Large Pickup Aerodynamic Mods

[buckyball]

Disclaimer: I am new to the forum, so bear with me.

I own a large 1-ton pickup - 2005 Ford F-350 6.0L Diesel. It has a crew cab and a 6' bed. This vehicle gets 15-16 mpg in mixed highway/city driving and closer to 20 mpg on long highway trips (no towing).

I have seen some of the information regarding bed covers and tailgate up/down/off. I've also been reading the "Modifying Under-Car Airflow" articles, which I see as offering more guidance as to where to focus my efforts in lowering drag.

I have attached a series of pictures which hopefully convey the overall vehicle profile as well as some shots that provide more detail on areas I think represent a starting point for improving mileage.

I am asking for input from forum members as to prime candidates for mods and what form those mods should take.

Thanks in advance!

[buckyball]

Here's the first set of pics

[buckyball]

Here's the next batch. No more ATM unless someone requests a detail view of something.

[SVOboy]

Welcome to the site! Are you at all interested in doing an aero cap of any sorts?

[jazzie604]

what do you use the truck for, the most? are you doing a lot of towing, every single day, and need some serious airflow capacity to get rid of the turbo heat; or are you mostly going around town? those trucks have a TON of frontal area that has to be pushed thru, and that leaves a lot of rough air to push through.

[buckyball]

Can you clarify what you mean by "aero cap"? (I presume you do not mean a tonneau cover or camper cap.)

[SVOboy]

Something like this for example: http://forum.ecomodder.com/showthread.php?t=583

Be sure to read the whole thread, as there are more pictures and explanation from the creator himself further down.

[buckyball]

At the moment, it's my daily driver, though it occasionally hauls Boy Scouts and their gear on outings and moves my college-age son from apartment to apartment. I may do some towing, but none so far.

While I understand that diesels are very heavy-duty engines with a lot of torque, I am also under the impression that proper cooling of the engine oil, etc. are critical - more so when really working (towing).

I could use an education on the design and test considerations for things like grille blocks, of which I have seen several examples on the site. Any suggestions welcome.

[SVOboy]

The main consideration is usually one of whether or not you will have enough cooling. During the winter it's almost always okay (and you see buses, semis, and some normal autos with them stock), but it does vary by car.

I'm not a diesel owner, but you might be able to contact the dealership and ask them what they think about it. They ought to know.

[DifferentPointofView]

^
They'll probably say that it will void the warranty or something stupid like that (cause they always do). I say block it off slowly, starting small at first, and watch the temp gauge. If they coolant is good and it's winter, it should be totally fine. Your engine will probably thank you, because diesels are known to be hard to start in the winter (ei. this is why some people buy block heaters stock with their diesel) and the blockage of freezing air will cause the heat to stay in the engine bay and warm the engine faster, and keep it warm. You'll get the heater to heat faster too.