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StormyKnight · 26-09-2007, 07:07 PM

Yep city driving sounds about right...

As a reference.....a summary of several trips I have done

10.4L/100km Cooper ST's 100km/h cruise highway with 10 towns along the way
11.4L/100km BFG MT's 115km/h cruise Freeway Wagga-Sydney-Wagga
13.5L/100km about average for a 4WD trip including getting there & back
20L/100km BFG's, Freeway (Gundagai-Goulburn-Oberon), Roof Rack, Trailer, Full tanks, Headwind, intention to stick @ 110km/h :shock: Which I got to say only happened on flat or decending ground!

- Speedo distance & indicated speed adjusted for BFG's when used.

Cheers
Richard

Andy_B · 26-09-2007, 07:38 PM

Damn!

Oh well as least it's efficient on the highway.

Andy

StormyKnight · 26-09-2007, 09:42 PM

Just remember 2 tonnes with a 4cyl 3 litre motor.....

Pity is when you put the foot down it goes so people use it. If you take it easier, and say sit 5 km/h under the speed limit rather than 5km/h over, the economy is there.

My old HJ60 which was a normally asperated 4l 6cyl, had similar economy but only about 2/3rds the power, but you would be hard pressed to get 20l/100km from it unless you were in lowrange & in deep snow, towing something heavy!

Perhaps for a tank you try & drive economically...... :?: If the results don't warrant it then peddal to the metal!

Cheers
Richard

Guest · 27-09-2007, 10:24 AM

Stormy,

there are more factors here than just the tyre size. Your figures seem pretty average for an auto that is being driven a little harder than it has to be. But when I used to travel from the Gold Coast to Canungra every day I was still averaging 11L/100 km.

Being an auto you will generally get worse economy than a manual. The first thing I worked out is not to drive a TD like a petrol car. Easy on the right foot and change up sooner at around 2500 rpm and let the turbo do more of the work.

Have a manual TD with 130,000 km. I have posted feedback of the results of fitting a mandrel exhaust from Beaudesert Exhausts. I have got 9.9L/100 km (average 10.5L) around Brisbane and up and down to the Gold Coast. I have an ARB roof rack which gives me a fair bit of drag as well as the weight of draws, etc.

So look at how the car is being driven and any induction, fuel or exhaust improvements you can do.

As an aside, I get 15L/100 km towing an 1800 kg caravan!

StormyKnight · 27-09-2007, 05:56 PM

Wizard...
All my test runs where using the cruise control which eliminates driver input so that we can compare apples with apples. We all know the cruise is a little heavy on the throttle at times & a better economy can be obtained by driving with less haste.

There would be quite a difference between the original Grandtreks & my BFG's MT's at freeway speed, even though I had the BFG's @ 50psi. In addition the extra diameter effects the gearing which kills acceleration, thus using more fuel, but you could argue that it may be better once at cruise because the engine is running slower for the same road speed.

Also the Auto may use more fuel in city driving but it wont on the highway. The auto top gear is taller than the manuals 5th afterall.

Cheers
Richard

Guest · 28-09-2007, 10:01 AM

Seems strange given your test are on freeways using cruise produce such poor economy figures.

I run Wrangler ATR at the OE tyre size. Oh, and I have a snorkel as well.

My fuel usage fugures include town driving, through the hilly, winding roads around the Ashgrove, Toowong area, Western Freeway, Logan Mwy and M1. As I said, I would also have more wind resistence from the roof rack, yet I still average 10L/100km with the lower 5th gear. Mind you I travel at no faster than 105 KPH.

I'd get a better air filter, a tune and perhaps look at the exhaust as previously suggested. I get economy like yours when I tow a caravan so you have grounds for concern which such high figures when freeway driving.

Andy_B · 30-09-2007, 09:16 AM

Ok guys I just got back from a trip, I did a fair bit of city driving, highway and some low range 4wd. And I got 13.1L/100kms. And I was driving the whole time. I found if I don't rev it past 2200rpm it makes a big difference.
Now I just have to tell the missus to drive easy.
Thanks for your help guys.

Andy

StormyKnight · 09-10-2007, 08:36 PM

Originally posted by WIZARD

Seems strange given your test are on freeways using cruise produce such poor economy figures.

