Ecomodding a pickup truck

[stevenponec]

Hi everyone!
I just joined the forum today!
I will soon be buying a pickup truck (probably an old toyota tacoma or something of the like).

Aside from the pizza pan wheel covers, what are some other eco-modifications I can do to increase the mileage?

I've been even thinking in the extreme realm (aka all carbon fiber body, etc)

Any ideas are welcome!

[euromodder]

Welcome to ecomodder.

Originally Posted by stevenponec

Aside from the pizza pan wheel covers, what are some other eco-modifications I can do to increase the mileage?

I've been even thinking in the extreme realm (aka all carbon fiber body, etc)

Consider wether or not you really need a truck if you haven't bought it yet.

Shedding weight is an option, though carbon fiber is a rather expensive way to do it. Not buying into heavy vehicles unless you really need their capacities is a better approach.


Look for the Phil Knox / aerohead Toyota T-100 pick up truck, or Bamzippow's truck if you want to go extreme

Or look what Diesel_Dave got his truck up to by mainly changing driving habits.


Other mods :
Change your driving style & habits.
Grill block.
Belly pan.
Wheel fairings.
Bed cover, as aerodynamic as your use of the truck allows.
Removing unnecessary stuff from the vehicle - won't have much impact on a heavy vehicle.

[Rick323]

A block heater helped my truck.

[kach22i]

I guess you could lower it, but then payload would suffer.

Will this be a tow vehicle?

Like the other guy said, why a truck?

[kir_kenix]

Euromodder is pretty dead on with his suggestions. I'll add that an e-fan conversion is a huge gainer in mpg if your vehicle came with a fan clutch. Of course things like a ring and pinion swap, smaller crank pulley, AC & PS deletes also can yield big gains as well but they are a little more in-depth.

I would say the biggest thing you can do is altering your driving habits. I started modifying my driving about a year ago and I went from the low 20's to consistantly breaking 30 this summer.

If you want a small/smallish truck, the late model Tacoma's (especially if paired with an automatic) is not going to yield epic mpg (though to be fair most trucks are not going to). But they are nice, stout little trucks. Have fun and good luck man!

[stevenponec]

Thanks for the suggestions
The truck is going to be for traveling.
I'm going to be traveling down the coast of the united states and possibly farther, finding camp grounds along the way, or sleeping in it if no camp grounds are available.
The truck will be used to haul my gear in the bed (clothes, some food, sleeping bags, etc)
I'm trying to decide if I need a 4WD or not too, since I don't know what kind of terrain I'll be on yet.

[Kodak]

We've got some active threads around here about air dams that you may be interested in reading. Check out Big Dave's F350 as listed in the 65 mods section, and kach22i's recent thread (S-10 pickup) for more info on that.

I've got a Canyon that I'm probably going to mod with an air dam this summer.


If you don't plan on carrying large or awkwardly sized cargo that would stick up over the bed, you may want to consider a tonneau cover of some sort. Even if you'll be carrying large cargo some of the time, some covers are pretty simple to remove.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by stevenponec

The truck is going to be for traveling.

Wouldn't a van fit the purpose better then ?
They have a lot more useable internal space than a pick-up truck.
No need for an additional bed cover, and everything can be easily reached without having to go outside.

Of course you can add a camping cabin in the truck bed, but that's going to ruin your fuel mileage big time.


BTW :
War_Wagon from Vancouver is selling a stick-shift Toyota Previa van that with a bit of TLC and some DIY could become a camper van.
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...eed-16979.html

[stevenponec]

Wouldn't a grill dam block the air intake to cool the engine?

Looks like a nice van I'll have to think about it.

[TheEnemy]

Start with this ScanGauge MPG gauge: improve your fuel economy - EcoModder.com

You probably won't need a 4x4, you would be supprised where you can get 2 wheel drive. You just have to learn what your limits are and how to weasle it into whereever you want to go. I have gotten my 2 wheel drive 4cyl Frontier into places that made people with fancy v8 powered SUV's jealous. That and most campgrounds are pretty well developed.

Most trucks and cars have an upper and lower grill. You should be able to block off at least part of the top one, and with the scanguage you will be able to monitor the temperatures.

Switch to an electric fan if it has a mechanical.

Use high load rated tires with a high sidewall rated pressure. If your going to be actually going off road see if you might looking into BFG XO's. Depending on size they go up to 60psi. I dont think they make anything below 30" tall though.