can anyone provide helpful tips on how to increase fuel milage on my 2002 silverado with 4.8 engine.

 

new intake tube(airaid jr makes a good kit), better exhaust than the stock one(not flowmaster), and get a tune(blackbear,Wheatley, or Nelson).

also keep your tire pressure up and by god keep your foot out the gas!...that'll be the biggest one right there

 

A canopy can get you up to 3 mpg more, mostly highway. Tires that can hold higher pressure can get you some improvement, but keep them narrow and don't go to bigger rims. Putting 3 inch circular dents all over the body like a golf ball will give you 12% improvement (saw that one on mythbusters, a bit outragous but it tells you something about car companies).

 

the only REAL way to reduce your city fuel mileage on these trucks is to reduce the weight. City fuel mileage is almost exclusively a function of vehicle weight. Costly aftermarket intakes or exhaust systems will not be cost effective in the long run.

Remove the bed, body panels, interior, spare tire, etc. you get the idea...

 

Great suggestions! I love the one about golf ball sized dents. I hope somebody tries it - somebody else, that is - and lets us know. I just replaced the (3) O2 sensors on my 98 K1500, 5.7 Vortec, 185,000 miles, and got a nice jump in fuel efficiency. My truck runs 3.73 posi rear gear, and I'm getting 15 town, 20highway. Also, air flow is really an important concept, you can look at that. The most truth is already here - light foot on the throttle, especially from a stop.

 

My commute is 24 miles each way and is about half highway. Driving in my normal fashion, I was getting 14-15mpg. I put on a hard tonneau cover (BakFlip2), and I saw little improvement, if any. What I then tried was taking it easy on the gas pedal. On the highway, I stick to the far right lane and set the cruise on the speed limit. I've eliminated jack-rabbit starts and mashing the gas pedal. By taking it easy with the accelerator, I'm now getting between 18-19mpg.

 

here is what you do:
#1 get narrower tires, like 245 width
#2 get a Volant or airaid cold air intake
#3 get a turbocharger. it atomizes the air entering the chamber so when the air mixes with the fuel
it burns more efficiently and doesn't leave as much unburned fuel.
With #1 and #2 you can expect to get about 18 - 20 highway mpg.
add #3 and you can probably expect 22 - 25 highway mpg.

You can get headers too. the stock exhaust manifold if rough on the inside which
creates resistance for the exiting exhaust. headers will allow the exhaust to flow more
smoothly, and wrap the headers with (2) 50' rolls of fiberglass exhaust wrap to keep the
heat out of the engine bay and out of the cold air intake to give you better air.

 

If you get a Cai try to find one with plastic tubing.

 

and a heat shield.

Volant, here you go!

 

i bought the volant intake when i got my truck at 16...felt like i got a lot of power and gas mileage from it. Well i recently put the stock box back on with a drop in k&n filter and kept the volant tube just ditched the box and i actually went up more in gas mileage

I was at around 14 now im at 15.5