Hi, I am an owner of a 2000 l/c and just got back from towing my 2 place snowmobile trailer from upstate NY to NJ. It weighs about 350 pounds empty and was about 1500 lbs with the snowmobiles on it. My question is I got 11.5 mpg while towing this trailer the 300 miles home. My gas guage was dropping like a rock. Now I will tell you the temperature outside was below freezing and I was keeping my speed between 68 and 70 mph. Does this mpg seem normal to you guys. I am an assistant service manager with a Toyota dealer and I am fanatical with the maintenence and upkeep of this jewel of a truck. It does have 208,000 miles on it but it burns zero oil between 5000 mile oil changes (using 5w30 full synthetic oil), has had all the tune up stuff done, has mobil 1 in all the diffs. Tire pressure is 32 psi cold. I can get close to 16 mpg in the summertime with no trailer (on the same trip). My thoughts are that this trailer weighs below 2000 pounds and my mpg was this terrible, imagine what it would have been with a 5000 lb trailer?! If anyone can share some thoughts and confirm that this is what they are getting under similar condition that would be great as I would like to put my busy mind to rest. Thank you
can my mpg really be this bad?!
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That's not too far from normal when towing. Do you have stock tires, or larger? I run 10 ply 33's and get 15.5 w/o any trailers and if I keep the spedo on 68 (73-74 actual). Pulling my single 650 lb Rubicon on a 10 foot long trailer, I have not mustered up the courage to check my mileage. And because when MPG's are bad, I tend to drive faster and make them REAL bad LOL.
Are you sure your trailer only weighs 350 lbs? Seems pretty light.
I've also noticed my MPG's drop quite a bit when I add in the slower in town driving when leaving or getting where I'm going. In other words, I don't fill up on the interstate before and after my trip, the few extra in town miles kills my average.
Have you cleaned your MASS air flow sensor? Checked your air filter? Just a couple things to look into. Good luck.
Are you sure your trailer only weighs 350 lbs? Seems pretty light.
I've also noticed my MPG's drop quite a bit when I add in the slower in town driving when leaving or getting where I'm going. In other words, I don't fill up on the interstate before and after my trip, the few extra in town miles kills my average.
Have you cleaned your MASS air flow sensor? Checked your air filter? Just a couple things to look into. Good luck.
That's about right for towing snowmobiles. I tow 2 snowmobiles on a covered snowmobile trailer and get about that in the winter at highway speeds. Snowmobile trailers are very non-aerodynamic, especially if you don't have a covered trailer. But even if you do, the design is such that bad gas mileage is pretty much a sure thing. The only thing I've found that improves the gas mileage when towing snowmobiles is to slow down. It's a wind resistance thing and the faster you go, the worse the mileage. Of course cold weather, winter gas etc. all affect mileage too, but towing snowmobiles is the worse mileage I ever get in my '04.
That sounds reasonable for towing MPG. There's a long-running MPG thread that suggests anything between 13 and 15MPG is best-case for normal around town unloaded and unmodded. Built examples with heavy bumpers, sliders etc are worse than unmodified mall cruisers. Adding a 2000# aero drag nightmare like a couple of snow machines makes 11.5MPG seem decent, actually.
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Yup, that sounds normal.
I normally get about 11-11.5mpg towing 3500lbs in the summertime, so towing 1500-2000lbs in the winter at those speeds sounds just about right.
I normally get about 11-11.5mpg towing 3500lbs in the summertime, so towing 1500-2000lbs in the winter at those speeds sounds just about right.
I get 12.5 mostly highway, and that is without towing anything. I have 285s and a yakima rack for whatever that's worth. Almost at 200k miles. I'm actually considering getting a Tundra. Fuel mileage would be better, and I miss having a bed.
Yep, I get about 11 mpg towing the air
Same here. 2002 LC with 145k on the clock and I average between 10-12 in mixed city/highway driving while towing NOTHING. My mods are mostly aesthetic/entertainment driven. I still don't know how in the world some here manage to get 15+ MPG with the 4-spd transmission.
15.5 mpg on a land cruiser, must be the hybrid motor from the future
I could get 16 or more in the summer HWY before I put my rack on.
I've definitely seen a 2MPG hit with the rack.
Been in the city these days so getting 10-11 towing nothing, all stock except rack, regular, regular altitude. With ECT Power and a lead foot, <10 for sure.
Tire pressure increase will help. Add another 15 or so. Try 45-50 or whatever the max is for your tires.
It may even feel faster for you as well.
It may even feel faster for you as well.
I think I got 8-10 mpg hauling a fully enclosed tandem trailer full of stuff and the vehicle packed full as well as roof rack. That was all the while climbing up and over the Appalacian mountains too however 
"Same here. 2002 LC with 145k on the clock and I average between 10-12 in mixed city/highway driving while towing NOTHING. My mods are mostly aesthetic/entertainment driven. I still don't know how in the world some here manage to get 15+ MPG with the 4-spd transmission."
285s @ 40psi, ARB front bumper, jump seats out, drive like an 80yr old and I'm lucky to get 12mpg average. I don't get you lucky ducks that get 15mpg
285s @ 40psi, ARB front bumper, jump seats out, drive like an 80yr old and I'm lucky to get 12mpg average. I don't get you lucky ducks that get 15mpg
Same for me except I have an Ironman bumper. 11 mpg around town with a very light foot!
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I'm getting 14 hwy with arb front and back bumpers, supercharged, Doug thorley headers, ems mid pipes without cats and ems cat back.
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Hey!
Good stuff there.
Did the exhaust modz change anything on the gas mileage?
Did you ever throw any codes from the No CATs?
Only mod I've done is a glasspack on the end of the tail pipe and it helps some. I'm still waiting for resonators and a silencer that I'll have my local exhaust shop add in. The resonators to the mid pipe first, and then my try swapping out the glasspack for the silencer on the tailpipe.
No codes thrown thus far, which for a supercharged system with doug thorley headers... if I don't throw them I doubt anyone will.
I get about .75-1mpg better now with the exhaust then I did before installing aftermarket exhaust. I was getting more like 13.3 highway mpg before.
13.5-14 with 35s
Also stay at 70 or below on the interstate. Speed kills your MPG.
Also stay at 70 or below on the interstate. Speed kills your MPG.
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