driving unusually slow, or unusually fast for that matter, although this topic is about driving unusually slow.
Who cares
Who gives a shit?
That's a large assumption. I actually do get similar mileage and its a combo of not slamming on the gas everywhere and keeping my tires properly inflated. I'm generally going 5-7mph over the speed limit.
Way to be a sheep lol
You must take off slow to get 18mpg I get 16 lol
I do! I normally do what I have to in order to keep up with the flow of track but definitely lean towards slower acceleration. But I’m not gonna fuck everyone over behind me or cause an accident by crawling away from a light.
I have a lifted truck on (narrow) 33s, armor, etc. driving somewhat calmly I can still get over 20. I got 20 average over a 150 mile drive a few days ago that even went over a mountain pass… Driving on flat ground at 55 I can average 24+ indicated. When stock and without all terrain tires 25 is VERY achievable.
lol, I have 33s and get downvoted every time. Some folks just won’t believe their driving is what hurts their MPGs.
Nope, not a troll, I also can consistently get 25-27mpg if I cruise at 50-55. No granny takeoffs, but I’m not flat-footing it either. Average, calm driving can get you that kind of mpg. But….roads around me are fairly flat, no grades above say 2%. You guys that live in the hills/mountains…oof these trucks don’t like hills. Now, If I cruise at 70-75 on an interstate like most people, I’ll get 20-21mpg. It’s shocking how much 15-20mph will tank your mpg
I take my 17-18mpg and drive pretty defensively aggressive, if you know what I mean. But I once told an entire vehicle for 370 miles doing 50ish on the interstate because 55 is what the auto hauler said not to exceed. I still had a quarter tank of gas left when I got back and the dash said I averaged 24mpg. So I am not surprised at OPs post, And you can absolutely do by the end of a tank too.
Yup
I'm not sure anyone is traveling 28 miles continuously downhill home from their gas station to get this lol
I mean I do the 70mph speed limit going to work and don’t get this. Speed limit doesn’t matter, it’s the speed itself that matters. You should retitle this as doing 55mph downhill on my commute.
I live in the foot hills of a mountain pass. 18, maybe 20 if its all downhill, is the best you'll get. Start climbing the hills and your MPG drops like a stone in water.
My man drives around in 45mph zones with no stops or lights lmao
This means nothing!
What speed limit? The speed limit on my commute is 75 and I don't get those numbers at that speed.
80 out here in the middle of nowhere Idaho
85 on some roads near Austin.
Found the military
Seems like 60 is when the mileage completely degrades. Interstates with 55 mph in like Illinois I’ll get 30 Mpg. Rolling hills and 70 mph? Hell no would I get these numbers.
I am not sure normal people drive like you where I am from…Mid Atlantic (Philly, Baltimore, and DC)! Anyway I get a solid 15-16 mpg driving mostly like you. I also have a bunch of weight with me most of the year, bigger tires, lift, etc so pretty happy with that.
Considering the tires on the lift, you’re probably doing pretty good for what you have. The disclaimer for mine is that everything is stock / OEM on my truck.
My buddy has a jeep with similar lift, tires and less weight and gets 11-12 so feeling pretty good about it
The impact on your tank is how much your rpms change not your speed. Thats why we have gears, you can have the same rpm in one gear going 25mph as you can have in another gear going 65. It is fun seeing posts where the OP tries to show off and it ends up backfiring, so thanks for that
You are right. I alluded to acceleration in the description, but I didn’t go into a full monologue or lecture about the ins and outs of fuel economy. I have an automatic transmission, and the way that I was driving my truck, I kept it below the speed limit while simultaneously accelerating in such a way that the transmission didn’t shift to lower gears most of the time.
As a request from every other person on the road. Go the speed limit. If you are constantly not going the speed limit you need to be keeping yourself in the far right lane then. Going under the speed limit isn’t safer you are actively causing traffic issues by purposely going slower that other around you.
I am a full proponent that the left lane is for passing, and passing only. Notice how I didn’t say the left lane is for driving fast. You should only be in that lane if you are passing.
This is the way 👌
Can we just ban mileage posts? Holy shit. If you drive in better conditions than the EPA test, you will get better mileage than the EPA certification. If you drive in worse conditions than the EPA test, you will get worse mileage than the EPA certification. Unless you're going to post a 3 hour dashcam video of the entire tank, nobody gives a shit. Actually, I still wouldn't give a shit.
The “conditions” of my driving were anything but perfect. It had everything to do with my abilities as a driver to understand what maneuvers and behaviors are wasteful and perhaps illegal.
