39 replies to this topic

[noreegalaba]

i keep hearing about people getting 18 to 19 mpg in their toy rv. is there anything i can to to improve my mileage??? i am avg. about 14- 15 mpg. i have a 6 cyl 94 toy winnebago warrior. i drive fairly conservatively and do not go over 60 miles an hour. i am religious about the o/d off when going up hills. is there any modification i can do to improve my gas mileage???

[85mirage]

Shed weight, alot of the higher mpg yodas are smaller and have less amenities than your home.

[bufbooth]

Drive 55mph.

Dennis...

[Gulfstream Greg]

I would have to see the 18 - 19 to believe it. 12 - 16 is more feasible. New plugs, wires and dist cap and rotor. I have heard good things about the Pulstar plugs http://www.pulstar.com/ Running some fuel injector cleaner through for a couple of tank loads might help if your injectors are a bit fouled. A K&N air filter will also help. Put a high flow exhaust system from the catalytic converter back to the tail pipe. If the catalytic converter will come off easily take it off and see what it looks like inside. If you shine a flash light in one end you should be able to see light through all the holes on the other side. If not then its clogged and needs replacement. Mobil one synthetic motor oil can help. Besides helping gas mileage there are performance gains also!

[Maineah]

Me too I would like to know how those that say they get 19 MPG figure their mileage. I had a Tacoma 22RE pickup the best I ever did with that was 23MPG empty. My MH on the highway will consistently get 15MPG and I drive it really easy never been over 65 even down hill!

[WME]

I just did a 3000 mi trip, 13.7 MPG @ 60-65 with a 22RE and automatic, 6160 lb weight.
14-15mpg sounds good for a V-6
Of course the simplest way to get 20 mpg is to lie about it, just like everybody else is doing who says they can get that MPG on a long trip.
I have gotten 21 mpg, but I was in Yellowstone NP driving 35-40 mph, but it was only one tank.

[Tobago]

On our old Southwind we got 8 MPG.

Anything is better. In my experience you need to subtract 5 or 6 from any RVer's MPG.

Ted

[Tom W]

Seems like your doing good I have about the same unit as yours mine averaged out over 10 fillups or so averages 13.75 mostly higher elevations and usually some wind.
I guess maybe perfect conditions might do a little better Pulling grade's and going slow does about the same its the bill board effect "pushing all the wind" that's a killer.

[motoyhomme]

The closer you get to selling a Toy motorhome the better the gas mileage gets. Some Toys on eBay manage to get 25 mpg. I guess I'm not ready to sell mine because I still average 15 mpg with my 4 banger.

allen

[bufbooth]

I did have a 1986 Toyota Pickup truck with a 2.4L engine and a 4-speed manual, that
I got 35mpg with, and that was cruising at 70mph.

I get 12 to 14mpg while crusing in the 60 to 65mph range with my 1990 Odyssey V6 with automatic.

Dennis...

[noreegalaba]

u r funny

[85mirage]

heres another story for you to slam. I got 20mpg on my last 400 mile trip this weekend! The best ever! I almost dont believe it! used 94 octane and 50 psi in rears. ALthough my home has no amenities and small go ahead slam me! Got 17-18 all the time while going across the USA.

[Maineah]

heres another story for you to slam. I got 20mpg on my last 400 mile trip this weekend! The best ever! I almost dont believe it! used 94 octane and 50 psi in rears. ALthough my home has no amenities and small go ahead slam me! Got 17-18 all the time while going across the USA.

Ha I get 55 mpg with my Jetta diesel yeah you guys with your light little campers rub it in!

[bufbooth]

I get 75mpg on both my 1990 Honda NX250 and my 1981 Honda XL185!

[TexasToy]

What they said and get a K&N air filter it gave my M.H about 2 more mpg and my car about 3 more mpg. they work.

[shandamac]

Too much fun!

Sadie'll be gettin' a K&N air filter and a dose or two of injector cleaner a.s.a.p.

Have there been any discussions on 100% gas vs 10% Ethanol? If so, please point me to the posts.

I try to buy only 100%, and she seems run smoother. She might even get a few more miles per gallon too.

[motoyhomme]

My Sunrader is dripping with weight (over 6500#) so I consider the 15 mpg average to be good since I average about 65 mph. I have gotten as much as 19 mpg on trips with very good road and weather conditions but not that often, but when I see very heavy 21 footers on eBay stating that they average 25 mpg, that is a stretch.

Since the early Toyota MHs were designed in the era of 100% gasoline, I would think they would run better and cooler on 100% than with the ethanol blend.

I just returned from Tennessee 2 weeks ago and had fueled up at a small mom and pop station where I managed to buy 100% gasoline. They had a sign on both of their pumps that stated, "Our gasoline is 100% refined crude oil. Corn Likker is for drinkin". Their gasoline was cheaper than the blended stations in the area and my Toyota ran a lot better, at least in my mind. Wish I could buy 100% in Northern Virginia.

