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V-6 horrible fuel mileage

pottercon

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LTeddy Enthusiast

LTeddy

Posted
Posted

I love my v6 I average about 21 mpg stock it'll go down I'm sure with at tires it has all the power I need for towing etc.. Just wish people at work would stop giving me crap for having a v6 and having no power and how their 5.3 is better.. Granted yes it is but for what I need it does great and more just hate the typical Oh its a v6 jokes

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tnchevy Senior Enthusiast

tnchevy

Posted
Posted

As long as your happy with the V6 then that is all that matters. I didn't really look at the V6 when I was shopping and I think GM dropped the ball in marketing the engine. The closest dealership to me had a ton of V6 crew cabs last year and I think they had trouble moving them. I just looked at their website and not one of the 90 trucks on the lot have a V6 this year, no matter what the configuration. If GM would had advertised the power of the new DI V6 compared to the out going 5.3 and 4.8 they may have been able to sale a few more. At the same time with what they charge for trucks, $1,000 more for a V8 with slightly less gas mileage is not going to sway most people to the V6. If it got 5 mpg more and cost $2,500 less then more people would probably bite.

SULLVERADO Enthusiast

SULLVERADO

Posted
Posted

my 4.3 reg cab 4x4 with a 350 liter fuel barrel gets 13.5 Liters per 100kms, about 18mpg. and thats driveing hard in mud and dirt roads everyday

ember1205 Senior Enthusiast

ember1205

Posted
Posted

my 4.3 reg cab 4x4 with a 350 liter fuel barrel gets 13.5 Liters per 100kms, about 18mpg. and thats driveing hard in mud and dirt roads everyday

 

I think your math is off.

 

1L / km = 2.35MPG

13.5L / 100km = .135L / km

That's about 7.5MPG

SULLVERADO Enthusiast

SULLVERADO

Posted
Posted

 

I think your math is off.

 

1L / km = 2.35MPG

13.5L / 100km = .135L / km

That's about 7.5MPG

 

I;m not that far off LOL i just went out to the truck, Metric is 13.5L/100kms, U.S is 17.4 MPG.

ember1205 Senior Enthusiast

ember1205

Posted
Posted

I;m not that far off LOL i just went out to the truck, Metric is 13.5L/100kms, U.S is 17.4 MPG.

 

Yeah... MY math was off. I missed a multiplier.

 

13.5L / 100km = .135L/km

 

1/.135 = 7.407

2.35 * 7.407 = 17.4MPG

 

oops. :)

SgtShiv Enthusiast

SgtShiv

Posted
Posted

Just filled up and was at 17.2 over the last tank, without correcting for tire size. I am sure I could increase that as well. DIC displayed 18.5 which is probably closer to actual when correcting for the taller tires. I would agree that it's more than likely you driving habits with all the short trips you do.

Brian S. Enthusiast

Brian S.

Posted
Posted

" If GM would had advertised the power of the new DI V6 compared to the out going 5.3 and 4.8 they may have been able to sale a few more. At the same time with what they charge for trucks, $1,000 more for a V8 with slightly less gas mileage is not going to sway most people to the V6."

 

Agreed, 100%.

 

The GM 4.3 is a better motor than the Ford or RAM V6, if it was coupled with an 8 speed transmission it would be a BETTER truck than the old 5.3 with it's 6 speed I bet.

 

Pricing is so close to the 5.3 there's not much reason to consider it unless you get a sweet deal.

ember1205 Senior Enthusiast

ember1205

Posted
Posted

" If GM would had advertised the power of the new DI V6 compared to the out going 5.3 and 4.8 they may have been able to sale a few more. At the same time with what they charge for trucks, $1,000 more for a V8 with slightly less gas mileage is not going to sway most people to the V6."

 

Agreed, 100%.

 

The GM 4.3 is a better motor than the Ford or RAM V6, if it was coupled with an 8 speed transmission it would be a BETTER truck than the old 5.3 with it's 6 speed I bet.

 

Pricing is so close to the 5.3 there's not much reason to consider it unless you get a sweet deal.

 

Mmmmm... Sorta. Would they have sold more of them than they did? Yes. Enough more to be appreciable? I really doubt it. When I buy a full size truck or SUV, it has a V8 in it. Period. That's just how I am, and how I will always be. Ford is never, EVER going to sell me on their EcoPoop motors and I'm never going to own a full size truck with a V6. Doesn't matter how much any company advertises it.

