stotasilverado

I have an '05 Silverado Z71 with extendedcab and 5.3L V8. If I really take it easy on acceleration all the time I can nurse about 18 mpg. When I don't constantly watch the acceleration, then the mileage drops to about 15. Is there anything I can do without spending a ton of money to improve this mileage?

Texasccr

I hate to tell you this but NO. What do you call a ton of money? You can drop your gear ratio's to about 3.05 and get a huge improvement, but you lose accelaration, and towing capibilaties. You might try a gearvenders unit and go for a 6-8 speed auto, but thats $3000 or more. I parked my truck, I bought a used '94 honda that needed a head for $250 and fixed it.

SilverLT2

I have a Silverado LT2 4x4 that only gets 14 mpg average. I have parked it and only drive it when I have to with gas over $5.00 a gallon. Last week seeing the error in buying a hungry Silverado I purchased a used 07 G5 GT. Basically the Chevy Cobalt. What a difference, twice the gas mileage. So, I'll use the G5 as my daily driver.

petrou

ok, if you dont want to park the truck and buy a little rice grinder especially if you need your truck like me, god bless you. im with ya. so here it goes. engines, all engines need one thing. air in and exhaust out. so lets open those up. start with an intake kit. shop around and find the best bang for the buck. but go name brand, something like k&n or air rade, for examples. kit like that can cost as low as 150 to just under 300 bucks. i have installed these and kits and have seen improvements provided you clean them as you are suposed to. as far as exhaust, the most restrictive part is your muffler, cattalytic converters can be but they are usually not as bad as the muffler, install a glass pack or a cat back system, talk to your local muffler shop and see what they can do for ya, a good kit or setup can cost about 200 to 600 dollars depending on the shop and parts used. with that said think about tune ups, your owners manual says every 100,000 miles. plugs and plug wires should be changed every 50,000 to 60,000 miles to keep that engine running its best, use oem plugs or equivelent, autolite douple platinum plugs should be equivilent for that engine. plug wires, just talk to your part store and see whats available. plugs are probably about 3 to 4 bucks each and a set of wires can be as high as a 120 but those are more wire than needed. oils, changing motor oil to a full synthetic can help, usually not a huge gain but sometimes it is. mobil 1, valvoline synpower and royal purple are all good, the q line from quaker state is also a good brand. check tire inflation you know the basic routine maintenance. if you wanted you could even get a tuner, these can be pricy but can also save lots, a good tuner from a well known manufacturer can be up to 500 bucks, shop around again and see what comes up. hope this helps

golfer

It is what it is.

To improve gas milage ... good luck ... but at least simple things can maintain it so it doesn't become worse.

Tire pressure - low can rob at least 10%

air filter - dirty will decrease by at least 10%

oil - dirty or poor oil another 10%

so with a base of 18mpg ... those 3 things can easilydrop it down to 15mpg.

If you have a box cap can rob another 10% ... depending.

IAfarmer

Buying another car will save you nothing, unless you pay cash for the car. Even an old used car will still cost more than driving the truck. Factor in plates, insurance, and maintenance.

Drive it lightly and enjoy.

bad2006z71

IAFARMER: that isnt neccessarily true. i just bought a 96 saturn for under book value. nada: $1670 my price $1100. all it needed was an oxygen sensor $70. tags title all that crap $100. insurance for12 months $200. so total for one year i have paid $1470 still less than book value. the car gets 33mpg city the truck gets 14.5 city which is mostly where i drive. so the gas mileage alone with 12k miles a year on the car and 2k or so on the truck will pay for the car.

the only downside: IM DRIVING A POS SATURN AND PAYING $450 A MONTH FOR A TRUCK TO SIT IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE. [][][][][][][][][][]

with todays prices you have to do what you have to do. i cant get rid of my truck because i do need a truck and i cant justify stepping down to a "midsize" truck with less power and not really a dramatic increase in mpg.

fireman526

I agree with the above post, most cost effective way to improve gas mileage is air in, exhaust out, oil and make sure your tires are properly inflated.

I got a descent gain with those things and it didnt cost me a fortune.

S&B intake, Flowmaster Super 40 exhaust, Royal Purple full synthetic oil.

ehhget

the only downside: IM DRIVING A POS SATURN AND PAYING $450 A MONTH FOR A TRUCK TO SIT IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE. [][][][][][][][][][]

LOL thats the worst part of it all.

wellmax

MPG Improvement[/b]

Run tire pressure 3-4 psi over std.

Change all drive line systems to synthetic oils

Add K&N air filter or one similar for better air flow

Give it a complete tune up using all AC Delco parts

Add 1 can of seafoam fuel cleaner to tank on the next two fillups.

Drive it like your sainted grandmother would drive it, slow starts, no run and gun.

For every 5 mph over 55 mph you start losing about 1 mpg.

It takes fuel to move heavy iron, it takes even more fuel to move heavy iron fast.

Good luck and stay safe,

I am seeing more seat time on my motorcycle.