Active Spoiler and MPG

We have a 23 Platinum hybrid with the Westcott lift(AVS version) and 285/60/20 BFG KO2s. We have around 4k miles on the truck and have averaged 15.7 mpg no matter how we drive. I remember reading somewhere that the active spoiler stays up while in Tow/Haul mode reducing drag by 25%. I may have dreamt that because i can't find it anywhere now. The manual does say it stays up while in Tow/Haul mode and above 40 degrees. I have been experimenting this week thinking that with the level kit it acts as if towing due to the higher nose up stance. Mixed driving in Tow/Haul mode I have been getting 18.7 MPG. Granted, the weather has been in the 50s here this week so not sure if the warmer temps are also helping. Anybody else played with this. Thinking real hard about buying the CBI module. If I can also benefit from the hybrid kicking in in normal drive mode I might actually see 20 MPG. Thoughts?

 

once you add a lift any advantage the spoiler had at oem height is gone. at most the spoiler gives in oem configuration is 1mpg (and that a stretch)

bigger tires with a more aggressive tread pattern and being heavier doesnt help either. if you swapped the oem wheels that usually will add more weight.

 

Hybrid on your Tundra is power, not MPGs. Toyota states that up front. As for the leveling kit, I don't know. Your tires certainly aren't helping your goal though. Too much drag on those.

 

If you have a hybrid you do not have a spoiler.

For what it's worth, Toyota pushes the claims about the spoiler pretty hard as a selling point, but buyers should not expect it to make a noticeable difference. The manufacturers are bound by Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards (CAFE), which is different than the EPA MPG figures on the window sticker. CAFE figures are not readily available and there are many variables that go into it, and manufacturers are spending millions for tenth of a MPG improvements. That's what the spoiler exists for (tenths of a MPG), and as an added bonus they can make marketing claims about it to help sell trucks.

I suspect that the CrewMax/6.5 ft bed combo is also available in the new generation because vehicle area (LxW) offsets CAFE figures in the formulas the government uses, so a longer truck reduces the required MPG.

 

great info as always Ryan

 

Thanks for all of the input and replies. I'm well aware of the effect of lifts and larger tires. My interest is the gain of MPGs witnessed when driving in Tow/Haul mode vs. Normal, eco, sport, etc. My Hybrid does have the spoiler. The hybrid use I'm speaking of is at stop lights and descending down gradual slopes. My truck switches to full hybrid(engine RPM drops to 0 and engine shuts off) while stopped and also while going downhill even up to 65 MPH in perfect conditions. It does not do this in Tow/Haul which is where I would see the MPG gains of driving in normal mode or eco mode. Thanks for that link. I knew I had seen it somewhere and that I'm not totally losing it yet.

 

The hybrid has the spoiler if it does not have the Off-Road package. By my understanding, what determines if the spoiler is present is the trim level and if the Off-Road package is present. The motor isn’t considered.

 

I would think that when in TOW/HAUL that the truck wont run in a typical hybrid fashion to when you are not in TOW/HAUL.

 

Correct. It has not gone into electric mode at all while driving in Tow/Haul.

 

I owned my SR5 with the TRD package for 2 months before I realized I didn't have the front air dam and I'm fine without it, I don't know how much it helps with MPG's but I find it hard to believe it does too much. Considering the lift and tires you have, your mileage is pretty good. I use to drive in ECO mode all the time but the normal mode has a more responsive throttle and I notice no difference in MPG's. Tow Haul mode 1 is great for towing our trailer and when I get into the big mountain passes I'll put it in Tow Haul mode 2 (or whatever they call it) as it holds the gear longer than mode 1 and less shifting the better when towing in the mountains to alleviate heat build up but it does increase your fuel consumption

 

Then why doesn't my hybrid Limited TRD OR have the spoiler?

 

I'm not an engineer but I am a race car nerd. I don't think fuel economy should have ever entered the conversation about the front air dam.

Nobody can notice the fuel economy with Tundra or Tacoma air dams because that's not what they're for. If it did what they say, it would be easily measurable and we wouldn't have opinions all over the place. We could look at numbers and see for ourselves.

