how to increase fuel milage?

[protouring70]

OK, the question everyone is asking. Here it is, my wife has an '03 Tahoe and milage is 16mpg. And guess what gas is high. :jawdrop: Guess you knew that already huh. So what can i do to help get more mpg out of this thing. I hear of changing filters or the Tornado but do they work. are there any other options?
Please help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Brent

[Bill Howell]

Don't waste your money. You are probably getting as good as it is going to do. Just try and get her/you to preplan your trips abit more than you have in the past. Things like stopping at the grocery store on the way home instead of driving home and then driving back to the store will help. Gas prices are up and up to stay, however if you really do the math, it is not cheaper to trade for better mileage car. You know the drill, the dealers will convince you that your car is worthless because it doesn't get 50mpg. Then they will overcharge you for their unit.
Everyone is going to have to adjust their budget to compensate for this new issue.
To date myself, I can remember adding water injection to my 73 Ford F-100 to try and help the mileage back when gas went to 50 cents from 32cents. We thought the world was ending and rationing was common. About all that did was foul the plugs, not much you could do with the rearend ratio of a 70's pickup, just had to live with 8 mpg.

[Travis B]

Getting air in and out of engine easier and more effiecent will increase mileage(exhaust, air intake, filters)! I have a 89 OBS swb and I am in the process of trying to make it more effiecent!

I am not sure about the tornado??? maybe someone else will chime in here!

[JLM]

Keeping the tires at the correct pressure will help. Try reducing your speed to 5mph under the speed limit. Keeping the vehicle in a good state of tune is your best bet.

The best thing you can do though is simply limit driving all together. Make 1 large trip to the grocery store per month and eat in more often instead of eating out regularly.

I used to drive in excess of 1500 miles per month simply because I enjoy driving. Now however I put less than 900 miles per month on my car. I went from needing to fill up once a week to needing to fill up once every 2 weeks. This is really what has helped me out.

The last thing I can really think of is to make sure you actually "fill" your tank when you do need to. I've got a couple friends that only put in 10-15 dolalrs each time they fill up. SO what ends up happening is they fill up more frequently, but fuel prices continue to climb. They would have spent less money just filling the entire tank to begin with at the lower cost at that time.

[MarkM66]

Tell her to drive it like there is an egg between her foot and the gas pedal.

If the vehicle has an on demand milage calculator, watch that and adjust your driving accordingly. Watching one of those really make you realize how much gas you use just by accelerating.

Slowing that brick on wheels down some on the highway will help.

Maybe try putting an extra 5psi in the tires. But I don't think there's anything else that will make much of a difference.

Synthetic diff lube might help a little, and even if it helps a little, it will pay for itself over time. A thinner sythetic oil could help too.

[astroracer]

I put a Jacobs Electronic Ignition, Edelbrock Midlength headers and a good exhaust on my '95 and realized a significant mileage increase. It just depends on where you want to spend your money and how long it takes to actually "see" the savings. The grand I spent on the upgrades will buy a lot of gas over a couple of years...
Mark

[CAMAROBOY69]

I just dont drive as much. We seriously ride our bikes to the store on occasion. Now for woodward this weekend I wont drive all day. Just a little here and there. Thats my budget plan. ONce I hit the lotto then I will drive every single day. I just drive my stupid Saturn more than the Camaro. Thats the only way I save.
One thing that did save me tons of money in gas was the 6 speed tranny in my Camaro. HUGE difference! Best investment ever. I doubled my gas mileage.

[wantahertzdonut]

The tornado has been proven ineffective time and again. The only gains you see are due to most people installing them and then driving less hard, so of course your mileage will increase. But you can do that without the tornado.

Keep the thing in tune, get "P" rated tires instead of "LT" if you can, (less aggressive tread on the P's), and don't take it over 65 on the highway. Group your trips like everyone else has mentioned too. It'll save you time in addition to money.

[JLM]

Was just thinking of a few more things that could help.

Try not to use the AC. That little nicety really degrades engine performance and fuel economy. That probably won't be so much of an issue as we're starting to get into the fall, but if possible, drive with the windows open. This has less of an affect on fuel economy than using the AC does. Also set the cruise control if the situation is appropriate. Like it was pointed out earlier, acceleration (even minimal) is a very large drain on fuel. By keeping the vehicle in as smooth of a running pattern as possible you maximize fuel economy.

