What have some of you guys done for better mileage?

My 01 tahoe currently has 126k miles on it, i put about 50-60k miles on a year, however this is my work vehicle, company pays for fuel, and a vehicle perdiem, so pretty much they are buying it for me. The company opted for the new Fram Airhog filters in the name of getting better mileage. Personally I dont care what mileage it gets becuase I rarely use it for my personal stuff, as I have two 5.0 mustangs that are more fun than this rolling tank.

Anyway, I am just wondering what other things people have done to these trucks to improve mileage, things that actually work. Granted I know that a free flowing exhaust will help out a lot, but what have you guys put on yours?

Just looking for ideas, becuase when I actually drive from kansas back to my parents in illinois, or the inlaws in iowa, I take the hoe becuase I have two big dogs, and fitting two rottweilers in the back of a mustang convertible isnt exactly smart.

Thanks

Is that Fram filter in the stock airbox? How much of a difference did it make?

Yes, it is the stock filter replacement. "cold air intakes" are a joke.

for $50 its picked up 1-2 mpg on average on the highway.
I have a long drive home tomorrow so ill make sure I fill up before I leave, and when i get home so I can test it. Granted it will be approximjately 165 miles of highway driving at 70 mph.

Why do you think CAIs are a joke? Alone, yeah, they aren't worth much but once you've added a set of headers and a good exhaust to open everything up you don't think they out-perform a stock box with replacement filter? I honestly don't know because I've never done a comparison on the two.

How bad is your gas milage ? I just ran mine and kept track and I an getting 15.6 Mpg with mixed driving and everything is stock

It averages about 13MPG but when I drove to Ohio for Thanksgiving I got 16 on a tank from here in SC to Wytheville,VA.

I hear the Superchips tuner can increase as much as 5-6 MPG (in addition to increases in hp/torque). It's about $600, though, so it'll have to wait for a bit.

Ceezer said:

Why do you think CAIs are a joke? Alone, yeah, they aren't worth much but once you've added a set of headers and a good exhaust to open everything up you don't think they out-perform a stock box with replacement filter? I honestly don't know because I've never done a comparison on the two.

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Ill just give some info, and you can draw your own conclusions, some of it I will explain in more detail so its understandable.

I'll begin with Air charge, and this is specifically what the argument for a cold air intake is. Cold air = dense air. hot air = less dense. Dense = more oxygen molecules per cubic feet. If you ever read any articles on heads, intakes, throttle bodies, or even carburators, they all talk about CFM, cubic feet per minute. The more cfm your heads/intake flow, the more power you can make. Its simple. HP comes from oxygen and fuel. increase both you get more fuel. Anyway cold air = dense air. remember that.

Stock replacement K&N or Airhog filter is drawing air through the inner fenders from outside the engine bay. Its drawing cold air from outside the engine bay.

A "COLD AIR" intake is generally made of shiney chrome piping so it looks all pretty, and a big conical air filter that is open inside your engine bay. What does this mean? Its drawing HOT AIR from your engine bay into your engine. Remember cold air = dense, and hot air = less dense. the more dense the air is, the more power.

Not to mention the chrome steel pipe that the air is traveling through, a GREAT conductor of heat I might add. Not only does this chrome pipe absorb heat from the engine bay, it naturally heats the air charge up even more that is traveling through it. Sure they claim results on a dyno of power gains, but for the most part those dyno tests are done with cool conditions, open hoods, big fans blowing to keep the temperature down. AFterall, how will they sell an intake if they advertise you will lose power.

Does it free up the intake flow? sure, and that obvously helps. any time air has to bend and curve instead of flow in a straight line it loses velocity. The stock air box with its plastic/polymer/eurethane construction, as well as the air tubes flowing to the throttle body, don't absorb anywhere near the amount of heat those chrome pipe cold air intakes do.

Even if you don't think the hot chrome pipe portion is a big deal, its still a conical filter sucking hot air from your engine bay, instead of cool air outside of the engine bay (stock airbox)

I was dumb enough to buy a CAI for my old 93 mustang GT that I had, and i burnt my hands very badly on the chrome pipe after driving around one day. It never clicked that putting a chrome pipe 8" above an exhaust header that is anywhere from 800-1200 degrees would be a bad idea until i touched the cold air tubing after cruising around.



This is just my opinion of course. Ive been a car mustang nut for the past 10 years so ive made enough mistakes with parts.


what exhaust are you guys running? Im getting 16.5 - 18 mpg in my tahoe currently, im just wondering if exhaust would push it over 20 mpg

That's a good explanation and a couple of points I never thought about.

What about that Volant CAI, though? It replaces but mimics the stock air box and retains plastic tubing but just in a larger diameter.



My wife has actually been driving the Tahoe up to now but since she has further to drive to work & school she wanted something with better MPG and we swapped. Everything is currently stock, including the exhaust & all.

That unit wouldnt be too bad if it actually works. if youve ever seen a BBK cold air intake, you will know what i mean by the "chrome pipe" crap. Granted it seems like most companies that make these things are moving away from chrome pipe from the above reasons that i stated.

dont get me wrong, conical filters are great, if they are mounted inside the fenderwell outside the engine bay.

Most of my knowledge comes around 5.0 and 4.6 mustangs anyway, but vehicles are vehicles. I really havnt researched much on these trucks yet, but there has to be a way to get around 20mpg.

That was my thinking, that 20MPG was possible. Realistically, though, I'd probably be happy with 18

Do you feel the same about something like the K&N FIPK?