Allen

[Maineah]

There is not nearly as much energy in a gallon of alcohol as there is in gasoline so 10% will hurt your mileage no doubt about it. It annoys me to buy 10 gallons of gasoline and only get 9! And the worst part about it, it is more expensive to make alcohol then refine crude! Don't get me started...

[plindblom]

I just returned form a trip in an '87 with the 22re and an automatic. I got 17 MPG going out and 18MPG returning, carefully figured, all tank-ups filled to the second click. I recently replaced the exhaust from the cat back with 2", the injectors were sent to Witchhunther performance in Seattle, whose report indicated 2 had been leaking before the rebuild, and the intake was scrubbed. I also stayed around 55 mph. This was in temperatures exceeding 105 F. I hope for a bit better in cooler times. My old '83 with a 4 speed and a well tuned carb tended to get me around 16 at 60MPH as best I recall.

Edited by plindblom, 07 July 2009 - 04:52 PM.

[shandamac]

all tank-ups filled to the second click.

Not to be too goofy, but as a dabler in etymology, this is a term for measurement I've not heard before. I like the way it sounds. Can you break it down?

shanda


update: This was sort of explained to me by a co worker. Which gives me another MPG + idea. Could I get better MPG by not filling up the tank all the way and stopping more fequently.....(weight being the factor here)?

(okay, now she's just being silly.)

[Gulfstream Greg]

Too much fun!

Sadie'll be gettin' a K&N air filter and a dose or two of injector cleaner a.s.a.p.

Have there been any discussions on 100% gas vs 10% Ethanol? If so, please point me to the posts.

I try to buy only 100%, and she seems run smoother. She might even get a few more miles per gallon too.

I have a Mazda (ford ranger) pickup that is a dual fuel vehicle. It has special rubber in the fuel components to allow the use of ethanol. So I am not sure our old technology fuel systems will stand up to the ethanol safely. As far as performance I have been told it drops as the ethanol does not produce the same BTU as gasoline. Any experts out there?

[darrel]

Well I can see that a few of you will not believe me when I say we-my wife & I get 19.7MPG average on our 84 dolphin 4cyl 4speed. Our top speed is 50-53 mph up or down hills. That mileage average is taken on 1 to 3 thousand mile trips. This past summer we did a 420 mile trip to lake Paulina-eastern Oregon, we live in Grants pass so there was many hills to climb, GOT 16.6mpg pulling a 1300# boat. Did have to drop down to 30mph up a couple of hills. Some times we drop down to 16.5 and then up to 22, depends on the terain. Dont expect good numbers on 55mph or higher. We run 55 to 60# in the tires. The moho has 105,000 miles on it, new clutch at 95,000, just put a new atwood 8012 heater in, does not have the standing piolet, dont know if I will like that, with the standing piolet you have a little heat comming out all of the time. Darrel

[dogre]

3700 miles, V-6, 2 mountain ranges, 13.7 MPG average.

[bajadulce]

we-my wife & I get 19.7MPG average on our 84 dolphin 4cyl 4speed. Our top speed is 50-53 mph up or down hills.

I believe you. I think your key phrases are "4cyl, 4speed, 50-53mph". 84 is a 22R right? Or is it e-fuel injected?

I averaged 19 mpg in my 20r, ~4K trip to Mexico, but I drive like an old lady. Always have. I Got upwards of 22 when "cruising" 40-45 mph across the lonely stretches of desert highway. I probably would have averaged 20 mpg for the trip had it not been for the 1000 miles of freeway from my house to the border and back. Through L.A. and SanDiego probably got more like 14mpg trying to keep up at 60. Oh, and the few times I ran the car for 15 minutes when my solar array couldn't keep up with my wife's insomnia and desire to play computer solitaire till who knows when! Then again maybe I didn't convert liters to gallons correctly (Pretty sure I did tho). Or who knows if my odometer is even correct. My camper probably weighs a bit less than the typical camper too. Prob makes a little bit of difference.

One thing I've been doing in my everyday driving around town, is turning off the engine at stoplights when I know I'll be idling for longer than 1/2 minute. I've read that around 6 seconds is the optimum. 6 seconds of idling doesn't seem like much tho. Obviously a fuel injected vehicle in good running/starting condition. My city mpg has increased quite a bit since.

[Maineah]

There are a bizzion variables weight, fuel (here in Maine all gas is 10% alcohol) driving habits, temp, wind, hills but if you are doing 14-15 you are doing fine. Sure beats 6-10 in most motor homes.

[darrel]

back again, it's a carburated 22R, have to use 92 or up octain or it pings at low elevations. The timming is rite on, dont want to adjust anything it runs so good, got ahold of 97 octain in Yellowknife so believe the mpg went up some. using higher octain only addes about 1.25 cents per mile traveled. Darrel

[T.A.J.]

