Optimal MPG for FJ Cruiser

[kp66]

Well i will add to this convo....

Being i am in Canada and not sure how to calculate MPG i give you all this. lol
I just did a real acurate test over 3 tanks and this is how it went down.

Averaged out 3 tanks all city driving on a AT 24 000 km on it and got 532 KM on 69.398 Litres on Mid grade fuel 91 Octane. I have arb bumper, winch, sliders, OME lift, air raid CAI, and stock tires/wheels.

Not sure how to work out the MPG here maybe one of you can and see where my fj is at on fuel drinkin.
Thanks

[Mountainclimber]

Originally Posted by kp66

Well i will add to this convo....

Being i am in Canada and not sure how to calculate MPG i give you all this. lol
I just did a real acurate test over 3 tanks and this is how it went down.

Averaged out 3 tanks all city driving on a AT 24 000 km on it and got 532 KM on 69.398 Litres on Mid grade fuel 91 Octane. I have arb bumper, winch, sliders, OME lift, air raid CAI, and stock tires/wheels.

Not sure how to work out the MPG here maybe one of you can and see where my fj is at on fuel drinkin.
Thanks

KP,

By my sliderule it looks like you're getting 7.67 kml which works out to 18.03 mpg.

It would be interesting to try a tank of high test and see what happens.

What does fuel run per litre now in Alberta? Just curious.

[kp66]

right now we pay $1.23/ L for reg 87oct, $1.26/ L mid 91oct, and $1.30/ L high grade 93+oct

thanks for MPG conversion now i know.

[Brock]

my FJ has 2000 miles on her and just took her in trip from Charleston SC to Wash DC for business today. Left at 7am....and 550 miles later I avg about 17mpg. Here were the parameters;

1- not had first oil change yet...still in breakin period
2- drove 2000-2200 rpms, 70-75mph entire way
3- ran air conditioner second half of trip
4- mostly flat with rolling hills some places
5- 3" ToyTec OME lift, 295x70x17 Nitto Terra Grapplers (8 ply)45# tire pressure all around.
6- Auto tranny, roof rack, budbuilt rock sliders,

Guessing that after I do oil change and am able to convert to AMSOIL for oil and air filter...put on Magnaflow exhaust...that mileage will be about 19mpg under same conditions. Going to track way home on Friday and compare notes.

[Mountainclimber]

Originally Posted by kp66

right now we pay $1.23/ L for reg 87oct, $1.26/ L mid 91oct, and $1.30/ L high grade 93+oct

thanks for MPG conversion now i know.

That works out to 4.65 / gal; 4.76 / gal; 4.92 / gal; in ascending octane order.

Here in Virginia, near Washington DC, this week we had 3.67/g; 3.87/g; 3.98/g; again in order.

That works out to 1.39/l; 1.47/l; 1.51/l; just for reference.

I didn't want to take us off topic here too far but I was just curious. I spent most of last year in various parts of Canada and most everything is pretty expensive up there by comparison.

We're a bit more expensive here than in other parts of the US by far.

Of course you're using Loonies (Canadian Dollars) as well. So if we factor in the exchange rate.... We won't go there.

I do remember when one bought Canadian fuel in Imperial Gallons.

It really fowled up my mpg calculations back then until I figured out that there were 5 quarts in an Imperial Gallon.

Thanks

[Mountainclimber]

Originally Posted by Brock

my FJ has 2000 miles on her and just took her in trip from Charleston SC to Wash DC for business today. Left at 7am....and 550 miles later I avg about 17mpg. Here were the parameters;

1- not had first oil change yet...still in breakin period
2- drove 2000-2200 rpms, 70-75mph entire way
3- ran air conditioner second half of trip
4- mostly flat with rolling hills some places
5- 3" ToyTec OME lift, 295x70x17 Nitto Terra Grapplers (8 ply)45# tire pressure all around.
6- Auto tranny, roof rack, budbuilt rock sliders,

Guessing that after I do oil change and am able to convert to AMSOIL for oil and air filter...put on Magnaflow exhaust...that mileage will be about 19mpg under same conditions. Going to track way home on Friday and compare notes.

Brock,

If you're able to get 19 mpg instead of 17 mpg you would more than able to justify the costs of converting to synthetic oil.

Every 10,000 miles you drive you would save $226.00 in fuel alone. This figure would more than offset a couple of synthetic oil changes, filters, etc.. It would still leave money in your pocket as well.

This calculation was based on paying $3.65 per gallon for fuel. If your average fuel price would rise, so would your savings.

Eric

[flounder]

Yesterday I drove 99.5 miles in my 2008 TT Edition FJ. Drove with cruise on at 67 MPH according to the GPS. I got 21.215 MPG and only have 2,200 miles on it.