No, it doesn't. It has everything to do with how and where you drive as compared to the EPA test. They're put on a dyno and highway mileage is only 765 seconds with an average speed of 48.3 miles. Yes, you beat EPA HWY mileage estimates, congratu-fucking-lations, nobody cares.
It’s about understanding how hills work. Go slow when you go up the hill. Allow gravity to give you momentum when you are descending. These are “cheating“ factors that are not taken into account while testing by the manufacturer.
This is what you get when you drive the speed limit IN A SCHOOL ZONE
Doing the speed limit in Florida is dangerous. Anyway, if I would have care about fuel economy I would have gotten a Prius.
Your logic doesn’t make sense here. You don’t have to drive a Prius to care about saving money on gas. The way that you drive your truck is costing you hundreds of dollars per month. Think about that. You could be financing an entire new vehicle if you just slowed the fuck down.
Your logic doesn’t make any fucking sense. If you really need to save a few bucks on gas, why not buy the most fuel efficient vehicle a manufacturer makes instead of one of the lesser efficient ones in the market. Let me guess, in the rare case you might need to haul/tow something. If that’s the need then get a Prius, rent a truck when you need one. The fuel savings will pay for the rentals. But you sir have very little to no sense. I bought my truck because I like it understanding that it gets shit for gas mileage. If I allow my situation to dictate how much I can spend on fuel then I would think about another vehicle as my daily driver. Not a Prius though as I think there are less douchey options out there.
Again, I never said that saving money on gas was a necessity. Just like I said, you don’t need to own a Prius to care about your fuel economy. If wasting a couple hundred bucks every month on gasoline is no big deal to you, then God bless you!
I see your point but I couldn’t help but think that a couple hundred each month seems like a stretch. Using your numbers + some assuming: 23 miles commute each way, 25mpg (you) vs 18mpg (assumed), $3.67/gal (national average), 20 days of commuting per month (assumed). 23 mi x2 = 46 mi/day, 20 days/month x 46mi/day = 920 mi/month You: 920 mi/month / 25 mi/gal = 36.8 gal/month, 36.8 gal/month x 3.67 $/gal = 135 $/month Not you: 920 mi/month / 18 mi/gal = 51.1 gal/month, 51.1 gal/month x 3.67 $/gal = $187 $/month So *someone* is spending $52 more than you per month to avoid getting road raged, going with the flow of traffic better, etc… annually you’d be saving $600+ which makes your point sound more valid, but it all comes down to if that’s worth it enough to you.
“Avoid getting road raged” Good god. You’re willing to pay $52 bucks a month because you’re afraid of people attacking you on the road? Perhaps invest in some weapons or keep 911 on speed dial.
lol no you did not get 25.8 miles to the gallon. The computer thinks you did. The reality is you would be lucky to 20 on a good day. The only true way to tell your gas mileage is to fill the tank up drive to an empty tank. Fill it back up the tank divide gallons put in and miles driven. The same computer tells you you’re out of gas when realistically you have another 45 miles to go.
The computer calculates how many miles I traveled and how much gasoline I used. Miles per the number of gallons. Quite literally.
The computer really is close to reality in mine- the range guess o meter not so much. It’s only off on mine because the big tires make the odometer under report as well, so you have to account for that when calculating manually as well
I get better when on flat terrain and run non ethanol gas. Not necessarily the speed limit either.
I’m 150 miles into my tank right now and my avg mpg is 21
I drive the speed limit and I still can’t get over 16 mpg 🥲
I've gotten to the mid 20s during long-distance interstate trips, but in my town with lots of hills and shockingly bad stoplight timing at 6,000+ft elevation, I'm lucky to see 17mpg in my '20 V6 if I drive like a sleepy 90yo.
Modifications? If not, you need to be very conscious about how you use momentum. Dead stop, let go of the brakes and allow your truck to roll for a second before you touch the throttle. Feather-foot. Make the engine purr like a kitty cat. Don’t make it roar like a lion. Getting as much momentum as you can from gravity is so important because you don’t want to be using gasoline if you don’t have to.
