How To Improve 6.0 Gas Mileage?

vranasaurus · February 25, 2008

I have about the same truck that you have, exxcept mine is a little newer and I have 265x17 tires on Hummer wheels...

Mileage is about the same as yours. Even with the original tires and wheels, I never got 14 even on the hiway....about 13.8 is a close as I could come....ugh

SO I change the tires and both power and mileage went south. I tried an AEM Brute Force CAI....looks very pretty but nothing changed.

Then I put on a flowmaster 50 series big block cat back...sounds fantastic, but that was all that changed....just more noise that my wife hates...

Next I put in Pennzoil Platinum syntheric oil....supposed to increase mpg....no change at all. Well, maybe in 100,000 miles I will save a gallon or two...ha

Then I went to the Diablo Predator...I used the tune for 87 octane and reset the speedometer to match the wheels and tires. Now the speedometer is accurate, the shifts are nice and firm, I think I might have gained back some of the lost power from the tire change, but the mpg is still the same. I drive like an old lady and seldom go over 65....ugh.

Several folks have suggested that I go to the 91 octane tune on the Predator, but premium gas is $.30 a gallon higher here, so unless I get 5+ more mpg, it is still a lost cause, and 5+ mpg increase is a rediculous quest anyway.

Others have said to get a custom tune for another few hundred bucks....I talked to a couple of the custom tuners, and I am not convinced that can do any better in terms of mpg....

It is what is it, my friend....a 6.0L gas engine in a 3/4 ton truck that weighs about 6800 pounds and has 4.10 gears.....never designed to be an economy king, but it pulls like crazy!!

We have a 5th wheel trailer, and it pulls it anywhere I want to take it. If I ever sett the RV, I'll spend a few hundred and have 3.55 gears put in for straight driving, and that will probably net me 1-3 mpg (my goal here is to keep the rpms down so I don't wear it out).

I really like the truck and even at $4.00 a gallon (and we are getting there), I'll keep the truck and drive it less and less. I have a 91 Town Car that gets and honest 24 mpg hiway, and it is my daily driver. When the town car goes, I'll look for something with a V6.

I dirive my truck one or two nice days a week, never in the snow or rain, and it just turned 7,000 miles.

One of the disadvantages of the HD series is that you cannot get the fuel management system where it switches to running on only four cylinders....I can understand why it is not standard, but I ould have bought it as an option, since I don't need all the power all the time.

Sorry this got so darn long...I like talikng about my truck...ha

Good luck.

When my girlfriend bought a new car they weren't offering much for a trade in so we kept her 98 stratus for me to drive as a daily driver. Now I do like you do and drive my truck one maybe two days a week.

The stratus doesn't get great gas mileage, especially for a 2.4 I4, but it gets 20 in the city and 26 on the hwy which is about double what my truck gets.

The reason they don't have AFM on the HD trucks is that they weigh more than the 1500's by about 1000 lbs or more. This extra weight would make it run in 8 cylinder mde almost all the time. If you figure the AFM is good for about 1 MPG or less on the 1500's you would think it is worth less than 1/3 MPG or less on the 2500's.

davzog · February 26, 2008

I agree....AFM on the HD would be a waste. Most folks (me included) bought the HD series to tow or pull or load down...

Besides, it is just something else to go wrong after the warranty is out....ha

My dad had one of the old Cadillacs that had the older 4-6-8 system, and it never did work right....in fact, that was the main reason my dad started buying Lincolns...he always said that GM lets the consumer test the vehicle at the consumer's expense....remember the Vega??

My son-in-law has a 2005 GMC 1/2 ton without the AFM, and gets about 19 on the hiway.....a co-worker has the 2008 with AFM and has yet to hit 20 mpg, but it is still pretty new. BTW, he put a Borla cat back system on it and says it sounds like a ricer in 4 cylinder mode...I dunno!!

Fortunately, my truck is paid off, so all I have is a fuel bill....I feel very sorry for those guys with a $500 payment and $600 a month for fuel, too...ouch!!

wellinghurst · February 26, 2008

I feel very sorry for those guys with a $500 payment and $600 a month for fuel, too...ouch!!

Not me. That's an easy problem to solve-buy a car or truck you afford. I never feel sorry for people who can't afford their car or truck. Unless you are writing off all of that for business, it makes no sense.

buckeye2002 · February 27, 2008

I feel very sorry for those guys with a $500 payment and $600 a month for fuel, too...ouch!!

Not me. That's an easy problem to solve-buy a car or truck you afford. I never feel sorry for people who can't afford their car or truck. Unless you are writing off all of that for business, it makes no sense.

+1. Being able to afford a vehicle extends beyond the monthly payment. It includes fuel, insurance, maintenance, etc. If you can't afford to drive it due to fuel costs, then you can't afford to own it.

omegafiler · February 27, 2008

I feel very sorry for those guys with a $500 payment and $600 a month for fuel, too...ouch!!

Not me. That's an easy problem to solve-buy a car or truck you afford. I never feel sorry for people who can't afford their car or truck. Unless you are writing off all of that for business, it makes no sense.

+1. Being able to afford a vehicle extends beyond the monthly payment. It includes fuel, insurance, maintenance, etc. If you can't afford to drive it due to fuel costs, then you can't afford to own it.

