What to get first for better MPG

[Tim04Tahoe]

Hello everyone. I am new to owning a Tahoe. I just bought mine 2 weeks ago. I don't know very much about engines, but am good at figuring things out.

I have a stock 2004 Tahoe Z71 5.3L 4x4 with 18" wheels. I am getting 14.5 MPG mixed (highway/city). I was wondering what modifications you would do to it to help it get better gas mileage? High performance air intake kit? Muffler/exhaust? What gives you the best bang for the buck? I know the best thing is to keep my lead foot off the accelerator, but that's no fun.

Also, I love the site. I spent all day reading different posts yesterday while at work. :shhh: Thanks for helping me learn a little more.

 

[Fortune50]

Free "modifications" to improve mileage:
-Keep an eye on tire pressures, as well as tire wear-this would indicate bad alignment and it could hurt mileage, too.
-Don't forget the ol saying of pushing on the gas pedal so as to not break the egg attached to it and once up to speed, keep to the speed limit. I also like to use the cruise control to maintain my speed and to control my twitchy foot.
-Plan all your errands in one trip.
-Remove excess weight from the cargo areas of the vehicle (even removing the hitch ball mount from the receiver might help). Also remove any add-on items off the vehicle which can hurt mileage like roof racks, air deflectors, large splash shields, snow plow mounts, bumper guards, etc.
"Modifications" that can cost some $$:
-Keep the engine in tune-really keep an eye on the air filter, this can make a dramatic difference
-Use the proper grade of oil (5w-30 is argued to be more fuel efficient than 10w-30)
-Use a good brand of fuel to help keep the fuel system clean. I try to only use the so called "top tier" brands of gasoline as they supposedly have met the so-called "top tier" standard which requires that they must use a minimum of the required detergent blend in ALL the blends of fuel they sell, not just the Premium fuel blend.
A few known Top Tier Brands:
QuikTrip
Chevron
Conoco
Phillips
76
Shell
Entec Stations
MFA Oil Company
Kwik Trip/Kwik Star
The Somerset Refinery, Inc.
Tri-Par Oil Company
Texaco
Petro-Canada
Sunoco-Canada

-Use of aftermarket parts to improve mileage is kind've of gamble. I suppose you could take a chance and try out some stuff, so long as have some playing $$ that could be waisted w/o depriving you of needed items....otherwise, money would probably be more well spent just maintaining your truck in top condition.

 

[Getwired]

Here's what I'd do, in the order that I'd probably try and do them...pretty much in order of cost & simplicity.

1) Check / adjust tire pressure like was mentioned. This is very important for handling, fuel economy, and not to mention extending your tire life. Check it totally cold, i.e. when the vehicle has been sitting for at least 2 hours or has been driven less than 1 mile.

2) A tank full of 93 octane Shell V-Power. Will help clean fuel injectors and other engine parts. Will boot fuel economy due to slower rate of detonation (allows higher compression in engine). I don't use it all the time, but every 4th or 5th tank is a V-Power tank. I'll use cheaper 93 octane fuels (like Costco) all the rest of the time. I've done the calculations and for me, I actually get enough better mileage with 93 to justify the price, and performance is better.

3) Mobil-1 synthetic 5W30 oil change and Mobil-1 filter. You can get a case of 6 quarts for $30.00 from Costco or Sam's Club.

4) Cold Air Intake. Search on that around here, and you'll get a million hits... I'm a Volant guy for what that's worth...

5) Tune/Programmer. I have and Edge Evolution, and the extra performance and fuel economy will help me pay the cost of the tuner in less than a year; beyond that it is money in my pocket.

 

[JKmotorsports]

Along with maintenance and the other tips mentioned above, reprogramming your PCM with a custom tune will help the most with mileage. There are different types of pcm tunes available. You can have it programmed for performance, mileage, or a good medium for both. That, along with an intake and free flowing exhaust system should exhibit noticeable mpg and performance gains.

 

[Tim04Tahoe]

Tuners

Along with maintenance and the other tips mentioned above, reprogramming your PCM with a custom tune will help the most with mileage. There are different types of pcm tunes available. You can have it programmed for performance, mileage, or a good medium for both. That, along with an intake and free flowing exhaust system should exhibit noticeable mpg and performance gains.

Thank you all for responding. I have kept all my vehicles well maintained and was looking for some of the things that I can do that JKmotorsports and Fortune50 suggested with the tuner, intake, exhaust, and oil. Is the Jet Performance Chip (Model 20310) the same thing as what you are talking about for tuning? Or are you talking about a Flash Tuner that looks like a handheld device. Something like the Predator by Diablo Sport? Are there any that you would recommend or have used/currently use?

I definately think that my Tahoe runs rich with fuel. Do you know if there are places you can go to have them reprogram the PCM, rather than spending $200-400 on a chip or tuner that I may only use once or twice? Or are there other advantages to buying a tuner than just initial tweaks to the PCM?

I really do appreciate all of your advice and suggestions. Thanks!

 

[Getwired]

The main advantage to the hand-held tuners is that you can re-program your vehicle by simply connecting the OBDII hand-held tool; and they usually include several tunes to choose from.

I dunno exactly how it works with just the PCM tunes by themselves, but I think you have to physically swap out a chip or two in order to return your vehicle to factory. Seems like it could be a pain to me. For example, if you take your truck in for service, they may want to re-flash the PCM with newer code to fix a problem you're having. You wouldn't want them to flash over your Westers or Black Bear tune or whatever. An Edge Evolution or Diablosport Predator or SuperChips type device will allow you to avoid this hassle.

Also, many hand-held units have DTC (diagnostic trouble code) readers and user-settable performance monitors/gauges.

 

[Tim04Tahoe]

Gotcha

I now understand why it would be better to get the handheld PDA type. Do you know if there is a site that goes into more detail about what particular models can do? I'll have to do some searches and see what I can find out. But, it sounds like, if you can tell the computer in the vehicle to run a little leaner, then you can directly control the gas mileage.

Thanks for the info! :thumbsup:

 

[Rons03Hoe]

Do you know if there is a site that goes into more detail about what particular models can do? I'll have to do some searches and see what I can find out.

Thanks for the info! :thumbsup:

Did you find out which model(s) can do what? Im debating between the Edge Evolution or Diablosport Predator.

 

[Tim04Tahoe]

No, I haven't

No, I haven't found a site that goes into detail. But then, I haven't been able to look either.