2014+ Gas Mileage (MPG) Topic

Grumpy Bear · June 30, 2018

3 hours ago, Doublebase said:

All I can say is based off the mileage most people on this thread are getting, they are having a lot more fun with the gas pedal than me.

Some wear the 17 mpg moniker like a badge of manhood. 26+ lifetime over 67,500 miles here. And no, I don't think 85-90 is the National speed limit.

Doublebase · June 30, 2018

8 hours ago, Grumpy Bear said:

Some wear the 17 mpg moniker like a badge of manhood. 26+ lifetime over 67,500 miles here. And no, I don't think 85-90 is the National speed limit.

My buddy gets 16 in his and I’m like, what are you doing? Meanwhile he’s got it outside running while he’s inside talking to me, and he’s asking why he isn’t getting better mileage. He’s got the AC running from May till November. To each his own, he doesn’t drivee that much anyway, whereas I’m driving 600-700 miles a week. But I still enjoy it even though I’m not hammering on it.

02SOMWS6 · June 30, 2018

Anyone with an All Terrain X (or equivalent Silverado) with the Duratrac tires want to share their fuel mileage? With my first 300 miles I got 16MPG average, some stop and go driving but also a lot of highway (~74 MPH). Mine is a double cab with the 5.3 and 6spd. I'm fairly light-footed, wondering how much the knobbier tires are affecting gas mileage...

Snoringbear · July 1, 2018

On 6/29/2018 at 7:30 PM, Doublebase said:

All I can say is based off the mileage most people on this thread are getting, they are having a lot more fun with the gas pedal than me.

Today was the first day I didn't get around my average (26mpg). But today I had to beat the ever living crap out of the thing. Long trip from NH to Rhode Island...had the AC on the whole way, damn GPS took my through Boston, then Dorchester, then Matapan. Pure hell. Foot was in it the whole time jockeying for position. And when it wasn't I was stuck in miles and miles of traffic. Averaged 18.9 over the 130 mile trip. That was maybe the worst commute I've had in my entire life (worse than any trip through NY).

One thing I know for certain, the worst part of this truck is the GPS. I'll never use that thing again. Ever. Thing took me right off the highway for a little two hour detour through the heart of Boston and beyond...only to put me back on the very same highway it took me off of.

About your GPS; I have a 2015 LTZ and as I recall several months ago I got an offer in the mail from GM to update my GPS map. Apparently, their map is stored locally on each vehicle and is not pulled from a cloud or some server. Being that roads are being built here in the DFW (Texas, God Bless Texas) area as fast as the concrete can be mixed I bought the update. Kinda pricey as I recall, about $200 I’m thinking. Anyway, maybe you need to load a more current map?

TXGREEK · July 1, 2018

About your GPS; I have a 2015 LTZ and as I recall several months ago I got an offer in the mail from GM to update my GPS map. Apparently, their map is stored locally on each vehicle and is not pulled from a cloud or some server. Being that roads are being built here in the DFW (Texas, God Bless Texas) area as fast as the concrete can be mixed I bought the update. Kinda pricey as I recall, about $200 I’m thinking. Anyway, maybe you need to load a more current map?

Isn’t that crazy though, either they’re building roads in Texas (God Bless Texas and our Governor Abbott) way faster than GPS can be mapped out or it’s a scam cause my 18 doesn’t have some “newer” roads built three years ago. My dealer laughed when I brought it up to them and flat out said that’s not in their control. No worries, smart phones to the rescue!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

glcbn · July 1, 2018

When I worked (retired now) and drove 70 miles a day, my average was 22mpg. Strictly 93 octane too. I couldn't have been happier. Now that I barely put 2,000 miles a year on my truck, I have opted for E85 for no other reason that price. MPG isn't all that critical to me anymore, plus the fact I can go across the border to Ohio and pay as little as 1.83 per gallon. With E85 my mpg is normally around 16. Big difference, but so what. I'm am not a lead foot either, but the noticeable power factor running E85 is pretty cool too.

I have no doubt, if I go back to 93 octane, my mileage will go right back to what it used to be. I love the fact too, my truck is a bit over 4 years old now and at barely 40,000 miles, it's still barely broke in.

TXGREEK · July 1, 2018

When I worked (retired now) and drove 70 miles a day, my average was 22mpg. Strictly 93 octane too. I couldn't have been happier. Now that I barely put 2,000 miles a year on my truck, I have opted for E85 for no other reason that price. MPG isn't all that critical to me anymore, plus the fact I can go across the border to Ohio and pay as little as 1.83 per gallon. With E85 my mpg is normally around 16. Big difference, but so what. I'm am not a lead foot either, but the noticeable power factor running E85 is pretty cool too.

