Gas Mileage On A 91 Es250

[carlfino]

I have a 91 ES250 (V6) with about 95k miles. It gets about 17 mpg in city (not tested on highway). I have gone through all the EFI sensors/tests and it has new plugs, wires, rotor and distributor.

Is this all I can expect from this vehicle? Given its weight, I would expect it to get over 22mpg in the city.

Looking for other owners' mpg values, and any suggestions on common problems this vehicle has that leads to low gas mileage.

Thanks in advance

Carl (newby)...

[Toysrme]

IDK, sounds close to right. The 2vz-fe is a good little engine, but it's not very advanced. You can try the o2 sensor.

Fuel Economy.gov lists:

MPG (city) 18

MPG (highway) 24

MPG (combined) 21

There's really not too many 250's around. A gen2 v6 Camry owner might be able to confirm that's about right.

They also get a relatively huge power boost from a set of custom headers. That cross-over pipe on the 2vz-fe is just the worst thing ever unless you plan on slinging a turbo up there lol!

[ArmyofOne]

Well, I owned a 1990 ES250 for awhile, in the time i owned it i rebuilt it from the ground up (BADLY neglected by the previous owner). It got 13-17mpg in the city, around 20 on the highway.

Dont listen to the curb weight sticker or anything that tells you the weight of the car...i put it on a scale twice and with a full tank of gas and my backpack in the trunk, it weighed in at 3,800 lbs...its not a light car by any means.

Im in iraq right now, but once my net connection gets straight, ill be on more frequently. If you have any more ?'s direct them to toysrme and he will send em to me.

[monahans]

I have a 1991 ES 250. Just drove it 600 miles over the weekend. Texas speed limit is 80. Got 24-26 mpg. Never get less than 22, never more than 27.

[Toysrme]

You're digging for gold man; this post is old.

And you're on the ungodly high end for an ES250 so be really really happy~! It should be getting about 18mpg in the city & no more than 24mpg on the highway at 65mph. And that's in really, really, really original condition.

[Brendon Bosy]

Is this all I can expect from this vehicle? Given its weight, I would expect it to get over 22mpg in the city.

Weight has very little to do with it. For example, compare the ES250 to the Camry (88'-91') with the same V6 in it. The two cars in every near practical sense are the same. The ES250 weighs in at about 3160 Lbs. The Camry weighs in at about 2800 Lbs. In spite of this, the two have the same fuel efficiency. All that it means is that the Camry has a better power:weight ratio, meaning it can accelerate faster. Unless the ES were twice the weight of the Camry, weight makes little difference since little fuel is required to keep the car in motion (cruising).

As for why your car is getting poor gas mileage is simply a combination of factors. First off, you have to accept that it is a 16 year old car. Back then, we didn't have all the great technics that make engines more powerful and efficient like VVT-i or direct injection or vapor reabsorption. Another factor is that Toyota was just launching Lexus. Before Lexus came about in 1989, Toyota was building almost exclusively small, efficient cars with small 4 cylinder engines. For them to suddenly pursue the luxury market meant they had to begin producing larger engines. The LS400's engine alone cost Toyota over $400,000,000 in research to develop. I assume that between the 4 liter engine of the LS and the 1.6-2.0 liter engines of the regular Toyota fleet, they were trying to create a medium and came up with the 2.5 Liter V6 of your car.

Like Toysrme said, the efficiency is only rated at 18/24, and that is under EPA environmentally controlled testing. Things like air conditioning, radio, diving habits, open windows, etc. can affect it. Also, as a car's engine gets older and puts on more and more mileage, it naturally runs less efficient, no matter how well you maintain your car.

[Scrub Hunter]

Try Lucas UCL fuel system cleaner, get a tuneup, make sure tires are at proper pressure, and consider some kind of oil cleaner like Autorx or Seafoam. Two things that can mess with milage are bad injectors and clogged fuel filter. Honorable mention would be check your PCV to make sure it's funcional and make sure your valve covers are releasing pressure.