Crying Out for Help = MPG

[Kosmic Kitty]

I’m firmly in the “gas costs what it costs” mindset, which I fully understand is a privilege as much as not needing to look at prices at the grocery store. But 12 ain’t right.

It may improve after the break in period. I was getting around 17mpg on the stock tires with no roof rack for the first few thousand miles, and then it crept up to around 25. Did some trips at 55mph getting 29mpg. With Grenadier takeoff KO2s (forget the size sorry, they’re very conservative) I average about 21mpg in warm weather and dip to 18-19mpg in the Ohio cold.

With aggressively sized tires I can totally see 12mpg when it’s brand new.

Edit: I keep my tires around 40-44psi given they are D load and the LC is relatively heavy. 35psi gave significantly worse fuel economy for me.

Edit 2 because dumb: I also have skids, a bull bar, and Sherpa

Again, caveat that I am only sharing opinion, but why not the G3s in 285/70/17? They offer that size in SL and it is the closest you can get to the OEM 265/70-18 diameter with 17s (so your odo doesn't overreport your mileage).

My LC had 265/R20 - on it before they installed the cut-rate 285's - my spare is still OEM 265/20 - which I was told would still work in a pinch.

 

[ultane]

I know this topic has been beaten to death......but I bought my LC on Easter and it came with Lock 17 in rims (I like) and Delium 285/70/R17 Tires (*I had never heard of) that have great reviews and weigh 53 LBS - which is reasonable. But, why am I still getting under 12 mpg. I pumped up the tire pressure to 38 psi cold and they rise to 42 while driving. If I downsize to Nitto G3 275's would that solve my problem. This is all around town and I live in a hilly area - bit this is ridiculous.

There are two milage readouts on the dash. One is for lifetime value. The other is tank average.. or something there about.

 

[DubDub]

My LC had 265/R20 - on it before they installed the cut-rate 285's - my spare is still OEM 265/20 - which I was told would still work in a pinch.

265/70-18 and 265/60-20 are near identical in diameter, as the 20s are a premium package over the OE 265/70-18. Nitto G3s in 285/70-17 will still be the closest option you have to the OE size, and your spare (275 will be .3" smaller than your OE 20s, and 285s will be .2" larger). It is slightly bigger, which means you will not be overreporting your mileage. They offer it in an SL at that size too.

 

[roadventure]

I know this topic has been beaten to death......but I bought my LC on Easter and it came with Lock 17 in rims (I like) and Delium 285/70/R17 Tires (*I had never heard of) that have great reviews and weigh 53 LBS - which is reasonable. But, why am I still getting under 12 mpg. I pumped up the tire pressure to 38 psi cold and they rise to 42 while driving. If I downsize to Nitto G3 275's would that solve my problem. This is all around town and I live in a hilly area - bit this is ridiculous.

Be patient.

#1 you have larger than OEM tires.

#2 check your fuel mileage after 5000 miles. Most improve after the drive train has a chance to break in.

 

[Buckfever]

39K miles, KO3s at 56 lbs, 17.9MPG coming out of the winter. You should do a little better. With the lighter stock tires I was getting a lot better.

 

[RideWithYanu]

It’s the tires. You have very heavy M/T tires that almost certainly have high rolling resistance. Thats really it.

Signed, redneck

 

[Kosmic Kitty]

It’s the tires. You have very heavy M/T tires that almost certainly have high rolling resistance. Thats really it.

Signed, redneck

I sure as hell hope so - $1,550 later (installed) hopefully tomorrow - for the new Nitto's - love your screen name

 

[what_have_they_done]

you guys want good mpg out of 4 cyl moving 5500 lb? Lol

 

[WookieBait]

My gas mileage averages the same as when it was 20 miles as it is today closing in at 16k miles. I wouldn't hold your breath. Can always take it to your dealer to have it looked at.. even driving in the Rockies up hill with heavy loads and all terrains I've never gotten that low of mpg. I might get that kind of mileage in 4lo and low speeds over long distances... Even then I think lowest I've seen is around 13. Have you actually tested the gas mileage by paper or utilizing the lieometer? My computer will tell me I'm getting better gas mileage than I'm actually getting.

