40 + mpg out of a mid size truck?

[bryn]

my 86 toyota 2wd got 25city and 30 mpg without trying; full of power tools, fire wood, rocks etc.
the guy who had given it to me, had added some coil springs from an escort front end. he clamped them on top of the leaf springs. i never had any trouble towing a jeep or boat, moving 1500# of stone etc. that truck could take any abuse i could throw at it.

i had the 22r motor, which I loved, but a diesel should easily get 25 percent better mileage, and a veg oil conversion is pretty simple on old toyota diesels. i think with an aero cap and some other basics. your goal should not be a problem

[bryn]

another good option would be a plugin series hybrid pickup.
there are lots of s10, and ranger conversion kits out there.
if you have the cash.

just run a wvo generator to recharge when you need more than a 40 mile range

[bryn]

if we are talking about full drive train swaps anyways might as well go all the way.

[MadisonMPG]

What classification is an S-10/ranger?

[Frank Lee]

Originally Posted by JQmile

In 1989, Dodge diesels came with a 3.07 rear gear...if you bump the timing and swap in a gear vendors or overdrive trans out of a 91-93 model, you should be able to hit 30+. You'll also have about 250-300 hp with the turn of a screw, and be able to tow 10K. You could also get a later 91-93 truck and swap in the earlier rearend. Might be easier than a trans swap. There is a guy over on some diesel forums that gets 33 mpg in a 1-ton dually with this setup driving 65+mph. If you slow it down to 55mph and use a lighter truck, I think 40 is possible.

Seriously- no way.

And... priced a GV OD lately?

[alohaspirit]

methinks Big Dave has been dreaming of that truck for awhile


good stuff though

[JacobAziza]

Originally Posted by Big Dave

And I don't believe for a minute an old Dodge with a 12v Cummins will get 40 MPG. I don't believe 27 unless you never drive over 35 MPH.

I have an old Ford with the 6.9L IDI (a full liter bigger than the 12v) with no overdrive and have gotten 28.5mpg (avg) at 45mph plus a little city driving

[JQmile]

The 27 mpg was at 50-55 mph. Those old 12-valvers are pretty thrifty engines, although keep in mind my truck also only weighs 4850 lbs, which is pretty light for a diesel. Injector design also plays a part. Those dynomite diesel injectors are really efficient. When I switched over from those to the ones I have now (which are 300% larger than stock) I dropped about 2-3mpg but gained 100 hp on nitrous....

[bgd73]

the last I witnessed a 40mpg truck was little chevy luv carbed, mastered. Like cars in the same standard, exhaust had to be changed, egr gadgets, etc.
there is the rabbit, but transverse unibody with the top cutoff hardly carried a gallon of milk.

that may be another last of reality vehicle...like an old sube with dual range. The fule injection argument for efficient is a hoax, no modern truck, actually a TRUCK is going to get anywhere close to it. it needs super stoich metered for the engine wthout an ECU. The last frustration to mention, is trucks ride rough, a bump changes a squirt of fuel into the slob of injections reality, carbs didn't. I grew up through this stage of changes in autos, it is a buried story I like to repeat often.

[JQmile]

Here ya go: 40mpg mid size truck...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxnU3F6EM-0

Pretty entertaining also!