Great Board!

I will introduce my truck and then tell you about my gas mileage. I am looking for increasing mpg and any other tips people might have.

I have a dark blue 1993 extended cab pickup fitted with the 22RE and 5 speed trans. Vehicle has 70K miles on it now. Truck has some kind of small suspention lift (4 extra leafs in the back, but has had stock tire size up to yesterday). I bought the truck off ebay last fall($3650) and have been wrenching on it ever since.

Here is what I have done:
1. Switched from unknown oil to mobil 1 10w30 and OEM filter - trying 0W40 in a few days
2. Renewed all fluids - I mean all. Lubed drive train
3. Adjusted valve clearances
4. Adjusted timing and idle speed
5. Added tach
6. Just put on 235 75 15 BFG T/A KO's (29 inch) yesterday
7. Plugs, cap, rotor, wires
8. Recharged AC (went from dead to dead cold)
9. Rear drums and pads
10. Removed catalytic converter
11. Replaced tailpipe from cat-back with stock
12. Replaced air filter
13. Added bed cap which has a godd 6 inch space between truck cab and cap (could be affecting MPG)
14. Installed hitch and wired trailer light connection
15. Removed stripe with 3M stripe remover pad (so easy)

Truck has been getting 17-18 miles per gallon with 40/60 city/highway driving on 89 octane (she used to ping on 87 - haven't gone back to 87 since adjusting valves and timing). I was hoping to get like 24 on the highway, but that ain't happening. Highway speeds are 70-80mph. I am about to (in two weeks) drive the truck load with all my crap and pulling a 4X8 utility trailer from NY to UT. I am concerned that the new BFGs is going to put me down to 16mpg and that is killing me!

What can I do to increase mpg - or is this what I should be getting? Could the removal of the cat converter have been a mistake? I have just one O2 sensor and that is before the empty cat. Maybe replace the O2 sensor. Thanks for reading <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

Driving 70/80 miles an hour really tends to burn up the gas.
That's the main thing that's bringing you down on the mileage.

Couple of other things I noticed.

Off road type tires tend to have more rolling resistance, decreasing gas mileage.

Caps don't help gas mileage. In some cases they can make it worse by creating a very large dead area behind the vehicle. The gap you describe between the cap and the cab aren't going to hurt you.

Lifting a vehicle may adversely affect air flow under the truck. This can cause gas mileage to go down.

Are your front hubs disengaged?

Unless you can discover mechanical probelms (like a tired O2 sensor, bad water temp sensor, low tire pressure, leaky injectors, etc.), you're pretty much stuck at your current mileage.

What you can change is your driving habits. Learn to squeeze fuel and you might pick up 10%.

Some Tips:

1. Accelerate gently and slowly. Installing a vacuum gauge can help train you by giving you feedback.

2. Anticipate slowing and decel way in advance (assuming it's safe and couteous to do so)

3. Keep your truck at the speed limit. There's that old law of kinetic energy which states that KE varies as the square of velocity. In English, this means that if you merely double your speed, your fuel consumption QUADRUPLES! That's right, increase from 40 to 80 MPH, and your fuel consumption will be 4 times greater. So, instead of 75-80, back it down to your local speed limit.

Cat removal won't hurt your mileage. A bed cap will trim a MPG or two. A lift doesn't help either.

Quick Question: Where are you located and do you have any use for your old cat? If not, I'm looking for a nice cat.

Truck runs at around 3K rpms at 75 as I recall which I didn't think was too bad. I will try a tank at 60-65 and see if that helps. Speed limits (and gas prices) keep going up! In UT the limit will is 75, so it is hard to go even as low as 60. I am going to remove the cap as soon as I get the space to do so. Maybe I'll run with the tailgate open. NOT going to get rid of those BFGs! Thanks.

My hubs are definately free. (checked them while jacked)

I hollowed the cat, so I can't offer it to anyone. It did make the engine a bit more noisey. I may get another, saw a bolt in for $100. Is there a quality issue with cats?

Some report drag from the rear brakes, I will jack up and check.

What kind of gas mileage are people getting with thier 22REs? What does Toyota say? What pressure to run on the BFG's?

Damn I have a lot of questions.

In my 93 toyota ex-cab with a toneaue(sp?) cover i get 16 - 20 in the winter and 18 - 22 in the summer. I have the 22re of course.. I'm also running 31x10.5 dunlops with 32 psi up front and 35 in the back. Seems to me that your right around average for gas mileage

Running it with the tailgate open probably won't help your mileage. Theoretically it may decrease it vs. closed.

I pulled a 4x8 trailer on the highway before. What to do for better mileage? Rent a moving van with a diesel. The 4x8 trailer loaded down, and the 4Runner filled, riding on 33's, and 3" body lift netted me roughly 6-8 MPG in the mountains, and 10-12 on the flats! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

Renting the van will save you fuel, wear, and tear, but it will be VERY expensive.
Calculate this out:
2500 miles/8 mpg x $1.75 = $546.88 for your trip.

If you can get a set of used stock wheels and tires for about $100, you will save money. Your mileage will go up to about 12-14 mpg. This means:
2500 miles/14 mpg x $1.75 = $312.50 + $100 (used tires/wheels) = $412.50! A savings of $134.38.

Conclusion... Find a spare set of stock wheels and tires. May be ugly, but will save you lots of $$$$$$$$$.

I drive the exact same truck and I'm pretty anal about record keeping such as mileage and maintenance. Usually I get around 18-20 in the summer and 17-18 in the winter(in addition to winter gas I keep my hubs locked if there is snow around). This winter has been pretty bad because I live in a small town now, lots and lots of short trips, around 14-15 mpg. I run 30x9.5R15 tires with 4.10 gears(set up for 225/75R15) so that has an effect, I plan on going down in size a little bit pretty soon here. I also got better gas mileage pre bed cap by ~1 mpg on average. The best mileage I've ever gotten was 23 mpg(driving at a pretty constant 55 mph down the Oregon coast).

BTW since my tires are not the original size I do the conversions for corrected mileage when recording data(remember when I said I was anal).

Speed really will affect your mileage, going over 80 for an extended period of time kills my mpg ('course I drive a big box on wheels <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />). I've been on a few trips recently ('87 4Runner with 33's and 4.88's) and got 20mpg driving back roads at around 55mph, but only got 14-15mpg going 80-90mph on the interstate. I found that if I keep between 75 and 80 I can get around 17-18 as long as there's not a bad headwind <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/notooth.gif" alt="" />