You are driving like a clown or there's something wrong with your vehicle.

 

[Kosmic Kitty]

My gas mileage averages the same as when it was 20 miles as it is today closing in at 16k miles. I wouldn't hold your breath. Can always take it to your dealer to have it looked at.. even driving in the Rockies up hill with heavy loads and all terrains I've never gotten that low of mpg. I might get that kind of mileage in 4lo and low speeds over long distances... Even then I think lowest I've seen is around 13. Have you actually tested the gas mileage by paper or utilizing the lieometer? My computer will tell me I'm getting better gas mileage than I'm actually getting.

You are driving like a clown or there's something wrong with your vehicle.

I drive like I have as egg under my gas pedal - I'm hoping it's the cut rate tires that are causing most of the issue (not all - I live in a hilly area) = Rolling Hills, CA

 

[Pavman2473]

I know this topic has been beaten to death......but I bought my LC on Easter and it came with Lock 17 in rims (I like) and Delium 285/70/R17 Tires (*I had never heard of) that have great reviews and weigh 53 LBS - which is reasonable. But, why am I still getting under 12 mpg. I pumped up the tire pressure to 38 psi cold and they rise to 42 while driving. If I downsize to Nitto G3 275's would that solve my problem. This is all around town and I live in a hilly area - bit this is ridiculous.

I get the best MPG on cruise control on the highway. 20-22mpg. Around town anywhere between 14-16 in the winter and 18-19 in the summer. I also notice the first drive of the day usually gets the worst mpg. Probably cause the engine and oil aren’t warmed up. Welcome to the insanity.

 

[PDPete]

I apologize for just skimming here, so I may be repeating stuff...

First, I'd ditch "Eco" mode completely... I've read too many posts like this one where it was eventually determined that fuel economy was better using "Normal" mode instead of Eco...not to mention other threads from folks who compared both modes and had similar findings, particularly for local/city driving. I know it's counter-intuitive to think that Eco mode is worse on MPGs than Normal mode, but my assumption is that drivers are over-compensating for the throttled accelerator response and that Eco mode is just not tuned properly in this vehicle.

You're already driving an expensive vehicle with decent performance, why neuter it with Eco mode when it's not saving you anything? That's just my take...

Second, yeah, those big, heavy off-road tires aren't doing you any favors...12 MPG is worse than I'd expect, but still

Third, my fuel economy did improve a bit after the "break-in" period, but it wasn't anything drastic, i.e. I wouldn't expect yours to suddenly go from 12 MPG to 21 MPG, mine improved maybe 1 or 2 MPGs per trip, on average.

And lastly, on mine (21,000 miles), I've found that highway fuel economy on longer trips has been pretty spot on compared to whats advertised, generally in the low to mid 20s in MPGs...but on shorter trips around town, my MPGs are much more all over the place, reporting anywhere from 15 to 20 MPG when I check after shutting off the vehicle. Distance, speed, time spend idling at red lights and other stops, frequency of having to stop, uphill vs downhill, etc, will play into just how much fuel you're consuming. If you haven't yet, you may want to make a point to take a trip on the highway of at least 20 miles or so, and see what's it's reporting for that...it may give you a better idea just how far off the estimated fuel economy you are and how concerned you should be.

EDIT: For what it's worth, I'm running KO3s on 18" rims (265 70R18, I believe) -- so not the stock tires, but not as heavy or beefy as OP's, I believe.

 

[Mopper]

I think i see the problem.....
Seriously though, if you want improved MPG hop on FB Market Place, buy a used set of stock 18" rims and tires.

Did that Trail Dust come with a roof rack (-4mpg at best)?

MPG will improve with engine break-in.
Use toyota 0w20 (toyota has high molybdenum 900 PPM)
Don't follow the 10k oil change recommendation, most people do the 1k "break-in" oil change, then 5k intervals after.
I'm actually on my 4th oil change @ 10300 miles.

