horrible gas mileage normal?

[cbftbl87]

2005 trailblazer LT, 4.2 I6

I bought this thinking it would get 15-20 mpg. I'm currently getting 11.7 mpg average around town. Is this normal for having only 600 miles on the truck? I get about 19.5 on the highway. I don't drive it hard around town so 12 mpg seems way to low to me. Should I have the dealer check it out?

[gherb]

Originally Posted by cbftbl87

2005 trailblazer LT, 4.2 I6

I bought this thinking it would get 15-20 mpg. I'm currently getting 11.7 mpg average around town. Is this normal for having only 600 miles on the truck? I get about 19.5 on the highway. I don't drive it hard around town so 12 mpg seems way to low to me. Should I have the dealer check it out?

i own an 05' EXT 4.2 I6...i had the same issue. went to the dealer, they told me you won't see the peak fuel economy until about 2 months. which means, as with any new car, the break-in period will eat more gas that it will a year from now. one thing i do know is to never leave a truck idling for too long as it lowers economy.

right now i'm getting about 14.5 mpg with about 1800 miles on it. had it since 4/30/05. on the highway, my milage has gone up all the way to 22/23 depending on wind conditions. never seen it go below 20 on the highway. also, dont punch it off the line in the city. my understanding is "pushers" (RWD)eat more gas that "pullers" (FWD)

[BlulytesTB]

HA! 13.8 mpg on avg... thats a mix between hwy and city.

Best hwy I got was around 20... but at that speed...I was getting passed, so I suck it up and at about 72mph, I get around 18

Someone check your tire pressures... that will help boost with some ride quality reduction.

[balboasdelight]

2004 LS EXT I6, ~32K
12-14 city
18 highway

Nice SUV, the TB, but fuel-efficient it ain't.

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[dach95]

I concur that my TB mpg is not as advertised as well...

[98RKC]

Yeah same here, 04 w/4.2L. About 12.8-13 city
I said something to my salesman the last time I was in for service, he asked how I was enjoying the TB and I said I loved everything except the gas mileage. I said ya know they advertise 15 city/20 highway but I'm getting around 13, he said well yeah that's about right.??????WTF???

[balboasdelight]

Originally Posted by 98RKC

I said ya know they advertise 15 city/20 highway but I'm getting around 13, he said well yeah that's about right.??????WTF???

I doubt any car achieves EPA mileage estimates in real-world operation. They even say on the sticker that the numbers are for comparison purposes only. The YMMV disclaimer wasn't invented on the internet, you know...

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[BlulytesTB]

Originally Posted by balboasdelight

I doubt any car achieves EPA mileage estimates in real-world operation. They even say on the sticker that the numbers are for comparison purposes only. The YMMV disclaimer wasn't invented on the internet, you know...

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Anyone actually drive 55 on the highway?
I am sure that around that speed we should be avg around 20-22

[baskerj]

Typically get 18 mpg normal city/highway mixed. 25 mpg on a long trip to Ohio.

I highly suggest Lube Control and Fuel Power additive to keep everything clean and efficient.

[feb]

Just got from the smokey mountains and I averaged 23 mpg on the highway driving 70-75 mph(which is normal for me). Now up in the mountains, it was about 18 - 19 mpg. I have a 2003 6cyl. trailblazer. My tire pressure is about 36psi all the way around.

[balboasdelight]

Originally Posted by baskerj

I highly suggest Lube Control and Fuel Power additive to keep everything clean and efficient.

I highly suggest not. Those are brand names for products advertised at http://www.lubecontrol.com/ so I presume that's what you're referring to.

Oil additives absolutely should not be used. There is nothing in them that the oil manufacturers don't know about and wouldn't include if it were beneficial. Modern oil products (particularly synthetic's) are complex, thoroughly researched, and carefully blended chemical formulations designed to optimize engine protection. Anything you throw in there will just upset that balance. The last engine oil additive fad was Slick 50, which was rather convincingly debunked by MCN (a Consumer Reports type outfit that tests motorcycle gear), in this article:

http://www.thegsresources.com/garage/gs_additive.htm

LC20 does not claim to include PTFE (its web site doesn't state what its active ingredients are), so many of the specific points may not apply. OTOH, the article includes excellent advice about about oil additives in general, how they upset the chemical balance of oil products, the need for oil detergents in modern engines, the psychology of oil additives and their marketing, and the value of testimonials. Nothing's going in MY engine but pure Mobile-1.

There may be some fuel additives containing detergents that may have some benefit for cleaning fuel injectors, but I simply run an occasional tankfull of premium grade gasolene for that, which includes detergents formulated by the petroleum company's engineers as part of the fuel mixture. FP60's claim that it "increase[s] the potential energy in the fuel mixture" is just plain silly (and if it were true -- dangerous!). Also very interesting is the claim that it will "protect a vehicle’s fuel system by leaving a thin protective coat of oil over vital fuel system parts including fuel pump, gas tank and fuel injectors." So there's OIL in it? Is this how they "increase the potential energy in the fuel mixture"???? Last time I checked, my TB's I6 was not a 2-stroke engine! Ain't no oil going in MY gas tank. Or fuel "detergent," "stabalizer," "enhancement," or any other breed of snake oil.