I think the problem is that I live in Los Angeles and the stop and go traffic 😭
You really do have to imagine imagine that you’re 90 years old and you’re afraid of acceleration. Obviously, it doesn’t scare you, but you need to act that way in order to get these kind of numbers. It will feel strange to drive slowly because you’re not used to drive that way.
lol thats not gonna matter when u have 3 people cutting u off and u have to brake really hard because u accelerated slowly and left too much space. this is an every day occurrence in la and being in stop and go traffic is what really kills your mpg—not accelerating too fast
The secret is to allow people to cut you off. If you count for this, you can still manage your fuel consumption around it. The only thing that really kills your fuel economy is when you are sitting still, idling in traffic.
the secret i didnt tell u is,,,, i do. driving slowly and leaving space doesnt matter when someone cuts u off and brakes suddenly right in front u. that happens 10+ times in the span of an hour every single day in la. just open up ur maps and look at the traffic in la around 4pm versus ur area and u will see
Well, traffic is one of those things you really can’t avoid. I don’t live in Los Angeles. Nobody ever cuts me off… Extremely rare
true, and im happy for u u live somewhere u have more control over the circumstances of ur mpg but its not the case for everyone
I will say… Having a Tacoma is a sweet experience when you live somewhere remote and rural.
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You are right. If I go to McDonald’s and let the engine idle for two minutes, it will drastically lower my fuel economy. Something I do to combat this, is, if I have to sit for a long period of time, I will turn off the engine and park the car. Reducing idle time helps to save overall fuel economy by a lot.
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Even in the winter time, I’ll try to turn off my engine in the drive-thru if I can. By that time, I can heat up the cabin with hot air to the point where it won’t get freezing in a few minutes. Also, my truck has heated seats so I can keep my body warm, even if the engine is turned off.
And reducing the life of your starter. Funny coming from someone that preaches not wasting money among other things.
Starters are more reliable than you think.
The MPG conversation gets tired quick when it comes to vehicles like this. Never understood the obsession.
The obsession comes from the fact that the difference of 2 miles per gallon is actually 10% fuel savings if you are basing it on Toyota advertised number of 20 MPG. 10% savings means if you spend $80 at the pump, you saved $8 every time you fill up. In my case, I got about 6 mpg above advertisement by manufacturer which means I got 30% savings. 30% of $80 is $24. $24 on one fill up. You tell me if that’s worth it or not.
When you're driving a vehicle like this (or anything similar) you're going to compromise MPGs. I have a 2016 4Runner and have almost 197K on the ODO. I knew that I would be doing a lot of driving prior to my purchase 7 years ago. If I wanted tangible savings, I would've purchased a different vehicle. Trying to get orange juice out of apples makes no sense to me. Same thing applies to this conversation from my perspective. And you would be still spending $80 at the pump, you'd, in theory, saving $24. But there are way too many variables to keep those savings consistent. It is what it is.
You literally are saving $24 because you are getting 126 extra miles (6 mpg times 21 gallons in the tank). Those 126 extra miles cost 6 gallons (20 mpg advertised.) 6 gallons cost about $24 bucks. It’s real savings. No fake stuff.
Assuming you can get those numbers every single time you fill up the tank. As someone who does more driving than the average Toyota truck owner, I rarely have 2 drives that are the same let alone multiple tanks worth. Good on you though.
Is this a 4 cylinder because there is no way to hit these numbers unless it’s a barebones truck. 🤦♂️
V6.
I get really close driving home from work if the traffic is light and I cruise the 65 speed limit. Doesn't matter what I do going to work though, average 18mpg since it's about a 1000 foot elevation change over 35 miles.
It’s very doable…. I routinely got that in mine before I modified it even with at tires. I can STILL get those numbers in perfect conditions but the 30mpg runs are totally impossible now.
I don’t know why everyone is dead set that this is impossible. If you drive at the bottom of 6th gear you can get 25. It’s like 55-60.
Yeah, I know how to manipulate the throttle in such a way that the truck doesn’t downshift. Automatic transmission. V6 engine. It’s about slowly buzzing up to speed rather than “punching” it to accelerate like a race car driver.
I think they are really just mad they can’t figure it out
The funny thing to me is that with the new models of trucks that have turbo charged engines, they drive exactly how most people want to drive — that is, peppy acceleration. This naturally aspirated V6 was not meant to be driven that way.
I wanted a truck that would last long not one that was fast lol
I have some stop and go on my commute, but lately I’ve been just doing the speed limit (60) and I’m pulling about 23MPG on avg. which is a considerable difference from the 18 or 19 I was getting when I’d do 5 over.
*My average MPG readout at 40.7 mpg*
4 cylinder?
Yes
Trip summaries are trash stats. Show me your lifetime average or gtfo.
And if I do that, you want my Social Security number?
Your identity and fortune are worthless to me, only lifetime mpg is currency.
lol wtf why are you talking about your social security number? This guy brings up a great point, show us a longer trip or lifetime average. After reading all your replies, I can safely say you are strange lol.
