Conversion trucks don’t have the best-in-class fuel mileage numbers as they do with the number of fun adventures they’ve had, but they can deliver fuel economy if they’re serviced regularly. The typical conversion van will get approximately 12-16 miles per gallon (mpg), depending on the model. Let’s explore the factors that affect fuel economy and how to get the best fuel economy out of your truck.
Conversion vans and fuel efficiency
Weight is a main enemy of fuel efficiency. Most security technologies carry added weight. Carrying more weight means the engines need to produce more power.
Mark owns a 2002 Chevy Express high roof conversion van. He drives the van about 70% highway with cruise control on and the rest in town. His van is equipped with a wheelchair lift, which adds weight. “My gas mileage is 10 mpg.”
Susan owns a 2001 Chevy Express 15 passenger van on a 1 ton chassis. “I bought it used with almost 40,000 miles. About four years later, I got a tune up at 91,000 miles. My truck is still averaging 10-11 mpg.” Her truck’s 30-gallon fuel tank allows for a total trip of 390 to 320 miles before she needs to stop for fuel.
According to the US Department of Energy, Mark and Susan’s Chevy Express pickups should get 14 mpg combined city and highway.
If you ask different owners of the same conversion van models, they get 15 to 18 mpg. What is your secret?
Weather conditions (wind), truck maintenance, road conditions (hills, traffic congestion, etc.), and city or highway driving are some of the factors that affect your truck’s gas mileage. Driving in the city makes the average drop very quickly. The only mileage you can reliably compare between vans is highway (non-city) mileage at the same speed.
8 Helpful Tips to Convert Van Gas Mileage
The gas mileage of any vehicle is affected by driving style (if you are an aggressive driver, for example), speed, driving conditions, and vehicle maintenance.
Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas and can reduce gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and 5 percent in the city. Safe driving is safer for you, pedestrians, and other drivers, so you can save more than just gas money.
While each truck achieves its optimum fuel economy at a different speed (or range of speeds); gas mileage typically drops off rapidly at speeds above 50 mph.
Every 5 mph you drive over 50 mph is like paying an extra $0.25 per gallon for gas.
Here are some tips to ensure you get the best fuel economy:
- Make sure your tires are properly inflated.
- Check that the engine air filter is clean.
- Plugs. Do you have the correct ones? Is the gap okay? Mark all three on the front; they are easier to access.
- Does the torque converter lock up? When driving at a constant speed of around 40-45 mph, the converter should lock up, so the rpm drops to around 500.
- Check engine oil and transmission fluid levels. Have oil changes been done regularly or is the engine clogged?
- Avoid excessive idling. Idling can use a quarter to a half gallon of fuel per hour, depending on engine size and AC usage. Turn off the engine when your vehicle is parked. It only takes a few seconds of fuel to restart your vehicle.
- Use cruise control. Using cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will save gas.
- Eliminate excess weight. An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your mpg by up to 2 percent.
How to Calculate Your Van’s Gas Mileage Conversion
The best way to calculate your conversion van’s gas mileage is to divide the miles traveled (as recorded on your odometer) by the gallons of fuel used. You can also use the trip computer’s mpg calculation, if your truck model is equipped with one.
Your truck conversion trip computer may display the remote to empty (DTE). DTE is an estimate of how many more miles you can drive based on the amount of gas in the tank and your recent fuel economy. It will reset automatically when you fill up the tank and will depend on your driving style, speed and fuel economy. The DTE may reflect if you use heavy foot throttle.
DTE will be more accurate as you use gas, telling you how much is left. It does not subtract from the initial number; eg the DTE reads 300 miles, but you drive 150 miles and now the DTE reads 200 miles.
The US Department of Energy has a handy annual fuel cost calculator to help you estimate what your annual and lifetime fuel costs may be.