My 4runner is so bad on MPG

electric fans work only at certain vehicle operations. fan motor turns on at less than 30-40MPH,ac on ,ac in defrost mode fans turn on .. when in traffic the engine temp rises to a point like 225F then fan turns on ..
mechanical fan clutch will engage the fan when the air temp is at a certain temp. so in winter the fan does not engage when cold air is about. fan clutches do fail around 220K miles.. in hot areas will require replacements around 150K miles. these clutch fans are more durable than electric . many had relay failures also on the control of the electric fans.
I have a sedan that has 2 electric fans . I do not like how the engine temp gauge rises to 225F then the fan turns on ..
the second fan turns on when the ac refrigerant pressure rises above 270 psi .. but the electric fans shutdown around 35 MPH speed ..
on my 2016 runner I monitor the engine temp with the scan gauge II.. engine temp locks in at 184-186F ... hot out cold out stable ...I do not like my sedan temp rises too hot ,, head gaskets and other issues ..
ELEC fans do use a lot of current so alternators also need replacing ,,, unless you change the alternator to 40 more amps than stock when you modify the mech to electric .

 

I was an idiot and put BFG KO2s on right away so not sure what my mpg would have been but I drive to Corpus from Dallas occasionally and 2/3 time I got 13.8mpg going the speed limit. I’ve had it for 18 months and over the life if the vehicle I’ve averaged 15.4mpg which is ridiculously bad in my opinion given the size. I was really hoping to average 18mpg. I filled up in Sunday and with a few short jaunts from home I’m showing 11.4mpg. Blows my mind.

 

I'm glad mine still gets good mpg here in CO. I have KO2s too, I have no complaints..

https://youtu.be/nzrcjKHEKeM

 

I just averaged ~20mpg over 400 miles of 80% interstate (75mph) and 20% two lane hiway (60mph) driving. Mostly flat and a few hills. Bone stock. I’m beyond impressed for a 5000lb brick of a truck.

 

I have averaged 14.8 mpg since I purchased the 4R with 95% of my driving under 2 miles except long trips or when I go see my parents. Hard to get good mpg that way. I have 285's so that is another factor. Luckily for me is I have a 3 mile round trip commute so I only fill up every 10 days. Just wish I got 20+mpg.

 

If you haven’t tried it yet, air up to 42psi. Rolling resistance reduced and my mileage improved a bit, from 15-ish to 18-ish on stock-sized KO2s.

 

First fill up on a new Pro - 18.4 MPG!

 

Depending on what load range your tires are, 42 might be close to the proper inflation. IIRC, LT tires in stock size should be inflated to 44.

But, I wouldn't recommend running that pressure in SL rated tires. You may save a few gallons of fuel, but your tires could also wear unevenly or prematurely.

 

'Slow ride take it easy' never in a hurry gets you better mpg
Down here in TAXES driving in hot air doesn't help but going easy on the skinny peddle does make a bit of difference
I'm at 10mpg 12 if I'm lucky

 

I put k02s on mine from the dealership when I bought it too, and I get 13.9 litres per 100km which translates into USA speak as 16.9 mpg. Not great but after a long winter of cold driving mostly around our small town, it is what it is. My advice: don’t worry about it, or compare yourself to others. 4 Runners are heavy, non aerodynamic vehicles, with relatively large archaic engines that will run forever. That’s what I like about it, lol. Enjoy!

 

Idk what you guys are complaining about.

 

I would trade my 4R for a hybrid 4R and thats about it.

 

You can in a year or so when the 6th fen comes with a 4 cylinder turbo hybrid !

 

We will see if that actually happens. If I could get a 22/28mpg 4R, it would be the perfect vehicle for me.

 

I once got 50mpg in a downhill after resetting. But it plummeted to the 20s as I was taking my phone out to Snap a pic as soon as I got to the red light lol

 

Let’s all just hope the high resale and trade-in values continue on until the next gen is released!

 

Yeah I got offered $54,800 and passed. Just couldn't let go of the 4R.