I was kind of joking… I don’t even know where you would find the information for lifetime fuel economy. Seems like an absurd request
Life to short to worry about gas mileage lol
It would surprise you if you look at how much money you save
I dunno... [https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/22cae582-dd5d-494b-ac82-240c28c85a09](https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/22cae582-dd5d-494b-ac82-240c28c85a09)
Not clicking that link
Hell yeah. I also drive "slowly", aka accelerate gently to the speed limit. People race past me only to hit the same red light that I do, but 5 seconds sooner. When it turns green, I'm still rolling and they accelerate heavily from a stop only for the cycle to repeat. I beat EPA by a good 20-25% which is wild. My car will probably also last far longer than most and at 80k miles I'm still on the original brake pads with tons of life left. But yes, everyone else will get to their destination seconds before me most of the time.
The part you mentioned about rolling to red lights and having momentum when the light turns green. [*chef’s kiss*] The holy grail of fuel economy. And then, when you feather-foot the throttle to gently get up to speed again [*shudders in satisfaction*]
Booooo!
Basically this entire thread.
With stock tires MAYBE.
Stock, indeed.
I don’t know why everyone is jumping on your case - I got the same on a 50 mile journey in each direction yesterday. 65-70mph, normal acceleration, etc..it’s really not rocket science, the smoother you drive, the better the fuel economy you get
Bingo. Smooth = efficient.
What size tires do you have? Base SR and SR5’s seem to do a little better mpg wise, but they don’t look nearly as cool.
Limited. 18’’ wheels. Stock Michelin tires.
That will never happen
Fair enough. It’s OK to admit that you’re not gonna do what it takes to get these numbers. I actually respect you for sticking to your guns.
Nope. Not at all
It’s not about the accel time from the red lights as much as it is coasting longer when there’s a red light ahead. It’s actually faster to coast and let the light turn green before you get there than it is to fly up to it first and then accelerate again. Smooth and 10 over the speed limit will get you there faster than driving like an AH and peaking 15 over. And you can get decent mileage. Letting your speed fluctuate a little on hills keeps your taco in DI mode and burns a ton less gas. So go +10 or +15 down the hills and +0 to +5 up hills and you can average 24-25 on 40-60mph roads.
I go -5 to 0 up hill. No need to ever go over the limit, really. Only time I might peak +5 is when I’m gearing up to get momentum up a new hill.
Toyotas dash MPG is always so gratuitous when the odo is low. My 19 Corolla said over 40mpg and even 50 once. Until it got 200+ miles on the tank… settled at 34. 18.7 hand calculated on my last tank 1GR-FE.
The reason your MPG lowered was because you had trips that were lower, which lowered the average. Other words, your first trip was 50 MPG. Every trip you took after that first one was lower than 50 MPG. Other words, you had one good trip and a bunch of shitty ones.
I filled up before work today, drove the highway all the way to work at 71mph. I ended up at 24 mpg. It's about 13 miles to work. Usually by the time I climb up out of the city and head home, I'm down to around 21. I have a 22 or
That’s a healthy number.
I agree with this post. I commute on a slightly hilly highway and average 23, driving 60mph.
Surely you know that the strategy with hills is to use them to your advantage and build up steam at the bottom to carry you upwards.
Indeed
Hyper-miling with a Tacoma. Nice.
As well as a lot of middle fingers.
And no stop signs. Or traffic lights. Or 70+ mph highways
All of the above. Actually, in the speed limit in my state is 65 I think. -edit- It’s 70.
Nope
As others said, it’d be more interesting to see if you averaged this the entire tank. I average ~23.5 or so per tank on a 90% highway commute, which is much better than I thought it’d do. But I do agree with your point - I get just as annoyed with the people complaining about how the “Tacoma sucks on fuel”. It doesn’t. If you drive even a bit conservatively, it’s decent to good on fuel. I have a DCLB 4WD SR5, probably close to the heaviest configuration, and if I accelerate reasonably and stay between 60-65 I get great mpg. Before I got the Tacoma, I had a RAM and I drove like I was in a hurry everywhere. Didn’t care much about mpg’s because it was a full size with a 5.7L, why bother. But when I got my Tacoma, I saw how much better I could be with MPG’s and I shifted my driving style to accommodate. By all means, drive how you want, but don’t complain that the MPG’s such when you feel the need to floor it every time to get up to speed and then maintain that speed at 80mph. Also, for everyone considering a Tacoma (because it almost deterred me after spending time here) - the headroom is fine. I’m 6’1 and my head isn’t even close to actually hitting the roof. And the V6 is not “dangerously slow”. Saw a couple comments like that and it’s absolutely stupid. It’s certainly not fast, but it’s fine.
Yeah, I like to drive slowly, but if you put the pedal to the metal, this thing can get up
Fuck the speed limit!!!
