So I re-examined the aero kit and brackets this week, and realized I made a big error. I originally tried to just make the panels flush with the frame rails and the body seams. However, I've discovered that makes for a poor design with my truck, as they are not level with each other, and the frame has some hoops and dips. So I spent a few hours Friday remaking the brackets to hold the left panel between the frame rail and the body...and then reinstalled the left side panel. Now the panel is horizontally level with the center panels. This, along with adding some filler panels around the front tires that are also level with the center panels, WAI, wheel fairings and 3 more psi in the tires (39.5 front, 38.5 rear) helped me hit 21.6mpg driving up to OKC this weekend. Admittedly, I still need to formally test it but this first drive is promising. This was also on E10 fuel.
The truck would previously get just over 20mpg in 4th or 5th, but with the modified aero kit I now see over 30mpg in 5th at 40-45mph...
I am seriously considering a daily fuel log--Thanks DieselDave. With this, modifying my driving habits some more and some rearranging of my daily drive to avoid morning rush hour, I think I can push my avg mpg to 30. I find myself wondering how much farther I should drive in order to achieve this goal...
I also did some Google searching and learned I can leave my block heater plugged in for extended periods. Previously, I thought I'd risk cooking something, so I've almost never had it plugged in more than 20 minutes... Gotta thank MetroMPG for posting stats on temp rise:
Experiment: how long should a block heater be plugged in? - MetroMPG.com So, I will be setting my timer to run for an hour, maybe 90 min before I take off in the morning (at least in winter). That should help mpgs, as my truck hits 2 gal/hr of FF for a cold start, then down to 1.6, then down to 1 or .8 for a while.