So in the hunt for better gas mileage in my supercharged lifted 04 Tacoma what have the rest of you noticed in decreased gas mileage when you have added one of the above thats above the roof line? My plan is to add a RTT to the back of my DC Taco and try and keep it below the roof line because the truck already gets bad enough mpg's but I want to know how bad a hit I might take if I cant keep it that low?
Roof rack, RTT, lightbars and mpg's
- Thread starter hoist00
- Start date
007
Explorer
I mounted my RTT above the cab line for more room underneath and thought it would effect the mpg but I really haven't noticed a difference so it wasn't much.
The more important issue is the higher center of gravity it creates. It really effects the handling in a bad way. I would suggest keeping it below the top of the cab for this reason.
If you care more about room than handling I would say go for it, the mileage won't change that much.
The more important issue is the higher center of gravity it creates. It really effects the handling in a bad way. I would suggest keeping it below the top of the cab for this reason.
If you care more about room than handling I would say go for it, the mileage won't change that much.
Youngunner
Adventurer
All of the above! :victory:
There is a little sway around corners but nothing to be worried about!
Gas mileage seems to be hurting. Getting a average of 16 mpg (combined highway and city).
I will be going to a flip pac this year anyways.
There is a little sway around corners but nothing to be worried about!
Gas mileage seems to be hurting. Getting a average of 16 mpg (combined highway and city).
I will be going to a flip pac this year anyways.
All of the above! :victory:
There is a little sway around corners but nothing to be worried about!
Gas mileage seems to be hurting. Getting a average of 16 mpg (combined highway and city).
I will be going to a flip pac this year anyways.
well with a solid front axle 35" tires supercharger and 4.88 gears I average around 14 mpgs:sombrero:. Every little bit helps and when you are only getting about 200 miles out of a tank of gas I cant afford to lose anymore especially when out in the middle of nowhere.
SAR_Squid79
Explorer
The biggest mpg differences I've noticed are mostly from weight, not really from aerodynamics. When I had my RTT on my truck, I think the weight killed my fuel economy more than anything. I noticed the same when adding steel front & rear armor bumpers, and winch, and skids, and sliders...
And there's really no way to get around the weight issue.
And there's really no way to get around the weight issue.
Depends Upon Speed
Hoist:
We run a Maggiolina on the cab of our 2004 Toyota DC Tacoma. The Maggiolina definitely decreases miles per gallon. The decrease depends upon the speed the truck is driven - between 65 to 75 I'd guess we see a 10 to 15% decrease in mpg, below 65 I'd guess about 10%. This isn't a surprise as air resistance increases as the cube of speed (double your speed and the air resistance goes up eight times, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_economy_in_automobiles#Physics).
Probably the best example of this is bicycles - a professional racer in a sprint on a normal road racing bike can hit 45 or maybe 50 mph on the level, without a draft for a couple of hundred meters. The best fully faired, recumbent racing bike can hit 82 mph (it's true!) for several hundred meters! The difference is all due to air resistance.
So you could save some gas by removing obstructions that increase resistance, but you could save a lot more by driving slowly (who said saving gas was fun?).
When our truck was in stock form, I could get 23 to 25 mpg. Once the truck was lifted about 2 - 3 inches with 255/85/16 tires, gearing was lowered to 4.88, etc. the best I can do is 20 mpg and 18-19 is more common (and I drive like a grandma).
The increase in weight of most of our trucks is also a factor - but it's most significant when driving uphill or accelerating. Not much we can do about driving uphill (doing it slowly helps), but accelerating easily helps a lot.
Howard
Hoist:
We run a Maggiolina on the cab of our 2004 Toyota DC Tacoma. The Maggiolina definitely decreases miles per gallon. The decrease depends upon the speed the truck is driven - between 65 to 75 I'd guess we see a 10 to 15% decrease in mpg, below 65 I'd guess about 10%. This isn't a surprise as air resistance increases as the cube of speed (double your speed and the air resistance goes up eight times, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_economy_in_automobiles#Physics).
Probably the best example of this is bicycles - a professional racer in a sprint on a normal road racing bike can hit 45 or maybe 50 mph on the level, without a draft for a couple of hundred meters. The best fully faired, recumbent racing bike can hit 82 mph (it's true!) for several hundred meters! The difference is all due to air resistance.
So you could save some gas by removing obstructions that increase resistance, but you could save a lot more by driving slowly (who said saving gas was fun?).
When our truck was in stock form, I could get 23 to 25 mpg. Once the truck was lifted about 2 - 3 inches with 255/85/16 tires, gearing was lowered to 4.88, etc. the best I can do is 20 mpg and 18-19 is more common (and I drive like a grandma).
The increase in weight of most of our trucks is also a factor - but it's most significant when driving uphill or accelerating. Not much we can do about driving uphill (doing it slowly helps), but accelerating easily helps a lot.
Howard