Being a Tahoe I'm assuming this is a family car. You may want to look at all the stuff you have on and in the car. Less weight means you don't have to use as much power and thus as much fuel. If' you've got a bunch of stuff in and on the car that doesn't need to be there, take it out.

Also a lot of people are brainwashed into thinking their cars need to run on "the good stuff" Put the lowest octane fuel in the car that you can without it pinging. Putting higher octane fuel in a car not tuned for that amount of octane will actually hurt fuel mileage.

[Ralph LoGrasso]

Brent,

I can't really comment on how to save mileage, other than what these guys have said, but being a fellow tahoe owner, I feel your pain. I only get 13mpg on the hwy, if I'm lucky. :crying:

[JLM]

Brent,

I can't really comment on how to save mileage, other than what these guys have said, but being a fellow tahoe owner, I feel your pain. I only get 13mpg on the hwy, if I'm lucky. :crying:

The horrible part about it is that if every guidelines that was suggested above was utilized at the exact same time over the stretch of a couple month it would still probably only amount to a mile or 2 in added fuel economy.

But I guess if you figure a 1 mpg increase on an 18 gallon tank, that's an extra 18 miles. Figure if you fill up 3 times per month that's 54 extra miles on the same amount of gas. So it starts to slowly add up. figure it takes 3 gallons to travel that 54 miles so you have to purchase 3 gallans less. at 2.50 per gallon you've saved yourself $7.50 in a months time. Kind of depressing isn't it?

[Ralph LoGrasso]

The horrible part about it is that if every guidelines that was suggested above was utilized at the exact same time over the stretch of a couple month it would still probably only amount to a mile or 2 in added fuel economy.

But I guess if you figure a 1 mpg increase on an 18 gallon tank, that's an extra 18 miles. Figure if you fill up 3 times per month that's 54 extra miles on the same amount of gas. So it starts to slowly add up. figure it takes 3 gallons to travel that 54 miles so you have to purchase 3 gallans less. at 2.50 per gallon you've saved yourself $7.50 in a months time. Kind of depressing isn't it?


Very. Especially when you're spending $200+ a month on gas.

[vanzuuk1]

I was going to use the egg on the gas pedal line.

one small issue is idling.I dont let my cars sit and idle, I just drive gently as it warms up, and i kill the ignition as i come to a stop.If the cars running in park your getting o mpg.

[malihoochie]

:ssst: Siphon from your neighbors :wasntme:


j/k

[nancejd]

I remember watching a segment on mythbusters about the AC thing, and their testing showed that there was about a zero difference in mpg driving with thte windows down vs the AC, of course that was at speeds over 40mph, so in stop and go it might still make a difference.

[JLM]

I remember watching a segment on mythbusters about the AC thing, and their testing showed that there was about a zero difference in mpg driving with thte windows down vs the AC, of course that was at speeds over 40mph, so in stop and go it might still make a difference.

I saw that episode as well. When hooked up to the computer reading mph based on the amoutn of air coming through the mass air the readings were the same. HOWEVER do you remember the actual road test. The expedition with the windows down cruised for over an hour longer than the expedition with the AC on.

[KacyZ28]

I remember watching a segment on mythbusters about the AC thing, and their testing showed that there was about a zero difference in mpg driving with thte windows down vs the AC, of course that was at speeds over 40mph, so in stop and go it might still make a difference.
but what kinda car did they test this on.the hp robbed from a 350 isnt nowhere near noticed like it is on my 2.2 beretta that can get 30-39 mpg depending on how i drive it

[JLM]

but what kinda car did they test this on.the hp robbed from a 350 isnt nowhere near noticed like it is on my 2.2 beretta that can get 30-39 mpg depending on how i drive it


They tested it on a 2 Ford Expeditions.

[nancejd]

Yeah, I do remember that (at least now I do). Come to think of it, the fuel used readout on my Silverado reads less that the amount of gas I actually used. I bet it is directly proportional to the speed you're driving.

[CamaroAJ]

i'm getting 22mpg out of my crew cab duramax :icon996: . a few years back i had some mag that they tested a few driving habbits, they found that getting on the gas to get up to speed used less gas than slowly getting up to speed. so i guess try to hual ass to 63-65 and hit the cruse. also hoes only get about 15-17mpg, my dad has a avalanch and thats all he gets too. you could get a programer and lean out the fuel trim a little bit, but nothing too much. don't wanna run'er too lean.

