Aerodynamic mod to improve fuel economy

Well, if you say it on the internet, it must be true!

 

Here...

https://ecomodder.com/blog/aerocaps-for-pick-up-trucks/

That's a little more scientific than a bunch of pickup truck enthusiasts saying that it won't work.

 

Sure, it "works"

But like I said, for the amount of money that guy spent on making his pickup truck not a useful pickup truck, he could have just bought a 20 year old Honda Civic, and doubled his mileage, rather than only a 13% gain.

 

Maybe the OP travels in his truck in order to use his truck. Having a Civic (which I don't know why everyone on a Toyota forum says Civic when a Corolla is just as fuel efficient and won't burn oil like a 2 stroke) isn't going to help if your purpose for traveling is off-roading and exploration.

I travel in my 4runner to get to places where I can have fun with the 4runner. So, I'll try to save fuel when possible. Sometimes that includes driving 65 MPH instead of 80.

And, I'm not sure where you live, but I would love to know where I can get a reliable vehicle for traveling for a few hundred $$. Now you have to store, register and insure said vehicle as well. So, I highly doubt this would actually be similar in cost. And, who wants to drive a shit-box around when they have a nice truck, anyway?

 

This is great haha.

 

To improve fuel economy , remove the transmission aftercooler from the front of your truck . This is what Mike Squeers just did to improve the fuel economy on the new 2021 Tacomas . Apparently the aftercoolers were heavy and created drag .
I Shit you not ..https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/missing-transmission-cooler.671079/

 

lol!

 

I don't see the big deal in a max 30lb fiberglass shell. Remove it for the weekend if you need the extra 2 feet above the tailgate
People on this forum do crazier, more expensive, less practical things every day.

As I think said before, 1st gens in particular have so many little improvements that could be made and they all add up. If new trucks are squeezing out 21mpg+ and I average like 15, I see that as 6mpg that can be scavenged by traditional means, even if only 2-3 is from applying modern aero practices (the other being mechanical) and more-so from unconventional means.

Personally I wouldn't build a shell, I'd build a front air dam and flat undercarriage that meets up with built sideskirts and level them with my point of min ground clearance.
Mechanically, I'd get like 10.5:1 pistons and Camry camshafts.

 

Some flaps on the back might make a difference...you never know until you try, or test them in a wind tunnel. I would try some small ones.

Smaller side mirrors can reduce drag a little bit.
The use of all synthetic fluids does increase mpg a little. Having good working O2 sensors and a clean MAF can be helpful. Then of course, good spark plugs and tire pressure.

Motorkote or Bestline oil additives do make a slight difference in mpg, probably enough to justify their cost.

Get yourself some skinny pizza cutter tires to help with aerodynamics and reduce friction on the road surface too.

 

I was wondering why they did this.
I recently added an additional trans cooler to mine.

Case in point..my truck but the other direction...how small things can slowly erode your mpg's.

Stock on stock size tires it got 20mpg...fast forward 8 years and I've added 33" mud terrains, skids, sliders, bumper, winch, 2nd gas tank a camper that's around 1,000 pounds (minus the bed, that's gone) and a supercharger and I've slowly worked my way down to 13mpg.

As I've added or modded each thing I've seen a slow steady decline in fuel efficiency.

However, to me it doesn't really matter. I daily drive my car that get's 34.5mpg or my motorcycle that get's 47mpg....which is, in my opinion, the best mod you can do for your truck whether you're doing it for mpgs or otherwise.

 

Mount multiple leaf blowers in pick-up bed or on roof. Point thrust towards opposite travel direction. Added MPG my not cover additional leaf blower fuel. It may be a wash. But what fun ...

 

You can get a cheap, reliable 2 or 4 door Japanese sedan for like a grand. They're cheap to insure and I can fit like 4 of them in my garage, lol

Obviously a 2nd car isn't for everyone, but my only point in bringing that up is that when you try and do all this hypermile stuff to a pickup truck, you take away most of the pickup-truckiness. You end up with all the disadvantages, and none on the advantages.

 

I believe those aerocaps are designed to be pretty versatile. If there was something economical and removable for the 4runner I'd be interested. I've thought about a removable air dam for cross country driving. I just don't know if it would be effective enough to justify the effort.

In the case of someone looking to save money on their work commute, I would agree that a Corolla or something similar would be more effective, given the person has space and money for an additional vehicle.

 

Its kinda like a hybrid bicycle.

It’s intention is riding on roads as well as off road.

In reality it sucks on the road and it sucks off road.

 

This thread is still going?

Why not just start with a 2WD truck and lower it or add a body kit? You can see a lot of MPG gains just from not having to fight the drag and inertia of the 4WD wheels, suspension, transfer case, etc.

How much off road capability do you really need?

 

What little improvements do you know about? I'm hoping to learn about some that I don't know

 

A step in the right direction is adding a lip kit, and a tonneau cover for your bed. After that, it may be a good idea to look into slightly narrower tires, as well as some sort of spoiler above the cabin.

Another thing, that probably helps, are the manual side mirror that some 1st gens have. Compared to the electric powered ones, that 1st gens have, the manual ones are sleeker and less boxier, which should have an effect on aerodynamics. Like this:



This is all based on info from here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy-nNeCnfYY

https://allfitautomotive.com/blog/how-to-improve-your-aerodynamics-allfit-automotive/

 

But all you're looking at is how to make the vehicle more sleek and teardrop shaped. That's aerodynamics only, which is just one small part of the equation for fuel consumption. You can also be more efficient by carrying less weight, being lower to the ground, and using smaller wheels.

Aerodynamic mods also bring a lot of questions about safety and practicality, which is why teardrops fell out of style after WWII.

 

agree. Just trying to answer OP’s question on this. Pretty interesting topic though