I have a 2004 Chevy Silverado Z71 4X4 and have been thinking about adding a chip and or a K&N filter to it to help get better gas mileage.
Have any of you used either and what were your result? I am not looking for more power as what I have in that department is plenty.
These are the chips I am looking at:
http://www.gfchips.com/
If you have a better chip, I am all ears.
Thanks
Save your money and send it on gas.
Depends on how deep u wanna go here...some tuners are offering fuel mileage tunes now specifically for better mileage. Not sure how to get one where you are but I know my buddy was doing them, but did them locally and I haven't seen/heard from him in a good while since life has progressed. Check with superchips, hypertech, bully dog, banks or some of the larger reputable tuners. My buddy was "dixie tuning". We did several and had access to great tuning. I used to be big on all that good stuff with the lightning /cobra world, but again life moved on and i've lost touch with it all.
I would also recommend getting a tune for better mileage. Ls1powertuning has done alot of work for me. He specializes in GM cars and trucks. Call and speak to Lorenz. He is located in Texas but he can do it through the mail or may know someone in your area.
I sold auto parts for 15 years. Most people who bought K&N filters hoping to improve gas mileage returned them complaining of worse fuel mileage with the K&N.
I am not sure about gas burners as I have a diesel ( did put a programmer on it and am impressed with both power and fuel economy), so a chip might be helpful.
I took an auto mechanics class in high school and the teacher provided some wisdom about improving fuel mileage that was great back then ( 1980s) and would be just as good for today. If you really want to improve mileage, put a brick on your hood. The worst things you can do on fuel economy is hard acceleration and fast stopping. Thats where the brick comes in. You accelerate hard, guess where that brick is going? :TooFunny:
Tire pressure , and alignment --Tune up with the plugs , new air filter
Adjust your driving style , I did and drive even slower on the highway, a difference of 5 MPH saves me some money especially when gas is $4 a gallon
I have new plugs, wires, air filter, synthetic oil, and keep my tire pressure about 2-3 pounds above the sticker posting on the door. I am at about 16.5 MPG. I don't drive above 70.
I have done everything I know to do. The truck has a 5.3L motor. My old 98 truck had a 5.7L and got a little better gas mileage than I am getting now.
Quote from: pullit on March 22, 2012, 10:35:57 AM
I have new plugs, wires, air filter, synthetic oil, and keep my tire pressure about 2-3 pounds above the sticker posting on the door. I am at about 16.5 MPG. I don't drive above 70.
I have done everything I know to do. The truck has a 5.3L motor. My old 98 truck had a 5.7L and got a little better gas mileage than I am getting now.
I have the same truck, and I'm running 50psi in the front tires and 40psi in the rear (LT tires). I get about 16mpg in town and 18-19mpg on the highway. I used to have a '99 with the 5.3, and it got 20+ mpg when I drove OVER 70mph. My dad's '99 was the same way. Even at 80mph, they'd both get nearly 20mpg. At 55-60mph, they would back down to about 18mpg. It was probably a gearing issue. I heard that there was a cam profile change between the '99 and '04 5.3 motors. The result was about a 10-15 hp increase (and lower highway mileage). The extra hp was probably for marketing purposes only, because you'd only realize it at the top of the rpm range. :(
Even when the speed limit is 75, in the Dakotas on a fourlane highway I use the cruise control and drive 65 my gas milage is much better and I do not arrive that much later then someone who drove 75.
Quote from: stinkpickle on March 22, 2012, 11:18:32 AM
I have the same truck, and I'm running 50psi in the front tires and 40psi in the rear (LT tires). I get about 16mpg in town and 18-19mpg on the highway. I used to have a '99 with the 5.3, and it got 20+ mpg when I drove OVER 70mph. My dad's '99 was the same way. Even at 80mph, they'd both get nearly 20mpg. At 55-60mph, they would back down to about 18mpg. It was probably a gearing issue. I heard that there was a cam profile change between the '99 and '04 5.3 motors. The result was about a 10-15 hp increase (and lower highway mileage). The extra hp was probably for marketing purposes only, because you'd only realize it at the top of the rpm range. :(
I may need to up my air presure more than I am running. I would be glad to swap 15-20 HP for 3 more MPG.
