Ideas on better gas mileage 22re motor?

[19864runner]

I was wondering if anyone had any ideas on getting better gas mileage on a 22re motor? I have a 22re motor with just a aftermarket intake, 31 inch tires and 4:56 gears, new plugs and wires and i'm only getting like 15-16 miles a gallon. Any ideas or changes would help to me to get better gas millege would be great.

[Tofudude]

i'm not to sure on this but i do believe 32's with your setup would inprove the mileage.

[brainlessfool]

only drive down hill with the wind at your back.
















headers?

[19864runner]

yeah if only i could drive down hill all the time lol. I forgot to mention yes i do have headers on it also.

[79coyotefrg]

stop running ethanol mixed gasoline.   go to puregas.org and find a station near you My truck gets 12-13 mpg on the 10% ethanol and gets a steady 17mpg on 100% gasoline.

[Burl]

I just put the black magic electric fan on my 85 4runner with 5:29 and 35's.  Before when driving in the foothills with the ac on i would be constantly shifting between 3rd and 4th gear just to keep going and 5th was never an option on some hills even with the ac off.  Now the hill in question I can go up in 5th with the ac full blast.  I haven't checked the mpg's but there is definitely a power gain.  In the winter I'll check the mpg's so it won't be squewed by ac useage.  before I was getting about 16-18 mpgs in the foothills and about 20mpgs highway.  I'm sure  it's up to 20.5 or 21 now on the highway with no ac.

[79coyotefrg]

stop running ethanol mixed gasoline.   go to puregas.org and find a station near you My truck gets 12-13 mpg on the 10% ethanol and gets a steady 17mpg on 100% gasoline.

Vermont stations.

Barre    MOBIL    91    Stone's Service    133 Washington Street    N44.19336 W72.49457    map    details
Benson    UNBRANDED    91    Benson General Store    Main St    not available    map    details
Benson    UNBRANDED    91    Benson Village Store    Center Of Town    not available    map    details
Castleton    UNBRANDED    91    Woodard Marine    Creek Road    N43.60856 W73.23042    map    details
Colchester    UNBRANDED    91    Maverick    West Lakeshore Drive    N44.54445 W73.21549    map    details
Danby    UNBRANDED    91    White's Fuel Stop    1187 Route 7    N43.37875 W73.00008    map    details
Essex Junction    UNBRANDED    90    Go Go Gas    Susie Wilson Rd    N44.50389 W73.13817    map    details
Essex/Underhill    MAVERICK    91    Maverick    Route 15    N44.50935 W73.07837    map    details
Johnson    MAVERICK    91    Maverick    Rt.15 Main St. Johnson    N44.62370 W72.62837    map    details
Middlebury    UNKNOWN    91    Maverick    84 Court St (Rt 7 South Of Square, Across From Monroe St.)    N44.00736 W73.15832    map    details
Middlebury    UNBRANDED    91    Mcintire's Services    213 Exchange Street    N44.01877 W73.16903    map    details
Newport Center    UNBRANDED    91    Newport Center Quik Stop    West Main Street Route 105    not available    map    details
North Hero    UNBRANDED    91    Hero's Welcome    3537 Us Route 2    N44.81647 W73.28913    map    details
St. Johnsbury    VALERO    91    Valero    Portland St.    N44.41934 W72.01551    map    details
Vergennes    UNBRANDED    91    Go-Go Gas    64 N. Main St.    N44.17094 W73.24872    map    details
Vergennes    UNBRANDED    91    West Addison General Store    5944 Vt Route 17 W    N44.06417 W73.40619    map    details
Waitsfield    UNBRANDED    91    The Village Grocery And Giving Gas Station    4348 Main Street    N44.18861 W72.82908    map    details
Wells    UNBRANDED    91    Whites Trading Post    Rt 30    not available    map    details
Wolcott    UNBRANDED    91    Wolcott Store    Route 15    not available    map    details
*GPS coordinates may be located from the supplied address, and may not be accurate. View the station details.

[2manytoys]

When my 88 22RE was stock I only got 16 mpg with 4.56's and 31's. Now I have modified 22RE with 270 cam, ported head, larger valves, header, 2 1/4" exhaust, MSD, K&N, etc. Runs great. Still 16 mpg.

My driving is about 50/50 mix of 80 mph freeway and city traffic. I'm in Az 100 deg temps so my fan is always crankin. I tried 16" electric fan but it ran hot during the summer. It did take a load off though. Didn't run it long enough to check MPG.

[Snowtoy]

My fat heavy '90 w/3.0 averages 17, 16mpg with a 22re is horrible, do you have a 5-spd or auto transmission? 

The 4.56's are the right gears for 31's, it is the factory gear/tire combo for a 5-spd transmssion, 4.88's for the auto.

[2manytoys]

Not sure if your talking to me or OP. Mine's a R151F 5 speed. I knew the original owner and he got 20 MPG completely stock if he was lucky.

Bigger tires, heavy winch, bumpers, sliders, roll bar, lift, etc definitely puts a hurtin on a little 2.4 liter 4 banger. Pedal to the metal through all the gears trying to keep up with traffic doesn't help either.

