Almost everybody that I know has a truck, and most of those are 5.7L or 6.2L Ford F series or Dodge Rams, no Chevys or GMs. The tips and tricks I've learned to do and not to do are pretty simple.
1) Drive slower. Every single truck driver I know drives between 75 and 90 MPH highway and 9+ over speed limit city. This lowers MPG significantly. Try to drive 65 Freeway and 45 (or whenever final gear engages in the automatic)
2) Reduce City Driving if possible. Driving 90 MPH on the highway is more efficient than stop and go city traffic. I think it's 13 MPG for 90 MPH and 10 MPG for city.
3) Key off at stop lights. With a V8 you cannot go without keying off at stop lights. You waste so much gas at a light when you are idling with a V8 (I even do this with my Civic).
4) Tow less. If you can at all avoid towing, do it.
5) Use the MPG gauge. This is useful in all cars, but watching it like a hawk will increase FE amazingly.
6) Turn of the AC! Every truck driver that I know uses AC like crazy. When I keep my AC off, my tank average goes from 29 to 33. My father's Accord's Trip average goes from 32 to 40+ with the AC off.
My mom's Odyssey gets 13 MPG mixed driving (worse than EPA city) and she does the opposite of everything on this list. She prefers city driving, accelerating hard, speeding, idling the car even in park(!), likes to haul stuff in the trunk, and does not use a fuel gauge. It is amazing how badly she can ruin a perfectly good tank of gas.
__________________
|