A Silverado truck and decent Mileage - they can be both.

[White Lightening]

Greetings Fellow Readers,

Way back in December of 2004 gas prices were $2.00 a gallon and I started a thread on Automotive Forums that ended up being much more active than I ever guessed. Although it was closed in May 2007, it still remains in its entirety here.

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=335161

All 428 replies all 37,000 views.

So as we see and hear about GM and Ford and their issues of being continuing auto companies, it sure makes me wonder why they could make such good products but then not advance them to the public more.

In that thread I created - many contributors and engineers added input about how our trucks can be improved for performance AND gas mileage at the same time - without big expensive modifications. Back in 2005 I took up a challenge from a Silverado owner to improve his truck's mileage without modifications and with a budget of less than $200 (detailed in the many posts of the thread listed above).

The point is - you don't have to be a rocket scientist to get better mileage - and why hasn't GM focused on that? How come these companies can't inform and educate buyers about improvements that can be done? How come the current models don't do much better than mine? How come they can't make SUVs that "they are pleased with" that gets AT LEAST AS GOOD or better gas mileage than a 2002 Honda vans 26 mpg hwy with 245 hp?

My current truck is still a 2004 Chevy VHO Silverado Extended Cab 1500 series. Its a 6 liter engine and has a 3.73 axle ratio with r.w.d.. I currently get 23 mpg in highway driving at 60 mph. I still have not had it "chipped" and have no modifications of engine or transmission.

When I started the thread in December 2004 I was getting 20 mpg. Thanks to other contributors, I gained 15%.

How about you as a reader? We just finished seeing $4.25 gas - and because it has come down now - we sure could see it again. Is that thread a benefit to you - maybe a new one would be an idea.

The point remains the same - better mileage saves money in gas and repairs. Better mileage typically extends the life of the parts and the vehicle. In this economy - that's a message we as drivers can benefit from - and GM and F haven't done well at communicating and marketing.

Catch U later

[j cAT]

the auto makers of the USA and the oil companies work together to lock you in with the use of gasoline.to be sure if we allow these companies to continue gasoline will return to 4.oo+++/gallon.

the use of e85, also compressed natural gas ..these alternatives would be great...but there is some strange reason why the auto companies will not produce these options...


its just like back in the 1940's when the transit companies were bought so that they could be discontinued by the auto/oil companies...

you could travel from maine to florida on a transit car...we had a larger transit system during wwII than today...

with the oil interests out of the oval office perhaps,,,,this will come to pass....and then other fuels will be available to propel our vehicles that we own now...then gasoline will drop to 75cents/gallon ...

[White Lightening]

Greetings Fellow Readers and I_Cat,

Well I've done alot of checking into E85 because my truck "could" burn E85 if I really wanted it to (it is flex fuel). But I have found not a single thing to support the concept of E85. These are just my opinions of course:

1. Buring food as a vehicle fuel doesn't make sense - nor is it cost beneficial for the E85 producers. Currently most ethanol producers have stopped building new faciltiies because it isn't cost effective at $4 gas or at $2 gas prices.

2. You pay at the pump - less for E85 - but there are 3 hidden costs.
a. 17% to 20% decrease in mileage - so your cost per mile is no different.
b. you as a tax payer are paying considerable incentives to produce E85. EVEN WITH the tax incentives - ethanol producers are losing money.
c. drinking moonshine/alcohol is hard on the body - and equally hard on vehicles even flex fuel equiped vehicles.


3. If we grew sugar cane - ethanol concepts would be far more beneficial (8 times better). But corn and switch grass just don't have the same benefits of output - and costs to truck corn to the plants is very expensive (because of the bulk requirement). Again - if it was sugar cane - trucking cost are dramatically lower (8 times less hauling compared to corn).

4. As far as "big oil" - remember that natual gas is just as much a part of "big oil" as is oil - except with natural gas - we produce more of it here - than we currently use. The goal is to reduce the MidEast oil and Russian oil activity and especially Chavez in Venezuela (who is now trying to coordinate with Russia).

Catch U later,

[j cAT]

with the price of gasoline next year surging to 8-10.oo/gallon the e85 fuel will look real good....