The cruise on the auto is quite savage & with only 4 gears to choose from & also the fact that top gear is higher than in the manual, it likes to drop out of top easily, which is good if you want to maintain your set speed up the hill. Unfortunately the Wagga-Sydney route is quite hilly & in some spots the trucks are down around 50-60km/h & the Prado won't hold 110km/h even in 3rd (1:1 ratio).

With your manual you may not have experienced the cruise effect with the auto. If you approach a steep hill that requires dropping out of top, the car will change to 3rd & accelerate accordingly to return the speed to your preset. If the hill is too steep, ofcourse, full throttle will be used for the duration. There is never a case when the cruise could be accused of not trying like on some other cars where they are slow to change out of top & don't use full throttle when required.
The side effect is at the top of the hill, where you can expect 10km/h over your preset as it takes too long for the cruise to back off the throttle. All of these things add to the fuel used above inwhich a manually driven car would.

In addition...the best fuel economy would be at around 80km/h so if you sit around 90-100km/h as you tend to do in mixed single laned traffic, you economy will be better than a constant 100-105km/h in unrestricted traffic. As your speed increases, the fuel economy drops off considerbly. At 140km/h the gauge moves way too fast.

...and you mention your roof rack, I have 3 bars on the top as well, but I don't think they would be significant, but maybe so at the greater speeds?

Cheers

clubbywagon · 08-05-2011, 07:38 AM

ok....so this is what i was thinking of doing to my truck to gain better fuel economy! i bought a stock 02 TD GXL and then put a 2"lift on it ARB bullbar, warn winch roof rack spotties, rear drawers and 275/75/16 KM2's (muddies) bad economy mods now im going the other way... DP chip, Snorkel plus bigger intake and K&N, 2.75 exhaust and 3" dump pipe! what else can be done to help gain better power and economy? any other mods? does this sound like the right path to go down? and can someone with these mods all done tell me there fuel economy once all done? any help much appreciated!

Derb · 06-06-2011, 07:26 PM

Aw Mate! I like your thinking - does Mother actually buy into this logic? If she does, i might try my luck here with my truck. Winch, lockers, snorkle - ad nauseum. I really think you may "need" to fit a good quality roof tent to get some solid MPG improvement. cheers.

lockedup · 07-06-2011, 08:32 PM

Tyre pressures, turn ac off, wind windows up are little things... But at the end of the day fuel is a cheap part of running a car. Depreciation is one of the most costly things of running a car. But since you bought a 02 diesel toyota your laughing so just enjoy it

Beau · 10-06-2011, 09:53 PM

I can get about 450/500 miles off a tank on motorway and probably 350/400 in city. This is off the original 90 litre tank.
Running standard other than the wheels and tyres.

AndyMort · 02-07-2011, 12:32 PM

Diesel Economy in extreme off road conditions

I have a 2000 Prado GXL, 5 sp, injected LPG/Petrol, 265/75R16 Goodyear Muddies and 2 inch lift. I am getting around 20-24l/100 when going offroad in the high country.
Most of the time I am in 2nd gear low range and running around 20psi in the tyres.
In my old HJ60 diesel worst case economy was 17l/100 through the simspon desert. Does anyone have any experience with similar spec'd Prado's on diesel. I do plan to do some more outback travelling in the future and need to decide whether I should stick with petrol or go to diesel before I spend up big on fr & rr lockers, winch and winch bar

cheers

Andy

reida1991 · 09-07-2011, 10:15 PM

Originally posted by lockedup View Post

Tyre pressures, turn ac off, wind windows up are little things... But at the end of the day fuel is a cheap part of running a car. Depreciation is one of the most costly things of running a car. But since you bought a 02 diesel toyota your laughing so just enjoy it

Testement to the topic of tyre pressure, I learnt my lesson recently with fuel economy in my 2001 1kz GXL. I checked my pressure in the 265/75r16 BFG AT's and had a spread between 32 psi and 39 psi. Not good! I should have been more diligent having only recently purchased the vehicle. The tyres are checked fortnightly and maintained at 45 psi now. The vehicle was averaging in the high 11's per 100km and has now achieved two runs of 11.3-11.4 L/ 100 km. Over 5 months of ownership, my 1KZ has returned an average of 11.57 L / 100 km, which has included quick runs at 110km/h between Albury and Canberra towing a 6x4 with tools and camping gear, 4wding in the Brindabellas and running around town. My only frustration remains with the fuel gauges reading empty, only to get to the pump and put only 130 L in to fill! Dodgy gauges haha

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