24.1 mpg! (F-150 with Aerolid)

[orange4boy]

That's impressive, especially at 70mph.

Are you planning a run at 55? Would be good from a marketing perspective to see what people could get if they wanted to. If I was looking at buying one of these I would be further impressed by the lower speed figures even if I didn't drive that slow.

Good luck with the marketing!

[chuckm]

Originally Posted by tasdrouille

I doubt it, the average speed of the EPA cycle being slower than 70 mph.

Actually, that's kinda my point. I know my car gets 20-30% better mpgs at 55 than at 70. At 55mph, he's still in the region where aero resistance dominates the other factors, but his rpms will be closer to optimum.

Bondo: FYI, I work in Crossett. If you're ever in the area, I'd love to see the aerolid in person.

[dwacker]

I just started a new job and have a 60 mile/day commute now with my 2007 F150. I just stumbled onto this forum and this is my first post.

Bondo: WHEN CAN I BUY ONE OF THESE Aerolids?? Not only does the fuel economy entice me, the design looks a lot better than the Leer caps I have been looking at! I have an F150 Supercab with a 6" bed in black... in case you needed another person to test

I have read that new air filters and exhaust can help with fuel economy. Can anyone give some advice as to what I could do to my 2007 F150 (5.4L V8) to make my fuel use more efficient? I also don't want to void my Ford Maintenance program by adding something...

I started using cruise control and that bumped me up from 12.6mpg to 16.5mpg. Apparently I have a heavy foot... Thanks!

-Dave

[Daox]

Hello and welcome to EM.

Seriously, just buy a smaller vehicle. It will pay for itself.

[dwacker]

History of the life of "Betty" the F150:

Purchased from ford 100% financing at 0% interest in Aug of 07.

Gas prices increased dramatically causing decrease in sales on trucks and SUVs.

Market crashed and prices on Trucks and SUVs further declined.

Upside-down on loan to value by about $4,000 based on Private Party Sale on kbb.com. I have been trying to sell it as well, no takers. Apparently there are a LOT of trucks for sale driving the price down.

I have done the MPG/GPM calculations. I am spending an avg of $95-$108 a month more on gas when comparing it to a 25mpg Sedan. That was based on an avg of my previous mpg of 12.6 and my new mpg of 16.5. Obviously the cruise control estimate won't be entirely accurate due to traffic to and from work.

So in the spirit of being helpful... Can anyone shed light on cost effectiveness of cold air filters or exhaust? What kind of increase in mpg can I expect?

Bondo: I still want that aerolid...

[beatr911]

Exhaust is very unlikely to do anything for mileage if you're driving for mileage. The engine is just not pushing enough exhaust through the muffler to cause much of a restriciton issue.

For intake, you may see an increase if you pull in warm air from inside the engine compartment. This seems to work on some vehicles and not on others.

Check out the 65+mods and 100+tips at the header of Ecomodder. There are plenty of things you can tinker with and not void your warranty. As always, adjusting your driving will always reap the single largest gain for the dollar. Using a scangauge will further help you train yourself and can actually pay for itsself if you use it.

Not sure what the latest on Bondos aerolid is. He's done a really nice prototype but production opportunity seems to be the brick wall for him. I hope he is seeing some progress in getting it to market. Please chime in Bondo if you're still with us.

If Bondo is ok with it, we should all contact each pick-up shell manfacturer and ask if they have or are planning to make an aerolid or fastback style shell. Enough feedback and one manufacturer is bound to start at least a limited run. Someone already makes one for the Hummer, of all things, they probably don't sell many of those. The MPG market for pick-up aerolids is undoubtedly much bigger.