> Hehe, the early VW buses had a reputation for having the 'aerodynamics of 
> a brick'

Later ones were'nt much better - Similar to pushing a barn door
mounted to the front fender down the road.  :) One learns patience.
24 mpg not too bad for a 1 ton truck, though.

> Later there were spoiler kits and the like to improve it. 

Mostly made things worse.

> Of course driving
> slower reduces aerodynamic loss but while one's at it one may switch to
> non-balloon tyres and run them at max. allowed pressure (not in summer) and tune
> the engine to run better at low power with leaner mixture (plugs and timing), as
> well as change the transmission oil to the lightest possible.

Some of these work, although early 70s models were jetted so lean
(for the US market) that fuel economy actually improved by richening
up a bit, allowing one to drive in a higher gear in many situations.
4-into-1 headers were worth a couple mpg too, as well as better top
end, a rare change with no real down side.

Jack
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