sheadmo

sheadmo raytown mo.w0rvy@sbcglobal.net

Chevrolet Customer Service

Good morning all,
I am not sure if the following information will be helpful or not to the discussion.

The fuel economy estimates are based on results of tests required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These tests are used to certify that vehicles meet the federal emissions and fuel economy standards. Manufacturers test pre-production prototypes of the new vehicle models and submit the test results to EPA. EPA re-tests about 10% of vehicle models to confirm the manufacturer's results. The vehicles are driven by a professional driver under controlled laboratory conditions, on an instrument similar to a treadmill. These procedures ensure that each vehicle is tested under identical conditions; therefore, the results can be compared with confidence.

The EPA's fuel economy estimates are designed to allow consumers to comparison shop. Your fuel economy will almost certainly vary from EPA's fuel economy rating, which is based on a number of factors including weather, road conditions, driving and maintenance habits, and use of air conditioning.

For more information on how your fuel economy can vary, or tips to improve your fuel economy, please visit Your MPG Will Still Vary and Gas Mileage Tips on www.fueleconomy.gov.

All the best,
Sarah (Assisting Louis)
Chevrolet Customer Service

country_09

I hear all sorts of stories about not gettin the estimated mpg. When they test to get the mpg you see on the sticker, they're testin in the best suited areas to get the best mpg. Temperature is perfect, no air resistance, perfect speed rating for optimal mpg, etc. On a day to day basis, you don't see these perfect settings to get that kind of mileage. If the sticker says 18 mpg hwy and you're gettin 16, that's pretty good considerin that they're runnin on a straight flat road and in 4 cyl mode for best mpg while you're on a up and down hwy in and out of the gas. Most people I've read on this thread have been postin in the winter months complainin of bad gas mileage, that's caused by the blend of fuel used this time of year. They've just now switched back to summer blend, which generally yields 1-2 mpg better. Don't get rid of the truck just becasue you're 1-2 mpg off what the sticker says. My trucks sticker(when bought in 01) said 15 city and 18 hwy. It got around 13 city and 15-16 hwy dependin on the speed. Did I get rid of it? No. because it's a truck and a truck isn't expected to get prius mpg numbers. All the trucks now a days have a epa rating of gettin 20 mpg hwy. The most i've seen out of any of these(ford, dodge, toyota, chevy gas trucks completely stock) was 18, in a chevy 5.3 and the new ford ecoboost. The ecoboost is rated to get BETTER mpg than the 5.3 with a supercharged v6, but the 5.3 was right there with it. Drivin habits play a lot into mpg as well. Takin off fast at the line, stop and go traffic, drivin 75-80 instead of 65-70 all take their toll on mpg. Drive like a grandpa and you'll see those advertised numbers. Don't expect a brick of a truck that lacks any sort of aerodynamics to get good mpg like a car. Also DO NOT trust the DIC on the truck, they're always off. Hand calculate the mpg for proper gas mileage numbers. Fill up, drive till it's empty recordin the miles you've driven, fill up again. Divide the miles you've drivin by the amount of gas you put back in. Will probably yield better mpg numbers than the DIC


edit: If drivin like a grandpa doesn't help you, then you're not doin it right. the truck in my avatar is what I have, but on 35s now. So i'm way out of the aerodynamic ball game, and I'm pushin a heavier tire/rim combo with a 200,000 mile 5.3 with stock 3.73 gears and i get 13 mpg.

ukwildcatsfan1

I purchased my 2011 Silverado LT crew cab in September of 2011. I did get 18 MPG on one trip from Richmond KY to Pigeon Forge TN. The rest of the time has been 15 - 17. I changed the air filter to a K&N as well as changing the programing with a PowerTech programmer in March of 2012. The best I have gotten since the changes is 16.5 MPG. My driving habits have not changed as this is my daily driver. My '99 was getting 17+ with 225,000 miles! I think I will change back to stock programing and stock air filter to see if I can get back to 17-18 MPG. I have also been a GM fan for my entire life but have a sour taste in my mouth now. I was expecting 20 MPG's as I drive 50 miles a day on I-75.