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[baskerj]

Okay...you obviously sound like an educated person...just not educated on this particular subject, but I'm not in the mood to debate this....so just some quick points. Everyone has their own opinions. If you want unbiased information regarding what the above article calls "snake oils" check out the Bob Is The Oil Guy website for "real world" information:

http://theoildrop.server101.com/cgi/ultimatebb.cgi

Or if you want, pop your headers and see what your engine looks like (or go to a full-service mechanic who does it for a living and look at one he's going to work on) and do an engine oil analysis (EOA) on your oil. That will tell you exactly what is happening in your engine.

Gasoline and Motor Oil are both petroleum (read: oil) based...moving parts...whether used for gas or oil need lubrication. I had to laugh when you said you don't want oil in your gas. Ummm...gasoline is a type of oil. For a novice read on how gaoline and oil differs in chemical make-up(slightly) check this link out:

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question105.htm

I could post a 200+ page desertation on the topic, but I'm sure no one wants that...

[balboasdelight]

Originally Posted by baskerj

Okay...you obviously sound like an educated person...just not educated on this particular subject, ... Everyone has their own opinions.

But if someone's opinion doesn't agree with yours, that person is uneducated on the subject? LOL.

Originally Posted by baskerj

Gasoline and Motor Oil are both petroleum (read: oil) based.

So is pitch-- that doesn't mean it's going to help your engine by putting it in your gas tank. Gasoline is not "a type of oil," it is a petroleum product. So is oil. So are paint thinner and asphalt. The idea that they are all interchangable simply because they are derived from the same raw natural resource (or all comprise hydrocarbon chains) is rather silly. I suggest that if oil were beneficial in gasoline, Exxon, et al. would put it there.

Use all the additives in your oil and gas you want! IMHO, they're a waste of money and hopefully will not harm your engine. I recommend readers of this forum avoid them, too, but everyone has to make that decision for themselves... and I'm not going to call anyone who chooses to use such products, "uneducated."

[baskerj]

Okay...so tonight I'm in more of a debative mode. Nope...mine isn't an opinion. So if someone disagrees with a fact...then chances are they are not educated on what they are talking about. Sorry if you took offense. Please don't. I have opinions on how to make toothpicks...but I that doesn't mean I actually know anything about it.

Petroleum "is" oil...gasoline is a petroleum product. If you have read the second link I posted you know that. Therefore, oil is in gasoline. I think your minor pitfall is that you are, in your mind, substituting "motor oil" when you think of "oil being in gas" as being a bad thing. It doesn't say there is "motor oil" in it...dang man...that would be bad. By definition "oil" is in all petroleum products.

Now I'm not saying that using too much of "said product" (being unbiased here) is bad. Too much of anything is bad for you. Too many eggs cause high bad cholesterol...too much saccarin will give you cancer...the wrong dosage of drug x may kill you...however...drug x at the right dosage may help/improve you. Nitroglycerine is (one of) the active ingedient(s) in dynamite...it's also taken by millions for heart trouble. Same logic applies here...

Peace man...I'm done for good on this topic.

[balboasdelight]

Originally Posted by baskerj

So if someone disagrees with a fact...then chances are they are not educated on what they are talking about.

Excuse me, but precisely what "fact" is it, on which my disagreement indicates a lack of education? I certainly hope you are not going to tell us that it is a "fact" that pouring aftermarket additives in your oil and gas improves engine life and/or performance -- because then I'd probably ask you to substantiate that "fact," and then you'd be in real trouble!

Originally Posted by baskerj

Petroleum "is" oil...gasoline is a petroleum product.

Playing semantic games does not illuminate the discussion. Petroleum is CRUDE oil -- out of which many products are distilled, including gasoline, a highly flamable solvent, and a variety of lubricating oils. It is obvious that both the makers of FP60 and I are referring to the latter.

Two-stroke engines require lubricating oil to be added to gasoline to provide lubrication. That oil burning in the combustion chamber is why 2-strokes smoke like heck. Four-stroke TB engines have a separate lubrication system -- they do not require lubricating oil to be added to the fuel. I seriously doubt if GM or any other manufacturer recommends adding lubricating oil to your fuel. I'm pretty sure the EPA frowns on the idea. If FP60 claims to "protect a vehicle’s fuel system by leaving a thin protective coat of oil over vital fuel system parts," it is clear that the product includes lubricating oil (or that the claim is a lie). I don't add lubricating oil to the gasoline I put in 4-stroke engines. Not even a little bit.

Another mystery is how FP60 reconciles its claims to "increase the potential energy in the fuel mixture" with adding (at least) lubricating oil to it. Lubricating oil does not increase any "potential energy" (whatever that means in this context) of gasoline. Of course, it's all just marketing hype, and finding a factual basis for -- or even logical consistency of -- the claims is probably futile.

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