I'm sure if I took some weight off and drove like grandma, I could get a few extra MPG.

My truck runs great, no codes, passes emissions, but gas mileage does suck.

My wife has an 08 FJ that got 18 to 20 MPG stock. Putting a 2 1/2" lift and 33's took it to 16 -17 MPG. I'm talking weekly or longer averages of how we usually drive. I'm sure we could drive more conservatively and squeeze a little more out of a gallon.

[Snowtoy]

It was really directed at both of you, IME, 16mpgs is really poor for a 22re, especially w/a 5-spd transmission.  Your mileage is more akin to 3.0, not the 22r(e)'s.
My '90 weighs over 4600lbs, and as you can see in the pic, it has just about every wind catching item you can put on a vehicle.

My '91 isn't set up to be very aerodynamic either.

I think my worste mileage ever in it so far was only 18mpgs and that was with about 100 40 miles of trais involved.  I only run '87 octane in it(no performance mods), however it also has less than 5k on a rebuilt engine.

With my '90 I have been logging the mileage since the first burnt valve repair back in '98.  Over the last 13yrs it has averaged 16.91mpg with a low of 9.3mpgs(wheeling trip w/open muffler), and a high of 23.2mpgs(cruising through Nevada on NV gas).  I also need to add that the 17mpg average is on non-oxegenated fuels and 91 octane.  In the winter w/oxygenated fuels or when running 87 octane the mileage drops to 15, the same as when we had to run MTBE in our gasoline.

Jack rabbit starts really reduce your mpgs, especially in the naturally heavy underpowered Toyota trucks.  I have found if I pace myself when in traffic so that I can keep the truck rolling rather than coming to a stop, it really helps with the mpg average.  Other than that I drive rather aggressively, the nearly 50/50 weight distribution in my '90 makes it handle nearly as good as my Supra. 

[2manytoys]

Snowtoy, you and 79coyotefrg are saying the oxygenated fuel is the problem? I'm in Tucson and I think that's the only gas we have.   

The pumps have a decal that states it is required between Oct and Apr but, I really believe it is the oxygenated stuff all year.

I have a fresh rebuild, injectors serviced by Witchhunter, Factory O2 sensor, TPS, fuel pump, etc. Non modified AFM. Engine runs clean and strong (for a 4 banger), easily passed emissions. I don't know what else to do to improve mileage.

[emsvitil]

A cheap air fuel meter

Something like this:

http://www.autospeed.com/cms/A_2191/article.html


You drive so that you're staying in closed-loop mode (open-loop is richer and burns more fuel).  A slight variation in your right foot can keep it in closed loop.

[Snowtoy]

Snowtoy, you and 79coyotefrg are saying the oxygenated fuel is the problem? I'm in Tucson and I think that's the only gas we have.    

The pumps have a decal that states it is required between Oct and Apr but, I really believe it is the oxygenated stuff all year.

I have a fresh rebuild, injectors serviced by Witchhunter, Factory O2 sensor, TPS, fuel pump, etc. Non modified AFM. Engine runs clean and strong (for a 4 banger), easily passed emissions. I don't know what else to do to improve mileage.

If you never see a change in your mpg's from one season to the next you could be right about the oxygenated fuels, or might be running ethonol all the time.  Here in CA we have the oxygenated fuel formula durring the winter but there isn't a requirement for ethenol all the time.  However given Obama's last executive order requiring 15% etehnol, that is likely going to change.

The cheap A/F meter is a good idea.  I have been running one for about 4yrs now, and it helps keep me mindful of not running all out when I don't need to.  With most engines giving them more gas past a certain point doesn't do anything but waste more gas, the A/F meter will help keep you from doing that, especially when pulling grades.

Your engine sounds like it is running young and healthy and you have the right gear/tire combo, so you aren't loosing there, your mpg's is either the quality of gas, your overall driving style, or a combo of each.  You could always experiement w/your driving style for one tank of gas and see if you can't improve it any.  I would start with tryimng to keep the truck rolling when in traffic, try shifting around 4-4500rpms if you are currently shifting above 5k(I normally shift between 3500-4k), and maybe drop the hwy speed to 75(maybe 70), I know my brick on wheels highway mpg's start to drop off after 75.

Have you ever checked your odometer with the actual miles you drive?  If it is recording more, that could be why both you and the original owner have never gotten the mileage that would be considered normal for the 22re.

[2manytoys]

Snowtoy, I'm going to steal the GPS from the wife one of these days and check my speedo.

One other thing I need to check is my T-stat temp. Maybe I'm running a little cold? I don't remember what I put in. What is stock? 180? 195? Gauge is reading a tiny bit above half..... where it has always run.

19864runner, didn't mean to jack your thread. Hope you're getting ideas from all this.

[emsvitil]

88C is stock temp 

[Snowtoy]

The '93 manual states the t-stat should be opening between86-90C(186-194F) degrees.  IIRC, I am running 185 t-stats, though I only buy oem, so it is whatever the dealer had listed for my rigs on their system.  

