4.7L Fuel Economy?

I’ve got a 2WD 04 SR5 Double Cab with the smaller 4.7L, and through fiddling with tire pressures (within reason ofc), restraining myself from flooring it (which is hard cuz it sounds good), etc, I somehow managed an average of 16.5 or something MPG last time I filled it up.

I’m just curious (because this is my only vehicle and it’s still cheaper to own than a newer car for me), what have you guys/gals/people been getting? And, in all seriousness, is there anything I can do to improve it? I drive 45 minutes one way to work every day and I feel like these fuel costs are eating into my internship money, even if my average is higher than a lot of owners of newer Tundras are seeing.

 

Lots of mpg related talk here: https://www.tundras.com/threads/official-gas-mileage-thread.54250/

 

Man to be honest that’s pretty good.

 

Keep it 65 or less.

Got a tonneau cover?


Aerodynamics is a B.

I got 20.6mpg at 60mph

 

That’s in the range of about what you can expect. Toyota V8’s are fuel efficient - takes remarkably little effort to burn lots of it!

These are the easiest to help you maximize your possible fuel economy: P-rated highway tires, don’t lift the truck or add heavy steel bumpers/armor, and drive slow. 65mph good, 55mph even better.

 

Thankfully, yeah. I got one as a gift from my family when I got the truck, it’s a big help.

 

Hahah I’m sub 11s I’m sure, I don’t calculate anymore……. But driving under 6 miles round trip doesn’t help either. I’ve played around with getting a ebike for work travel.

 

Do it!!

 

If you don't tow or haul, p-rated tires and maybe the smaller OEM diameter would help. As would lowering it.

 

I get about 13, mostly long trips with 1/2 mile of what most people would call off-road at the begining and end.

 

Since new in 2001, 15 MPG on the low end and 17 MPH on the high side, always. Mostly in mixed driving conditions i seem to get around 16 MPG. It's been reliable, but not a good commuter. When I needed a good mileage maker I bought a used Suzuki Metro, a three cylinder, 5 speed econo box for $4000.00 to offset the Tundra when I didn't need a truck. I sold the Metro with 250,000 miles on it, and it was still running good. It returned mileage in the high 40's. Such a good car. Of course it was too sensible for the US market and it's not available anymore. In fact Suzuki exited the US car market a few years ago. Too bad, at least they are still in the US motorcycle market. The Tundra is not suited for commuting unfortunately.

 

Yeah, only in the mileage dept unfortunately. Mine rides great, handles like new, AC blows cold, and it fires up without any protest or anything.

Once I graduate, I might get a Prius or similar Toyota because this Tundra has proven Toyota’s worth in my opinion.

 

Yes, keep stock-size tires on it, with adequate pressure in them, keep it under 3k rpms, and accelerate slowly from a stop. I fail to do any of those things, and pay dearly for it. 16.5 sounds pretty damn good to me

 

Keep overdrive off until 50-55.

 

I had an '06 Sequoia with the 4.7

it got 16mpg all the time.

I could hit 17 on my 35 minute drives to work. mostly hwy.

when the wife drove it...13mpg.

That Sequoia was awesome. 12 cup holders. never broke down. We sold it for the '20 tundra.

 

The 4.7 was the top engine in 2004, nothing “small” about it.

16.5 is about right. Long trips of sustained 55 to 65 mph driving might yield 19 mpg, and lots of starts and stops can bring it down below 16.5 mpg.

 

Do the trip computer vs gallons put in calculation every time I get fuel. Varies with how much I put my foot down, really. 99% of my driving is city or curvy back road driving (all under 55mph) and I average 13.5 for aggressive and 15.6MPG for mildy aggressive. I drive my truck hard. Haven't had a good highway run in a while as it mostly does around town work.

Mods: Dirty Deeds 12 hole injectors, Stan's tri-Y headers, Borla exhaust, and AEM dry flow filter. All maintenance up to date with new Denso o2 sensors and Denso plugs.

 

78 mile commute each way for me, and the few times I've driven the Tundra down to O'Hare from Milwaukee I've managed to get 20-22 mpg. This is hanging in the right lane, 62-65 mph and running Michelin 265/65/17. This year I haven't switched tires, so I'm on 275/75/16 Wildpeak A/T and it's considerably lower. I run 36-38 psi.

 

I may be wrong, but the larger diameter tires will cause your odometer to read slightly fewer miles driven. That might account for a little bit of the mpg reduction.

 

Good point. Ive driven with my Speedometer app running along with watching the odometer in the truck and I'll see about a 2-3 mile variance over a 50-60 mile distance..

That will add up.

 

I just drove 36 miles one way to work and back (so like 72 miles) and the gauge just went from right above the F line to right below it so it’s looking good. I’m kind of having fun with this because it makes the drive to work more interesting.

 

Have even more fun and consciously try to keep at or below 2K RPM’s as you feather the throttle and attempt to achieve recommended shift settings.

 

Is this out of the manual? I may be a nerdy engineer, but I haven’t read all of it.

Also I have the 4 speed auto so 5th gear isn’t even a thing for me.

 

Yes, it's in the 04 Owners Manual and also in the other years.

1st Gen Tundra Brochures, Owner's Manual and Maintenance Schedules | Toyota Tundra Forum (tundras.com)

I also have the 04 4 speed auto and to me the numbers are a little misleading. I personally start with 1 meaning I'm in D(drive) but not moving. Once I get rolling, my learned shift points are fairly spot on from what they have....15, 25, 40 and 45.

 

Yeah, but the needle does not move proportionately to the tank level. It's almost like a log scale. The first ~ 100 miles barely moves the need (pun intended) but it drops quickly after that. When I get to ~ 1/4 tank I have less than 6 gals left (meaning it takes more than 20 gals to fill it). On the highway @ ~ 70 mph I average 17-18 mpg, while putzing around town I get 12-14mpg.

 

Now that is odd, because mine is totally different.

The first 50 miles drops me to 3/4 tank. Then it takes about 80 more to get to half. I never let it get below half so not sure after that.

 

My last 2 cars, along side my Tundra, got on average 47 MPG and 42 MPG. I don't even bother calculating the Tundra mileage. It sucks, but when you need a truck it's great. Just not a good vehicle for commuting long distances unless you don't mind $5.44 / gallon fuel prices. Now I ride one of my motorcycles unless I need a truck.

 

Somehow my area has as low as $3.22, I definitely lucked out considering it’s my only car and I need it for this internship.

 

I believe 4 speed 4th gear and 5 speed 5th gear are the same gear ratio. So once you're in top gear (highway speeds) the two tranny's output numbers would still be the same. 5 speed just takes more steps to reach the same height, metaphorically speaking.

 

Good metaphor!