Increase MPG

Here is a way to increase mileage and it is free! No warranty problems!










Drive slower.

We gain a full 20% in MPG between driving at 55 versus 62.

The best way for better mileage is to installed a power programmer and it will show better mileage, might to give it but it will make ya happier.
chevman

I gonna lower my truck 2" and expect some kind of gain there also.

jfkmk wrote:
, if you think about it for 3 seconds, doesn't it make sense that the vehicle manufacturer would set the vehicle up to get the optimal blend of performance and fuel economy?

Yes, but not to conspiracy theorists.

Bottom line.....There is no magic. If there was, mfg's would do it. Truth is that most engines, today, are tuned to gve the most power for the least amount of fuel. It takes so much energy to move so many lbs. to a given speed. It takes x amount of energy to move so many square feet of area through the air. These are facts. A gallon of gasoline contains x amount of energy. If one trys to run the engine leaner, the valves and pistons overheat. Proof of this happened years ago when a certain mfg. decided that a computer could make and engine run leaner. The "lean burn technology destroyed countless numbers of engines, before the mfg decided to scrap the program.
The best way to improve mpg is sitting directly behind the steering wheel. It does more to improve or decline mpg than any bolt on device by a large margin.

gmcsmoke wrote:

chevor wrote:
Drive slower, and highway tires aired way up.

so running a $250 tire at 80 pounds 24/7 is your way of saving money?

I run Bridgestone R500s 235/80/70s cost under $200 a tire. I run them at 90 psi and they last over 130,000 miles. If I drive 65 MPH and under I can get 21 mpg empty out of the truck. When pulling a trailer keep it under 60 MPH for great economy. Rolling resistance is huge for fuel economy. I wish the tire manufactures would test the LT tires like they do for the big rigs.

I also have counteract balancing beads in the tires. They claim better fuel economy but I think its very minor. The beads balance the tire as it spins. Makes for a smoother ride.

camperpaul wrote:
Don,

He mostly drove the Chicago area tollways and expressways where traffic moves at 70 MPH (speed limit is 55 MPH).

My 6.0L gets 18mpg at 70-75mph, not 7.1. Even towing my TT at 70mph gets 8mpg which is due to the huge frontal area, not the weight.

I can't believe 7.1mpg for any real world driving. Maybe lots of idling? Maybe he forgot or didn't realize the trip computer was reset? Maybe another person test driving it got 7.1mpg?

Anyway, if there was an inexpensive way to reliably decrease the amount of fuel consumed, the OEM would do it. They have the most to gain, not consumers.

If you want only want to use 87 octane, don't bother. IF you are willing to pay for premium fuel, check out Black Bear, but I think most of the SOTP feel is trans shifting not engine tuning. Take that $100-2500 and buy fuel gift cards. :)

Turtle n Peeps wrote:

buck n duck wrote:
I have a 2014 GMC Sierra 2500HD with the 6.0 gas burner. I have been looking at computer programmers and air intakes. Has anyone done any of these mods and did it increase your MPG any?

Hi Brain.

Lets talk about some of the things you are looking at.

Programmers.
The CPU from the factory is as good as it gets for gas mileage for the parameters the factory has to work with. They have to meet fuel mileage requirements, HP requirements and smog requirements.
That being said, can someone mod the CPU to get "slightly" and I do mean "slightly" better fuel mileage? Sure. But the gains are super, super small and usually no where near what some people report.

CAI, K&N filter etc.
The CPU's keep a gasoline engine's air to fuel ratio right at 14.7 to 1. It's very amusing to me that some people with K&N filters claim better mileage. This is impossible because of the CPU keeping the air/fuel ratio stoichiometric. If you get more air inside of an engine the CPU will know and give it more fuel to keep it stoichiometric.

In the old carb days, close was good enough. A K&N filter might have given you a bit better fuel mileage because it might have been set a little rich and the filter got things back to where they needed to be. Not so with modern EFI. A/F are set right where they need to be and "if" a K&N filter gives you more air the CPU will give the engine more fuel and that means you will burn more fuel.

In short, be very careful of crazy claims of great fuel mileage improvement by gadget X. It's not like the good ol days. All the low hanging fruit is gone.

VERY we'll said! It amazes me how many people fall for things like cai and K&n filters. There's many studies that show K&n are more restrictive but let more dirt pass through. Not what I want in an air filter. Also, if you think about it for 3 seconds, doesn't it make sense that the vehicle manufacturer would set the vehicle up to get the optimal blend of performance and fuel economy? GM, Ford, Ram...they all have lots more money, resources and incentive to provide this optimal blend than any aftermarket manufacturer. Sure, if you want a gain in one area and am willing to sacrifice in another a tune may be ok. But if you want the optimum blend, you already have it from the factory.

chevor wrote:
Drive slower, and highway tires aired way up.

so running a $250 tire at 80 pounds 24/7 is your way of saving money?

Make more power, burn more gas.