[NachtRitter]

OK, maybe I can claim a partial success... On the last leg of the return trip, I filled at Carlin, NV which is roughly 400 miles from home. It is at about 5,090ft and from there I had to climb up another 2,000ft before dropping down to 1,280ft where I live. I decided to fill up today (just so I could get an FE number that is nearly all related to the trip and doesn't have a bunch of errand-running mixed in) and the FE for the (less than) half tank is ... over 72mpg! Woohoo!

I only claim partial success because 1) it is only a half tank, and 2) since I filled at different stations than normal, the previous low and current high FE values could likely be a result of the filling process.

I will say that driving normal routes around home, the FE does seem noticeably higher. However, that could be in part because switching between pure dino-diesel and a biodiesel blend seems to confuse the Scangauge (the amount of fuel it thinks I used is noticeably different). So we'll have to wait 'til the next fill to see if there really is an improvement.

For my next trip in May (much shorter than the last!), I would like to get the wheel covers done. I tried to make a mold for fiberglass covers based on my current hubcaps, but haven't been happy with the results so far. I may also try to get the wheel spats done; didn't have time before this last trip.