help for a noob? 1/2 ton truck

[baldyhunter]

Hello all, I'm excited about making my first post and am unabashedly ignorant LOL. I just got a 2012 Silverado,extended cab, 4X4, 5.3 liter, automatic and am looking for a little input. To set the scene I do a lot of towing and driving in hilly areas with my wife and kids on board (hunting, hauling, and WV driving). I've spent the last several days reading this site and first thing I want to do is thank everyone involved and the members for really great information. I understand that from a fuel consumption standpoint I may have not made the best decision with my purchase and would have even possibly picked something different had I found this sight about 3 months earlier....next time I'll chose better.
Mistake #2 on my part was asking the wrong people about my desires for improved fuel economy. I live by Summit Racing which is a great place....to buy racing equipment. And they did help me as best they could but I asked the wrong people for advice as I see it now. I asked them and some good mechanic friends of mine, "If one didn't care about more power and is only interested in fuel economy....what is the best way to go about getting it on this truck?" Well the answer each and every time was that horsepower and fuel consumption come together. By making my engine more efficient and improving air flow in and out off the engine I'll be accelerating more efficiently and improving FE. Now, that I've spent the last three days learning on this site I realize that money spent on aerodynamics and time learning better driving techniques may have been the better solution. I will say that I think that techniques would have to differ dramatically from one geographical location to the next. For instance where my wife is from in WV a person is often gas full off (caosting down hills) or at 1/2 to 3/4 throttle (up steep hills) for most of a drive. Correct me if I'm wrong but I would think in driving conditions like that an improvement in engine efficiency would play more of an effect in fuel consumption than the midwest? still learning though and obviously have a long way to go LOL.
To the point! What I have done so far with the info I've received from others (not on this site) is a cold air intake and an emissions legal aftermarket exhaust. I've also replace every ounce of liquid in the truck to full synthetic (I trust amsoil products). Lastly I've put a tonneau cover on the back and since reading this sight I've focused on improving my driving technique. Now, where I'm at is about 18.7 MPG (according to the DIC) and double checked with a few 1/2 tank fuel logs. This is up from an EPA rating of 17....so at least I'm improving. My daily commute consists of 34 miles of 45 to 65MPH driving through country roads and about 7 miles on the highway. I'd love to (set a personal goal) get an average of 20 mpg and think now that I should really be focusing on aerodynamics. The only thing I do not want to do is anything that may in the eyes of the dealer effect my vehicle warranty. So finally my question....what would be the best way for me to get this extra 1.5 to 2 MPG without effecting manufacture warranty (truck only has 3000 miles on it)? From what I've read so far I may experiment with an easily removable grill block (my truck has the towing package with the heavy duty cooling package anyways) or a chin spoiler
Thanks to everyone involved in this site....great resource.

[baldyhunter]

yep, have to forgive me LOL. I graduated magna cune laude....English Literature. That means I can read and comprehend very well. Spelling was never...ever a strength.

[baldyhunter]

also forgot to add. I increased my tire pressure to max allowable (44 psi)

[oil pan 4]

Does it have a belt driven fan?

[baldyhunter]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

Does it have a belt driven fan?

Nope... Electric

[oil pan 4]

Its going to need new tires at some point, select a taller size.

Also Ford used nothing more than a gear swap, making 3.55 the standard rear end gear over 3.73s and they extended the chin spoiler down several a few more inches to pick up 10% to 15% more milage in the superdutys.

[baldyhunter]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

Its going to need new tires at some point, select a taller size.

Also Ford used nothing more than a gear swap, making 3.55 the standard rear end gear over 3.73s and they extended the chin spoiler down several a few more inches to pick up 10% to 15% more milage in the superdutys.

thanks much. A chin spoiler is definitely on my list of things to try but I'm not convinced this'll do a lot. The stock one is already pretty low and below the worst of the underbody aero problems. One thing I'm learning is that manufactures are taking this stuff pretty seriously on their own now and big gains are harder to come by now than they were in the past. I'll also check into the taller tires.
Thanks
Ken

[oil pan 4]

You may be able to get factory bed covers off a truck with the XFE package.

[baldyhunter]

Does anyone have an idea of what I could possibly expect from ditching the stock steel rims and getting lighter ones?

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by baldyhunter

Does anyone have an idea of what I could possibly expect from ditching the stock steel rims and getting lighter ones?

You could expect alloys to leak air faster in the winter but on a truck hauling, I would expect no measurable gains, better off putting on some pizza pan rim covers.

If it works for you; you might also consider building an adjustable aero topper for the rig.