Air dams are in the front to dampen the airflow moving under the vehicle which helps stability. Lots of dirty air moving under the car can create lift, which we don't want.

Terms that are frequently interchanged and what they really do:
Air Dam = dampen/remove airflow
Spoiler = spoils airflow. (Ie; A rear spoiler "spoils" the airflow out of the back b/c smooth airflow off the rear-end increases drag)
Wing = creates positive or negative lift. (Ie; the new mustang has a wing on the rear end for additional downforce)

 

Like I said previously, it's not for easily measurable MPG gains. It's for tenths of a MPG gains in CAFE standards that we are not privy to.

 

I'm feeling like there might have been a change between '22 and '23 models that I'm not aware of. Last year we were all in agreement that the hybrids did not come with the spoiler.

 

Probably correct - but then there's a whole slew of other questions we could rabbit hole ourselves into.

ie; "If you we need a few tenths improvement, plastic body panels to improve airflow are cheap and easy"

My guess is there was design budget left over and the decision to add a feature was born. So they built an electrically powered automatic air dam with negligible benefit and failure points all over the place. It has no observed impact, we could've solved this problem cheaper/better, but it sounds cool on the sales lot.

So we all have these weird front air dams and we shitpost trying to figure out why in the world it exists

 

1794 hybrid trd off road has no spoiler either

 

It was up to me I'd remove the grille spoilers as well, I'd rather have 100% unobstructed clean air going through the radiator and one less thing that could break. They probably fall into the same MPG gained area as the front dam which is miniscule.

 

For some reason some hyrbid offroads do not. I didnt mention hybrids above. I said the limited OR does have the active spoiler

 

thats correct.

 

Great info Ryan. I see it does mention its used for both temp control as well as decreasing wind resistance. I had a Ram that had active grille shutters and when you would be towing in the mountains it would get behind the curve and not open soon enough which would lead to the truck getting hot before it would catch back up. I wound up removing them from that truck for that reason but I'll see how the Tundra does this summer to see how it does before I do anything with them.

 

My 2023 Limited TRD Off-Road doesn't have the aero dam, I have yet to see a TRD Off-Road of any trim with the aero dam spoiler.

 

Fun fact:
They're removable, servicable...to the point where you can remove individual blades, if you wish!
(I removed 1 blade from mine to make room for fog lights behind the grille)

 

I have a 23 IForce max Hybrid Crewmax which has this spoiler. 9k miles and having an issues with malfunction. Thinking about removal and saying screw it , it’s for air stability but is this really effective??

 

Just over 8000 miles with a combined average of 19.5. I got 27.8 or 28.7 the other day running to the store. It's all downhill. - usually only get 15-17 on the way back.
All stock and I typically run 93 when available. I used to mix it up between 87, 91, and 93 but have seen the best results with 93. It's basically the same price as diesel around here but I just came from a diesel.

 

uhhhhhh.... wrong... My hybrid platinum has an active spoiler.

 

I know looking through the install instructions for the TRD OR kit, they have you disconnect the spoiler at the brackets, I imagine if its factory installed, the spoiler system is not installed.

 

I have a 2023 Hybrid 4x4 Platinum, and I have the spoiler. I know Toyota continually tells customers that the hybrid is for power and not MPGs, but I like it when I'm driving, and the battery takes over, and the engine cuts off. I'll be adding the TRD lift so the spoiler will be coming off soon.

 

I guess we didn't get enough of the MPG threads on the 07-21 tundras, so let's keep beating the dead horse over on the 22+ side. With a lift and heavy ass BFG's you should be getting, minimum 20-22 MPG. I average about 22-23 mpg on my 2020 with my 33" KO2. I did however buy SCS wheels which are lighter than OEM, so that helped. Maybe buy some forged wheels, it will help with the aero dynamics of the KO2.

 

Yeah, I hear ya there. I miss SCS wheels and just wish they made some with a good +OFFSET to get closer to OEM +60 to cut down on the poke.

 

The SCS barely stick out. I picked them because they pretty much sit flush with the fender depending on the tire. I don't know if any aftermarket rim the will be like OEM or even close. All the ones I have looked at sit more towards the fender and further.