Yet another pickup driver checking in...

[LUVMY02CREW]

Hello everyone. My name is Daniel and I drive a pickup.

I found this site somehow when surfing the net looking for aero mods that I could incorporate with my truck. I believe I saw MetroMPG's other website several months ago and am looking heavily into yahoo group maxmpg

My current vehicle is a 2002 Chevrolet S10 Crew Cab pickup. It has the 4.3L V6 engine, automatic tranny and 4x4. I've had this truck for about 7 months and I really like(luv it actually).

I feel it meets my needs very well:
- hauling kiddos to schools
- 5 seats for wife, kiddos and me
- daily driver for about a 29 mile one way commute
(6 miles in town, 17 miles hilly/curvy country roads, 6 miles interstate)
- pulling a trailer occasionally
- hauling brush/trash off often
- letting friends borrow it who need it for a day or so

Well, anyhow, I'm gonna keep on reading up on things and hopefully get to working on things very soon.....

[SVOboy]

What kinda mileage are you getting? Welcome to the site!

Do fill out a garage and gaslog,

[LUVMY02CREW]

Thanks for the welcome SVOboy

http://www.kbb.com says mileage is 15c/20h....and I can get a little better than that when I don't wear my concrete lined driving shoes

I usually check mileage when I fill up but I haven't been keeping a journal though

Only mods so far are mobil 1 synthetic oil and filter, K&N air filter, over pressure on tires and the biggest so far.....changing my mind that I don't have to get everywhere as fast as I can

I'll try and tackle the garage and gas log very soon.

[MetroMPG]

Welcome, 02crew -

Definitely the first thing you'll want to do is start tracking your fuel consumption with the fuel log. Otherwise you're flying blind.

And if you've been reading some of the other intro threads, you already know the next thing I'm going to suggest: ... buy a ScanGauge!

If you're really serious about improving efficiency (both yours and the vehicle's), you're going to need feedback at much smaller intervals than each fill-up.

Re: MaxMPG - it's too bad that never really got off the ground. No disrespect to the group's founder (John David S.), but a Yahoo group isn't an ideal platform for group interaction, compared to other options. (Full disclosure: I'm a moderator there as well, and John David is aware & supportive of Ecomodder.com.)

[Daox]

Welcome to the site. Look around, theres lots to read up on.

[elhigh]

[QUOTE=LUVMY02CREW;6893]changing my mind that I don't have to get everywhere as fast as I can
QUOTE]

...and that, my friend, is what makes all the difference. The vast majority of drivers out there are reactive: things happen and they react to them. Someone pulls in front of them and they tromp the brakes, the light turns green and they stomp the gas.

The proactive driver leaves earlier, drives far, far ahead of himself and sees situations develop long before they can begin to affect him directly. He changes his driving now so that when he arrives where the situation is happening, his rate of progress, traffic position etc will absorb the situation and be unaffected by it. And the proactive driver arrives at work relaxed.

[MetroMPG]

Great summary of good driving, elhigh.

[WaxyChicken]

Originally Posted by LUVMY02CREW

... and the biggest [ecomod] so far.....changing my mind that I don't have to get everywhere as fast as I can

I'm a fairly new ecomodder and the only thing I've changed so far is how I drive. (any extra money i get i am putting toward an EV that i hope to build/convert instead of putting toward ecomods.) That is also the hardest thing for me to change because i am, and always have been, such an aggressive driver. What is helping me to break the habit was leaning how to use my Cruise Control so now i sit back and let it control me at 55MPH on the highway instead of my usual 85+. Granted, the CControl isn't the most efficient way to spend your gas, but for breaking the speeding habit it can do wonders.
It's still hard at times for me to stay dedicated to slow-go, but regular visits to this site help me know I'm not alone in wanting to change MPG standard (and it makes me smile when i think about how I'm sticking it to Big Oil a little more each mile i drop in speed)

When you say that the biggest thing you've accomplished with your Eco modding is your speed, you hit the nail right on the head there. It's not only the biggest fuel saver, but the biggest achievement an Ecomodder can accomplish IMHO.

Welcome to the forums.

[zjrog]

I drive much like I used to ride a motorcycle. And much like I used to when I drove faster than I needed to. Meaning, watching far ahead down the road. Its rarely the car in front of you that is the problem. And when I was driving faster, being proactive is a plus, for a lot of the same reasons you can save fuel. Stay off the brakes keeps your speed/momentum up (but for the faster crowd, Law enforcement watches frequent brake lights too...). Yes, I learned to slow down. But a lot of how I drive stayed the same. Your description is spot on.

Originally Posted by elhigh

...and that, my friend, is what makes all the difference. The vast majority of drivers out there are reactive: things happen and they react to them. Someone pulls in front of them and they tromp the brakes, the light turns green and they stomp the gas.

The proactive driver leaves earlier, drives far, far ahead of himself and sees situations develop long before they can begin to affect him directly. He changes his driving now so that when he arrives where the situation is happening, his rate of progress, traffic position etc will absorb the situation and be unaffected by it. And the proactive driver arrives at work relaxed.

[LUVMY02CREW]

Originally Posted by SVOboy

What kinda mileage are you getting? Do fill out a garage and gaslog,

WOW!!! Over a month just flew by!!!
My mileage has been averaging about 16.5 to 19mpg per tank full with mixed driving and sometimes lots of warm up time to defrost

Yes, I finally filled out a garage entry but haven't gotton to the gas log yet, hopefully less than a month will go by before that happens.

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

And if you've been reading some of the other intro threads, you already know the next thing I'm going to suggest: ... buy a ScanGauge!

That will hopefully happen as soon as I determine if there's any of MY money that Uncle Sam gave back to me still left in checking account