Miles Per Gallon (From Mileater)

DannyD · Jun 30, 2006

Mileater asked:

I have heard the GMC 16' cube can get 14 MPG loaded.
It would be nice to see some comparison MPG for the different sizes.
Like a 12' compared to a 16'.
Also what a standard GMC 2500 MPG would be when loaded and when empty.

If I can keep it mostly on the highway & not a lot of city driving, my Ford E-250 gets in the high 18's/low 19's I'm guessing. I don't have a total miles driven/gas used, but I keep my receipts from every fill up & see how many mpg I've gotten from that tank of gas. I usually find I got 18.something or 19.something for most of my fill ups. One time I even got over 20, but I'm thinking on that one I didn't top the tank off. A few times I've been in the 17s, but that's been when there's been a lot of city driving and/or construction I was sitting in. I'd imagine a GMC2500 would be pretty similar.

By the way, my milage this year is better than it was last year. I recall a thread of posts on this very subject. I got a complete tune-up & it's made a bigger difference than I thought it would. Plugs/wires/coils. Got all 8 of em done. Last year I noticed when my gauge was on 3/4 full, 133 seemed to be the most common amount of miles on my truck. This year at the 3/4 full mark, 153 is normally how many miles I have on it.

Take care,
Danny

Mileater · Jun 30, 2006

Keeping your tires pressure as high as possible will also help MPG. I normally keep mine at 5% under absolute max tire pressure shown on the tire.

I have only heard MPG stats from one person who rented a penske GMC 16' cube and drove it cross country, he said 14 MPG loaded.

I would also like to hear from others on their MPG loaded and unloaded of any vehicle they have, but especially the different size cubes like 12' or 14'.

LDB · Jun 30, 2006

As I recall, dieseldoctor gets about 15-15.5 mpg with his Aerocell SRW. His is a gasoline unit I'm pretty sure so that's decent over the road mileage, especially since I think all his modifications has it about 7500 pounds before adding freight. Hopefully he will chime in and correct any memory errors I'm having. I have heard a diesel chassis Aerocell 17' gets about 18mpg highway. I find that a reasonable and believable number. I'm sure others will add to this as well.

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Mileater · Jul 1, 2006

I wonder if there is an aero kit you can install on a typical GMC 3500 with a Morgan box that will make it more aerodynamic to match the MPG people get with their Aerocell box. I can't seem to find any online, it would be a good idea. The GMC with the Morgan box is more common and easy to find used, I can't find a whole lot of aerocell's used.

MSinger · Jul 1, 2006

Try www.nosecone.com. They make the air deflectors that go on the front of the cargo box. I was told they could custom design any size you would need.

LDB · Jul 1, 2006

Adding the nosecone will help some but you won't match the Aerocell. It has far more aerodynamics than what adding that nosecone will contribute. It would be better than nothing though.

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Mileater · Jul 2, 2006

>Try www.nosecone.com. They make the air deflectors that go
>on the front of the cargo box. I was told they could custom
>design any size you would need.

Thanks, that's what I was looking for. $1000 for them does seem a bit stiff though.

greg334 · Jul 2, 2006

I owned a lot of box/cube trucks and considering buying another one.

First Aerocell is now sort of copied by Morgan and others, aerodynamics seems to be important selling point.

Second using a 2500 (E250) as a chassis seems to be cuting it too close and with the wieght of the box, the cargo capacity is reduced. At minimal a 3500 (E350) or g3500 (E450) (dual rw) should be used.

In comparison, I get 17 MPG (as high as 21 and low as 16) with my van right now, depending on where I go and how I drive. Some of my cube trucks got 15 MPG (as high as 18 and low as 10) but most averaged around 13 MPG. I had one that got only 10 MPG (20 foot box) due to gearing. All were diesels except one.

Like I said, I am looking. If I was going to go into a larger truck, I would most likely go for the GMC 4500 6.6/allison with a small but livable sleeper (remember I am in a van right now) and an aerocell box. The alternatve would be a IH 4300 with a DT466. The only thing I will not like is the logging part, but hey it is part of my work so I will have to live with it.

LDB · Jul 2, 2006

RE: Miles Per Gallon / Aerocell options

Well, this is guaranteed to stir up controversy and shouts of blasphemy from the hard core. One could set up a 17' Aerocell to work as a B/C unit as well as reach a broader resale market than just expediters. In the 17' unit there is 16'3" behind the seats. Most companies want 8'6" minimum cargo space. That leaves 7'9" or 93" for sleeper. Presuming 3" is used for bulkhead you've got 90" for sleeper. Bentz makes a very nice 90" sleeper for the Sterling trucks. It has the 48" folding dinette/bed, sink, refrigerator, microwave etc. in it. If that was the sleeper you'd have 2 stackable floor spots for full size skids and 4 stackable floor spots for 40x48 skids. At resale it would also appeal to those who want to carry dirt bikes, quads etc. as well as expediters.