rutbuster1

UPDATE: I posted earlier in the year about the POOR mileage with my 2011, 5.3l, 4wd, Z71. Well, the truck has right at 12,000 miles on it and the mileage has crept up to 15.9mpg from 15.4. (WOW! Big improvement! NOT!!) Guess that blows away the "It's not broken in yet." theory. If 11,000 miles doesn't consider being broken in then what does? I have not changed my driving habits and am still pissed about the POOR fuel mileage. I LOVE the truck, HATE the poor mileage. One of the reasons I purchased it was because of the "ESTIMATED" fuel mileage. Still think I should have kept my 2008, V6, 4wd, Tacoma. At least it was getting 17.5mpg. I still think GM should be brought up on "FALSE ADVERTISING!" I know quite a few people that are pissed about the poor mileage they're getting. Just sayin'. Oh, and I am using (supposedly), NON-ETHANOL gas too.

ericnottelin

I have an 08 max 6.0l w/ 3.73 gears (4x4) crew cab. I get around 12-13 mpg in the city and if I'm going down the interstate at 75mph (anything slower and you will get run off the roadway by the cops that pass you), I'm at 14.8 -15 mpg. Towing a 8k camper i'm at 8.5mpg at 60 mph. The gas mileage sucks, but the truck can do ANYTHING I ask it to do. So I won't complain to much.

rutbuster1

I LOVE the truck. It does everything I ask it to do. I just feel I was mislead by GM about the fuel mileage. Those "Estimated MPG" stickers on trucks apparently don't come close to the actual mileage you'll get in the real world. I feel they need to put "Real World" mileage estimates on them. Oh, and you're right about the speed. If I was to do 70mph on the interstate in Alabama, I would be the hazard so I go with the flow which is 75-85mph. lol

midshark

rutbuster, I have done a lot of "research" on other truck forums, (and this one too) and the thing that aggravates me is that there ARE plenty of guys getting 19-21 mpg with their trucks. A lot of them are getting that as they drive off the dealer lot, too. So much for the "needs to be broken in" mantra we keep hearing. I'm in the same boat as you (but I only have 4000 miles on my truck) I was getting 14.6 on the highway originally, and it has now improved to a whopping 14.71. Combination driving I am getting between 13.5 and 14. I am pissed, too, especially since I was getting better mileage with the 2002 I had since new that I traded in on this truck.
From what I have read, the dealers will do little or nothing about it, since no codes are being tripped. The suspected problem is the AFM, (mine does not work as intended) but again, even someone who gets as far as having a GM engineer getting involved is just told that everything is working as designed. One fellow got a little more action by going to the EPA and getting them involved, but again, was told by a GM engineer (supposedly the one who calibrated the AFM system for GM) that drag on the engine...blah, blah...can't stay in AFM mode... blah, blah... catalytic converter would not stay hot enough to meet EPA standards..blah, blah.
So it is a real catch 22 if you want to complain about it.
You and I and many others are unfortunately in the position of owning one of these trucks that is just not functioning as designed, and I don't know if there is a whole lot that we can do about it. I plan on selling mine at least in 33 months or 32,000 more miles, when the warranty is up, or sooner.

Rich
P.S.- My drywall contractor bought a new Ford last year with the 5.4, and he gets 20.4 on the highway.

Bobbie Hoffman

What kind of mileage do you expect at 73 mph? I would use whatever gas the manufacturer recommends. Using different gas could actually damage your fuel system,if its not made to run what you are running.

country_09

No wonder bad mpg is what y'all are gettin. 75-85 mph in a brick isn't gonna result in good numbers. like said, i have a 200xxx mile 5.3 on 35s and 3.73 gears which is way under geared, and still get 13 mpg. But on the highway I do 65(speed limit) and in town I'm not gunnin it off the line.

For y'all to complain about 15-16 mpg is retarded. Oh and ford stopped makin the 5.4, only the supercharged ecoboost which gets around 16 mpg consistently, and a new 5.0 which gets around the same as Chevy trucks. What's to whine about? It's a truck. Don't expect Prius numbers.

If you want an improvement of about 1-2 mpg and better power results, contact Justin at blackbearperformance or Charlie at gowheatley.