305 miles to empty with full tank ?

[BDuane007]

Well, it knows because of the sensor in the fuel tank that provides the information for the digital fuel gauge on the dash. But this does not explain having such a low DTE after your 100 miles at 24MPG. I thought for sure I had figured out the issue but .... now I'm stumped.

Well, I will post again after I drive to Tallahassee tomorrow for Turkey Day. Then, of course I will be driving back the same way, Interstate about 90% of the way, cruise on 75, no more. Hopefully we’ll learn something. Surely by then it will change.

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[TrdProGirl84]

I think mine is around 285 on my TRD Pro

 

[JGR]

From what i’ve experienced, 17.26 MPG. However, my commute is mostly side streets with some highway driving on weekends.

The estimated mileage is definitely based on your driving habit, and not counting our reserve.

Reserve tank seems to be at 2-3 gallons, I’m tempted to run an experiment on what the reserve level is after the fuel bar disappears. Lol

Trying to make sense of things, quick math is take your current MPG and multiply that by 2.5 for your “safety net” miles. Add that to your estimated miles left and thats our actual total based on latest driving habits.

I record my fuel fill ups with “Road Trip” and like looking at the data trends.

 

[AdFour]

You probably do not want to do that. That reserve is to cool the fuel pump.

From what i’ve experienced, 17.26 MPG. However, my commute is mostly side streets with some highway driving on weekends.

The estimated mileage is definitely based on your driving habit, and not counting our reserve.

Reserve tank seems to be at 2-3 gallons, I’m tempted to run an experiment on what the reserve level is after the fuel bar disappears. Lol

Trying to make sense of things, quick math is take your current MPG and multiply that by 2.5 for your “safety net” miles. Add that to your estimated miles left and thats our actual total based on latest driving habits.

I record my fuel fill ups with “Road Trip” and like looking at the data trends.

 

[MikeD]

funny mine always comes back at 305 after a fill up.

Interesting. My data below is based on recording (photo) the DTE before and after fill up over the last 27 fillups and almost 9K miles. When running with air dam and OEM TRD ORP tires I've seen the DTE value after fillup as high as 366 when tank milage was 24.4; with air dam off and 285/70R18 Load E tires on TRD PRO wheels I've seen as low 294 (when tank milage was 15.1 (which included a long off-road excursion). In table below the "blank rows" are where I swapped between wheels & tires.
I DO NOT know exactly how the 6G4R calculates DTE and am interested if anyone KNOWS. (I've checked all the theories and run the equations so I'm really only interested in accurate knowledge if there is a Toyota engineer out there. Thanks

Refuel Date	Odometer Reading	Adjusted Odometer (+3.4%)	Tank Miles	Adj. Miles	Gallons	Fuel Octane	Dist. to go -Before fill	"Actual" dist to go?	Dist. to go -After fill	MPG Tank	Gallons (total)	MPG Total	Range Est.
	7				(fuel added)					(mileage)
5/24/2025	262		255		15.719	87	?	53.2	?	16.2	15.72	16.7	308.2
6/6/2025	586		324		15.699	89	?	68.1	?	20.6	31.42	18.7	392.1
6/14/2025	854		268		14.1	93	?	93.1	?	19	45.52	18.8	361.1
6/27/2025	1216		362		16.073	93	28	65.9	347	22.5	61.59	19.7	427.9
7/4/2025	1487		271		11.767	93	102	166.6	347	23	73.36	20.3	437.6
7/20/2025	1848		361		16.834	93	6	46.4	351	21.4	90.19	20.5	407.4
8/1/2025	2207		359		16.333	93	6	58.6	351	22	106.53	20.7	417.6
8/7/2025	2519		312		16.211	93	24	53.7	351	19.2	122.74	20.5	365.7
8/17/2025	2907		388		16.505	93	12	58.7	361	23.5	139.24	20.9	446.7
8/30/2025	3286		379		17.127	92.5	-2	41.4	361	22.1	156.37	21	420.4
8/31/2025	3657		371		16.818	93	1	48.1	361	22.1	173.19	21.1	419.1
9/6/2025	4004		347		17.063	93	-3	39.4	355	20.3	190.25	21	386.4
9/13/2025	4366		362		16.954	93	-1	43.7	355	21.4	207.2	21.1	405.7
9/19/2025	4737		371		16.459	93	17	57.3	363	22.5	223.66	21.2	428.3
9/20/2025	4906		169		6.938	93	214	293.8	366	24.4	230.6	21.3	462.8
	285/70 no air dam
9/24/2025	5211	5221.4	305	315.4	16.355	93	10	51	348	19.3	246.96	21.1	356
######	5481	5501	270	279.4	15.547	93	31	62.1	330	18	262.5	21	332.1
9/28/2025	5760	5789.7	279	288.7	15.345	93	35	68.8	324	18.8	277.85	20.8	347.8
######	6065	6105.3	305	315.6	17.277	93	-8	31.5	316	18.3	295.12	20.7	336.5
10/10/2025	6260	6307.1	195	201.8	10.55	93	125	161.6	314	19.1	305.67	20.6	356.6
10/11/2025	6557	6614.5	297	307.3	17.024	93	-9	35.7	306	18.1	322.7	20.5	332.7
10/18/2025	6800	6865.9	243	251.5	14.602	93	46	75.7	302	17.2	337.3	20.4	318.7
######	6920	6990.1	120	124.2	8.234	93	167	162.4	294	15.1	345.53	20.2	282.4
	265/70 & Air Dam
10/31/2025	7307	7377.1	387	387	16.274	93	13	64.8	324	23.8	361.81	20.4	451.8
10/31/2025	7630	7700.1	323	323	16.525	93	7	48.4	324	19.5	378.33	20.4	371.4
11/2/2025	7916	7986.1	286	286	15.041	93	76	101	332	20.4	393.37	20.3	387
11/7/2025	8133	8203.1	217	217	8.509	93	155	267.5	335	25.5	401.88	20.4	484.5
11/8/2025	8443	8513.1	310	310	15.324	93	31	74.4	334	20.2	417.21	20.4	384.4
	285/70 no air dam
11/14/2025	8771	8841.1	328	339.4	16.284	93	10	56.6	335	20.8	433.49	20.4	384.6
11/21/2025	8988	9058.1	217	224.6	11.753	93	106	138.5	329	19.1	445.24	20.3	355.5
11/23/2025	9262	9332.1	274	283.5	16.998	93	-7	33.4	311	16.7	462.24	20.2	307.4

