Fuel Economy not matching up?

Sam091990

Sam091990

Active Member
So on my 2012 Toyota Tacoma Prerunner V6 TRD I am supposed to get 17mpg in the city. I just had the gas filled completely up and only driven 66-70 miles and now it is at the notch just above half a tank. Now doing the math I shoulda gotten 179-180 miles with a half tank. Is there something wrong with my gas or gas pump. To note, where I live the speed limits range between 25MPH-45MPH with the majority being 35 or 45 but as a defensive measure i go 5MPH over any speed limit I can less it is super busy (LE is lenient and normally only pull you over for being 10MPH over with the exception of school zones and road work). Just wanting to know if i got a big cash drop coming since the used car stealership sold it as is not certified pre-owned, just pre-owned. (I call it stealership cause the advertised it at $19000, but by time all was said and done they charged me $25800. I managed to drop it to $23000 with $2800 down and will be paying $399/mth for next 6yr (72 month) with 6.29% APR.)

Thanks
Sam
 
The proper way to measure fuel economy is with a full tank because you know the starting gallons. 17 city is possible though.
 
Sam091990 said:
So on my 2012 Toyota Tacoma Prerunner V6 TRD I am supposed to get 17mpg in the city. I just had the gas filled completely up and only driven 66-70 miles and now it is at the notch just above half a tank. Now doing the math I shoulda gotten 179-180 miles with a half tank. Is there something wrong with my gas or gas pump. To note, where I live the speed limits range between 25MPH-45MPH with the majority being 35 or 45 but as a defensive measure i go 5MPH over any speed limit I can less it is super busy (LE is lenient and normally only pull you over for being 10MPH over with the exception of school zones and road work). Just wanting to know if i got a big cash drop coming since the used car stealership sold it as is not certified pre-owned, just pre-owned. (I call it stealership cause the advertised it at $19000, but by time all was said and done they charged me $25800. I managed to drop it to $23000 with $2800 down and will be paying $399/mth for next 6yr (72 month) with 6.29% APR.)

Thanks
Sam
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These trucks aren't best known for fuel mileage that's for sure. How many miles on your truck?
 
You may need to check that the spark plugs are in good shape....Supposed to be changed every 60k miles...My son and I are going through the same in a recent purchase of a 2014 v6...
 
Sam091990 said:
So on my 2012 Toyota Tacoma Prerunner V6 TRD I am supposed to get 17mpg in the city. I just had the gas filled completely up and only driven 66-70 miles and now it is at the notch just above half a tank. Now doing the math I shoulda gotten 179-180 miles with a half tank. Is there something wrong with my gas or gas pump. To note, where I live the speed limits range between 25MPH-45MPH with the majority being 35 or 45 but as a defensive measure i go 5MPH over any speed limit I can less it is super busy (LE is lenient and normally only pull you over for being 10MPH over with the exception of school zones and road work). Just wanting to know if i got a big cash drop coming since the used car stealership sold it as is not certified pre-owned, just pre-owned. (I call it stealership cause the advertised it at $19000, but by time all was said and done they charged me $25800. I managed to drop it to $23000 with $2800 down and will be paying $399/mth for next 6yr (72 month) with 6.29% APR.)

Thanks
Sam
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Bummer they took you for a financial ride.
The notch above the half tank is 3/4 tank. The first quarter of a tank drops faster than the other 3/4. That’s because you have a reserve. I think you’re thinking to much into the mileage on the first 1/4 tank let alone the first half of the tank. If you really want to know how many miles you’re getting per gallon run it to “E” and fill it up and do the hard math on it. You could fill up at any time and divide how many miles you’ve driven by how many gallons went in.
Say you drove 150 miles and it’s showing a half tank. You fill up and 9 gallons goes in. That means you got 16.6666667 mpg that’s close to the 17 you “should” be getting.

Vehicles have a gas reserve. Meaning when the gas lights on and the line is on “E” you’ve still got gallons of gas in the vehicle. If your fuel tank is 21 gallons and you have a 2.5 gallon reserve your “E” to full line would represent 18.5 gallons. Divide that by 2 you have used 9.5 gallons at the 1/2 mark. Not 10.5 gallons.
Hope that helps.
 
Another thing is on the first day i bought the truck I had to work a site where you are in your vehicle 12hr and I live in Florida. It is 80-90 at night for now so I had to keep it running for 12hr to have AC and use of my laptop (400W deck inverter came in handy lol.) Could that be the issue as to why i used more gas than i expected. I read somewhere that running a vehicle at idle for 1hr can use 1gal of gas.

Thanks
Sam

(PS: the tacoma I got was the cheapest truck on the lot.)
 
