Question about MPG in silverado...Also which type of car would you get ?

[JCL82]

So my MPG i'm getting in my truck is about 18mpg,driving very slow and relax, mostly highway. My question is there anything else i can do to get more ? 02 silverado Ls 4.8L v8

Next question, I'm thinking about buying a car, but I think i need to get 30-35 mpg to actually see a difference verse gas. But i'm having hard problem what to pick. I see honda ,toyota ,chevy. Those 3 i have been looking into and I can't figure out which one would be good for me. The chevy is cheaper then all 3. Soo what would you guys pick to drive to work and a Daily driver ? I will keep my truck i'm going to ride this gas crisis out.

[bigbadram51]

Nissan Altima. I had an 02 3.5SE....It was fast, fun, reliable, you dont pay the Toyota/Honda name premium, and it got 34MPG on the freeway. Even when I was heavy with the right foot, it still got low to mid 20's

[muff34]

Depends on how big you want and how much city driving you do . If you want to stay GM the Impala or Malibu is a decent size car and get around 36 mpg highway, nice comfy ride as well

[silveradoman0574]

my dad drives about 100 miles round trip every day to work. he has been doing it for 20 years. In those 20 years he has had 2 cars. both of them were honda civics. he got about 220,000 miles out of the first one. and he always gets 39-40 mpg on the highway

[wrparks]

The v6 malibu definitely does not get 36 highway, so check on the 4 bangers. The DIC says about 32 at highway speeds around 70, but checking the mileage the old fashioned way It's closer to about 30ish.

[sportsterguy3421]

You can try things along the lines of cold air intakes or programmers to start.


On your car thing, you already have a Chevy so I can see the disappointing way that that will go. I have a problem with cars you can't check the oil on (Nissan), Honda is great but over complicated, my choice is either a Corolla or Camry. The Corolla is a little bland and a bit pricey even compared to a Camry when your talking bang for your buck. But both will hit your mileage. Just remember - you get what you pay for...

[muff34]

Originally Posted by wrparks

The v6 malibu definitely does not get 36 highway, so check on the 4 bangers. The DIC says about 32 at highway speeds around 70, but checking the mileage the old fashioned way It's closer to about 30ish.

lol ..........I should have looked at posters profile to see where he`s from . Us Gallon and Imperial gallon which is used in Canada are different. Imperial gallon being more . My buddy has an `04 Impala with the v-6 and he tells me he`s getting 36mpg. This guy is sharp as knife and tighter than a ducks ass with his money so I won`t dispute his numbers. My Senior citizen Dad with his `04 Malibu he claims gets 33 MPG combined , he`s not as tight with the bucks but not stupid when it comes to numbers either. Another thing that would come into play is the speed being driven being 55 to 60 miles an hour being said speed

[rrousou]

Well, with fuel prices approaching $1.50 per litre, I sent my Silverado down the road and got a VW Golf 1.9L TDI diesel. Now instead of paying over $140 to fill the tank which only lasted maybe a week, It costs me $60 to fill the Golf and that lasts me for a month doing the same driving. That thing gets 58mpg city and a good 64mpg on the hiway. My wallet is a lot heavier lately

[ukrkoz]

as a do it yourself or die guy, and one that owned fords, chrysler, 2 chevies, 2 hondas, lexus, ranger, 4 mitusubishes, and corolla, and drove for 1.5 yr with daily mileage log and does everything on his cars himself:
1. stay away from domestics, period
2. stay away from fords, unless its rebadged mazda, like ranger
3. you have very low mpg for mostly hwy driving. my silverado, 5.3L, does staraight 22 mpg on american gallon.
4. unless you get yourself into honda insight or prius, the next best mpg is vw tdi engine. plus, those are said to be indistructable. but NO fun to drive.
5. toyotas are less diy friendly and more complicated than hondas. i know what i'm talking about. shims to adjust rockers? u kidding me?
6. for the best bang for a buck, you will not get a better all around car than civic. sporty, comfy, can't kill, and looks much less gay than toyotas. yes, i said gay. even toyota's trucks are all curvy and smooth and round butted. get g'ol hatchback, those are fantastic vehicles. even carburated ones do easy close to 40 mpg mixed drive. best source of used cars? if you have cash - craigslist. we had 5 cars from them so far, all run top notch.
reconsider silverado. if you have choice, go for tacoma with manual transmission. you'll have around 24 mpg and very reliable ride. silvie will drain you on repairs. matter of fact, have one made in canada. in 1.5 yr ownership i did more repairs on it than on all of our hondas, mitsubishes (4), lexus, and toyota combined.

[taliesin3x3]

I don't think you'll get any better than 18mpg with your 02 4.8L I have an 04 4.8 with a K&N FIPK, Flowmaster 40 and Hypertech Tuning and I get 19mpg on the highway @ 65 mph. It's around 17.4mpg on daily driving trips, but I'm a "spirited" driver...

I honestly think my MPG's went down 1 or 2 points when I changed from stock programming to Hypertech.

[ukrkoz]

Originally Posted by taliesin3x3

I don't think you'll get any better than 18mpg with your 02 4.8L I have an 04 4.8 with a K&N FIPK, Flowmaster 40 and Hypertech Tuning and I get 19mpg on the highway @ 65 mph. It's around 17.4mpg on daily driving trips, but I'm a "spirited" driver...

I honestly think my MPG's went down 1 or 2 points when I changed from stock programming to Hypertech.

because it's underpowered engine for the car bulk. it is a very misleading assumption that smaller engine will give better mileage for a given car, it's the other way around. has to consume more gas to move same mass around due to less power.

my mpg dropped solid 10% when i had k&n typhoon air intake installed on my CR-V. it's power mod, not mpg mod.

[taliesin3x3]

Originally Posted by ukrkoz

because it's underpowered engine for the car bulk.

Aren't they all?

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by taliesin3x3

I honestly think my MPG's went down 1 or 2 points when I changed from stock programming to Hypertech.

this drop in mpg when using programers is common as these devices increase power..slightly and reduce mpg as a result...