For reference I get 15. With:
4.56 Gears
3.0
5spd.
35"x12.5" Mickey Thompson
2" BL
1.5" BJ spacers
3" Downey springs
2" blocks
...But I have no front or rear bumpers or brackets. It will probably go down a bit, my rock slider/steps weigh 60 lb. and the front and rear custom bumpers will probably add 120+ lb. Oh I drive really calmly though, if it was my DD it would probably go down to 12 or less.

And that lift won't do much in terms of increased wind resistance, the tires though will change what your speedo and tach tell you because of the increases diameter which will throw off mpg calculations. It might take a mile a two off your MPG with that tire depending on your habits.

 

Thanks for the info, Right now I only have 31 10.5's and I use it as a daily driver, Last i figured it out it was getting 14 mpg. I think it needs a complete tune up which im going to do soon and then check the mileage again.

 

Stock I get 20-21 with a 5 speed 4x4.

 

Ive seen a few posts showing that its the width of the tires that kill. Does the size effect it a lot too or not? Also did you lose much mileage putting a lift on? ...

Wider and/or taller tires = increased rolling resistance = worse MPG

Taller tires throw engine out of power band = worse MPG
(can be compensated for w/proper regearing)

Lift = increased wind resistance = worse MPG

 

I get around 12-13 mpg........ running 38's........ i also swapped in 5:71 gears........... made big chage especially out on the highway............

 

Wow not bad for that big of tires and lift. impressive. btw your truck is killer

 

well since your truck is already geared for a 10.50 it won't be too drastic, but the 33's will be a bit heavier and more "resistant" than 31's. I'm told going with a 2" aal is better by a long way than shackles. or at least do blocks over shackles (longer shackles flatten your springs). Go to toyteclifts.com, they sell a 2" kit for 200 bucks, with 2" add-a-leafs, 1.5" bj spacers, and all the hardware. You can crank the torsion bars a bit to level out the front if you think it ends up too low. For the lift, a good alignment afterwards, and a bit of tax and shipping charges, you'll have a high quality 2" lift out the door for about $270-280, and you should be able to use the stock shocks. This is what I'm gonna do in about a month or so when I get some time. I'm starting to consider a locker, too. :naughty: Stick with the 31's at least until they wear out, they will look good with a small lift. Maybe if you do get 33's, do a 2" body lift too, that would look pretty sick. :thumbsup:

 

Btw, 1hightoy, how lifted is your truck? 38's, huh :chug:?!?

If only I had the money for that crap...

 

Its wide tires that really kill mileage. But with proper gearing its not THAT bad. Hell mine gets 17-18mpg mixed driving. Up to 21mpg on the hwy with 5" of lift and 33x12.50" tires (4.88 gears with my 5sp).

Gearing is where you get your mileage and power back after a taller tire...

 

True, but those of us that are doing it on the cheap aren't about to fork out the money to regear, hence why I'm stickin' with the 10.50. I always wonder how much going down to the 225 would actually speed my truck up...

 

...if I could maybe do a suspension lift and then just run like 33 10.5's like in the other thread would my mileage drop a lot? What are some of the opinions after you've lifted your truck?

I'll give you another point of reference. My truck is a '93 xcab 3.0 4x4. I put a 3" body lift kit on it years ago and switched to 33x12.5" tires. Prior to changing from the original 31x10.5's I got around 20mpg (give or take a couple tenths) mixed driving. After changing tires, the mileage went down to about 19 mpg.

 

I'm amazed you got 20 mpg out a 3vze. I get 20 driving conservatively in my 22re, with 10.50's, though (I could probably pull off 22 with 225's). Impressive, if your not lying...:naughty:

 

I'm amazed you got 20 mpg out a 3vze. I get 20 driving conservatively in my 22re, with 10.50's, though (I could probably pull off 22 with 225's). Impressive, if your not lying...:naughty:

It's no bull though I have to admit that "mixed" driving for me is mostly highway (70%?). When I put the 33's on I did not expect a drop in mileage. My thinking was that the wider tire would hurt the mileage, but the bigger diameter would give me a higher final drive ratio and it would offset the loss due to increased width. That didn't happen. The taller tires just killed what little performance the truck had.

I just checked my last several fill-ups..the mileage ranges from 18.0 to 18.8. However, I'm back to driving on the beach now and that knocks it down. A lot of time on the beach and I can get the mileage down in the 17's.

wheelinchick90.. a stock 150hp 3.0.

 

Yes that is impressive, and yeah knj27 I plan to run the 31 10.5's until they wear out since I just got them, But would like a small lift that will still look good with the 31's. I will eventually bump it up to 33's but thats probably as far as I'll take it. Atleast until I get another daily driver. I will definately look into that kit with the bj spacers and the add a leaf. sounds like the way to go. Im wondering if a prev owner has already cranked the torsion bars, seems to have a decent stance and the front sits about half inch higher than the rear right now. Thanks for the input I think this is the route i will go and wont be losing much mpg's

 

If the front is already sitting higher, then the kit I was talking about would probably level 'er out (assuming that is the look you are going for), becaus the bj spacers are 1.5" and the aal's are 2.

 

Hey what engines are you guys pushing to get the mpg's? Just curious cause I see all the mods but no engine is listed. :disappoin

 

I am also looking at this Toytec kit with extended Procomps all around for under $400. LIkely throw 2" of Body Lift so I can run 33's... nice alternative to the $1500+ suspension lift. Seems like an easy install as well.

 

What's this talk about tire width and not heigth killing gas mileage?

 

Wider tires, more contact with the road, means more rolling resistence. That resistence will have a negative effect on mileage. Since there are so many variables I can't say how much the 12.50's affected my mileage. On the street I run 35 lbs of pressure front and rear.

 

I understand that wider tires means more contact, but from what i got from this thread they were saying heigth doesnt affect it much

 

From someone who went from 31x10.5's to 33x12.5's, I'm thinking that the added height did not contribute any appreciable amount to my decrease in gas mileage. The higher final drive ratio is a mileage plus unless you use more throttle to overcome the performance loss.

An extra 2" on each front tire width won't mean much considering the pickup's aerodynamics unless you do all your driving on a western interstate.

But hey...I could be wrong.

 

Yes, it really is the width that kills mileage. Much more weight and rolling resistance. More friction = less mpg.

Plug, mud tires act like paddles at high speeds. The lugs grab the air and add resistance..

A fellow yoter-head on yotatech.com went from 31x10.50" tires to 33x9.50 and his mileage went up!


On a side note, remember factory 4.88 gearsets from 1992-95 automatic trucks and 4runners (with 31" tire packagE) are CHEAP!