11.7 MPG on 2007 Chevy tahoe LTZ- is that normal ???

[Tahoe07]

3.73 in mine. According to an insider (I'm sure YOU know who I mean) the 4.10s get a little better mileage.

 

[73shark]

That's why I asked. But it does seem that those with the higher mpg claims had 4.10s. You must have snagged one of those "special" engines that the factory let slip thru. :giggling:

 

[Tahoe07]

I had the battery run down problem some have experienced but NOTHING else since (knock on wood)

I got 15.5 mpg mostly highway on E85. Lucky, early production, calibrations I guess.

 

[Getwired]

No real complaints here -- I'm getting at least 13.5 MPG in mixed driving, and I can get 15+ if I drive it like Grandpa...

 

[Richard Hoblitt]

mile's per gallon

:thumbsup: I have a spring of 07 LTZ with factory 20 wheels and tires and broke ours in with a 2500 mile road trip and then another 2500 trip towing our motorcycle trailer with two heavy harleys in it. With the trailer on at 70 and better we got just under 13 with four adults and a 3600 lb v-nose trailer. It has gotten as high as 21.7 coming back from Seattle on I-5 at 70 to 75 and gets 17 to 17.6 around town and country driving. I really think it helped to break in the engine pulling the trailer because everyday it seemed to have a little more power on that trip. It gets better milage than our Jeep liberty with a 3.7 V-6 with a chip and K&N filter. Best vehicle i have ever owned .

 

[Ech0]

My wife gets 15.8 mpg mixed use driving. She doesn't drive that slow either. Almost as good as our Grand Cherokee got w/a straight six in it.

 

[HofB99]

I haven't reset my DIC since buying the Hoe, so it hovers around 13.0 - 13.2. But after manually calculating my MPG from a recent road trip (500 - 600 mi roundtrip), I came up w/ about 15.4, mixed driving (mostly highway). I'll try and pay more attention next time I fill up for more accurate numbers.

Another thing worth noting... I've picked the brains of both seasoned GM owners & Chevy svc techs about what octane to run. I know the owner's manual recommends 87, but I've been one to believe, the higher the octane, the better, more efficient your engine will run. Well, I've been told by the aforementioned "experts" that running 87 is just fine...no difference in performance...you'll just be wasting your money...GMs are "made" to run on 87... Well, I'm no "expert", but I can say that I noticed a considerable difference in engine response and performance when tapping the gas pedal while on my recent trip. While here in DC, I run 87. But for this past road trip, I got squirrely and put 93 ("Sunoco Ultra" in NJ--NJ prices are among the lowest in the country right now, so why not?)... I do have a K&N filter, but it's been in since I bought my Hoe... What do you guys think?

 

[CobraKai]

I'm averaging 14-15 around town, 18-21 on the freeway, and in mixed driving usually a solid 16-17 (if the mix is at least 50% freeway). Overall the DIC is pretty accurate - I reset it at every fill-up and also calculate my mileage manually.

You guys need to drive around with the Instant Econ mode on so you can see how your driving patterns affect your mileage.

Oh, and I have a 3.43 axle ratio running on stock 17s, no mods.

 

[73shark]

My DIC is usually about 0.5-1.0 mpg optimistic. Best mpg for me is around 50-60 cuz it actually goes into V4 on level hwy. 3.73 gears

Higher octane has the same energy content, just doesn't burn as fast which allows higher compression which can produce more power without detonation.

 

[HofB99]

Higher octane has the same energy content, just doesn't burn as fast which allows higher compression which can produce more power without detonation.

So, just as I figured, the higher octane IS better for the Hoe than the 87... Just don't know if I want to spend more than what I'm already paying out for this thirsty beast! :lol:

 

[adam_mav]

How do you check what is the axle ratio on the Tahoe ???

 

[Getwired]

There's probably an easier way, but you could have a GM tech / CSR run a build sheet query on your VIN, and that gives you the list of all the RPO codes and descriptions that comprises your vehicle... Or you could look at the sticker in the glove box sticker and look up all the codes (ick!). :ack:

 

[73shark]

Here's help . . .

3.73=GT4, 4.10=GT5, 3.23=GU5, 3.42=GU6 :thumbsup:

 

[73shark]

So, just as I figured, the higher octane IS better for the Hoe than the 87... Just don't know if I want to spend more than what I'm already paying out for this thirsty beast! :lol:

You misunderstood grasshopper. For it to produce more power in the Tahoes, you would need to increase the compression and advance the timing.

 

[Getwired]

3.73=GT4, 4.10=GT5, 3.23=GU5, 3.42=GU6 :thumbsup:

Well, that sure does help! :yesnod: Thanks dude!

 

[HofB99]

You misunderstood grasshopper. For it to produce more power in the Tahoes, you would need to increase the compression and advance the timing.

Okay...aside from all the techy talk, all I'm saying is, I definitely FEEEEEEL the difference when I put in 93 octane as opposed to 87. The engine responds quicker and I get better performance especially on the highway when I stomp down to pass... Just needed confirmation if it was just me or if the higher octane does help the GM Vortec perform "better"... :crazy:

 

[73shark]

Ah so, you are using the butt dyno. :giggling:

 

[adam_mav]

Finally I found my gear ratio - 3.73. I also installed Volant air intake and took the Tahoe for the spin on the highway. I reset the DIC and after 20 mins. of highway and another 15 mins. in the city drive, my average came up to be 14.6 mpg. If that would stay, I would be very, very satisfied.

 

[Richard Hoblitt]

MPG

This is a game with me but what i do is set the avg. mpg everytime i fillup and then see how many mpg i can get it up to. By coasting when ever i can i can avg. 17 to 17.6 around town and country. On the freeway it likes to run about 2100 rpm for the best mpg. Best so far was 21.7 avg mpg coming back to Salem Oregon from Seattle Washington at 70-75 mph. This was last summer and i know it would be about 18.5 to 19 in the winter. Wet roads and wind and winter gas. More ethanol in the gas here anyway.:thumbsup:

 

[rockrawler]

I only have 3000 miles on my Yukon 2wd and we are averaging right under 14 mpg. Highway and city mixed driving usually. I took it on a 250 mile highway trip and only got 15.2. Kind of disappointed, but oh well.