I have no doubt, if I go back to 93 octane, my mileage will go right back to what it used to be. I love the fact too, my truck is a bit over 4 years old now and at barely 40,000 miles, it's still barely broke in.[emoji4]

I used E85 on my 14, had engine problems because of it, after dealer messed with it even replacing something (I forgot) that was eaten up from the ethanol, went back to 89 and it was fine, traded it in. Once you have a bad experience with E85, it’ll never leave you. I run nothing but 93 in my 6.2 and occasionally use Lucus fuel line cleaner just Incase fuel is not clean.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

glcbn · July 1, 2018

45 minutes ago, TXGREEK said:

I used E85 on my 14, had engine problems because of it, after dealer messed with it even replacing something (I forgot) that was eaten up from the ethanol, went back to 89 and it was fine, traded it in. Once you have a bad experience with E85, it’ll never leave you. I run nothing but 93 in my 6.2 and occasionally use Lucus fuel line cleaner just Incase fuel is not clean.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for that info. Hopefully the possible problems encountered with E85 are hit and miss with different vehicles.

KARNUT · July 1, 2018

There’s plenty of people who have been using E-85 with no issues, I’m one of them. It’s made for it. Kinda reminds me of the hysteria when unleaded was mandated and low sulfur diesel. Sure you can get bad fuel anytime, blaming it on its use is foolish. I buy most of mine a Kroger grocery store. If it was a problem they’d quit selling it.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Doublebase · July 1, 2018

4 hours ago, Snoringbear said:

About your GPS; I have a 2015 LTZ and as I recall several months ago I got an offer in the mail from GM to update my GPS map. Apparently, their map is stored locally on each vehicle and is not pulled from a cloud or some server. Being that roads are being built here in the DFW (Texas, God Bless Texas) area as fast as the concrete can be mixed I bought the update. Kinda pricey as I recall, about $200 I’m thinking. Anyway, maybe you need to load a more current map?

My truck is an 2018, I bought it new two months ago. I hope it's updated. Who knows?

It was more of a problem with the route it chose to take me, and the adjustments it made along the way. It took a two and a half hour trip and turned it into four.

I usually use Waze, I don't question it because it usually saves me from some tough spots. I figured I could trust the GPS with the truck because it is so new, but this is what it did...first it took me right past the highway I would have thought we'd take. Then it took me right into RT93 into Boston (that's a nightmare). To make matters worse it took me OFF of 93 and had me go right through Boston - if you've ever driven through Boston you know one thing immediately after - you don't EVER drive through Boston. Especially during a Friday. So there I was...Government Center, then Boston common, then the theater district, then DORCHESTER. Then it tells me, redirecting your route...right BACK onto 93!! I was in trafffic for an hour and a half and I moved maybe ten miles before getting right back the way I was heading. It was like someone said, here let me dump you right into the center of hell on the way to where you're going. I just couldn't believe what had happened. If I had a holesaw with me I would have drilled the GPS right out of my dash and thrown it out the window. Thank god I didn't have one.

TXGREEK · July 1, 2018

There’s plenty of people who have been using E-85 with no issues, I’m one of them. It’s made for it. Kinda reminds me of the hysteria when unleaded was mandated and low sulfur diesel. Sure you can get bad fuel anytime, blaming it on its use is foolish. I buy most of mine a Kroger grocery store. If it was a problem they’d quit selling it.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Kinda like cigarettes? Lol! Anything the Government can tax and make money out of isn’t going to slow down the sale just annoy someone like me. There was no hysteria on my part just relaying what happened. I vaguely remember something about a liner or some kind of coating that wasn’t installed somewhere that would be able to handle the ethanol which is why it messed up the fuel system. I used to only use Shell Diesel fuel and it ended up having bad fuel multiple times making it look like to the dealership that I use crappy fuel, Kroger hasn’t failed anyone I know.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

KARNUT · July 1, 2018

Kinda like cigarettes? Lol! Anything the Government can tax and make money out of isn’t going to slow down the sale just annoy someone like me. There was no hysteria on my part just relaying what happened. I vaguely remember something about a liner or some kind of coating that wasn’t installed somewhere that would be able to handle the ethanol which is why it messed up the fuel system. I used to only use Shell Diesel fuel and it ended up having bad fuel multiple times making it look like to the dealership that I use crappy fuel, Kroger hasn’t failed anyone I know.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The worst experience I ever had with fuel was with diesel. When I doing demos in Florida in the 90s I was still doing my own hauling. I had a 100gal tank in the bed taped in to my return fuel line that filled the truck tank. I had a switch by the seat to turn it on and off. I couldn’t drain the fuel and at 7 miles per gallon I wasn’t going to just run home on the truck tank. Sixteen hundred miles and 200 mile fuel filter change interval I got home. By the way the fuel hysteria comment was general one not directed at you. I was one of the ones back in day complaining about the unleaded fuel thing and removal of sulfur in diesel. One of the cool things about leaded fuel was a well tuned engine would turn the inside of the tailpipes white.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Grumpy Bear · July 7, 2018

On ‎6‎/‎30‎/‎2018 at 7:32 AM, Doublebase said:

My buddy gets 16 in his and I’m like, what are you doing? Meanwhile he’s got it outside running while he’s inside talking to me, and he’s asking why he isn’t getting better mileage. He’s got the AC running from May till November. To each his own, he doesn’t drivee that much anyway, whereas I’m driving 600-700 miles a week. But I still enjoy it even though I’m not hammering on it.