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Mileater · Jul 2, 2006

>I owned a lot of box/cube trucks and considering buying
>another one.
>
>In comparison, I get 17 MPG (as high as 21 and low as 16)
>with my van right now, depending on where I go and how I
>drive. Some of my cube trucks got 15 MPG (as high as 18 and
>low as 10) but most averaged around 13 MPG. I had one that
>got only 10 MPG (20 foot box) due to gearing. All were
>diesels except one.
>

Diesel GMC 3500's are not that commonly found used either, so I will most likely end up with a gas engine. Did the one gas engined cube that you owned happen to be a GMC? If so what was it's MPG?

greg334 · Jul 2, 2006

>Diesel GMC 3500's are not that commonly found used either,
>so I will most likely end up with a gas engine. Did the one
>gas engined cube that you owned happen to be a GMC? If so
>what was it's MPG?

Well if you look for 1998 to 2000, you will find diesels, even cutaways.

the trucks I owned were all Fords. The gasser got 10 at best.

Mileater · Jul 2, 2006

10 MPG sucks, I would expect that from a big straight truck. I take it you suggest getting a diesel? I'll go take a look and see what is available.

Mileater · Jul 3, 2006

There's a few diesel GMC 3500's in year 2000 or older, still not that many. Also it seems that whether gas or diesel, a year 1999 goes for almost the same as a 2003, so I prefer a 2003. I did find one of those smaller 12' gas ones with a ramp. So if I can do a door cut out for cargo access it might be an idea. It should get about the same MPG as a standard van since it has a 4.8L motor and only 2 wheels on the rear axle. I think I can live with the 6'-0 interior hieght and the wheel well indenting in the cargo area

Do you guys see a problem with having a deck hieght at 30" rather than 40" for the larger cubes? This is the only thing left on it that I'm not sure of.

Mileater · Jul 3, 2006

Does anyone know if this is feasible:
On the larger GMC 15 & 16' cubes, is it possible to remove the two inner wheels from the rear axle and drive the truck with just 2 wheels back there? I have heard of people doing this on the Freightliner Sprinter and wonder if it can also be done on a GMC.

I figure if I can do this and maybe add an aero kit to the box it should greatly increase MPG on the larger cubes.

greg334 · Jul 3, 2006

>Does anyone know if this is feasible:
>On the larger GMC 15 & 16' cubes, is it possible to remove
>the two inner wheels from the rear axle and drive the truck
>with just 2 wheels back there? I have heard of people doing
>this on the Freightliner Sprinter and wonder if it can also
>be done on a GMC.

Yep it is

Mileater · Jul 4, 2006

Ok, that's good to know. Now I am leaning towards a larger GMC 14' or 15' x 8' wide, remove 2 wheels from the rear, add an aero kit, load up my tires to 5% under max pressure shown on the tires, synthetic oil everywhere, slick 50, and smooth driving habits. What do ya think, 16-17 MPG, maybe 18-19 MPG when empty?

LDB · Jul 4, 2006

Is it really going to save enough fuel to be worth the capacity loss by removing 2 wheels? Not to mention that if one goes flat you're stuck whereas with 2 you could pull the flat one and continue on at 35-40mph to a repair shop rather than paying for a tow or a couple hundred extra for a roadside tire repair. I think the lost revenue from far less load capacity is going to exceed the savings from 2 less tires on the ground.

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Mileater · Jul 4, 2006

That's true about flat tires there is a disadvantage there. As far as weight I'm not sure it's going to affect anything because the 12' cube is rated at the same or more cargo weight with just 2 wheels on the rear axle. So I don't see why a 14-16' cube with the same 10,000 GVW and 3000 pound cargo capacity as a 12' would require 4 wheels, I could be wrong. I'm not sure how much better MPG it would get, I would need to try it both ways.

LDB · Jul 4, 2006

I'd have to research it further if I was pursuing it. I just don't believe you can remove 2 rear wheels and carry the same load. Even if you could carry the same load it wouldn't be as stable which is a drawback not previously mentioned. I also don't think the mpg benefit would outweigh the potential problems already mentioned as well as the less stable handling and poorer ride quality.

Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB, OOIDA 677319
Owner, Panther trucks 5507, 5508, 5509
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late for dinner · Jul 5, 2006

Mileater, I own and drive a chevy 10000 gvw drw with an aerocell 14ft box and a gas engine. The curb weight is over 7100# Add myself, my junk and 58 gal of gas and I wont say what the weight is but their is no way you will be able to carry 3000# or even 2500# legally. As for the mpg mine gets 11 thats it. Put a longer box on it and you've got to go to a longer wheelbase which adds to the curb weight. Super Bs are nice for volume but you can carry more weight in a standard carge van, or a sprinter.