sknrbak
Member
We have just upgraded to a 3/4 ton chevy silverado with 6.0 gas engine. Anyone have any suggestions on how to increase mpg? Ideas and thoughts on programers would be helpful.
gas milage
- Thread starter sknrbak
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Molaker
Well-known member
There may be a few gadets out there, but the biggest fuel saver around is to keep your foot out of it.
scottydl
Site Team
Molaker said:
Ditto. The best way to use less gas is to use less gas.
No matter what anyone claims (who usually has a profit interest in the item they're trying to sell you), no piece of equipment or computer reprogramming is going to make much difference when you're towing an extra 15,000 pounds or whatever it happens to be.
Turfhead
Active member
I've got a 2006 3/4 ton Chevy with a 6.0L engine and I can tell you that, even on a good day, it will get about 12 mpg! That's no cargo, no towing, just me and my 35 pound dog driving down the road. I would guess it goes to about 7 or 8 when I'm towing my camper (28' ultralite TT). Don't use it much to pull the camper, being that my employer owns the truck, but when I do it pulls it just fine. I'll be watching this thread for anything that comes up for saving gas!
SteelHeadR
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2010
- Posts
- 83
There really isn't a great way to get a big improvement in fuel mileage from a heavy truck with a big engine... especially when it is working hard.
I have read on some web sites that there are a few things that can be done to get some small improvements in fuel mileage. These include: keeping your engine in tune; maintaining proper tire pressure; and some mechanical mods. Most of the mods involve installing a low restriction air intake system, installing a low restriction exhaust system, or installing one of those "tuner" chips. The tuner chips can make a significant difference in the diesel rigs, especially with their "economy" and "towing" tunes. Gas engines that are "chipped" seem to do somewhat better with the chip than they did without it but the improvement is not as much as with the diesels.
It also may be possible to use synthetic fluids in your transmission, engine, and differential. If they are compatible with your vehicle, they can offer some improvement in fuel mileage but it seems to vary a lot from rig to rig.
It is possible to pick up 2-3 mpg via these techniques but that may not a big improvement considering the cost involved in some of these unless you drive a lot of miles.
Ed
I have read on some web sites that there are a few things that can be done to get some small improvements in fuel mileage. These include: keeping your engine in tune; maintaining proper tire pressure; and some mechanical mods. Most of the mods involve installing a low restriction air intake system, installing a low restriction exhaust system, or installing one of those "tuner" chips. The tuner chips can make a significant difference in the diesel rigs, especially with their "economy" and "towing" tunes. Gas engines that are "chipped" seem to do somewhat better with the chip than they did without it but the improvement is not as much as with the diesels.
It also may be possible to use synthetic fluids in your transmission, engine, and differential. If they are compatible with your vehicle, they can offer some improvement in fuel mileage but it seems to vary a lot from rig to rig.
It is possible to pick up 2-3 mpg via these techniques but that may not a big improvement considering the cost involved in some of these unless you drive a lot of miles.
Ed
This dont help in your situation , but my solution is more cubic inches ..
Suffer a bit when not towing , but dont loose as much mpg towing , if any at all , and engine doesn't work nearly as hard ..
Synthetic fluids in every hole makes a huge difference in cooler operating temps and less wear ..
We had a crew cab Chevy 454 4 speed that got 8 mpg , empty or towing , course gas was a buck a gallon then .. Wud hurt now ..
Suffer a bit when not towing , but dont loose as much mpg towing , if any at all , and engine doesn't work nearly as hard ..
Synthetic fluids in every hole makes a huge difference in cooler operating temps and less wear ..
We had a crew cab Chevy 454 4 speed that got 8 mpg , empty or towing , course gas was a buck a gallon then .. Wud hurt now ..
taoshum
Well-known member
They don't use any when stationary so we plan trips with longer stops and shorter hops... always travel with a tail wind if possible really helps so check the weather before you leave... plan your uphill drives when it's cooler... downhill when it's hot. It's the total cost per year than matters to us, not the price per mile or gpm since we rely on "fixed" income for the most part.
sknrbak
Member
Thanks for all the advice. My rig gets the same millage whether I am pulling the camper or not. I may try the intake and exhaust suggestions and see what happens. Thanks again everyone!
P
PatrioticStabilist
Guest
I just drove to S Padre and back, drove 65 a lot of the time. 856 miles total and used 134.956 equals 6.34 mpg. ouch, double ouch. Looks like that's about what I will get with the toad, probably need to start driving 60. Several times it got near 70 so have to watch that too.
