wanting better fuel mileage

[dirtdriver11]

I have a 1997 GMC Sierra half ton 4wd z71 with the 5.7 litre and auto tranny, is there anyway I can get better than 13 miles to the gallon?

[Z15]

No, not really. It is what it is, allthough 13 is on the low side but within the realm of what is typical for a 5,000 lb truck. If you are city driving with lots of stop and go, this is normal. I had a 1996 4x4 e cab and it got about 16, and I drove most all highway miles. Stop and go driving is the worst enviroment. Heck my 2008 in only getting 18mpg.

What you can do to maximize your milage is; make sure your tires are properly inflated and are the correct size for the vehicle. Oversize tires makes the engine work harder, the trans to shift at a different RPM and are heavier, the speedo to be off and the cruise control to function differently than programed. The engine is operating outside of its program torque range. Note-Many aggressive tires hurt mileage and the wider the worse it will be.

Change your air filter frequently.

If you got good tires, say load range C. Add an extra 5 lbs of air. That will reduce rolling resistance but may increase tire wear.

What will cost you money you will never recoup in fuel saving are; high performance air filters and system, dual exhausts, or any other gimmick device that claims mpg improvements. Save your money, many have found out the hard way what a waste they are. You spend hundreds so save pennies.

But in reality, if you want to drive a truck, you need to get a small one like a Canyon or Colorado with the base engine and 2 wheel drive. A friend bought a Canyon 4x4 and he says the mileage is not much better than his full size was. Another person I know has a basic 2 wheel drive Canyon a/t and he is getting over 20 mpg+ with it. The bigger engine sucks a lot more gas.