+2

Exactly. Not to mention factoring in the obviously fast increasing gas prices.

demented · February 27, 2008

You know, it's not the fact that one can't afford driving a truck like this, It's the fact that I would like to do other things than JUST CONTINUE TO GIVE MY HARD EARNED MONEY TO THE OIL COMPANIES!!!!! I would rather spend it on other things that I enjoy. If you guys think that it is a matter of not being able to afford it, you seem to be the guys that the major oil companies are looking for. Have at it!!! Keep filling their pockets while you fill your tanks. Reality is that it doesn't matter how much you make, it is a hardship on EVERYONE!!! Rich and poor.

wellinghurst · February 27, 2008

You know, it's not the fact that one can't afford driving a truck like this, It's the fact that I would like to do other things than JUST CONTINUE TO GIVE MY HARD EARNED MONEY TO THE OIL COMPANIES!!!!! I would rather spend it on other things that I enjoy. If you guys think that it is a matter of not being able to afford it, you seem to be the guys that the major oil companies are looking for. Have at it!!! Keep filling their pockets while you fill your tanks. Reality is that it doesn't matter how much you make, it is a hardship on EVERYONE!!! Rich and poor.

I couldn't agree more. American revolves around cars, so giving money to the oil companies is inevitable. That's a given, so why worry about it?-have fun! I bet I am happier than most all the rich oil guys. I could care less about them. I just don't like hearing about people complaining about the price of gas when they can't afford to live because they are too determined to drive a car-any car, not always a truck, that they can't afford. It's not smart to have a 3-4-500.00+ payment on any tye of vehicle. Drive a cheapie and save money and they buy a nicer ride. That's what I did. I drove a 1988 S-10 blazer for 11 years, saving money to buy myself a truck. I could have gotten one a long time ago if I wanted to be broke with a huge payment, but that's just not for me. To each his own I guess.

omegafiler · February 27, 2008

I hear ya, but I still think it's a matter of being able to afford it. Most people are actually complaining about MPG and gas prices because they simply cannot afford to drive a big gas guzzling V8 back and forth to work anymore. Increasing gas prices or lower-than-expected MPG simply wasn't as high-priority as it should have been at purchase time. And its not because folks really care where they money is going. Why do you think there is always a "spike" in "How to improve my MPG" posts whenever crude go up another couple bucks? I mean, nobody ever ever cared where their gas $$$ was going before - at least not until gas prices went sky high. Now suddenly THIS is why we are all desperate for that extra 1-2 MPG out of a tank?

And if you do care where the $$$ goes, that's great. We all should. But complaining about it or trying to squeeze another 1-2MPG out of your daily driver tank certainly isn't going to help. If you're really that concerned and this is a priority for you, buy a more fuel efficient vehicle and make a stand by spending less $$$ on fuel. Then everybody wins!

demented · February 27, 2008

Yeah, I know what you guys mean. Twenty years of driving around in beaters. In 06' i went and bought my first new truck ever. I don't regret it and love the truck I bought. My 2500 hd does everything that I want and then some. It's just nice to dream that you could get more mileage out of it.

vranasaurus · February 27, 2008

I hear what you guys are saying about affording it and I agree. A truck is a truck and a truck loves gas. That is the way of things. I get 13-14 MPG in my 2007 2500HD and that kind of mileage out of a 350HP 6500 lbs. gasoline machine 15 years ago was unheard of. These trucks are probably %50-75% more efficient than trucks were in the past.

A love my truck and would love to drive it every day. I could afford it but I choose not to as I have a beater to drive and cut my fuel costs in half. I would not have the beater if the dealership where we got my GF's new car would have offered a decent price for the trade in. But I will save more than the $1000 dollars they offered us for it in the 1st year alone. It was not something I planned on purchasing but it was available and it is nice to save a little money.

I don't feel sorry for people who can't afford their vehicles. There are so many choices available that choosing to get a less fuel efficient vehicle when it is clear that gas prices are only going to go up is a foolish choice unless you can afford it. If something tragic or unforseen happens you can feel sorry for someone who has financial troubles. But if you can see the problems coming and create your own mess you are on your own.

elcaminoman · June 25, 2008

I have a 69 ElCamino SS with a 6.5 (396) that gets a whopping 6 MPG and I am thinking of installing the new 6.0L in it just to get 13MPG. But that's why I have my 07 2500 HD for a daily driver. 13-16 is better than 6 anyday.

BigJayDogg3 · June 25, 2008

I have a 69 ElCamino SS with a 6.5 (396) that gets a whopping 6 MPG and I am thinking of installing the new 6.0L in it just to get 13MPG. But that's why I have my 07 2500 HD for a daily driver. 13-16 is better than 6 anyday.

We need pics of both the ElCamino, and the truck. What exactly did you to to the ElCo?

robertbick · June 25, 2008

That's why I still have my 2001 Nissan Sentra. I get 30-35MPG around home, about 3 times better then my HD.

trevilian · August 1, 2008

The money is really going to uncle sam. $0.35+ a gallon in taxes is more than any oil company's profit per gallon. Politicians, especially those up for election, love to blame high gas prices on the "greedy" oil companies. "I want to take those oil company profits". I'll give you two guesses as to which two sorry-a** politicians can be quoted as saying that. damn pinkos.

By the way, I drive a 07 6.0 nbs crew cab. 12.5 average with the sorry ethanol blended gasoline

96ahs · August 3, 2008

I ll never understand why a person drives a truck and complains about gas mileage, its almost like complaining about how rough a truck rides, It a truck not a caddy or a 4cy econo box. I have 6.0 but I also have a nissian that gets 35 mpg that I drive daily, My truck has become nothing more than a camper hauler. There's really nothing you can do to increase mpg no more that a few mpg's except trade it.