:P
This thread has been very entertaining to catch up on!
Very.
Ok.
I genuinely have been getting 25mpg.
Thats average, over many tanks, many months.
I use the truck for moves, hauling, and transporting tools to jobs. I'll fit a 1bdrm apt in the back, boxes, furniture, everything the customer owns, all in one trip. I haul 3 tons of soil, rocks, or broken concrete. I recently moved a 2000lb safe. This is all a mix of freeway and city streets.
I don't have any instant feedback, so any number I have is an average over an entire tank.
My best mileage to date is 28.5mpg.
The 28.5mpg run way empty one way, and then about 1000lbs on the return trip.
I didn't say I haven't done any mods, just none that involved fabrication or needed a mechanic or special tools or anything expensive.
I have done quite a bit of modding (coroplast aero mods and accessory downgrades) but all things that would be in easy reach of the thread topic original poster.
I wrote up all my mods here:
Vehicle efficiency upgrades: 28.5mpg (so far) in 2.5ton commercial truck
Easy, cheap stuff.
Driving style is a big part of it too. Frank Lee is right (assuming he can run 50mph). I drive slower than normal, but that is because my truck has no overdrive- its max efficiency is around 25-35mph.
Someday when I can afford a 4spd tranny, I'll start driving 55 (the limit for commercial trucks, which- technically- mine is)
The auto companies have always known how to get better mileage. The problem isn't them. Its the American consumer. They all make efficient vehicles - to sell in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. GM makes a van - not a mini van, but a commercial van - that gets 45mpg. Sold in China. Hybrids sell here because you can get kind of decent mileage while still having A/C and thick cushy seats and 8-second 0-60 acceleration and 20 million electric gizmos and lots of truck space and room for 6 people even though 80% of our car trips have only 1 or 2 occupants.
Incidentally, I just turned my tonneau into a makeshift aerocap by putting the rails on triangle pieces of plywood.
Its too soon to say if it makes any difference at all.
If it does, I'll mention it on my original thread about the truck:
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...-2-a-8613.html
And I totally agree with alohaspirit: if you are only using a vehicle occasionally, it usually makes more sense to rent one than own your own.