Another reason to love the 4Runner!

I was skeptical at first launching the ski into the water as the water is very shallow for a good distance out so was afraid I may get stuck and start sinking into the sand. Well I took a chance and it came out like it was nothing! It's amazing how capable this thing is, and having a slight lift helped keep most of the water away.

 

Fortunately that is fresh water, hopefully

 

^ @Buba1's location is showing as Ontario, which means he gets his salt in the six months of winter...

 

Yes, freshwater, its Lake Huron.

One way to put it yes lol we get enough salt during our winter months here, although it's al rustproofed, underneath still rust free and hoping it stays that way for many years to come.

 

Buba you are brave!

 

Is mpg something to love with 4runners on long road trips?

2 adults + 2 kids + 1 most loved kid (German Shepherd), roof box carrying cargo -> 25mpg on 55mph roads.

I think my full trip average is over 20mpg, over 1000miles so far.

Can't ask for more. Also experience some amazing gravel roads. CO, WY, MT.

 

^55 mph roads is the reason. The 5th gen lacks a 6th gear, so rpms at normal highway speeds (75-80 mph) tend to be high.

 

Plus wind resistance increases exponentially with speed, so it takes a lot more power to push it at higher speeds.

 

What's with the fancy word there Bassguy?

 

I read it in a magazine once.

 

I had a situation like this once on the Turtle Flambeau flowage, when the water was low one spring. My brother was in the boat, and I just kept backing up until he was able to back off the trailer. I ended up about 20-30' from shore. Fortunately, it was a sand bottom in that bay. This was years ago, in my 4th gen.

 

Try word of the day toilet paper, my problem is, I never remember the word after I leave the toilet.

 

The magazine is wrong Wind resistance increases with the square of speed, not exponentially. Picture linked from NASA's web site:



Going from 55 to 80 mph causes air drag to increase by 80^2 /55^2 - 1 = 112%

 

That'll teach me to quote what I read on the internet.

But, I will still argue that wind resistance is the biggest reason our fuel economy goes in the crapper at high speeds.

 

Wait a minute….isn’t the ^2 in the equation (squaring) an exponent…thus yielding an “exponential” increase?

My math is pretty solid through the 5th grade, so I’m not sure if my understanding of exponential is right.

 

I thought the same thing, but I wasn't sure. Even though I'm better at basic math than most people, I get lost when it comes to Algebra/Geometry/etc.

 

Same…although I do consider myself a math “enthusiast”. I can deeply appreciate what some good mathing can do, just as long as I’m not the one actually doing it.

 

Yea, sometimes you just have to go for it lol I'm glad I did though, very convenient to launch right on the beach.

 

No. Exponentially would mean the speed is the exponent, something like D = A^v

 

I'm not sure this is accurate. But, since I'm not a math whiz, I googled it.


"Yes, wind resistance, also known as air resistance, increases exponentially with the speed of an object. Specifically, it's proportional to the square of the speed. This means that as an object moves faster, the force of air resistance grows at a faster rate."

 

^Your source is incorrect.

 

Lol.

Or, maybe yours is...

So, whose AI response should we go by?

 

At 80mph heading towards WY it was around 19mpg.

Full tank of gas people and cargo the 4runner is at 5880lbs.

 

Four Runners are like driving a brick down the road, then load the roof up

 

Yeah, roof racks are a big killer of fuel economy.

I tested mine (out of curiosity) on the same route, same speed and weather with and without the basket and saw a 10% difference.

 

Aerodynamics of a rolling toaster

 

Plot the curve. That'll tell you if it is exponential.