Pennies make dollars, right? Lot's of little things. If my motor is running, for example, the truck is moving. That is I don't let it sit and idle unless it is traffic related.

I am fanatical about alignment, tire pressures and rotations. Working on heat management and use lighter synthetic Red Line Oil fluids in the entire power train. These are NOT Group III hydrocracked liars synthetics. You have to manage heat to make that work. For instance I modified the transmission thermostat and took advantage of the in the radiators tank transmission coolers ability to double as a heater while the fluid is below coolant temperature. Lower radiator thermostat settings allowed use of 0W20 in a motor that calls for 5W30. My operating temperature oil viscosity is actually higher with the lower viscosity rated oil. Bed cover. Lower stance. Kept the hatted air damn and wheel opening air foils. Bought and use a Linear Logic Scan Gauge II to monitor my driving habits and fine tune my tuning adjustments. Maintenance is done like a religion and I fix everything as it happens, even cosmetics. Keep it clean.

I drive the speed limit or a little under depending on how much help mother nature is giving me, how much traffic and lane availability there is for all drivers. But I do not sacrifice my pace for another's hast. That one is huge. I am under no obligation to drive dangerously nor illegally.

Keep the load as light as possible. If I don't need it for the trip I don't carry it. Make yourself comfortable and use the cruse control as much as possible. I run the air when needed but I seem to need it less than many do. I am a machine when I drive. Every start stop, every heat cycle and every change of pace uses fuel. I do not employ hypermiling techniques such as punch and glide or rolling stops or anything silly like that. Just steady and in anticipation of everything I can be.

I take advantage of my situations. If there is no one behind me I approach a stop sign like I haven't any brakes but in traffic I respect others right to road and a pleasant drive. I use my cell phones 'real time' traffic alerts to avoid sitting is some construction zone for 20 minutes if there is a 'smoother' path available even if it is slightly longer. I drive to my destination in off peak hours when I can. Observe and make use of daily wind patterns and local weather. Example the winds between 4 am and 9 am are lower than mid day so If I have a 150 mile trip to make, I do it early.

All in all good economy, in my estimation, is a matter of hundreds of choices rather than a single item or two. It's a choice to create that habit the world is either in to much of a hurry to make, or to vain to. I choose the truck based economy for the task I expected it to actually preform instead of 'wowing' people I neither like or know or under conditions I haven't any real bases for believing it will need to operate under.

I don't compare my situation to anyone else's. The guy that really needs a 3500 oil burner isn't going to get the mileage Pepper gets and If I drove a 3500 I would worry much about trying to get the mileage of a 1500 SCSB either.

Snoringbear · July 7, 2018

On 7/1/2018 at 6:22 PM, TXGREEK said:

Kinda like cigarettes? Lol! Anything the Government can tax and make money out of isn’t going to slow down the sale just annoy someone like me. There was no hysteria on my part just relaying what happened. I vaguely remember something about a liner or some kind of coating that wasn’t installed somewhere that would be able to handle the ethanol which is why it messed up the fuel system. I used to only use Shell Diesel fuel and it ended up having bad fuel multiple times making it look like to the dealership that I use crappy fuel, Kroger hasn’t failed anyone I know.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Agree about Kroger gas. I’ve been using it as my primary source for about fifteen years except when traveling and have never had an injector problem with any of my vehicles and usually have three or four on the tab at any given time. I do wish though that Kroger would participate in the Top Tier program. But, on the other hand the store where I shop and buy gas does a huge volume so there’s no worries about stale gas. Anyway, I like the Kroger point system which I usually accumulate for filling my 6.2 Silverado. My way of fuel cost management, lol?....

Doublebase · July 7, 2018

5 hours ago, Grumpy Bear said:

Pennies make dollars, right? Lot's of little things. If my motor is running, for example, the truck is moving. That is I don't let it sit and idle unless it is traffic related.