I just realized I bought the motorhome last May and since then have put 10,000 miles on it. At this rate I'm going to wear it out. Sue Anne and I are having a ball with the thing. But its not cheap. Sure is nice though to have all your things at hand, to eat what you want, sleep on clean beds, and have a bathroom that you know many others haven't used. She rides along as happy as a clam.
I just realized I bought the motorhome last May and since then have put 10,000 miles on it. At this rate I'm going to wear it out. Sue Anne and I are having a ball with the thing. But its not cheap. Sure is nice though to have all your things at hand, to eat what you want, sleep on clean beds, and have a bathroom that you know many others haven't used. She rides along as happy as a clam.
P
PatrioticStabilist
Guest
I went back through my gallons of gas purchased. I had forgotten that I filled up my car for 12.973 gallons and included that in my calculation. So after taking it out I used 121.983 gallons for the 856 gallons. That computes out to 7.0173712 actually, so 7 mpg. Now I'm comfortable with that. That was on the info sheet from the folks we bought it from. That looks much better, whew! Still a lot of bucks though.
This time I kept track of everything I spent so now categorizing to see where I spent my money.
This time I kept track of everything I spent so now categorizing to see where I spent my money.
Molaker
Well-known member
Just remember you are pushing a great big wall of air down the road. Ever try to stand up in a 70 MPH wind?PatrioticStabilist said:
SteelHeadR
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2010
- Posts
- 83
> Ever try to stand up in a 70 MPH wind?
Nope. But I once tried to stand up in a 106 mph wind. That was darn-near impossible!
Ed
Nope. But I once tried to stand up in a 106 mph wind. That was darn-near impossible!
Ed
I know it's too late now but I would have suggested going diesel.
I have a Duramax and when not towing, I get average of 15 city, 20 highway. When towing 10,000 pounds, I get 10 to 12. Plus when towing, I can simply set cruise, sit back and enjoy the ride - I doubt you can use cruise with the gasser.
The better fuel mileage makes up for the increased cost of the diesel fuel.
I have a Duramax and when not towing, I get average of 15 city, 20 highway. When towing 10,000 pounds, I get 10 to 12. Plus when towing, I can simply set cruise, sit back and enjoy the ride - I doubt you can use cruise with the gasser.
The better fuel mileage makes up for the increased cost of the diesel fuel.
Stewie Griffin
Well-known member
If this is the case then you have a one of a kind 6.0. I would hang on to it if I were you. I've been around quite a few 6.0 gm gassers and have never seen the same fuel mileage towing that you get empty. We consistently see 12 empty and 7 or 8 towing various trailers. This is in Michigan where its flat, I can't imagine what we would see in mountainous terrain. They gear hunt like crazy. If you want better fuel mileage trade it in on a diesel, programmers and chips aren't very effective on gassers but the gains in power and fuel mileage you see when installed on a diesel is stunning.sknrbak said:
PopPop51
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 30, 2010
- Posts
- 447
We pull a 30' TT with a gas V-10 Ford Excursion. Close to 14,000 pounds all-up weight. Last year (our first) we ran up a little over 10,000 towing miles. Speed was the biggest fuel economy factor that we could control. Cruising at 60mph or slightly under in flat terrain yielded 11 to 12 mpg. Just 5 mph faster, and that dropped to 9 mpg.
We found that not driving patiently costs at least 1 mile per gallon, so I try to accelerate smoothly and anticipate braking situations as much as possible. I'll let my speed bleed off just a bit as I crest a hill rather than try to maintain full speed over the crest. The old saw of "driving like there's a raw egg between your foot and the pedals" really works.
If you can, install a trip computer that reads instantaneous and average fuel consumption. It's a great way to keep score on your driving technique and learn how your rig performs under different conditions.
While the pursuit of fuel economy is great, being an irritation to other drivers isn't. If we want to drive slowly, we pick an appropriate route. And even if we're traveling the speed limit we don't hesitate to pull off to let faster traffic by if there's no passing lane.
One factor we couldn't control last summer was heat. Most of our travel was in last summer's midwestern heat wave where temps seldom fell below 90 for several weeks. Heat and humidity kill the efficiency of normally aspirated engines, and having the A/C going full blast steals power, too.
Taoshum's tip to always travel with a tailwind is absolutely true, if impractical. Mechanical friction is not nearly as significant as wind drag, so driving 60 into a 10mph headwind is actually like driving 70, or like 50 if you have a 10mph tailwind. You may not be able to do much about the wind direction, but watch the forecast and if the winds aren't in your favor, consider driving in the morning and evening, as winds typically are calmer and the air cooler then.