I am planning to convert my vehicles to cng ....with the use of a compressor at my gas meter....then the oil companies can go to hell..


with the dealerships being eliminated when the US automakers go thru bankruptcy there will be more auto repair work for quality repair shops..

[kahjdh]

Anybody remember gm's EC1? What was the deal with that? I takes then antoher 15 years to make another electric vehicle. I am bowtie blooded from the vehicles they used to make and not the crap they put out now. But in their defence some of the stuff they make now is nice and I think they are comming around, just too late.

[gremlin96]

http://www.naturaldrive.com/
http://www.forbesautos.com/news/head...ered-cars.html

http://www.jrwhipple.com/sr/nf_methane.html

http://www.harrisgroup.com/biorefining?q=biogas

you can go with cng and get a cheaper fuel sorce. heck you can make your own methane cheap and fuel your car.

[rjeffery]

Originally Posted by j cAT

I am planning to convert my vehicles to cng ....with the use of a compressor at my gas meter....then the oil companies can go to hell..
.

That's a great idea, except how does natural gas get to your meter? Oh yeah, oil companies...

The reason that oil and gas companies cannot "go to hell" is because no other energy source has the same amount of energy per unit volume as hydrocarbons (except nuclear). Untill we find something that does, or until we get priced out of using them, the only economically sensible form of energy is hydrocarbons.

As for seeing $8-10/gal gas next year, I don't know where you are getting that data. The current price should show you that the "big bad oil companies" are not out to get you. Oil companies have not changed their operating strategies since the summer when fuel was $4/gal. The inflated price was due to speculators bidding up the price of oil and gas futures. When the hurricanes hit, the speculators pulled their money out, causing the bubble to burst and the price to crash.

[White Lightening]

Greetings Fellow Readers,

I was reading another couple of recent threads on gas mileage regarding Silverados and I have to say - if some are really getting the mileages they claim - then they must be "OK" with spending money I wouldn't.

The concept that "that is just the way it is" is not so. Absolutely - there are limits to what a 4.2 6 or 4.8 or a 5.3 or a 6 liter V8 will produce - but I'm reading where drivers with 5.3s in a 2003 are getting 9, 10, 11, and 12 mpg.

I don't get it. If you are driving on the highway at 60 in a 2wd you should be able to get 19 or better. with a 4x4 maybe 17 or 18 at minimum. My 6.0 liter rwd will do 21 on the highway at 60 or so in the winter and will do 23 or more in fair weather on the highway. Sure - I know - 23 might be exceptional or above average for some - but 18 to 19 sure shouldn't be if the vehilce is properly taken care of.

[worstmechanic]

Hey White Lightning !

Where is the list of fuel saving modifications you made, and what is your before and after mileage? Now, you calculate your numbers instead of using the DIC, don't you?

It's not just this forum, but almost everyone who writes about changes in mpg could use a little lesson in statistics. The main thing is that there is a ton of stuff that can affect your fuel mileage. So, even if you don't make an changes to your truck, you'll get different mileage numbers. Normally, this means that you can't make a change, for example, changing brands of oil, and conclude after one tankfull that your mileage has been affected.

Folks may say 'my average is 17mpg. I changed my oil to Mobil1, and it went down to 16'. The fact may be, that although their average was 17 mpg, their last 10 tanks may have ranged from 15.8 to 17.6. So, one tank at 16 mpg after an oil change doesn't prove anything. It's within normal ranges, and basically, alot more data would be needed to prove anything.

[jdmccright]

All of the previous items noted can affect your mileage...engine, tranny, rear ratio, 4wd, tires, oil viscosity, terrain, driving habits, etc.

I've used all the tricks to eke out mileage from my Camry. I can get up to 32mpg in it versus the EPA estimated 25mpg. The truck is still a work in progress ('95, 350, auto, 2wd, 3.73 rear), so the last fill-up number I got from it was a dismal 12mpg. It was obviously running rich and this last gas-up proved it. The mystery continues.... Anyhoo....

I will add a little-known treatment called Microlon that I have used in all my vehicles. It's pricey to treat your whole truck...engine, tranny, fuel, front/rear diffs...compared to Slick 50, but it is a one-time treatment. No, I'm not a salesman, but my father has used in his airplanes (it is the only treatment approved by the FAA) and his vehicles, and I with mine, with good results. Less friction = more power and lower temperatures.