I'm very pleased!

[woooody]

My experience (18,000 miles) is that you really need to run a full tank to determine mileage. there is ~2 gals of "fudge" at the top of the tank, and sometimes the pumps shut off early.

With a non-california nozzles, you can hear them fill up.

Also, octane definitely changes mileage -- California has 87, 89 91. When we were in Utah and Nevada, it was 85, 88, 91. Cali also has oxygenates added, which reduces mileage.

That having been said, running Mobil 1, and 91 octane, I averaged 17.5 with a max of 19.2-- longest I went after the light came on was 70 miles -- there seems to be ~4 gallons reserve for me. Max miles / tank was 336, taking 17.5 gals.

[kp66]

I always fill to top of neck where the cap threads start. As for Gas prices here finally our $ is higher then US after 20 years and still we pay more for gas and alberta is where its comin from lol.

[Mountainclimber]

Originally Posted by kp66

I always fill to top of neck where the cap threads start. As for Gas prices here finally our $ is higher then US after 20 years and still we pay more for gas and alberta is where its comin from lol.

Now if we could only get an FJ to run on Oil Sand....

[DEWFPO]

I have a stock vehicle except for synthetic oils/lubes, 91 octane fuel, tires at the stock 32 psi. I have averaged : 22.922 mpg over 17,369 miles. I try to keep it at @65 mph but often do not. Over those 17,369 miles I have gotten better than 25 mpg on 5 tankfuls (all highway, hi-alt driving). That is over 2 winters and the FJ sits outside in bone chilling cold during the winter (7,200' elevation). Virtually 99% of my driving is rural or highway.

No complaints from me.

DEWFPO

[Brock]

Originally Posted by Mountainclimber

Brock,

If you're able to get 19 mpg instead of 17 mpg you would more than able to justify the costs of converting to synthetic oil.

Every 10,000 miles you drive you would save $226.00 in fuel alone. This figure would more than offset a couple of synthetic oil changes, filters, etc.. It would still leave money in your pocket as well.

This calculation was based on paying $3.65 per gallon for fuel. If your average fuel price would rise, so would your savings.

Eric

that is my plan to convert it to AMSOIL as soon as possible...if not for the 3 FREE oil changes I negotiated I would have done it already......well would have waited until their first 5000 mile change and then done it. I am guessing on the 2mpg increase...as that is what I saw with my Cummins diesel with also changing the air filter to AMSOIL high flow filter...and took off muffler...as they prefer free flowing and dont require any back pressure. Oil conversion, new air filter, no muffler...and got just a hair over 2mpg. If I can get 1.5-2 after converting to AMSOIL....replacing air filter with high flow setup...and then putting on a Magnaflow muffler....I will be happy.

[Brock]

instead of doing the how far did i fill up routine each time...either here or blue forum someone gave me a spreadsheet with formulas already in it for miles per gallon calculation.

you put your starting mileage on first line and it already has tank size and such. Each time you fill up you then take note of:

1- air temp
2. miles on odometer
3- octane pumped
4- gallons pumped
5- price per gallon
6- gas station brand
7- notes for items like towing, air conditioner, or excessive speed that might impact reading

then next time you fill up you do same thing and it computes mileage based on what you reported earlier versus this fill up....i recommend trying to use same pump and going with first cutoff each time unless you can visually see it at neck each time.

Not perfect or as good as onboard system but pretty nice.....

[Woodeye]

Originally Posted by Brock

If I can get 1.5-2 after converting to AMSOIL....replacing air filter with high flow setup...and then putting on a Magnaflow muffler....I will be happy.

Hey Brock,

Is AMSOIL Synthetic? What's a highflow air filter, a CAI? How does AMSOIL stack uo with Royal Purple, performance and price?

Thanks,

Woodeye

[Brock]

1- yes amsoil is pure synthetic motor oil
2- highflow airfilter is air filter that increases the amount of air it is able to transport while still providing ability to filter out unwanted airborne media. More air....more gas...more power.
3- CAI is Cold Air Intake....it is when an induction system pulls the air for your engine combustion from outside of the engine bay...therefore the air is cooler and provides better performance...as cold air is more dense than warm air. So pulling 300*F air from around engine bay versus 100*F from wheel well or other location.....and there is a difference.
4-I wont talk down on another brand of oil...I will tell you that if you are using Mobil1 in your motorcycle or vehicle I wont try to talk you out of it because it is one of the best oils out there even for the money. Royal Purple I only know from tests and reports I read....I can share the studies and you draw your own conclusions. I am not going to try and talk you out of it if that is what you are comfortable running.