 

I’m also thinking about selling my 2021 with 3000 miles on it, since I have to move to the opposite coast in a couple months, where gas is $5. But then what would I be able to buy with the elevated prices these days? I suppose I could buy some shit box to hold me over for a year but that’s not an appealing option.

 

If I was moving to the west coast I think I would buy a hybrid and then grab a Jeep Cherokee 4x4 for cheap to beat up on.

 

Yeah, I hear you. I’m waiting for the various EV options to be available for purchase and then I will probably sell my 4 Runner for something that doesn’t burn fossil fuels. I’m on the list for a Cybertruck, but thinking it may be too big for me. I will still have an ICE vehicle though - it’s an old 2 door Jeep Jk. 10 years old, works great. I just use it in the summer for driving around with the top down. It’s not a trail rig, but I suppose it could be. JKs are easy to work on, and there is a ton of used and after market parts available for them, making them very inexpensive to own.

 

Not 5 dollars (yet). Filled up for 3.89 at Costco Carlsbad earlier this week.

 

$2.99 / Gallon in my neck of the woods in Maryland.

 

Most people that complain about the gas mileage and threaten to buy a different vehicle seem to never do the actual math.

I have a 2019 with a lift, LT 285s, and a roof rack. I average 16.3 mpg commuting to work 14 miles away.

My dad gave me his old car a month ago. 2007 Chevy HHR wagon. I average right at 30 mpg on my daily commute. Gas here is $3.17 a gallon. Even though the car was free, I still had to pay $150 to title and register it, then the insurance ran me another $50 a month for liability only. For some weird reason, the liability insurance is more for the $1000 HHR than the $40k 4Runner.

I did the actual math to see how much money I am saving every month by driving a car with great gas mileage, vs. my awful and horrible 4Runner.

600 miles a month in commuting means I burn 20 gallons of gas a month in the HHR. At $3.17 a gallon, that costs me $63.40.

In the 4Runner, 600 miles divided by 16.3 mpg equals 37 gallons of fuel, or, $117 a month in gas. I'm saving about $54 a month in gas. But, when I factor in the insurance costs, I am gaining $13.40 a month. Once I factor in cost to register it, it will take me about a year to recoup my costs in registration. So, the reality is that all I am doing is saving wear and tear on the 4Runner.

I think if people actually did the math to see how much extra money they are paying each month in fuel for a 4Runner vs. a much less capable and cool SUV, then they would realize they could make up for the difference each month by skipping one meal out a month, or 4 fancy coffees.

 

this isn't the Camry forum, chief.

 

I can make my dash do that, too.

 

Totally agree. Give up a couple Starbucks and a couple meals out per month and your 18mpg 4runner is running head to head with a 28mpg Honda 4 banger.

 

Yeah the way I afford my 4R and all 13 vehicles I have had in last 14 years is by not having a wife or kid. That way I can afford those meals too.

 

I bought a 2019 4Runner in October of '18 and passed it on to my daughter on March of 2020 then got me a 2021 in October of the same year. Both gave me the identical mileage. I only drive 4 miles a day, round trip. Gas is about $3.59 at Costco. I can go almost a month (work-home) on one tank of gas but never let the gas gauge go below a ¼ of a tank to keep the fuel pump cool and lubricated.
Not the most fuel efficient SUV but I love my 4Runner!

 

The above financial analysis doesn’t factor in repairs over the relative lifetimes of any vehicle compared to the 4Runner. It’s just not that big of a deal. When I’m on my death bed, hopefully 20 or more years from now, I’m not gonna give it a minutes thought how much I spent on gas driving a dream vehicle. Plus I got to look really cool the whole time, something that can be challenging to say the least.

 

I've got a base model '20 4 runner and when I drove it cross country, I got 24.8 MPG after driving it for 1 hour and 13 minutes at an average speed of 73 MPH. It was loaded with stuff as I was moving across the country. I had just one 2200 miles on it at the time. The elevation at the time was around 3500 feet and it wasn't all flat, temp was close to 100 degrees.

I've yet to get that high a gas mileage again.