Quote from: drenalinld on March 21, 2012, 02:09:29 PM
I sold auto parts for 15 years. Most people who bought K&N filters hoping to improve gas mileage returned them complaining of worse fuel mileage with the K&N.
It's crazy to believe that an air filter alone would affect it. The filter does not control the mixture.
Quote from: misfire on March 22, 2012, 09:34:33 AM
I am not sure about gas burners as I have a diesel ( did put a programmer on it and am impressed with both power and fuel economy), so a chip might be helpful.
I took an auto mechanics class in high school and the teacher provided some wisdom about improving fuel mileage that was great back then ( 1980s) and would be just as good for today. If you really want to improve mileage, put a brick on your hood. The worst things you can do on fuel economy is hard acceleration and fast stopping. Thats where the brick comes in. You accelerate hard, guess where that brick is going? :TooFunny:
Beyond the obvious, like a well-tuned engine, the operating habits of the nut on the accelerator has the greatest effect on mileage.
Went with an edge evo on my 2004 ford f150 4.6l 4x4. Was getting 14 in town, put that on went to 16 in town. That thing is amazing. Shits so much smoother, and hits over drive really fast. It tunes your truck to automatically shift at optimal rpms, wich is less then just stock. Just cut the muffler off last month, and have true dual straight pipe from the cat back, believe it or not went to 17.5 in town now. I couldn't believe it, and that has been steady now for about a month. On the interstate i get right at 20.
Quote from: Dray223 on March 22, 2012, 12:17:22 PM
Went with an edge evo on my 2004 ford f150 4.6l 4x4. Was getting 14 in town, put that on went to 16 in town. That thing is amazing. Shits so much smoother, and hits over drive really fast. It tunes your truck to automatically shift at optimal rpms, wich is less then just stock. Just cut the muffler off last month, and have true dual straight pipe from the cat back, believe it or not went to 17.5 in town now. I couldn't believe it, and that has been steady now for about a month. On the interstate i get right at 20.
I'm going to look into one of these for my 06 F150, it's not "shitting" like it should, although the shifting is just fine.
;D ;D
I am running Mich. LTX M/S2 tires on my truck. I just checked their web site and they say 35 psi. I might bump to 40 psi and see if that helps.
Quote from: pullit on March 22, 2012, 01:51:12 PM
I am running Mich. LTX M/S2 tires on my truck. I just checked their web site and they say 35 psi. I might bump to 40 psi and see if that helps.
Check the max cold pressure on the tire itself. If it's a D or E range "LT" tire, the max cold pressure could be as high as 80psi. Passenger tires usually allow up to 44psi. On an empty half-ton pickup, however, anything above 50 psi would probably be unnecessary. If fact, you can get some nasty wheel hop in the rear with an empty bed. I've found that running 45psi in the rear makes it a little too "live". The weight of the engine makes the front more manageable, so the 50-front, 40-rear combo works for me.
I hated the gas mileage in my truck, had a k&n filter and cold air intake and still got 10-12mpg, got a new eco boost f150 and now i'm sitting around 20mpg consistently. Opened my eyes to a whole new world.
Remove anything that can restrict air flow. Intake, exhaust, and a good tune should help. Now the only issue is with all of those your going to have more power and more noise so don't get heavier on the throttle.
I hear vehicles save gas and run better with algae..
Quote from: Snoody Bastid on March 23, 2012, 12:52:45 AM
I hear vehicles save gas and run better with algae..
:TooFunny: I heard that, too. I had to install a pond water filter. Maybe I'm doing it wrong...
Never used a chip, but I got better mileage and throttle response using a K&N filter on my '62 Ford Falcon.