I've got an '84 Dolphin with the 22R and a four speed.
It's got an upgraded intake manifold, Weber carb., a tuned header, K&N filters, and has run on full synthetic oil for many years. I've had it for two years now. I run Mobile 1 with one quart of Lucas full synthetic oil treatment. This little engine runs so good. I'm in Mt. and have plenty of passes to travel over. (50 mph) I generally drive 60-65 mph and get 15-19 mpg. Pretty amazing engine.
T.A.J.

[phil1956]

I've got an '84 Dolphin with the 22R and a four speed.
It's got an upgraded intake manifold, Weber carb., a tuned header, K&N filters, and has run on full synthetic oil for many years. I've had it for two years now. I run Mobile 1 with one quart of Lucas full synthetic oil treatment. This little engine runs so good. I'm in Mt. and have plenty of passes to travel over. (50 mph) I generally drive 60-65 mph and get 15-19 mpg. Pretty amazing engine.
T.A.J.

[phil1956]

where can i find all the add ons for my 22r

[T.A.J.]

The Weber carb., intake, and K&N filters should be available at most parts houses. (NAPA,Carquest,O'Rielly's,etc.)
The tuned header was on when I purchased the RV and I'm not sure where to direct you for that.
The K&N filters is a good starting point. I've got them on all my vehicles. They'll pay for themselves!
T.A.J.

[Teamblueberry]

It does not seem to matter what we do or how fast we drive, we still get anywhere from 15 to 18 and we get an occational 20 plus in the Columbia River Gorge if the wind is at our back! My husband drove 65 to 70 mph from Portland, Or to Slab City, Ca. We were able to do this because we have a new engine. With all the stimulus money for roads, there is a lot of new pavement out there. It is an RVers dream.

[arthur]

I just bought a '84 Huntsman, just starting the restore. I don't know what mileage I will be getting, but I'm sure ready to start ! I'll let you know.

Arthur

[tumolt]

I have a 1980 Toyota Huntsman with only 23,500 original miles. I completely restored it inside and out. I get 18 to 19 mpg on the highway doing 55 mph and get 12 to 15 in town. I also have a 1989 Toyota U-Haul box truck trailer with a 3500 lb. axle and dually wheels which came off the motorhome after I converted to a one ton full floater rear end. I tow at 45 mph and get around 15 mpg. I have a 20r 4 speed and I am very happy with the performance and gas mileage. I went to a Weber carb rather than rebuild the old Aiwa carb. I believe a new carb performs better than rebuilt on any vehicle. I use to have a Toyota Conquest with 39,000 miles. It had a 22 re with automatic overdive. Fuel consumption was not as good even with a header and K & N air filter. I think the best was 15-17 mpg on average. I love the body style on the Huntsman. No cab over bunk to bang your head on and no oven. But all the appliances, 3 way fridge, roof A/C, heater, stove, sink, hot water heater, toilet and shower. I added a closet and customized the interior to my liking using real wood, no press board crap. I have cabinets, pleanty of accessable storage with sliding doors, lots of lighting, and fans. The cab has A/C, AM/FM CD which I will change out and go to Satelite radio,and a back up camera which runs full time on a 8" monitor. A 3500 watt generator and I have all the convenience you would ever need. I also change over to a new 4' long gas hose which I can use with my BBQ and cook outdoors. No awning but I have a screened room which takes about 20 minutes to set up. Next a 6 month cross country trip starting in two weeks. See you.

[DanAatTheCape]

That is about as good as it gets with the 6cyl. I am on my second warrior, the first was 14-15. The 2nd was doing 10-12 until I put in an oxygen sensor - now 14.

i keep hearing about people getting 18 to 19 mpg in their toy rv. is there anything i can to to improve my mileage??? i am avg. about 14- 15 mpg. i have a 6 cyl 94 toy winnebago warrior. i drive fairly conservatively and do not go over 60 miles an hour. i am religious about the o/d off when going up hills. is there any modification i can do to improve my gas mileage???

[ChrisInVT]

Damn, this is an old thread... I hate you all, I don't think I've gotten better than 10MPG in my truck, but then I'm usually passing the general population.

I also have a 1989 Toyota U-Haul box truck trailer with a 3500 lb. axle and dually wheels which came off the motorhome after I converted to a one ton full floater rear end.

I'd love to see this, do you have pictures?

[Dolphinite]

This thread has great info. Thanks everybody!

[dayoff53]

I'm gradually getting enough data to make some estimates of the mileage I can expect in my 1992 Winnebago Warrior WT321RL (3.0 l. V-6) with under 30k miles. Worst is about 12 (70 - 75 mph on the freeway with a lot of truck traffic, some hills) and best is about 15 (55 mph on secondary highways with light traffic and some hills). I much prefer staying off the freeways - and so does my Toy. I expect to get around 14 mpg on longer trips - we'll see how accurate that is after the Toy-In on Vancouver Island next month!