1) Tubing isn't metal to conduct heat
2) it comes with a heat sheild to protect the filter from the heat of the engine
3) it curves down to where the stock airbox is allowing it to still catch "cold" air coming in from the fenders, grill, etc

They claim 15HP increase and although K&N does not report it, customer reviews have stated a 5+ MPG increase.

I'm considering one for my 04 LT that I just got recently for the same reason mentioned above.

I havn't seen that one. a 5+ mpg increase in mileage is rather a high claim. I cant even explain how much of a gain that is on a 5000 pound shoe box being pushed through the air with huge tires that sits a foot off the ground. The air drag on these trucks is ridiculous, and for someone to say they got a 5 mpg boost from simply adding an air filter is crazy. Im not saying its wrong, but take that information with a grain of salt. I can see the exhaust freeing up some serious mileage and power, as the exhaust from the factory is extremely restrictive. One 2.5" pipe running to the back through cats and mufflers. My 5.0 mustangs have 2.5" dual exhaust, one 2.5" tube for each side of the engine, not 2.5" for the whole thing. there is a lot of free power/mileage to be had in the exhaust. Any time you can make an engine breathe easier, then you free up power, especially if its not having to force the exhaust out of the tail pipes.

While im sure that K&N filter system works, im just EXTREMELY sceptical about claims of power increases, and mileage increases. Afterall, if the manufacturers didnt claim results, and neither did the part vendors, not very many products would sell, now would they.

I doubt 5mpg,I do however agree a customm tune from several tuners available on line do give nice results in MPG if you are specifically looking for that type of tune.Modestly 2mpg easy with a decient custom tune and they cost from 85.00 at waitformeperformance to a few hundred dollars at other vendors.

I have used a wait for me tune on a 5.7 vortec in a 2dr tahoe. I went from 11.5 to 14.2 mpg..And my current 02 tahoe is running 312 miles on 20 gallons of gas,My trick follow the speed limit signs and gains on milage are big

customer reviews have stated a 5+ MPG increase

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In addition to what the others said, there also could have been extenuating conditions that came into play during their comparisons. A change in seasons, for example, can bring about a 2-3MPG variance due to air density and drag. Weather, road, and traffic conditions. The list goes on...

I would never say the reviewer stating a 5MPG increase is lying because (s)he may very well have seen an increase that big between tanks, but I wouldn't assume that it all came from the addition of a K&N filter.

Chads93GT said:

Most of my knowledge comes around 5.0 and 4.6 mustangs anyway, but vehicles are vehicles. I really havnt researched much on these trucks yet, but there has to be a way to get around 20mpg.

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That is the problem right there. But we all make mistakes Haha Just kidding. I like mustangs too but i like the torque from a SBC better

lata
CHRIS

Drove back to illinois this weekend from kansas. Driving on the interstate in kansas for work usually = 75 mph so i get 15.5 mpg.....

This weekend I had time to kill so I drove exactly the speed limit all the way to my parents house, 65 mph the entire way with only 2 or 3 stops.

I got 19 miles per gallon hauling two dogs, my wife, and a bunch of crap.

On the way home I drove 70 mph for the most part and got 16 mpg.

Hard to believe that it gets 3 better mpg with 5 mph slower speeds on the highway. but it did it tank after tank

My 97 Tahoe with 3.73 gears does around 13-14 in the city. This is totally stock but with a full tune up and new fuel pump and filter.

O5 Tahoe PPV Gets 20+ MPG

I've got an 05 Police Pursuit Tahoe and I'm getting a little better than 20 mpg mixed highway/city. And I'm not feathering it.

From what I can tell, despite aggressive PCM programming, tweaked transmission shift points, and a heavier truck, the timing has been advanced. And that's key I think to where it counts. The timing comes factory adjusted to meet EPA pollution specs for mainstream general public Tahoes and PPV Tahoes, and I'm guessing here, don't meet the same EPA specs or aren't required to meet the same specs. All I know for certain, is that the timing has been advanced and that it somehow contributes to better mpg but also gives off more pollution. You draw your own conclusion.

I guess there are other things at play too, like oversized radiator, oversized oil pan, oil cooler, transmission cooler, powersteering cooler, etc. etc. that also mildly contribute but I figure even if it did it wouldn't offset the additional weight mpg setback from the added equipment. Maybe it does, I'm not sure.

I'm curious, though, to see if anyone's willing to advance their timing to see if they get better mileage.

I've got the 5.2 FFV and anything close to 20 mpg is good enough for me.

I don't even know how to set the timing or if it can even be done w/o a tuning on my 5.3. on my 5.0 mustangs, sure its easy, its has a distributor, easily set. All these new fuel injected engines that are being produces have computer controlled timing, no distributors, and all coil packs, there fore setting the timing isnt as simple as getting out a timing light, unlocking the distributor, turning to xx degrees, locking it back down, and being good to go.

however your timing theory makes sense, as it works with the 5.0 mustangs. Ford set the timing at 8-10^ Base timing on all 5.0's that left the factory so grandma could buy the car and put around town in her 87 octane and not ruin the engine.

However with the new chevrolet engines, i think they are just like the new modular fords. have to have a chip/tuner/tweecer to adjust the timing. which = $$$

True story.

True story. All those PCM programmers run BIG $$$. You know, I never thought of this, but it could be the basis of where those companies are finding their HP gains - more or less, in largely a timing advance.

Interesting.