Just bought a 04 crew cab 5.3L loaded z71 with leather seats with 120,000 miles on the truck for 11 grand and NO RUST!! Did I get a decent deal and how easy is it to add a level kit to these trucks? Whats fuel mileage hwy?

 

Hey deerslayer89,

Welcome to the Chevy Forums.

Judging from my 'O4, and my wife's '00,

I'd say you can probably expect @14MPG,

assuming you have 373 gears.

An RPO code check will confirm your gear size.

Unfortunately, while Z71s are arguably nice, the posi-rear

and other features in the package don't optimize gas mileage.

A fiberglass cap or replacing the tailgate with a cargo net will

give you 2 to 3 mpg back.

 

I was scrolling thru the dash settings last night and came across average mpg was 18

 

Will replacing the tailgate with a net really gain you mpg? I thought mythbusters tested it (not that it means much) and the tailgate helped the MPG by changing the wind cushioning in the rear.

 

Keep the tailgate. And if you have 3.73s I'd say 16-18 drivin conservatively at 65 mph. Does it have bigger tires? And to add a levelin kit you have to undo the torsion bars. Generally this is easier for a shop unless you're mechanically inclined then it's pretty easy