Tips for MPG Improvement?

[Nguruve]

Hi All,

Just wondering if anyone has any tips for improving fuel efficiency on the 1hd-fte?

Any recommendations regarding air filters?

Has anyone here tried Hiclone fuel savers, ozbush chips, or other chips on the 4.2 engine?
Have to say I'm a bit skeptical about tuning / chips, but folks say that some systems are better than others.

Thanks in advance...

 

[Jacob100]

Don't leave the truck lane.

 

[Nguruve]

I nearly added a clause about the driver aspect of fuel efficiency!

 

[karl2000]

Buy the Mrs a bus ticket

 

[GeekOKent]

Only drive downhill. With a tail wind, sail deployed.

Does wonders to the mpg

 

[Shayne]

I'm you have worked out by now that nobody here bought a Landcruiser for its fuel economy .

Max tyre pressure can make a significant difference .

 

[Tractionman]

Yep, or min tyre pessues

 

[Nguruve]

Nah, of course none of us bought 'Cruisers for economy! And sure, how we drive certainly makes the greatest difference. As does route planning.

I recently noticed a 10mpg difference when comparing using B roads with using the motorway.

But all of this is extremely subjective and variable.

I have heard of folks with the 120 Series getting better mpg using Ozbush electronics, but wondered if anyone had tried it on the 100?

 

[uHu]

5 - Keep speed under 70 km/h (but over 60 to keep converter locked)
4 - Plan well ahead so that you don't need to use the brakes much
3 - Narrow tyres with high pressure
2 - Always start with a pre-heated engine, also in summer. The engine is more efficient at normal operating temp, and the converter LU does not happen when cold.
1 - Install LPG/propane fumigation. This really helps mpg a lot, as well as longevity of oil and engine. (I do not have it only because of the demand and high cost of certifying gas in vehicles, in this country.)

For air filter, nothing beats the standard cyclone filter, for cost and longevity. (It needs only a quick wash in cold water every now and then. Put it straight back in as long as you drive right away (and it's not freezing cold))

Snake oil in any form doesn't help.

 

[Grimbo]

uHu ^^^^^^ nailed it ....

The 100 and any other cruiser has the aerodynamics of a breeze block so speed on a motorway is a mpg killer .... spots , roof racks etc don't help either

AT or MT tyres also have a big negative influence on mpg

If you don't use them dump the rear row seats out the boot....

Not one of the supposed additives will make enough difference to outweigh their cost

Chips and the FTE are a subject on their own but I seem to recall the FTE isn't that well catered for in the UK and ECU's are not easily remapped

 

[publius]

The only way to save gas in a Hundy is to park it.

 

[guruvetim]

Just like every vehicle I drive, it's speed that kill the mpg figures on my 100, 100kph is fine if you try and cruise at 120-130 the mpg/kmpl goes out the window.. (it's in Zim) My E350 estate will do 55+mpg at 65mph at 75mph you're lucky to see 45mpg

 

[Towpack]

Pretty much agree with all that's been said so far. Driving habits are the most influential IMO. Tyre choice and pressure, losing excess weight, roof rack and a well serviced engine all play a part. While I was on holiday in Scotland a few years back I squeezed an extra 8 mpg out of the 80 while driving round and using the advanced driver's techniques of maintaining momentum with light acceleration, braking anticipation and generally holding up traffic everywhere I went. Christ it was boring. In my experience, tuning of any description is generally done for more power which usually means worse mpg.

 

[Raj]

I too noticed driving habits are main thing along with the seasons. In Summer, on motorway, driving at 65 mph constant and using hypermiling techniques mentioned above, I managed to get 26 mpg. I have AT tyres, regular ones might give few extra miles. All this is possible only on motorways at night.
But sweet spot for 200 engine is 80mph when it feels energetic n responsive so 80+ mph gives me about 21-22mpg. The urban n slow traffic takes it to 19 mpg.
Didn’t check Cruiser mpg difference in different seasons but Lexus 3.3 petrol hybrid gets about 4 mpg more in summer 34 in summer and 30 in winter.

 

[Juddian]

As above, with these boxy vehicles anything much above 60mph and you're starting to shift tons of air, plus the steepening resistance of tyre and transmission friction, massive transmissions to drag around on a Cruiser, that's quite true about using the lorry lane, slip streaming trucks if done sensibly is a real fuel saver.

The driver makes a huge difference, in an ideal world you should only need to use the brakes to bring the vehicle to a final halt, so, anticipation, read the road ahead so you don't have to stop at junctions, where possible if no one else about straighten the road out, keep that momentum rolling by using terrain ie let the vehicle roll downhill and use upward rises in the road to reduce speed, imagine you're vehicle is a typical fully loaded artic with only 12bhp per ton on tap the last thing you want to do is have to bring it to a halt or have to climb a hill from a standing start.

Some mechanical things, as mentioned if you have chunky mud or serious AT tyres they'll have serious drag, and make sure the brakes are well serviced and all pistons free in their bores.
2.5 tons of 4x4 is never going to be an economical machine.

 

[karl2000]

Is cruise control a disaster for mpg then?

 

[Raj]

cruise control a disaster

I too have the same doubts about cruise control. Without cruise control, I can use a light touch and keep the rpm almost constant. This requires a lot of concentration and constant planning, watching the road ahead, left and right so we can jump to left or right without changing speed.
With cruise control, I noticed the car tends to increase RPM many times and it tends to maintain high RPM for a while before coming down.
On top of these Cruiser has the habit of increasing RPM suddenly with a slight decrease in speed around 60 mph. Its very attentive driving even on empty motorways to get more mpg.
Last thing is to control the temptation to push the Cruiser as it loves doing 80-90 mph.

 

[karl2000]

I'd like to point out @Raj has only ever gone 80-90 on a private road

 

[Grimbo]

Addaptive cruise where the vehicle will "see" a slower car in front and back off to maintain safe distance is great but few manufacturers have got it truly sorted....
80 series cruise is fantastic if you ever find an empty road... otherwise I find I'm constantly fiddling with the control.... get fed up and turn it off .
Juddian is right with his HGV insight..... use the road to your advantage... but whatever you do it's never going to make a 70, 80 , 90 , 100 , 120 , 150 or 200 into a fuel sipping
high mpg vehicle.... but you may add a few MPG by driving like Miss Daisey . ;-)

 

[Juddian]

Is cruise control a disaster for mpg then?

Maybe some of the more advanced system are better, but otherwise no is what i've found.
Hit cruise and the vehicle gets large throttle inputs to resume speed, some hgv drivers who work for large operators which have spent £££££ on telematics use cruise to attain maximum acceleration without triggering hard acceleration reports on the spy systems, ie hit cruise literally as soon as the vehicle is moving.

The crudeness of cruise was brought home to me with our Hilux 3 litre auto, first vehicle of our own that had cruise, going down the dual carriageway on cruise, soon as it saw an incline and sensed a drop in speed it would apply full throttle which immediately dropped it out of lock up and down a gear, on normal throttle you could treat the pedal gently and the vehicle would stay locked in top whilst you maintained speed the old way, ie via the mk 1 eyeball connected to a human brain.

I think what many forget is that our Cruisers and Hilux are not luxury cars, they are heavy duty industrial vehicles and respond well to being driven like a truck.