Britt Lifsey Enthusiast

Britt Lifsey

Posted
Posted

Mmmmm... Sorta. Would they have sold more of them than they did? Yes. Enough more to be appreciable? I really doubt it. When I buy a full size truck or SUV, it has a V8 in it. Period. That's just how I am, and how I will always be. Ford is never, EVER going to sell me on their EcoPoop motors and I'm never going to own a full size truck with a V6. Doesn't matter how much any company advertises it.

A nice V6 Duramax, maybe :)

ember1205 Senior Enthusiast

ember1205

Posted
Posted

A nice V6 Duramax, maybe :)

 

If I needed to do heavy work with a truck, a turbo diesel V6 would be quite good. It doesn't fit my use cases, though, so I won't have a V6 in a full-sized truck. And, I just don't think I'll "settle" for the mid-sized trucks any more. I'm 6'1" with long legs. I logged more than my share of miles in the smaller trucks. I'm good. :)

Brian S. Enthusiast

Brian S.

Posted
Posted

 

 

Enough more to be appreciable? I really doubt it. When I buy a full size truck or SUV, it has a V8 in it. Period. That's just how I am, and how I will always be. Ford is never, EVER going to sell me on their EcoPoop motors and I'm never going to own a full size truck with a V6.

 

They already sold a ton more 4.3s, up to 20% from 5%. Here's the reason:

 

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2014-chevrolet-silverado-v-6-instrumented-test-review

​

 

 

This helped our V-6–powered Silverado turn a quarter-mile time of 15.7 seconds at 89 mph. That’s a tenth of a second faster than the 6.0-liter V-8 “VortecMAX” Silverado we tested back in 2007.

 

Driving the 2014 4.3l felt a LOT like driving the 2010 5.3l I traded in to buy it. (and not a lot different than the 2015 5.3l I have now)

 

If they put an 8 speed with a transmission cooler on the 4.3l, I'd definitely consider one next time I'm buying. My boat weighs under 3000lbs, and the 4.3l towed it easily. I'd still have it if the dealer I bought it from hadn't told me they had no external cooler for it and would void my warranty if I had an aftermarket one put on it. (saw some high temps in a "worst case" towing scenario, and I'm a big believer in external coolers if you tow at all)

ember1205 Senior Enthusiast

ember1205

Posted
Posted

 

They already sold a ton more 4.3s, up to 20% from 5%. Here's the reason:

 

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2014-chevrolet-silverado-v-6-instrumented-test-review

​

 

 

And, which reason was that? Coarser than the V6 from Chrysler? The fact that you can only get max output from E85? It being less refined than the 5.3L? Its vibration levels? The fact that GM is doing NOTHING to tout it? The fact that it's essentially the same design as the previous gen?

 

You pointed to a review that didn't point out ANY specific reason that it is actually any better, stated that it now accounts for 20% of all Silverado sales, and cited no reference for that number. Not sure I'm following your rationale.

Brian S. Enthusiast

Brian S.

Posted
Posted

 

And, which reason was that? Coarser than the V6 from Chrysler? The fact that you can only get max output from E85? It being less refined than the 5.3L? Its vibration levels? The fact that GM is doing NOTHING to tout it? The fact that it's essentially the same design as the previous gen?

 

You pointed to a review that didn't point out ANY specific reason that it is actually any better, stated that it now accounts for 20% of all Silverado sales, and cited no reference for that number. Not sure I'm following your rationale.

http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2014/mar/0307-silverado-v6.html

 

 

 

4) Innovative technology for every customer

Silverado’s 4.3L EcoTec3 V-6 offers the same advanced engineering as Silverado’s optional 5.3L and 6.2L V-8 engines:

  • Direct fuel injection, which precisely measures fuel directly into each cylinder, making the most of combustion for improved power, torque and efficiency.
  • Continuously variable valve timing, which adjusts the opening and closing of the valves to help improve low-end torque.
  • Active Fuel Management, which seamlessly switches to four-cylinder operation at lighter loads to help save fuel.

If you don't think the 285hp/305 ft lbs torque (297hp/330ft lbs E-85) the new 4.3l offers is any different than the 195hp/260ft lbs the 2013 4.3l produced, I think you need to look up your primary school math teachers.

 

The new 4.3l with it's six speed is a better truck than the last gen 4.8ls with their 4 speeds. (and has a higher tow capacity with 3.42 gears than the current 5.3l with the standard 3.08 gears)

 

Either my wife or I make enough to pay for the house/cabin/cars, so I can pretty much afford any truck. But you don't see me driving a 6.2l or a diesel 3/4 ton for the same reason I don't shoot ducks with a ten gauge- I fit my tools to their jobs.

 

As far as speed goes, I certainly don't drive a truck for that. The 6.2l is the only one that comes close to being "fast".

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