As for price....here is what I tell people and myself even...LOL
1. All quality synthetics support extended drain intervals IF YOU USE a high quality filter as well. Most European vehicles and some American now go 8,10, even 15,000 miles between changes. My wifes BMW actually monitors oil to determine time for change. But have to have quality filter media in addition to the longer wear properties of oil.
2. Price per quart is not the real qualifier...it is price per same amount of time. I personally did an oil change once per year on my Dodge Cummins as the interval using the oil, filter, etc was 15000 miles for severe usage and 25000 miles for normal usage. For gasoline light trucks and cars...some sythetic intervals are from 15000 miles per year or as high as 35000 per year depending on oil and filter combination using....and for normal or severe usage.
So while your upfront costs may be slightly more you will have more longevity between fluid changes and thereby saving some money in long run while retaining or exceeding your current protection using conventional oils.


I did not want to turn this into an advertising or sales pitch.....so I wont do more. I would say if you use Mobil 1...you are doing great. AMSOIL is another I have a lot of respect for. The others you will need to decide for yourself......some claim horsepower and fuel savings but they may not handle high heat and high shear tests well...or 4 ball wear tests...or have cleaning ability of others. The best overall combination of all desirable characteristics is what I recommend and the two above will give you that.

[kg4hiw]

MY 08 automatic (stock except for towing mods) has just over 6K miles on it. I too mostly drive like an old fart (I am one, so...). In south west Arizona it's mostly flat, and I get 19-20 mpg all the time, but I almost never exceed 70 mph. My lead footed spouse drove from Phoenix to Quartzsite one day at 75 mph, and she averaged 18 mpg, the worst we've seen, and she says she won't do it again (we don't mid buying gas to go off road and play, but just to get from here to there and back we get stingy). Always use 87 octane. In Utah right now, where 85 octane is available, but I haven't tried it yet. Perhaps in the San Juans this summer, if it's available, I'll mix a bit in on occasion.

A question about CAI. If I do that, will I have room on the engine to park burritos while off road? I use an aluminum tray now, and the things don't get hot!

[ckline]

Originally Posted by woooody

That having been said, running Mobil 1, and 91 octane, I averaged 17.5 with a max of 19.2-- longest I went after the light came on was 70 miles -- there seems to be ~4 gallons reserve for me. Max miles / tank was 336, taking 17.5 gals.

You've got a sack on you. My light comes on around 230 miles, i may push it past there a little...but never thought about taking it to 336 miles. I'm picturing Kramer in your front seat holding your hand and you pulling back on the freeway from the exit ramp!!!

I drive the MT, what odds do you put on me getting 300 miles to a tank? and only fill 17 gallons? If your odds are favoring, I'm gonna try it. Peeps from TX know the kind of people sitting on the side of the road pulling the plastic gas tank out of their trunk after running out of gas. Not that I am any better of a person than they are, but I don't want to be labeled as the guy who has to buy a spare gas can cause he knows he will run out of gas!!

If I did run out of gas, for some odd reason (maybe I will do it just to see how far I can go) wouldn't that be pretty damaging to the engine?

[shane4x4]

Sometime I wish I lived at a lower elevation so I could get better numbers. Unfortunately up here where the air is rare, I get about 16 in the city, 18 on the highway w/premium. I guess the lift & added roof rack didn't help.

Does the CAI really give a good boost? Not sure it's worth the $350 for 1-2mpg...

[Niner]

I just did 288 till the light came on and filled at 304 15.4 gallons which is normal for me with the AT and staying below 70 MPH

[Brock]

i will try to keep it below 70 on way south for the full 500+ miles and see what happens. But guessing you dont have big tires on your rig....

[Niner]

Not yet

[monniepoo]

I have noticed that my gas mileage is really bad. it seems to be getting worse too

[Brock]

you must be a drag racing, hot rodding, tire squeling (A-Trac chattering at least) dirty muddy wheelin girl.......

[ckline]

Niner how do you do it? 288

The only thing I have different from you, it looks like is bigger tires. I installed the CAI and have noticed a little bit of a difference but not enough time yet to say its worth it or not. I imagine in the long long run it will pay off though. The first tank I got an extr 3mpgs.

I keep hearing about the 20mpgs, but I'm not getting it. Its flat here, air is not thin and over the last 3 weeks have tried not to go over 65. My drive consists of mostly highway miles, in the opposite direction of traffic.

Rekcut and I talked about Royal Purple and I switched all the gear oil with it, and switched out the spark plugs last weekend. I filled up on Sunday and still haven't hit the halfway mark on my tank. I am sitting at 120 miles, where I am usually sitting at about a 100. Then again, that needle likes going in the down direction on the the dash a whole lot faster than it likes to move up to the halfway mark. I will be doing back flips if I can hit 288