Currently I have the 285/70s on the TRD flat black option wheels (+45 offset). Will be moving back to the OEM 265/70 Michelins on TRD PRO wheels (+20 offset) for long trips - to get the range and avoid stops. I like the all black look of both wheels and this solution avoids some of the rubbing on the 285s which will be on for off-roading and when snow expected where I will be. (Handed down the OEM wheels to my son and now have his 2022 SR5 Premium 17x7 alloy wheels and tires available if anyone interested:>)

 

[MikeD]

Reserve tank seems to be at 2-3 gallons, I’m tempted to run an experiment on what the reserve level is after the fuel bar disappears. Lol

From message above this in thread - there is not really any ambiguity here:
"Check out this thread: https://www.4runner6g.com/forum/thr...gas-indicator-accurate.2652/page-2#post-65870

And note that the owners manual specifies that the "Low fuel level warning light ... Indicates that remaining fuel is approximately 2.8 gal. or less.""

The linked thread shows my data that proves for my TRD ORP that, in fact, the 2.8 gallons remaining when the low fuel indicator comes on (white to amber fuel tank symbol and warning indicator), and that there is 1.8 - 2.0 gallons left when you hit zero miles to empty ("REFUEL NOW" indicator)

 

[FloridaPhotog]

I'm at 6000 miles and my distance to empty after fillig up cotinues to increase, it's currenty 382.

 

[MikeD]

I'm at 6000 miles and my distance to empty after fillig up cotinues to increase, it's currenty 382.

Cool. Better than my best which I thought was decent. You could easily go 450 miles on a tank with that and still have a bit left (assuming ~25 mpgs with that number).

 

[Dr_Al]

My last two daily drivers were Rav4s (2013 and 2016). Both of them acted the same way. With 30 to 20 miles left the fuel warning light would come one. When down to 0 miles left they say "refuel". Both of them had well over 160k on them. Once the words "refuel" appeared I figured i had 50 miles at most to fill it up (unless towing). Never replaced a fuel pump. I usually go at least 30.

The manual says the fuel tank is almost 16 gallons. It also said that the light would come on when it had 2.5 gallons in the tank. I've never ran out of gas and only a couple of times, when I pushed how far I could go, did I ever put more than 15 gallons into it.

I'm not worried about the fuel pump over heating (I think Toyota is just doing the usual "we must be extra safe"). When driving on my local roads where I know just how far and which stations have the best prices I can easily figure out how far each one is from me.

Do an experiment. When the gas light comes on go an extra 30 miles and see how much gas it takes to fill the tank. How close is it to the tank's capacity? Keep increasing the distance until you feel like you've gotten close to the maximum distance/ minimum fuel level you feel comfortable driving.