[MrQuick]

Increase areodynamics with a hood deflecter and rear spoiler. Keep the Tahoe washed and waxed. Drive bare footed and learn to coast and teach her how to draft safely.
These engines don't require 91 octane till you use it. The computer will get use to the 91 and will ping if you try to switch to 87.
Most GM techs know how to blow out the memory and how to train the computer with the proper drive cycle.
K&N cold air kit...leave the tornado in the recycling bin.

[Bill Howell]

i'm getting 22mpg out of my crew cab duramax :icon996:


For real? :ripped: Of course I have never driven 65 either so maybe that is my problem. How much you getting around town? What year?
My 04 does about 18/14 :dunno:

[gen3bu]

i think car craft had an article a few months back where they added a magna charger and complete jba exhaust. it added @ 95 rwhp and increased mpw from 16 to 19 or 20, pretty good in my book.

definatley use the cruise. i drove my in-laws 2002 trailblazer to work one day with it and drove home without it, watching the instant and average mpg (i reset it both times for an acurate comparo). i could nt beleive the diff. 8 mpg!!! i got 19 going to work and 27 coming home.

know that i know that it drive me nuts when other drivers cant keep a consistant speed - USE THE CRUISE!!

kevin

[protouring70]

Hey guys I really want to thank everyone for their help on this. I think I will wax the Tahoe this weekend and use the cruise control as much as possible.
Thanks!!!

[MarkM66]

i'm getting 22mpg out of my crew cab duramax :icon996: . a few years back i had some mag that they tested a few driving habbits, they found that getting on the gas to get up to speed used less gas than slowly getting up to speed. so i guess try to hual ass to 63-65 and hit the cruse. also hoes only get about 15-17mpg, my dad has a avalanch and thats all he gets too. you could get a programer and lean out the fuel trim a little bit, but nothing too much. don't wanna run'er too lean.

Anychance you have that magazine information online?

Not saying you're lying, but I'd have to call bs on this one.

If this were the case, drag cars would be getting great mpg.

If anyone has a vehicle with an on demand milage calculator, they'd also realize this wasn't the case.

[JLM]

The theory is actually pretty sound. Acceleration of any kind, even grannying the car still uses a lot more fuel than cruising at a steady speed. If you granny the car and it takes you a mile to reach 65mph then you're well below average fuel economy for that entire mile. If you step on it a little bit and it takes you a 1/4 mile to reach 65 you lost a little bit more while you were in it but now you're crusing for an additional 3/4 of a mile. It probably works itself out to be pretty much a wash I would think.

WIth that said however I do beleive that as long as you aren't really hotrodding it getting to the speed limit quicker may be better for fuel economy.

Case in point: I used to own a 2003 Cobra. The car had intake, mid-pipe, catback, 2.8 pulley (15psi) and was tuned. The car made 460rwhp/490rwtq so figure in the 525 hp range for the engine. The car averaged 20 mpg which is a mix of highway driving too and from work then cruising the car around in the city almost daily. I saw as high as 25 mpg on a road trip in that car.

[69boo307]

OK, the question everyone is asking. Here it is, my wife has an '03 Tahoe and milage is 16mpg. And guess what gas is high. :jawdrop: Guess you knew that already huh. So what can i do to help get more mpg out of this thing. I hear of changing filters or the Tornado but do they work. are there any other options?
Please help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Brent

Simple, trade it for something with a 4-banger.

I mean you bought a 4500+ lb vehicle with a v8 and the aerodynamics of a pole barn, and you are worried about gas mileage? :hmm:

There isn't much you could do that would show a significant improvement, not enough to really show up in your wallet. I mean you could go with a K&N intake kit (not just the filter, but the entire intake), maybe add headers and a good flowing exhaust, upgrade the ignition. You'd improve the efficiency of the engine, but all that effort probably wouldn't buy you more than a couple mpg.
The Tornado? I can't believe anyone would actually PAY to introduce a restriction to their air intake. Just shove a sock in your intake and you could get the same effect.

[Stuart Adams]

Sell it, don't put any money into trying to get better mileage - you will see no return on investment. At the most you may improve it 1-2 mpg. Get something else with better mileage and more reliable.

[JLM]

The problem with trading in the car is negative equity. Even going to a cheaper economy car he'll loose thousands unless the tahoe is worth more than he owes on it. With it being a 2003 I'm doubting that's the case unless cash was paid or the financing term was very short.

[Little Bob]

You could just stay home. Work from home and your gas milage and stress would probaly get better. I also heard by adding more air to your tires it creates less drag.