Your question got me to wondering what the hard costs are, so I ran some numbers. Using a 200 mile leg:
At 55mph at 70MPH Difference
Time 3hr 38min 2hr 51min 47 min.
mpg 12 8.5
Fuel burn 16.7 gal 23.5 gal. 6.8 gal
Fuel Cost @$3.00 $50.10 $70.50 $20.40
What's your time worth? (fuel cost savings/hour) $26.04
We found that not driving patiently costs at least 1 mile per gallon, so I try to accelerate smoothly and anticipate braking situations as much as possible. I'll let my speed bleed off just a bit as I crest a hill rather than try to maintain full speed over the crest. The old saw of "driving like there's a raw egg between your foot and the pedals" really works.
If you can, install a trip computer that reads instantaneous and average fuel consumption. It's a great way to keep score on your driving technique and learn how your rig performs under different conditions.
While the pursuit of fuel economy is great, being an irritation to other drivers isn't. If we want to drive slowly, we pick an appropriate route. And even if we're traveling the speed limit we don't hesitate to pull off to let faster traffic by if there's no passing lane.
One factor we couldn't control last summer was heat. Most of our travel was in last summer's midwestern heat wave where temps seldom fell below 90 for several weeks. Heat and humidity kill the efficiency of normally aspirated engines, and having the A/C going full blast steals power, too.
Taoshum's tip to always travel with a tailwind is absolutely true, if impractical. Mechanical friction is not nearly as significant as wind drag, so driving 60 into a 10mph headwind is actually like driving 70, or like 50 if you have a 10mph tailwind. You may not be able to do much about the wind direction, but watch the forecast and if the winds aren't in your favor, consider driving in the morning and evening, as winds typically are calmer and the air cooler then.
Your question got me to wondering what the hard costs are, so I ran some numbers. Using a 200 mile leg:
At 55mph at 70MPH Difference
Time 3hr 38min 2hr 51min 47 min.
mpg 12 8.5
Fuel burn 16.7 gal 23.5 gal. 6.8 gal
Fuel Cost @$3.00 $50.10 $70.50 $20.40
What's your time worth? (fuel cost savings/hour) $26.04
Rancher Will
Well-known member
All of the above suggestions match what I would also suggest.
Here is one more plus an endorsement to above.
We live in Northern Colorado and have both gas autos and gas light trucks along with Diesel trucks. In Colorado, along the Front Range, 10 percent Ethanol is added by law to gas. In Wyoming and in parts of Western Colorado we buy gas without Ethanol. We note that when we buy pure gasoline, without Ethanol, we get 8 to 15 percent better MPG than with Ethanol. If you have a choice, try to buy gas without Ethanol.
And as above suggested, when driving "keep your foot light". Slow down early before stopping, start from a stopped location gently, with as little acceleration as possible, use cruise control on the highway where appropriate, Drive smoothly, Keep your speed down, and when possible get a Diesel engine.
Here is one more plus an endorsement to above.
We live in Northern Colorado and have both gas autos and gas light trucks along with Diesel trucks. In Colorado, along the Front Range, 10 percent Ethanol is added by law to gas. In Wyoming and in parts of Western Colorado we buy gas without Ethanol. We note that when we buy pure gasoline, without Ethanol, we get 8 to 15 percent better MPG than with Ethanol. If you have a choice, try to buy gas without Ethanol.
And as above suggested, when driving "keep your foot light". Slow down early before stopping, start from a stopped location gently, with as little acceleration as possible, use cruise control on the highway where appropriate, Drive smoothly, Keep your speed down, and when possible get a Diesel engine.
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
Gear hunting is an indication that the rear axle ratio is mismatched to the engine & load. Using an "economy" rear axle (3.23 or even 2.93) with a vehicle that is heavy or towing heavy loads will result in a transmission that is forever switching gears in an attempt to compensate.
Joezeppy
Well-known member
I had a K&N cold air intake in my 2002 2500HD with 6.0 - got me about an extra .5 - 1 mpg on average. A friend of mine sold his 6.0 for a diesel and gave me his programmer - I only had it in for a month and then traded the 2002 in for a 2010 but it got me another maybe .5 mpg for the few tankfuls I went through. So, it would depend on your yearly mileage - it may take a long time to make back the $450+ for that combination of improvements.
