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While driving through Nebraska (where the wind is never with you) in a '92 T&C, my mpg dropped to below 16 unless I was drafting. The T&C had a near real-time mpg readout which made it easier to pick a safe spot in the wake of a semi. I tried to stay as far back as possible and still get some benefit (at least 2 seconds). I would then get 24 mpg or better. Crosswinds were harder to compensate for, as the wake was much shorter and the following distances were too close for safety.
Sometimes, the trucks were just going too slow and I wanted to get home. When you are driving cross-country, driving time and fatigue are legitimate considerations (for me) to balance against economy.
When driving a 5th gen Elantra from California to Utah on I-80, I hit strong (gale force) crosswinds from the North, just beyond Elko. Every time I crossed a valley, and again, on the Salt Flats, the mpg dropped below 20. I wondered if the prominent swage lines made it particularly vulnerable to crosswinds.
Nothing quite beats driving a long, lonely desert highway cruising at 95+mph in a big rear-wheel drive whale with the deep, gentle purr of a big-block V8. Serenity (at 16 mpg, maybe). The ecomodded caprice wagon is intriguing as a cruiser.
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