I have stock Michelin XLT tires (18" bradley V wheels 26lbs each) factory height, no roof rack and can easily get 22+ MPG @ Bay Area driving speeds on 101.

MPG greatly improves under 65mph 23-32mpg

Nearly what I did- e-bay though. 4 tires and rims that matched the unchanged spare. Running those 5 tires should pay for the rims and tires in savings on trail tires NOT running around town over the next couple years. And of course the fuel I didn't buy.

 

[LCDakota]

I know this topic has been beaten to death......but I bought my LC on Easter and it came with Lock 17 in rims (I like) and Delium 285/70/R17 Tires (*I had never heard of) that have great reviews and weigh 53 LBS - which is reasonable. But, why am I still getting under 12 mpg. I pumped up the tire pressure to 38 psi cold and they rise to 42 while driving. If I downsize to Nitto G3 275's would that solve my problem. This is all around town and I live in a hilly area - bit this is ridiculous.

Under 12mpg is low. What mode do you drive in? Fuel type-premium? Any other mods like a lift kit?

 

[Kosmic Kitty]

Under 12mpg is low. What mode do you drive in? Fuel type-premium? Any other mods like a lift kit?

Dealer lifted the front to make it level. Thanks everyone for your input - tire installer is shooting for tomorrow - be glad tp get these boat anchors replaced.

 

[Mopper]

How can you tell if a vehicle has been lifted? This picture is my LC (after replaced my wheels/tires) and one on the dealer's lot. After dirt, mud flaps, and front air dam(?), I couldn't spot any difference...

 

[Kosmic Kitty]

I will re-state that 400 miles is a very small sampling size for what the vehicle is displaying for MPG. All of the idling that likely occurred at port is probably still skewing the MPG displayed. When you reset mileage, it starts again and shows horrible mileage until that sample size increases.

The numbers will get better as miles travelled increases and the engine breaks in. The numbers should continue to improve as you get used to the vehicle.

When I drove my LC home from the dealer it was showing 14.8 mpg - which I thought was low - now I realize they had just installed the tires and wheels - so that was the OEM MPG - so 3 mpg less with new aftermarket set-up.

 

[DubDub]

How can you tell if a vehicle has been lifted? This picture is my LC (after replaced my wheels/tires) and one on the dealer's lot. After dirt, mud flaps, and front air dam(?), I couldn't spot any difference...
View attachment 65776

A lifted one will be higher

In all seriousness, there’s a difference between lifted and leveled IMHO. Sometimes it can be substantial to the owner while almost unnoticeable to everyone else. I have a leveled LC that works at my complex and I can see the slightest height difference between the tire and fender. The one time he parked next to me I saw it more clearly (I’m the first one in so he has to get lucky in order to park next to me).

When I “lift” mine it will be 1/2” front and back, but I’ll also be on 275s and filling the gap. Unless you park next to me you likely wouldn’t see it. Show some pics of front coilovers though…

 

[WookieBait]

I drive like I have as egg under my gas pedal - I'm hoping it's the cut rate tires that are causing most of the issue (not all - I live in a hilly area) = Rolling Hills, CA

I don't think tires will magically make your mpg go way up, I lost maybe 1mpg going to a all terrain. Hopefully can get it figured out. I can't remember if it was on here, ih8mud, reddit or wherever but there was someone having really poor gas mileage and Toyota ended up buying it back, could never figure it out.

 

[basicxj]

When I drove my LC home from the dealer it was showing 14.8 mpg - which I thought was low - now I realize they had just installed the tires and wheels - so that was the OEM MPG - so 3 mpg less with new aftermarket set-up.

Swapping out the tires you have might make a small difference that is only going to be apparent over time.

I went from the OEM 20” with Yokohama street tires (avg. 13.3 L/100km) to one size larger all terrains on 18” wheels (avg. 13.4 L/100km).