Squeeze a few more miles out of your truck's $4 gas

There's no getting around it: for folks who drive pickups and big SUVs, $4 gas is putting a big crimp in working family budgets, and they're looking for any way to squeeze a little more go out of their dough.

On the car buying consumer site Edmunds.com, editors put several gas-saving ideas to the test on a real-world course to see what really made a difference, and by how much. The results are a little surprising, and may save you a little pain at the pump.

Edmunds said that the greatest gas savings can be made by adjusting the nut behind the wheel - the driver. "Our tests showed that the most significantway to save gas is: you," the editors said. "And we're talking massive fuel economy gains. Think you need a hybrid? Chances are you've got hybrid-style mileage in your gas pedal foot. Don't mash the gas when you start up. Take the long view of the road and brake easy."

The editors say that changing from normal acceleration to very gentle application of the gas can save up to 31 percent in day-to-day driving. That takes a 12-mpg truck to 16 mpg.

The Edmunds article also pointed out the second-best way to save gas, which follows the first: on the highway, drive slower. Just adjusting from 75 to 65 will save about 12 percent in mileage, editors said.

Another open-road tip, Edmunds said, was to use the cruise control if your vehicle has it. The results - saving between 7 and 14 percent - surprised Edmunds editors, but they saw why. "First, it smoothes out the driver's accelerator input by preventing nervous 'surging.' Second, it makes the driver take the long view of the road rather than reacting to every change in the traffic around them."

Another surprising result of the testing Edmunds did was that idling at brief stops used nearly 20 percent more gas than shutting the engine off. That's one of the secrets of hybrid cars, and even the Chevy Silverado Hybrid. This mild pickup hybrid, available now, saves some 12 percent over the regular Silverado by shutting off the engine at a stop, then automatically restarting it when the brake is released.

On the Ford truck forum at F150.com, truck users told what they were doing to save gas, including stripping unnecessary weight from their trucks. "I took all the stuff out of my truck box," one posted. "Must have been 200 pounds of tools and junk that I was burning gas to move every mile."

And, although truck owners can debate the tailgate-up/tailgatedown aerodynamic issue forever, tests have shown the best results with a tonneau cover.

Other owners swear by aftermarket intake and exhaust modifications, and even installing a rear differential with a more economical gear ratio.

But the testers at Edmunds were convinced that the driver is the key. "These tests were done under real-world conditions," the editors said, "not in a government lab somewhere. Our results can be matched by anyone … improving your car's mileage is just a matter of changing your habits."

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