3fe vs 1fz-fe mpg looking to buy

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Thanks for the input. I am leaning towards the 1fz due to more power. I wish they did get better millage as it will see a lot of hwy miles. Wish they still had the manual trans in them.

Not sure what your budget is or what you're going to use the truck for, but with all the highway miles you may want to consider the 100 series. With the 100's V8 ,mileage will be an issue as well but it's a much more comfortable highway ride. More car-like than truck-like.
 
I just did 700 mile trip loaded with maybe 200 lbs of gear and 1 passenger and according to my GPS I got 15.2 mpg. My truck has 529's and 35's. I think my truck is running as good as it ever has though. Around town I get 12-13 mpg.
 
The 100's are out of my budget as well as I don't believe in independent suspension on a 4x4.


Not sure what your budget is or what you're going to use the truck for, but with all the highway miles you may want to consider the 100 series. With the 100's V8 ,mileage will be an issue as well but it's a much more comfortable highway ride. More car-like than truck-like.
 
12-13 mpg is the best I get with my 3FE . I don't really care . It starts every time and as far as I know it will keep doing the same for a long time .


It's smiles per gallon my friend
 
Nice thread resurrection......

download (2).webp
 
I'm still baselining both 3FE and 1FZ. Currently, the 3FE seems to get a slight edge in MPG after doing plugs/wires/cap/rotor. It was getting 12MPG at best, now it'll do 14MPG if mostly highway. This is a pretty stock rig on 31"s.

1FZ will get 13MPG mostly highway. 265/75R16. So slightly taller than stock, but so is the 3FE (3FE odometer is geared for 235/75R15, if I'm not mistaken).

Tires will make a big difference, both in height and construction. A E-rated MT 35" is going to get worse than a D-rated AT 35". And a 31" will do better than either, generally speaking.
 
That's surprising. My heavier, full time 4wd lx 450 gets better mpg than my old FJ62 around town. 13 vs. 11.

The 1FZ is behind on some maintenance, so that might be part of it. The plug wires are original (though they could be fine), and I imagine the distributor cap and rotor are as well. I've also not set the timing on it.

I do think 11 MPG is on the low side, though, for a 3FE (especially FJ62). And some people do better than 13 MPG on the 1FZ.
 
MPG is a tricky metric on a forum because it varies a lot based on how you drive, and where you drive. I've tracked mileage for my '97 1FZ through every tank of gas and it moves around a lot though I often know why. Speed, hills, towing, cargo all make a difference.

For my 1FZ I regularly get low to mid 14MPG. Helpful ingredients are:
  • mostly highway driving
  • keeping speed under 70 (65 or under ideally)
  • nothing on the roof (rack/box removed)
  • no excessive cargo weight
  • route that's not too steep, not high elevation and not with a strong headwind
  • no towing
Change one or more of those ingredients and my mileage changes a good bit. I regularly see 10mpg or under if I'm towing, driving around the city a lot, in steeper/faster conditions, etc.

If you want to use mileage as an indicator for tuning issues/etc. then it can be good to track mileage on a repeatable route. Ideally you have a highway trip that you do semi-regularly that you can repeat with the same load/setup and speed over time. Mileage reported on that one trip could be informative. Mileage variance over a variety of trip types, unless you see a large drop on all trips, is much less informative in my opinion.

Here's the mpg from my 80s last 15 tanks of gas with no towing or heavy load trips in the list. The variance in these tanks is all about city vs. highway and fast vs. slow driving:

13.4
11.8
10.4
14.0
11.0
14.4
13.8
14.3
11.1
14.2
12.1
9.5
12.5
12.5
13.6
 
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