BTW, the idea that fuel on the outside of the fuel pump is going to cool the pump down a lot more than the same fuel going through the pump seems questionable. Most fuel tanks are long and shallow. Anything less than a 1/3 of a tank and the gas level starts to no longer submerge the electric motor. I deal with a lot of electric motors at work. I have plenty that have burnt the paint off of them yet still run just fine. Some have been in service continuously for over 20 years. There's no way the pump in a fuel tank could ever get hot enough to actually damage itself. That would be like using a match to check the fuel level.

The pumping part of it is right at the bottom of the tank. Using good quality fuel so it can properly lubricate the pump is more important than fuel level. Unless forced to I only buy from name brand stations that I know do a lot of business selling gas.

 

[zgreen]

I have a stock Pro and constantly get between 350-365 a tank on 91 Octane, at around 3,500 elevation.

 

[ColoradoRoz]

This might not be the right thread for this as it's just an observation strictly on MPG that I was kind of surprised by. I wanted to share it though.

My previous vehicle prior to my TRD ORP Hybrid was a 2017 Volvo V90 CC. It was a turbocharged 4 cylinder. According to the spec sheets it was about 1000 lbs lighter than the 4runner.

In general driving around town I would get around 24-25 mpg in the volvo vs. 22-23 mpg in the Toyota, for just about a 2mpg difference between the 2. This gap changed dramatically on some highway driving. We live just outside Denver in Colorado, and frequently take trips up to the mountains along I-70. The trip we usually take is just around 100 miles. The net elevation change is around 3200ft (though there is a lot of up and down, so total ascent/descent is probably much different).

There are a ton of factors that can play into mpg on this trip, so I am just going to speak of the difference between the two vehicles generally and particularly for coming down the hill, which surprised me the most. In the Volvo, coming down the hill, I would always easily get over 30mpg. More often than not I would average around 32, though I have maxed out around 35. I've made the trip in the 4runner twice and both times topped out at 25mpg.

So in the Volvo my mpg was 7-10 higher than normal driving, while the 4Runner only was around 2-3 mpg higher.

Going up the hill, the delta is much closer (around 20mpg in the volvo, 18 in the 4Runner, both approximately 5mpg less than normal driving).

I know the estimated mpg city/hwy in the 4Runner is approximately the same. What I'm missing though is why with the extra weight and gravity assist coming downhill there isn't a larger benefit to mpg. I thought perhaps there was just that much more penalty in going uphill, but then I would have thought the mpg going uphill would have been hit harder.

In any case, I just thought it was interesting. I love the vehicle, and driving it on the highway is a really great experience. I thought I would miss my Volvo A LOT more in that regard, but the 4Runner is very comfortable.

 

[Nodak]

for me DTE is a moot point. i go by what the fuel gauge reads. once it gets to 1/2 (winter time) to around 1/4 summer time, i fill up.

winter time 1/2 lasts about 1 week (from remote starts and my daily 32 mile round trip work trip).

during the summer 1/4 tank left will last about 10 days give or take 1-2 days. its enough for me and i dont really track how many miles it is per tank. i just fill at the respective fuel tank reading.

i do track the mpg but its mostly gee whiz stats. personally i dont have to worry about mpg or distance. if i was worry about mpg, i would get a unibody vehicle like a grand highlander, camry or rav4.

and on long trips, i have time at my age to stop and smell the roses so to speak. 1700 miles to visit my mom takes 3 days now, it use to take 2 days but i cant do those 900 miles a day runs anymore.

now i stretch it out to 3 days and only drive sun up to down. i actually enjoy taking the slow route now instead of rushing to my destination. and i like playing the road game and see how many times certain vehicles pass me every time doing over the speed limit and having to refuel 2x as many times vs my 1 fill up. give me a good chuckle watching them pass me again and again cause they like to run 10-15 mph over the speed limit in brick suv.

but hey each their own i guess.

 

[Undefeatable]

I think mine usually displays 320 miles right after a fill up.
I am on larger tires (285/70R17's).

I pretty much always just go to Costco once a week to fill up, and I work from home most of the time, so not super concerned about MPG's.

I can see how I would be more invested in it if I commuted to work though.

 

[TrdProGirl84]

I’ve had mine for 6 months. Right now it’s telling me 285!

 

[zgreen]

I’ve had mine for 6 months. Right now it’s telling me 285!

Do you drive a lot of stop and go? Aggressively? 285 seems pretty low and translates to 15 mpg...

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