Boosting Fuel Economy of '95 Chevy Pickup

[Spiffytexan]

The truck gets 12-14 mpg. The best we've ever gotten was 19 mpg, driving 95 mph with the ac on MAX the entire time. The engine was running at 3,500 RPM, and it redlines at 4,500.

How can I increase the mileage of this gas-swiller? It has new plugs, plug wires, air filter, etc. I've been looking on this forum, and think it would be wise to gut some seats, inflate the tires over the max, and coast more than I currently do. (When I cut the engine, the steering locks... I did this going 55 with a bridge at the bottom of the hill, and a key that didn't work properly without 10 seconds of feniggling. Luckily, I got the steering back just in time. )

I do love this truck (I live in Texas, where everyone drives dually diesels, so if you get in a wreck in a car, you die.) and plan to use it as a portable PA system, (For example, to drive around neighborhoods and tell masses of people to vote!) for work, and for hauling my future motorcycle or moped. (Looking for a cheapie that gets 65+mpg without even trying. also, )

So, in conclusion, how else should I extend mileage? I plan to go for semi-extreme style driving. However, I am unaware as to what vehicle mods I could do on a truck. Comments on blocking the grille, lining engine compartment with cardboard, messing with mirrors, wipers, etc. are highly welcome. Nothing is too extreme when it comes to green! (The kind in my wallet. I'm a Real Republican, unlike the 'tarded liar Republicans in office, so I'm more for saving the money type of green, though the environment benefits either way!)

Pardon the incoherency, it is late...
Logan the RepubLibertarian

[Red]

Welcome to EM. Things that come to mind with trucks are

Max air in the tires
Ditch muds for street rubber, or keep two sets; off road only and on road
Lower it if you want
Its a Chevy so you might want to extend or get a front air dam
Bed cap or cover
Rear gear it if need be
Is it 4WD? Pull the front drive shaft if you don't have a disco axle
Syn fluids all around

Whats the engine? The 4.3? Or the 5.7? Redlining at 4.5k I'm thinking its a V8 or something.

[redline5th]

A buddy of mine has a 1990ish chevy truck with a v8 and I know the redline was higher than that. I know the 4.3 is higher than that for sure. Strange redline.

[Spiffytexan]

Thanks, guys!

What does this mean?

"Its a Chevy so you might want to extend or get a front air dam"

I don't know what this means...

The redline is either 4,000 or 5,000... I split the difference.

We use syn, no 4wd, what is a disco axle? Some nifty dance move that my generation thankfully missed out on? (I'm a Swing guy, myself.)

Thanks again, @ 1:33 am

Logan

[Daox]

Welcome to the site. The first thing you can do is slow down. Your driving a massive brick and any reduction in speed is going to yield great returns in mileage. Other than that the usual driving techniques outlined in the 100+ hypermiling tips (link on the top of the page) will be very useful. A grill block will probably be a great thing, but you would probably want yours to be in sections so you can remove them for towing/hauling. A scangauge will help you monitor coolant temps. I'd also look into a belly pan for it.

One thing that confuses me is that your willing to drive a motorcycle around, but a car wreak is certain death?

[Red]

Originally Posted by Spiffytexan

Thanks, guys!

What does this mean?

"Its a Chevy so you might want to extend or get a front air dam"

I don't know what this means...

The redline is either 4,000 or 5,000... I split the difference.

We use syn, no 4wd, what is a disco axle? Some nifty dance move that my generation thankfully missed out on? (I'm a Swing guy, myself.)

Thanks again, @ 1:33 am

Logan

Sorry, most 90s Chevy trucks I've seen have an air dam, 3" piece of plastic hanging down from the front bumper to divert air from flowing underneath the truck. Some trucks have them, some don't and it seem to help in the aerodynamics department.

Disco is Jeeper slang for disconnect. On older jeeps one of the front axle shafts was a two piece design with a sleeve. When you shift into 4WD the sleeve would slide over the two shafts connecting them, else in 2WD the shaft would be disconnected and nothing up front would be turning. Most trucks either have a similar system or hubs that you can lock or unlock. Wondering if you had one of those

[james]

I've got a 92 1500 2wd 4.3L V6 5spd with the 8 ft bed, and I can usually get 20-22 MPG. I keep the rpms low, unless I am hauling a large load up a hill. Mine has the front airdam, which I think helps. I have not tried EOC (engine off coasting) because I am usually hauling a large load and it might be dangerous. I do a lot of coasting with it and slowing down at the top of hills. I never go over 60 mph. I keep the tires at 40 psi. i am about to do a grill block on mine but was hesitant since my coolant temp guage stopped working. These vehicles are not good in stop and go traffic, but get decent economy on rural roads in top gear. I try not to drive mine unless I am hauling something huge. I figure the car gets three times the MPG so might as well take that. One thing you can do if you haul large loads at high speeds is to shape them with the vehicle's aerodynamics in mind. That is filling the box above the top behind the cab and gradually tapering down from there (phil knox style).

[Big Dave]

spiffytexan:

This is a project that somebody has to do. Pickup trucks are not wildly popular without reason - their crummy MPG and all. Here on the sweltering steppes of central Indiana, Chevy half-ton pickups are as ubiquitous as traffic barrels. (Indiana has two seasons: Basketball and road construction).

So far we have determined that you have a 4x2 truck with either a 4.3 V-6 or a small V-8, an automatic, and at least 4.10:1 gears.

Is it a short bed or 96" bed?

If you continue to drive fast, the biggest hardware gains you can make are in aerodynamics. Can you live with a tonneau cover? I had a hard A.R.E. flat tonneau and I saw a 1.5 MPG improvement right away. Better yet would be a "fastback" angled top, but nobody makes them (a guy on here is close). I fabbed a 17 degree sloped (too steep I know) bed fairing and it gained me another 1.5 MPG over the flat tonneau, and a full 3 MPG over an open bed.

Half-ton Chevvies are easy to lower. There are all sorts of "slam" kits for you. I lowered my Ford 4" and gained 1 MPG.

Since my pix are too big check out this link. Dave Whitmer's Amazing MPG Machine

Now maybe my Ford is ugly. Sorry, I ain't Chip Foose. but I am getting sumertime FE in the 27 MPG range. If I can do it with a 1-ton, what can you do with a half-ton.

At this point your gas-pig is so egregious that you have lots of low-hanging fruit. As everyone else has pointed out, adjusting the nut behind the wheel is powerful and cheap. Ride that horse as far as you can before you go spending big bucks.

[Spiffytexan]

The air dam looks very nice... I'll install a grill block soon. Do you know if it would be okay to suck air into the engine from under-hood to increase engine temp? (Filtered, of course.)

Gotta run, thanks, all!
Logan

[Johnny Mullet]

I gained better fuel economy by hyper-inflating the tires and installing a hard bed cover on my 1995 Chevy 4X4. Driving habits will get the best results on a beast like that.