I am fanatical about alignment, tire pressures and rotations. Working on heat management and use lighter synthetic Red Line Oil fluids in the entire power train. These are NOT Group III hydrocracked liars synthetics. You have to manage heat to make that work. For instance I modified the transmission thermostat and took advantage of the in the radiators tank transmission coolers ability to double as a heater while the fluid is below coolant temperature. Lower radiator thermostat settings allowed use of 0W20 in a motor that calls for 5W30. My operating temperature oil viscosity is actually higher with the lower viscosity rated oil. Bed cover. Lower stance. Kept the hatted air damn and wheel opening air foils. Bought and use a Linear Logic Scan Gauge II to monitor my driving habits and fine tune my tuning adjustments. Maintenance is done like a religion and I fix everything as it happens, even cosmetics. Keep it clean.

I drive the speed limit or a little under depending on how much help mother nature is giving me, how much traffic and lane availability there is for all drivers. But I do not sacrifice my pace for another's hast. That one is huge. I am under no obligation to drive dangerously nor illegally.

Keep the load as light as possible. If I don't need it for the trip I don't carry it. Make yourself comfortable and use the cruse control as much as possible. I run the air when needed but I seem to need it less than many do. I am a machine when I drive. Every start stop, every heat cycle and every change of pace uses fuel. I do not employ hypermiling techniques such as punch and glide or rolling stops or anything silly like that. Just steady and in anticipation of everything I can be.

I take advantage of my situations. If there is no one behind me I approach a stop sign like I haven't any brakes but in traffic I respect others right to road and a pleasant drive. I use my cell phones 'real time' traffic alerts to avoid sitting is some construction zone for 20 minutes if there is a 'smoother' path available even if it is slightly longer. I drive to my destination in off peak hours when I can. Observe and make use of daily wind patterns and local weather. Example the winds between 4 am and 9 am are lower than mid day so If I have a 150 mile trip to make, I do it early.

All in all good economy, in my estimation, is a matter of hundreds of choices rather than a single item or two. It's a choice to create that habit the world is either in to much of a hurry to make, or to vain to. I choose the truck based economy for the task I expected it to actually preform instead of 'wowing' people I neither like or know or under conditions I haven't any real bases for believing it will need to operate under.

I don't compare my situation to anyone else's. The guy that really needs a 3500 oil burner isn't going to get the mileage Pepper gets and If I drove a 3500 I would worry much about trying to get the mileage of a 1500 SCSB either.

Excellent post. Do you use your truck for work or is it a commuter? How many miles a week are you driving?

I'm averaging around 26 mpg...sometimes 25.5 depending on traffic. I realize the truck's computer isn't accurate but it's what I go by.

I set my driving screen to the fuel economy setting, it helps me understand when and how much I can let off the gas pedal and get into V4 mode. And when I can't. I've pretty much got it down to a science now. I'm finding I'm usually averaging 30 plus mpg unless I'm stuck in traffic or going up a hill.

I cant beat the cruise control on this truck so I pretty much use it all of the time in the highway - I set it at 67/68 - something where I can kind of "fit in" with the flow of the slower traffic, without causing problems. What I've found is that it's much more risky driving in the slower lanes than the high speed lane. The slower lane has the incoming traffic, which is a pain. And if you go over a lane it's even worse because you're sandwhiched in between two lanes. In the fast lane there's no one to your left and you have less traffic entering from your right (but it's something I've adjusted to).

I take full full advantage of this truck's ability to GLIDE. Man can it glide. Going down a hill? This thing builds up so much speed it's ridiculous...never have to touch the gas pedal. And then it glides half way up the other side (and with light throttle you're there).

I haven't tried redline products, I'm a bit cheap when it comes to oil. I'll use a full synthetic 0w20 but I change it at 5,000 miles (I don't do extended oil changes). I mean I'll buy whatever's brand name is on sale at Walmart (Mobil, Quaker State, Castrol, pennzoil). I realize they're all group lll synthetics but I've read that with 0w20 oil the manufacturers have to use some group llll just to get it within viscosity specifications. You ever hear of that? I've always read, if you have to chose between 5w20 and 0w20, always pick the 0w20, it's a higher quality oil.

My truck only has 7,500 miles on it (it's only two and a half months old), so I haven't tinkered with anything yet. I'm a huge huge maintenance guy though. I'll probably do a drain and fill on the tranny at 20,000. I'll do the transfer case and diffs at 30,000. I'll probably do the coolant at 70,000. I may do brake fluid flushes every couple of years. Thinking about installing a catch can. I have a bed cover I'm putting on next week. I've already done one Fluid Film treatment underneath, I'll be doing another one in November. People say the fluid film destroys the wax on the frame but I've seen zero issues with it (know lots of guys who've had their GM trucks treated). Winters kill trucks around here, it's a serious problem. GM wax starts to flake off after a year (or less), then it just spreads like wildfire. I'm going to try to stay on top of it (we'll see how that goes). If I can slow it down by 50% I'll be pretty happy I guess.

I'll be putting 30,000 plus a year on the truck, so it needs to hold up and get me decent fuel mileage. So far it's exceeded my expectations.