Is it possible to get better fuel economy from a Jeep Wrangler TJ?

Sure, but define "better miles per gallon" for us. Almost everything we do to our TJ's causes a drop in fuel economy. The best way to increase fuel economy is to try different brands of regular gasoline, make sure that the engine is tuned correctly, keep the engine rpms appropriate for the engine load and don't try to drive fast or jump off the line like a jack rabbit. I played with this right after getting my SE TJ. The most I could ever gain was about 1 1/2 - 2 mpg. That was with stock sized street tires inflated to 32 psi, a fresh tune up and driving like the proverbial old lady. As a side note on gas mileage, the difference between summer driving and winter driving is about 2 mpg. Jeeps pretty much get what they get. They aren't economy cars, for sure.
 
Sure it's possible.

Get some small, lightweight wheels and run the correct tire pressure on the most non-aggressive, gas saving tire you can find.

Strip the vehicle of as much body weight as possible (i.e. spare tire, etc.), avoid lifts as well as any accessories that add weight to the vehicle (i.e. winches, bumpers, etc.). Drive like a grandma, be sure to stop as little as possible (meaning you should coast to stop lights and avoid complete stops)... The list goes on.

In other words, drive like a Prius driver. You won't have much fun doing that though, you really won't.

The Jeep Wrangler has the aerodynamics of a barn driving sideways down the highway. It's heavy, it's a pig and the engine is far from an 'efficient' one when it comes to gas mileage.

Bottom line: You have the WRONG vehicle if you are concerned about your gas mileage, honestly.
 
I think mine gets GREAT gas mileage. Especially compared to the 1973 Chevy Cheyenne Super I used to own. In fact the TJ gets more than twice the gas mileage. ...and it gets better mileage than my current 3/4 ton Suburban as well, by almost 3mpg. For comparison, the wife's SAAB only gets about 10 mpg more than the TJ. Both are 5 speed 4 cylinders.
 
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Ya, the six actually gets better mileage under most circumstances. Third gear becomes your friend when you drive an SE. That little four banger can really scream when it needs to and I actually like the four banger a lot. I don't go on the freeway very often and the roads I drive keep my speed down to where aerodynamics are a non-issue. Hills under 35 mph or so are easy, just down shift a gear or two and go.
 
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Yep, it's like a Honda. You have to keep it revved up in the right rpm range!
 
19.8 was my best combined mileage before the mods started. 4.0 with 5 speed and 30" Wrangler GSA's inflated to 38psi cold.

To do this one must 'short shift', try to stay below 50mph and avoid using the brakes any more than absolutely necessary.
 
Best gas mileage I got was in my YJ with 33s and 3.07s. 25mpg at 70mph.
My TJR struggles to hit 19mpg... and only if I stay under 60mph.

Not sure if it was the 3.07s or the carburetor which contributed to my YJs great mpg.
 
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Yes. I saw a guy who had huge tires on his lifted JK, and he told me he gets 9 mpg. That sucks, I could tell even he regretted it. No jeep is that cool. I'd rather have that extra money for other stuff, damn near anything! I used to ask this stuff too, and read all the typical answers like it's a jeep, aerodynamics of a brick, or "just empty every pocket" crap. Well you can enjoy a jeep and be smart about it. How you drive, and how you run it....The gears seem to have a lot to do with it. My first TJ averaged 22 mpg with city/highway driving, it had 3.07 I consider that pretty good mpg for a vehicle. Then I got another TJ with 3.73 gears and ran 31's. MPG dropped to about 17-18.

Besides gears, I noticed tires really can have an affect. I recently went to a bigger tire and yet still noticed improvement in mileage. I think it improved because I went from MT to AT. Tread, width, rolling resistance all are factors. Surprisingly, I found weight to not be a big deal with the wheels/tires. Heck, you could probably put a mild AT/highway type tire and really squeeze a few more mpg's out. too. I personally didn't want that mild of a tire tho'. Had to compromise a bit. It's all what we want out of our jeeps.
 
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The first vehicle I ever owned was a 1975 cj5 with a 304 V8 and 31's

I got 10mpg

I know this because the fuel gauge was busted and I had to watch my mileage. I drove exactly 100 miles and put exactly 10 gal to fill it up. Of the 3 Jeeps I've owned, that's the only one I'd ever known the mpgs of....because honestly if I were at ALL concerned with fuel consumption I would have bought a CRV :D
 
The first vehicle I ever owned was a 1975 cj5 with a 304 V8 and 31's

I got 10mpg

I know this because the fuel gauge was busted and I had to watch my mileage. I drove exactly 100 miles and put exactly 10 gal to fill it up. Of the 3 Jeeps I've owned, that's the only one I'd ever known the mpgs of....because honestly if I were at ALL concerned with fuel consumption I would have bought a CRV :D

Even a CRV doesn't get that grade of gas mileage, ask me how I know. Definitely better than my TJ but nothing spectacular.
 
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I think only an idiot would buy a TJ with gas mileage in mind.
X2. Not to mention that at the insistence of the EPA, the factory already did everything it could to raise the mpg. That's why they went to the V6 in 2007... they had wrung out every tenth of a mpg they could out of the 4.0L engine which wasn't satisfying the feds.
 
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