Yeah, I live near you and have a '94 F150 4x4 5.0 E4OD. I usually go about 50 mph too. I can just break 20 mpg on the best of days but as you can see 18 isn't out of the question.
The way you described your aerocap strikes me as something that won't work as well as those we've seen done. You are either starting at box height aft of the cab and sloping down under the box rails to the lowered gate or you are starting at roof height and sloping down to the lowered gate, neither of which promotes attached flow. At best it is "stuffing the vortex" but for pickups the vortex is said to be good. Or, you are following the box rails like a regular tonneau all the way to the back then dropping down to the lowered gate which again, I don't see being any more effective than a regular tonneau.
I wouldn't piddle with different sized tires. You never know when you might want that 4x4 outside of winter snow. I suspect a small front tire gain, if any, wouldn't be detectable with tank-to-tank measurements.
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