[JoshStratton]

You could do what I did and go rice. *sigh* I have to admit that I went out and bought a 98 Civic with 88K miles on it. I have a Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo that gets about 18mpg and this little Civic get 38mpg. It will actually pay for itself since I was spending about 80 bucks a week on gas...and I have to say that it really is fun to drive (even with 106 screeming horsepower)! Those high school kids might have something there.

[TA219]

I added a K&N filter and took a hole saw to my air box on my 01 tahoe to let a little more air in and I think it made a small difference but not much.

I have heard that if you get your PCM tuned you will see a little better MPG, check out a site like silveradoSS.com and any of those custom tunes ($250 range) they say you can get you a little better performance and gas mileage.

[MarkM66]

The theory is actually pretty sound. Acceleration of any kind, even grannying the car still uses a lot more fuel than cruising at a steady speed. If you granny the car and it takes you a mile to reach 65mph then you're well below average fuel economy for that entire mile. If you step on it a little bit and it takes you a 1/4 mile to reach 65 you lost a little bit more while you were in it but now you're crusing for an additional 3/4 of a mile. It probably works itself out to be pretty much a wash I would think.

I could buy that theory, but would agree either way would probably equal the same result.

But that's not was said. What was said was "they found that getting on the gas (which could mean being at WOT) to get up to speed used less gas than slowly getting up to speed"

[JLM]

I could buy that theory, but would agree either way would probably equal the same result.

But that's not was said. What was said was "they found that getting on the gas (which could mean being at WOT) to get up to speed used less gas than slowly getting up to speed"



Yeah there's got to be a point of deminishing returns there. Not to mention the legality factor in gonig WOT from a stop everywhere you go.

I managed pretty decent mileage out of a 500+ hp v8 powered sports car but I did at points and could easily push that mileage down to around 15 mpg if I drove the piss out of it.

I know that I can beleive the arguement to an extent though. Prior to my 2003 Cobra I had a 2002 GT mustang. I drove this car regardless of weather, even in the snow. When the weather was crappy the car got horrid HORRID gas mileage, which at the time was very odd to me since the car was beeing grannied around, shifting at 1300rpms etc. vs normal driving where i would normally shift around 2500-3000 with a bit of foot in it.

[vanzuuk1]

Say you spend 1000 dollars a year on gas, for the sake of argument.

If you modify your car and you improve the gas mileage 10 percent ( which is a lot), you only save a hundred dollars that first year. Am I correct ?, that does not seem like much. You would have to drive a ton of miles to justify spending on modifications or a smaller car.

It seems to me the easiest way is to drive less, plan your errands carefully.

[CamaroAJ]

mine is an 2004.5 has the LLY in it, makes a big difference on power and fuel econ. average driving around town and freeway its about 17-18 but my whole drive to work the speed limit is double nickle so i cruse in the 62-64 mph area and it gets about 21.8-21.9. i know most have no idea about places in ohio but i drove from my house (Reynoldsburg, Ohio) to Cedar Point (Sandusky, Ohio) and back on less than half tank (26 gal. tank) its about 270miles according to map quest.

[CamaroAJ]

i forgot, Bill how often do you change the fuel filter? GM says every 14k on the fuel filter every 7k on the spin on trans filter. its critical on the duramax in fact if your is a LB7 (2000-2004.5) GM has a recall on the fuel filter because they didn't have enough for over the counter sales so there giving everyone that fits that range a free one

[gen3bu]

one of my customers install a flowmaster cat-back on his 2002 1500 hd pick-up. it improved 3 mpg, but was too loud for his taste.

[Bill Howell]

i forgot, Bill how often do you change the fuel filter? GM says every 14k on the fuel filter every 7k on the spin on trans filter. its critical on the duramax in fact if your is a LB7 (2000-2004.5) GM has a recall on the fuel filter because they didn't have enough for over the counter sales so there giving everyone that fits that range a free one

7K on the tranny filter? Damn, I probably have not had it changed yet. I was real late changing the fuel filter the first time, but keep it changed now. Thanks for the heads up on the tranny one though. It will get changed tommorrow. :thankyou:

[Chocolate Apocalypse]

This looks like it would help mileage tremendously...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1,1&item=7993916387&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT

[Bill Howell]

:lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:
I loved the comments 0 to 90% adjustable. Items vary in size.

I really like the disclaimer at the end.

Great find and timely too.

