My gas mileage sucks!

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Erratic

Erratic

Joined
Dec 4, 2005
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I just got my 80 and I love it! But the mileage sucks. I'm sure I don't have to tell you folks that. It's hardly better than the H1 I was driving previous to the cruiser. I see 15 MPG is decent from doing a search here. That's about what I'm getting. What are people doing to up it a little. I love everything about the 80, but the mileage makes me wanna cry!
 
yup, it does kinda suck.
The best advice is to get used to it. sorry to tell you that.
it is a great truck tho'
 
15 is damn good. Armor one and put some larger tires on it and you will see 11-12 on good days.


The only way to improve fuel economy is to toss everything overboard and lighten the vehicle as much as possible and do not exceed 57 MPH.
 
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Be thankful you're getting 15, especially in the winter time.
 
pretty sure I don't get better than 10 mpg. Think though wouldn't you rather get hit in your cruiser vs. getting hit in a Honda civic:D When you add everything up gas isn't nearly as expensive as trading the truck in for a different one.....
 
Why the heck is it so bad? It's only a 6 cyl. Its a freakin huge 6 cyl. but still. The truck is not that heavy either. I got 12 MPG in the H1 I had on a trip accross the US. Granted it's a turbo diesel, but it weighs like 8k pounds. Has anyone had any luck with getting more MPG from a chip or exhaust. The dual cat thing cant help matters much. How about the kit from slee to convert to part time 4 wheel? It's not so much the mileage but the range that hurts. I could go 500 miles in the H1 before a fill. At 280 I needed gas in the cruiser. Any aux tanks or the like. I'm not terribly fond of having dozens of jerry cans off the back. I'm gonna wheel this thing but I don't want to run out of gas doing it!
 
Erratic said:
The truck is not that heavy either.
Click to expand...

It is heavy actually... I read somewhere that a stock 80 is about 500lbs heavier than a 4x4 1/2 ton Suburban.

Gearing has alot to do with the gas mileage too, 80's are geared pretty low relative to most suv's produced today.

Weight + a "torquey" I6 + gearing + FT4wd + wind resistance = bad gas mileage. Get used to it.

15 is great! I get 14 avg commuting to work (all interstate), strictly in town driving I have seen 12-13 range.
 
The 80 is very heavy. A stocker is close to 5,000 lbs and a trail-prepared variant will easily approach 6,500 lbs. It could be argued that the diesel Hummer should do better because diesel powered 80's usually run well past 20mpg.
 
I'd throw a party for all my Cruiser friends if I got 15 on a regular basis. My carberated FJ60 gets better fuel mileage than my 80. You just have to face the fact that you don't drive the 80 because it's an economy car.
 
People become unhappy with a product when they place unrealistic expectations on them.
Even tho times change, a product from the early 90's remains a product from the early 90's. It won't suddenly sprout incredible slalom skills, side curtain airbags or 30mpgs. 80's are heavy, they weigh 1000lbs more than a 2006 4Runner.

It is what it is. If you accept that, it's an amazing vehicle and you can start to enjoy all it's attributes.

To give you a reality check- once you start modifying a new suv to the capability of the 80 (if even possible) the MPG's start to look awefully familiar. My feeling is once you dip below 15-18mpg's or so, you are shaving garlic w/ a razor blade thinking about making it 'more efficient'.
 
Hey, Im still on my first fillup so I haven't calculated mpg yet. It definately feels better than the 8 mpg I was getting in my Grand Wagoneer. They both have the same size tank and if I had been doing all the running around with my Wag that I have been doing with the 80, I'd have to fill up tomorrow but as it is I still have over 1/3 of a tank left.

:cheers:
Dave
 
I weighed my 80 with the recovery gear and all that would be carried under normal off road situations, it was 6,250#. It is fully armoured and has all sorts of weighty add ons. I have been getting about 14 mpg on the road and feel very fortunate. My driving speed is usually the speed limit plus a couple mph.
 
When my '94 was bone stock, she weighed in at 5200 lbs. Add a Kaymar rear bumper and tire carrier, transfer case skid plate, Hanna sliders, CO2 tank, 60" Hi-lift (when it's on) and now an ARB front bumper and you can add another 600or so est. lbs to the truck. 15 sounds great to me. 12.5-13 is the best I do.
 
This is a "Me Too" reply. I think 15 mpg is fine for this heavy truck. The kiilers for good mpg are weight, gearing, aerodynamics and rolling resistance.

Weight: you can't do anything about it on a stock truck except perhaps by dumping the third row seats and leaving all the gear at home - just plan on not adding any aftermarket accessories.

Gearing: keep the stock tire size or your mileage will drop.

Rolling resistance: ditto

Aerodynamics: avoid roof racks and lift kits, which ruin what little aerodynamic efficieny the 80 has stock.

IMHO it's a fantastic expedition vehicle, but it comes from the factory optimised for mpg within its design parameters. Mess with those parameters and your mpg will drop. 15 mpg I would welcome with open arms.

John Davies
 
First I'd change my air filter to one that breathes better...such as a K&N filter and maybe try one of those vortex add ons...might help
 
fkassim15767frk said:
First I'd change my air filter to one that breathes better...such as a K&N filter and maybe try one of those vortex add ons...might help
Click to expand...

And then the second change would be to take the K&N out and go back to OEM...:flipoff2:
 
I tease above. But in all honesty I have a K&N that came with my wagon and I will gladly give it and the recharge kit to anyone who wants to send me a New OEM filter.
 
Erratic said:
Has anyone had any luck with getting more MPG from a chip or exhaust.
Click to expand...

I have heard no reports of anyone getting better MPG from a chip. The factory exhaust is very effecient and designed to optimizer power and economy.

Erratic said:
How about the kit from slee to convert to part time 4 wheel?
Click to expand...

This mod can give you a slight increase but you will NEVER break even through fuel savings plus most that have tried don't like the way it handles without FT 4wd and you lose ABS which may or may not matter to you. It matters to me.

Erratic said:
Any aux tanks or the like?
Click to expand...

You have several options from the factory (non-US markets) sub tank to a couple of different "long ranger" tanks. Man-a-Fre sells the sub-tanks and Slee sells the add-on tanks. Do some research as the OEM sub-tank installation and pros & cons has been very well documented. You should be able to get any information you need about the Long Ranger tanks from the Slee site.

The K&N air filters are not recommended if you drive your vehicle on dusty roads. There have also been reports of problems caused by over-oiled filters. Your OEM air filter provides the best filtration at a reasonable cost.

As others have said, you didn't buy an economy car so the sooner you get used to the idea of single-digit MPG then the sooner you will be happy. I haven't seen 15MPG for 2 or 3 years.

-B-
 
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