[waiter]

I'm sitting in Deadhorse Alaska, Just put 5200 miles on this house. Averaged between 14.5 and 15.0. for the entire trip The best I got was 17.2 That was with a very strong tail wind. The worst was 10.2, that was a strong headwind in very hilly country.

John Mc
88 Dolphin 4 Auto

[Lee & Joan]

These are Statements on fuel mileage from the Toyota Motorhomes Handbook

Thorntonnetsales.com

Speed is one of the largest factors that affect your mileage.

In 1985 the national speed limit was 55 mph. Like most vehicles

of that era, my Dolphin is geared to travel in the 50 to 60 mph

range. It is possible to maintain close to 70 mph on level ground.

The faster I drive, the more gas I will consume. The Dolphin is

equipped with the 22RE fuel injected four cylinder engine. I find

that on level ground, with good weather and little head wind,

maintaining a speed of 50 to 55 mph will yield around 15 to 16

mpg. When I drive between 55 and 60 mph my mileage will seem

to drop to 13 to 14 mpg. If I spend much time over 60 mph, I can

expect to be in the 11 to 12 mpg range. The speed you drive

seems to be one of the biggest factors in the gas mileage

equation.

The type of terrain will affect your mileage.

A fully loaded Toyota Motor home will climb just about any paved

road you can find. It will not climb the hill very fast however. My 4

cylinder coach with automatic will shift into 2nd gear at about 45

mph and climb steadily until the speed drops to about 25 mph. On

the really steep hills, I find myself in 1st gear climbing at about 20

to 25 mph. This type of travel wreaks havoc on the gas mileage

results. Traveling across the western states, it is not uncommon

to encounter long uphill stretches of road followed by more long

uphill stretches of road until the divide is crested. Much of the

uphill climb will be in 2nd gear. I have found that traveling through

country with long uphill climbs will result in a 1 to 2 mpg decrease

in mileage results.

May all your winds be tail winds

An external factor that affects gas mileage even more than hills is

a steady head wind. A ten mph head wind will cut your forward

speed down until you are soon shifting between 2nd and 3rd gear

just to maintain 50 mph. This type of driving inevitably results in

gas mileage figures of 10 to 12 mpg. One consoling thought while

you watch the 35 foot big block V8 motor home pull around you

on the interstate is you are still getting at least twice the mileage

the big rig is archiving. When the head winds get much stronger

than 20mph is time to rethink your travel plans for the day. I have

stopped traveling at noon on those type of days and just waited it

out, hoping that tomorrow would be better. It wasn't by the way,

the wind always blows in Kansas. I feel much safer when having

to travel into a fierce headwind on a four lane divided highway.

This removes the problem of oncoming large 18 wheelers and the

corresponding bow wave. The passing of a large truck going the

same direction can cause a bit of turbulence when you are

momentarily caught in the dirty air trailing behind the truck but is

not nearly as terrifying as meeting a large truck in windy

conditions on a narrow two lane road. ( Another lesson learned

traveling across Kansas). Side winds are almost as bad if the

wind is slightly from the front. In fairness to the little Motor home,

the Dolphin handles wind gusts with aplomb, and has no bad

tendencies to get blown off the road or turn turtle in the ditch.

These two trips were under very windy conditions for a good

portion of the trip

4 cylinder versus 6 cylinder models

It seems that the mileage results between the older 4 cylinder

models and the newer 6 cylinder Toyota motor homes are quite

similar. The v6 models may be able to travel a bit faster and top

the hills at a higher speed but the over all mileage results are still

in the 14 to 16 mpg range for most drivers. Polls taken on the

Yahoo Toyota-campers group have reported these results and

discussion threads also will reveal the same information.

As the old saying goes, "Your mileage will vary". I have attempted

to explain some of my findings and findings that were uncovered

on the 'net. Speed seems to be the biggest contributing factor to

poor gas mileage. Driving habits can also play a part. When I first

began driving the Dolphin, I floored the accelerator every time I

pulled away from a stop light. This caused much commotion from

the engine room but not a great deal of acceleration. I discovered

that by just letting Dolly find her own pace we were up to speed

almost as quickly and with much better results in gas mileage.

[Lee & Joan]

John Mc, I am happy you are on the road, good for you. I am about 5000 some mile behind you already but hope to get started rolling next week so I can wrack up my own (S)mileage figures... Brookings Oregon to Hood River or Bust (hope not), but the bike will be tagging along on the back just in case... I have the 20th annual Black Dog Dual Sport Motorcycle Trail ride to go to for the "shake down" trip. Hopefully this will beat sleeping in the back of my 86 toyota truck like the last 19 years I have gone there.