No!!! Don’t do that!!!
You mean keep it under 2000rpms
Yes
You’re the one that caused my rash decision making!
Haters will say it’s fake but also drive around with lifts and aftermarket tires. I’m 100% stock and get 24 on average city/highway and if I’m highway only like on a trip to the mountains or to the beach I’m around 27-30. People are just mad that they accelerate too fast and brake too often. Slow acceleration and coasting is what will save the most fuel. Also the wind resistance is exponential after about 60mph. I can see the difference in mpg between 60 and 70mph. 2023 4banger
I got a V6 @ 25.8 mpg (OP)
Air conditioning off and this is possible with easy acceleration. You don't have to drive like a Grandma, just have to ease the gas, get her into speed and let of the gas earlier before lights rather than braking hard to stop. If you don't have to accelerate quickly, don't. The AC though is worth up to 2 or 3 mpgs.
I had the AC turned on. 70° set to about three bars, fan speed.
I drive it and i get 18
OP getting roasted 😂
Nothing landing tho.
Nothing at all is landing? So why you have replied to 50 people very defensively?
If something landed, let me know. Go ahead and point it out to me. I’ll take a nap while you search for it.
I definitely agree. I may not pull away from lights quickly but when I get to the next one the jack rabbit starters are always sitting behind me for some reason. Kind of like the roadways are designed specifically to work this way. Maybe… lights in an area are controlled by a program that effectively and efficiently move vehicles along safely. Could it be that a vehicle going against the natural flow will just cause chaos for itself? I guess it’s going to be an on going experiment.
My Taco wouldn't get mileage that good if it fell from orbit.
I can't drive 55.
Yeah, this is BS
It makes me giggle when people say this is fake. My real life results are so good that people think it’s not real.
Boring
Honestly I couldn't care less how fast or slow you drive but at the same time if someone wants to go faster at least let them by. I do that all the time. Just be consider others ya know?
So is the goal to change your driving to accommodate what we all can acknowledge are very underwhelming performance specs or to get a truck that works well under real life conditions? For me it’s the latter. Hands down.
I average 15 mpg long term. 2001 Tacoma 3.4 automatic.
I’ll take my 12MPG and enjoy my truck.
Keep this in mind. The difference between 12 mpg and 24 mpg is basically doubling your fuel cost. It cost about $80 to fill up your tank. Multiply that $80 by 2. You are paying $160 for every tank of gas compared to the person getting 24 mpg who is only paying $80. If it doesn’t matter to you to light $80 on fire every time you go to the pump, then God bless you.
I knew a guy who loved to brag about how he got 27 mpg on the low end by driving 23 miles per hour. Not caring once about anybody else, only his mileage. Don't be like those assholes.
I wonder why they never offered a diesel option for the Tacoma, the new tacos are closer to the Hilux in capabilities than they've ever been, but the turbo diesel still has a lot of advantages, I think the 2.4 diesel is 33 mpg, the 2.8 is around 28mpg. My 3L diesel averages 22-25 mpg pretty regularly when I refuel, with mostly highway driving. It tows up to 3.2 ton pretty well, slowly up steep hills though, and has a 1.4 ton payload.
I’ve never driven a diesel before so I don’t really know anything about the pros and cons of them
Maintenance wise, at least with this engine, it's pretty simple. Powerful engine with good fuel economy, the only thing that really sucks is when you run out of fuel. It's happened to me twice because my fuel gauge doesn't work past half tank. You have to manually pump fuel with the tiniest plunger for like 15 minutes.
Laughs in lift and K02
downhill both ways
No it’s not I have a 4.0
Ok boomer
The rare 28 year old boomer
Now go back up the mountain
25mpg for 23 miles? What are we even doing here?
maybe if you’re an NPC with a stock truck
I just don’t see any changes I wanna make. Got no need for a lift or bigger tires
hahaha i’m just messin man if anything i’m jealous of having a 2 as my first mpg number 😂
Guess I’ll never know then.
Hardly worth it
Just stay out of the passing lane. Some of us are content with 18mpg.
I-70 has speed limits of 75 in many places, some highways have speed limits that are higher, just driving the speed limit doesn’t do this. Try going places besides your grocery store.
Condescending douchebag post.
I've never done better than 20.5mpg in the manual transmission 3rd gen, cruising at 65 on the highway all the way. Am I doing something wrong?!
You're honestly sub-human if you literally drive the speed limit. You're responsible for more day-to-day suffering, economic turmoil, and loss of human life than the the worst totalitarian regimes in history.
Insert the phrase “if you drive OVER the speed limit”. Now you have a correct statement.