Which service van would be a good canidate for cd improvments? - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

toyotanut · 05-17-2013, 04:14 PM

Lots of discussion on cars and a few pics of modified small trucks, but nothing on vans.should I ever sell my truck for a service van, what would all of you recommend for best fuel economy? I am looking for a van that has the same cargo space as a Chevy astro van or a dodge caravan. Reliability is another big plus.

In the mean time, I own a 1980s bj60 toyota land cruiser with the diesel engine. Good fuel economy at 26 mpg. But, even can this vehicle benefit with better fuel economy numbers? It has a slightly higher spring lift. A belly pan may make a big difference in a truck like this?

Also,
Thanks

Shortie771 · 05-17-2013, 04:40 PM

Welcome to the forum

I don't know much about vans, which are good and which aren't. I do know that you can get a car or small SUV/truck and achieve better numbers than 26mpg easily. The storage space will go down a bit compared to the van, but you would be suprised how much stuff you can trailer behind a car, even more with the small SUV or truck. Here (Link) is a good thread about the savings and advantages of owning a smaller vehicle with a trailer vs a larger vehicle without.

To help others (who know more on the subject) figure out what you need, here are a few questions.

What do you need a service van for?
How often do you need the cargo room of a service van?
How much gas mileage are you looking to achieve (mpg goal)?
How far do you normally drive daily?
City/Highway?
How fast do you drive?
How extreme would you be willing to get with aerodynamic mods?

UltArc · 05-17-2013, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toyotanut

Lots of discussion on cars and a few pics of modified small trucks, but nothing on vans.should I ever sell my truck for a service van, what would all of you recommend for best fuel economy? I am looking for a van that has the same cargo space as a Chevy astro van or a dodge caravan. Reliability is another big plus.

In the mean time, I own a 1980s bj60 toyota land cruiser with the diesel engine. Good fuel economy at 26 mpg. But, even can this vehicle benefit with better fuel economy numbers? It has a slightly higher spring lift. A belly pan may make a big difference in a truck like this?

Also,
Thanks

I don't know too much about vans beyond the Mazda 5 and the chrysler vans, caravan, town and country.

I found the Mazda to be pretty sweet-in general, let alone for a van. The chryslers I have been in have been disappointing, and the people I know who have had them swear off of them. The only family I know who has (and likes) them is a bit thick. As much as I love them (the family), they aren't really worldly...to be as polite as possible.

I can not remark on the 5's reliability, but experience with the 3 and CX-7 has been issue free the first two years. The caravan I knew at two years old had issues bi monthly. I would just research, there are members here (and people in general) who have had good luck with the chrysler brands- it may just be certain models that have issues.

I suggest New Cars, Used Cars, Car Reviews | Cars.com then the compare option. Pick which you like, and you can compare basic to fairly detailed specifications. But the reviews are not the best- usually people just talking about how happy they are with their vehicle- not a real world review.

You can also browse the Garage here. The most important factors will really be the availability of a standard transmission, and driveline setup. If you get all wheel drive, it will always be hurting fuel economy and a difficult project to get rid of. Same with swapping a tranny. Aeromods and other adjustments are easy to do.

Ryland · 05-17-2013, 07:41 PM

The smallest Dodge Sprinter van is going to get around 26-28mpg with diesel, it's also going to be a van that you can stand up inside of and haul full sheets of ply wood or 10 foot long lumber inside.

toyotanut · 05-17-2013, 07:53 PM

IF I was ever in a position to afford a vw jetta diesel wagon, I would. Yes, the idea of a trailer that is the same high/width of a jetta and tappers off to a wedge would return the best fuel economy numbers. what do you all think?

UltArc · 05-17-2013, 11:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toyotanut

IF I was ever in a position to afford a vw jetta diesel wagon, I would. Yes, the idea of a trailer that is the same high/width of a jetta and tappers off to a wedge would return the best fuel economy numbers. what do you all think?

I think answering what Shortie asked would really help everyone understand how they can interject. I completely forgot about the Sprinter! I heard those are very good. Allegedly they were done entirely by Mercedes, but just branded as a dodge.

grins2go_brett · 05-20-2013, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UltArc

I think answering what Shortie asked would really help everyone understand how they can interject. I completely forgot about the Sprinter! I heard those are very good. Allegedly they were done entirely by Mercedes, but just branded as a dodge.

I can confirm that. Mercedes product assembled by Dodge in the US until '09 or maybe 2010 when Chrysler and Mercedes got their divorce. I don't get anywhere near that kind of mileage in my '07 Sprinter, partly because I'm fully loaded all the time, and because Dodge put most of them together that year with a different rear gear ratio (4.18 instead of 3.90 I think). My average over 5.5 years and 63K miles is probably in the high 17 or low 18 mpg range (documented each fill up since new). I'm currently working on a belly pan. I would love to get to 20 mpg average in the summer months, my worst time of year mpg wise due to high temps and full AC use all the time.