Since you aren't having cooling issues it wouldn't be worth swapping in a different temp t-stat.  Given where your location, I doubt you are running too cold causing the engine to run rich, especially with an agreesive driving style.

[19864runner]

So i tried the non-ethanol gas and that didnt make a diffrence sucks!!

[yotaneck13]

cold air intake electric fans

i was running 33's on 4:10 gears and could get 22mpg in 4wd

[19864runner]

I HAVE A COLD AIR INTAKE AND ELECTRIC FAN 31" TIRES WITH 4:56 GEARS

[Snowtoy]

If you weren't on empty when you filled up, it might take more than one round of non-ethenol fuel before you notice a change in mileage.

You might try tracking your speedo with a gps unit to see if your speedo and odometer are correct.

Is it a 5-spd or auto trans?

If 5-spd transmission what rpm/speed are you shifting gears?  Shifting to low or high in the powerband will cause you to consume more fuel.

How open is the exhaust?

Jack rabbit starts make for poor fuel consumption, especially with the heavy Toyota trucks and Runners.

[2manytoys]

I'm glad this is still being discussed. I'm going to check my speedo with my GPS. I also just found a SR5 cluster so I can check my RPMs once I get it in.

I went to the dump the other day and all I had was my fat ass and a bed full of Mesquite tree trimmings. Truck weight was 4,227 lbs. Ain't that kind of heavy for a little Toyota?

[19864runner]

I do have a  5 speed manual and shift at 3500 rpm the highest. What do you mean about how open is the exhaust?

[Snowtoy]

I went to the dump the other day and all I had was my fat ass and a bed full of Mesquite tree trimmings. Truck weight was 4,227 lbs. Ain't that kind of heavy for a little Toyota?

Toyotas are heavy to start with, upwards of 3klbs for the 4x4's, add in larger tires, extra t-case, bumper, winch, sliders, etc., you can easilly exceed 4000lbs w/o gear or passengers.

If the weight listed on titles were correct, you could use that to see what your additions weigh, but title weights seem to be more of a guess than an actual weight.  With the 2nd gen trucks I have restored over tha last 8yrs, I have had 2wd's weigh more than 4x4's and standard cab's weighing more than X-cabs.  A post about truck weights a few years back had similar results.

[Snowtoy]

I do have a  5 speed manual and shift at 3500 rpm the highest. What do you mean about how open is the exhaust?

A high flowing open exhaust that is designed for optimum flow at high rpms can have an adverse effect on the low end.  Back in '04 I ran a Downey high flow muffler, you could actually look through it when turned correctly.  While it was great for high rpms, I could run up to 75 in 3rd gear without the engine screaming, it sucked for normal driving conditions.  Take offs required higher rpms and when cruising down teh highway I was deeper into the throttle than normal, similar to running larger tires than geared for.

You might try shifting between 3500 and 4k, and see if that helps any.  Toyota's are just starting to enter their powerband at around 3000rpms, shifting to soon can cause the engine to lag, causing poor fuel economy just as when shifting high in the rpm range

[rattlers]

Toyotas are heavy to start with, upwards of 3klbs for the 4x4's, add in larger tires, extra t-case, bumper, winch, sliders, etc., you can easilly exceed 4000lbs w/o gear or passengers.

If the weight listed on titles were correct, you could use that to see what your additions weigh, but title weights seem to be more of a guess than an actual weight.  With the 2nd gen trucks I have restored over tha last 8yrs, I have had 2wd's weigh more than 4x4's and standard cab's weighing more than X-cabs.  A post about truck weights a few years back had similar results.

yeah I weighed my stock 85 4runner 5speed at a truck scale  it weighed in at about 3200 lbs , with top off it would proly weigh about 2975 lbs
so maybe 3500 to 4k rpm would give better gas mileage, I will try that  i usually shift at about 3000 rpm 

[2manytoys]

i was running 33's on 4:10 gears and could get 22mpg in 4wd
[/quote]

Did you calculate your actual mileage since your speedo would be off with that tire and gear combo?

[I_is_a_moose]

Rubber overdrive is the first thing that comes to mind.
31's seem a little small for 4.56's.

[Snowtoy]

Rubber overdrive is the first thing that comes to mind.
31's seem a little small for 4.56's.

For Toyota's w/a 5-spd trans 4.56 gears are the correct size for 31" tires, it is the same set-up that came with the 31" factory tire package for 5-spd's.  While there is a slight numerical difference of .0041% between the 28's/4.10's and 31's/4.56's, it isn't enough to cause a loss of fuel from being over geared. 

If you want to see what the different tire/gear combos have on engine rpms, check out these Auto Calculators,
Marlin's Transmission Gear chart will give you the rest of the info needed.

[patches]

yea i have a big problem too.  37's w/ 5:29's and i get 8 mpg. whoever put the header on my 22RE before i got it didnt block off the air tube so im hoping thats the problem w/ it messing around with the  o2 sensors.....

it took me a tank of gas to drive about 120 miles.