Quote:
Originally Posted by ahanix1989
Wow, just woke up and already tons of great information! I'll have to tackle these one at a time...
@rmay635703:
Unfortunately the only similarity between the trucks and vans is the powertrain... You didn't mention if yours was 2WD or 4WD, and that obviously has an impact on weight differences. We both seem to get the same mileage, but aerodynamics is my focus at the moment, and our vehicles are too different in that regard 
The old engine had a heater but it didn't help much. Maybe I need a bigger one?
@Andyman:
If I use a code reader I only occasionally get a "Transmission Temperature Out Of Range" (too cold, not enough to trigger a CEL)
@rmay635703 (Again. Didn't see the last post):
Right now I have my rear tires at 45psi, front at 42. They're rated for 55 max cold. Also, you work near Oshkosh? I'm just south of Fond du Lac, and I drove up to Oshkosh every day for work! I've noticed the engine "feels" more efficient giving it some gas, not just babying it. I installed a tach to keep track of engine speed and I usually have it at 2000rpm (±100) when accelerating until it hits overdrive. At 2,000 those engines put out 105hp and 275ft-lbf of torque, so they definitely have some power available!
A good portion of my drive is up or down a large hill, so neutral coasting sounds like it could be helpful. I wonder if the wavering at a stop improvements has to do with the low idle speed... mine idles at 500rpm, but wavering the gas would bump it up to 1,000 before trying to move the car. I'd imagine if you don't waver the pedal, trying to accelerate from 500rpm is just wasting gas.
Hard to discourage me when I've got nothing to lose trying |
Our vehicles are much more similar than you can imagine, mine has a cap and actually has WORSE aero than your van, mine is 2wd and approx the same weight.
Try to air the tires to 60psi and suffer the ride, assuming you aren't driving in tons of slush.
Also I have been known to place a magnetic heater on the transmission
Both the motor and transmission need to be warmed, best to place a blanket on the oil pan and transmission or if you have a garage
You do need to make sure the heater is the type that can't burn anything though.
Also these vehicles do quite well up and down hills, unlike most here I burn going up the hill, throw in neutral before the crest and coast down. Steeper hills work better and my scanguage shows a definate improvement done correctly. Remember though you need to map out your trip, neutral coasting works best for me around 35-50 mph and you don't want to loose huge amounts of speed so if the hill is insufficient it won't work very well except at low speeds both around the hill and through the hill.
Also wavering the pedal a small amount before taking off seems to make my truck grab in and take off harder with much less pedal, you can actually feel the motor pushing harder with each small movement, it might only apply to those of us who need a tuneup but both my friends and my 5.2 behave that way. I have always known on OBDII to push in the pedal slowly when you need hard accell instead of just slamming, perhaps its computer/sensor related?
If it works for you free tip
I get around 5mpg accelerating when I do this instead of 1mpg accelerating when I just push in.
Also aero is very important but equally so is technique, trouble is if your on highway speeds AKA 40mph+ the only thing you can do is drive really slow and gently press your pedal in going down slight inclines and slowly and gently release the pedal going up minor inclines. This is how I can get 18.5mpg. Without I get a tad below 15. Faster than 55 is troublesome for FE in these rigs unless you have a tailwind.
Good Luck, the only direction you can go is up