I need the AC, when I work that site i sit in my vehicle all night, and I live in FL where even at night the temps are in the mid-80s, low 90s. Even if my windows are down I will fry without AC. All I do is watch a gate from truck 12hr straight.

Sam
 
Of course your mileage is terrible when it is mostly idling.
And 80F to 90F is really not very hot, especially at night when the sun isn't shining on you. Roll the windows down or leave the doors open, engine shut off, and enjoy it.
 
B.C. said:
Of course your mileage is terrible when it is mostly idling.
And 80F to 90F is really not very hot, especially at night when the sun isn't shining on you. Roll the windows down or leave the doors open, engine shut off, and enjoy it.
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In Florida?
Hes proly fighting 100% humidity.
80-90F is pretty toasty in my book, but thats subjective
 
I guess that living in a desert has left me conditioned to liking heat is all. When its 115F in the shade here in summer, then its usually blazing sunshine as well, and I am out in that sun enjoying it. I love being in the heat. When the sun goes down and it cools off to 80F at night, i feel cold. My last four trips to Florida many locals talked about the heat, I was almost ready to put on a jacket. But again I am conditioned to the heat living here. When I lived in Vancouver I felt permanently cold, and finally had to move somewhere else. When I vacation each winter in Mexico, I wish it was actually hotter than it is.
 
B.C. said:
I guess that living in a desert has left me conditioned to liking heat is all. When its 115F in the shade here in summer, then its usually blazing sunshine as well, and I am out in that sun enjoying it. I love being in the heat. When the sun goes down and it cools off to 80F at night, i feel cold. My last four trips to Florida many locals talked about the heat, I was almost ready to put on a jacket. But again I am conditioned to the heat living here. When I lived in Vancouver I felt permanently cold, and finally had to move somewhere else. When I vacation each winter in Mexico, I wish it was actually hotter than it is.
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U would make a great baker
 
Sam091990 said:
I need the AC, when I work that site i sit in my vehicle all night, and I live in FL where even at night the temps are in the mid-80s, low 90s. Even if my windows are down I will fry without AC. All I do is watch a gate from truck 12hr straight.

Sam
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Buy a portable fan. You should have an electric outlet nearby to connect it to.
Or at least one of those battery operated fans from Home Depot.
 
Bojangles said:
U would make a great baker
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Its too bad that particular story doesn't mention the summer heat waves where its well over 110F every day for weeks in the summer, and cools to around 90F at night...that's in the shade by the way, but then the sun is out and we actually have to live and work out in the sunshine most of us, except for the office job people. Put a thermometer in the sunshine and it will read 140 to 150F. Man oh man do I love those days, and never feel hungry then either. Eat 1 meal a day is all, but drink 3 gallons of water. Clothes permanently soaked in sweat when out working in it, and so wonderful feeling. I really hate the cold, and couldn't imagine living in most places, as they get brutally cold. I had to go to Nebraska in December 2013 and thought I was going to die of hypothermia no matter how much clothing I put on. I couldn't even imagine living there, those 5 days still haunt me.
 
B.C. said:
Its too bad that particular story doesn't mention the summer heat waves where its well over 110F every day for weeks in the summer, and cools to around 90F at night...that's in the shade by the way, but then the sun is out and we actually have to live and work out in the sunshine most of us, except for the office job people. Put a thermometer in the sunshine and it will read 140 to 150F. Man oh man do I love those days, and never feel hungry then either. Eat 1 meal a day is all, but drink 3 gallons of water. Clothes permanently soaked in sweat when out working in it, and so wonderful feeling. I really hate the cold, and couldn't imagine living in most places, as they get brutally cold. I had to go to Nebraska in December 2013 and thought I was going to die of hypothermia no matter how much clothing I put on. I couldn't even imagine living there, those 5 days still haunt me.
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Stay away from Missouri, sounds like it would break ya.
Freeze one hr, bake the other, dodge tornados, dodge lightning, rinse repeat.
It is nice to be around for the light show, i have to admit it.
 
B.C. said:
Its too bad that particular story doesn't mention the summer heat waves where its well over 110F every day for weeks in the summer, and cools to around 90F at night...that's in the shade by the way, but then the sun is out and we actually have to live and work out in the sunshine most of us, except for the office job people. Put a thermometer in the sunshine and it will read 140 to 150F. Man oh man do I love those days, and never feel hungry then either. Eat 1 meal a day is all, but drink 3 gallons of water. Clothes permanently soaked in sweat when out working in it, and so wonderful feeling. I really hate the cold, and couldn't imagine living in most places, as they get brutally cold. I had to go to Nebraska in December 2013 and thought I was going to die of hypothermia no matter how much clothing I put on. I couldn't even imagine living there, those 5 days still haunt me.
Click to expand...
Nebraska here......yep, gets cold and the snow goes sideways!
 
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