[Jim Nilsen]

20 yrs ago I read on epa mileage report on how they get the numbers on the window sticker and I also have listened to how the guys that have contest to get the best mileage.

Top on the list, Don't use your brakes !!! brakes cost you the most, slowing down by coasting will keep you from wasting the energy you used to get there. Timing the lights so you don't have to stop makes a big difference and it saves on brake jobs too.

Next was tire inflation, pumping up to maximum pressure at max temp will lower rolling resistance.They claim good for 1 to 2 mpg everytime.

3rd was accelerating to the speed limit as smoothly and quickly as possible so you could be at a steady speed as soon as you can. Varying speed cost you.

The high mileage guys also use nuetral when going down declines. Not recommended for the wife but these guys swear by it. Shutting off the vehicle at long lights and in long stop and go traffic, not good for the starter or recommended for hard to start cars but it works. Turning off the vehicle in a 5 min. wait in the drive through will also make a difference.

I have a 2004 Vibe that continues to get better mileage numbers with 89 octane than with 87. I can use Phillips 66 regular that is 89 octane for the same price that I can get 87 octane at Shell and Mobil or most of the others. If I spend the extra 10 cents per gal. and get 90 octane I can get an extra 30 miles per tank. At 10 gal. per tankfull average it gets me 1 gal further so it also saves me just a bit. The car will get 265 to 290 miles on a tank depending on the 87 or 89 octane but when I put in 90 octane I get 300 to 310 per tank. It has been consistant no matter how I drive the car,easy or hard.

I also picked up 2-3 mpg when I went from regular oil to Mobil1. Synthetics really do help. going from 24-25 to 28 was overnight when I did it.

These are what work for me.

Also , a $1000 car or one that is paid for and uses $250 worth of gas per month is still cheaper than a $300 car payment and a car that gets 60mpg no matter what. So when they tell you to get a new car to save money on gas it still will cost you more. Plus more insurance cost.So getting a beater car and getting rid of that new energy efficient car just could save you money!

If that beater is a musclecar that handles well and doesn't have to slow down for the corners, like a G -machine you might have in your garage you will be able to sleep at night knowing that you can drive in the style you want to and save yourself money even if it doesn't seem logical. Sometimes you just have to do the math first.

Jim Nilsen

[sinned]

OK, a few "myths" out there to dispel.



1) The difference between rapid acceleration and slow/smooth acceleration to cruise speed over a tankful has been tested numerous times with always the same results....less than 1MPG difference.



2) Shutting off the A/C will NOT improve MPG; in fact at highway speeds it will reduce it. The A/C compressor does not have enough of a drag on the engine to impact mileage a substantial amount, the airflow disruption from the windows being down however does have a measurable impact (the amount varies depending on model).



3) Starting your car uses more fuel than a 10 minute idle, shutting down and restarting is way less efficient than just idling. Hook up a scan tool and watch injector pulse width during initial start and during idle. At idle the pulse width is miniscule, at crank it opens all the way up.



Tire inflation is the number 1 MPG killer and the one a majority of the people is guilty of. I can count on 1 hand the number of cars I service in a week that have tires over 30PSI (that is out of approximately 40 vehicles).

[bnickel]

the shutting the engine off idea is VERY false, so false in fact that most pizza delivery drivers will actually leave their car running in the parking lot while they go in the store to get another run. i can verify that personally since i delivered pizza all through high school, college and for a good while after that. even in my stang i constantly got about 6 or 7 MPG better by leaving the car running rather than starting it up every time. i still leave my cars running to this day if i'm just going to run into the convenience store and come right back out.

[JJSmitches]

I was reading about tips for increasing fuel economy and it was suggested that you turn the fuel pump upsidedown after you finish filling, then remove. There is as much as 1 cup of fuel that is paid for still in the nozel.

[paul67]

Over in the UK if you leave your engine running and the car gets stolen and your not in it the insurance will NOT pay up as you have not taken care in securing the car, common place is gas stations were people leave the keys in the car to pay.Some time ago chap lost an $90,000 porsche, went to court and lost against insure company because he did not take reasonable care in securing the car from theft.
paul67

[wantahertzdonut]

but what kinda car did they test this on.the hp robbed from a 350 isnt nowhere near noticed like it is on my 2.2 beretta that can get 30-39 mpg depending on how i drive it

My 2.2 Camry is pretty unaffected when you turn the a/c on on the highway. It'll do 80 all day long and still get 29-31mpg with the air on. I don't think it's very different around town but I'd have to check to be sure.