Increase the gas mileage...what works for you and your ride?

[ScottGoodman]

I'm talking about aftermarket parts. I traded in my crew cab truck for a suburban w/ awd and the 6.0 engine. I have ordered a K&N cold air kit and plan (pending funds) on two other add-ons: Hypertech programmer & Gibson SS exhaust. Any ideas? That 6.0 loves fuel...I need to put it on a diet without hurting power.

[cpcohen1945]

I suspect the best aftermarket accessory you could buy would be an intake-manifold vacuum gauge.

It will do nothing about the engine's thirst for fuel. But it will tell you when you're lead-footing the gas pedal, and that will encourage you to smooth out your driving. That's probably the best thing you can do.

.. Charles

[ScottGoodman]

Makes since. Over the past year or so I have been trying to pay attention to my driving style while in a auto and leaving the romping to the bike. My wifes Venza has all kinds of gadgets in it and it's shown me a lot. It's amazing how if you get over a certain rpm range a vehicle really uses more fuel. I have also learned that cruise control isn't necessarily the best way to conserve fuel either.

[cpcohen1945]

On second thought, a vacuum gauge would be surely be good for a conventionally-carbureted engine.

I _think_ it would be useful for a fuel-injected engine, but I don't know enough about how the fuel/air mixture is managed to say for sure.

Charles

[poppy926]

Watching your RPM's, going the speed limit, and slow acceleration. I get 26 MPG city, out of a car rated at 22 MPG by doing this, speed limit thing is the hardest. I get an extra 64 miles per tank. Which adds up when you drive 45 miles each way to work. And doing the speed limit in ATL is almost illegal.

[ScottGoodman]

I am sure there is a way to do a vacuum gauge, but I'm not sure personally.

On the driving style, I've tamed down somewhat in the car...but the bike is still a different story.

If I were solely worried about fuel mileage I wouldn't have gotten a AWD Surburban with the larger engine, but I wanted it for when I hook up to a trailer. I'm just wanting to help make it as efficient as possible, thus the request for anyone who has more expereince than I...which shouldn't be too hard

[poppy926]

Sorry I misunderstood the OP. The options you listed will go a long way for performance and fuel economy. I think I know that what you are going for and honestly the programmer will probably be the best thing for ya. I would suggest speaking to some peformance pros to help you get the best one for your particular vehicle. My only suggestion for a programmer is get one that can be adjusted on the fly. You dont want to have to stop and adjust when you get out of the mountains for flat land or vice versa. I think there are some that have settings for various driving conditions so you can have one to max your torque and one for fuel economy one for HP and so on.
I have been out of that kind of stuff for quite some time so take it for what you paid for it...

[HNSB]

How many miles are you using the suburban for commuting, running around, and other things you don't need the space or towing capacity for?
Your best bet might be to just get another car that's fuel efficient and only use the suburban when you need to.

I used to drive 53 miles one-way to work. When gas prices went up, I parked my pickup - using it only for hunting trips, towing my boat, and plowing snow. I got a small economy car and the difference in fuel mileage covered the car payment and insurance - IOW - it was a free car!


edit: that may not be useful at all to your situation, I'm not sure about increasing the fuel economy of the surbaban, so this is most likely a useless post, but maybe it's some food for thought.

[ScottGoodman]

If I drove further to work, I would have considered a gas sipping car like a civic...but it's only 6 miles to work. I fully understand your logic. I've got a friend I work with on the railroad that is considering exactly what you are talking about. He drives about 45 miles to work & his diesel truck gets about 15 miles per gallon. That's 6 gallons per day @ $3.75=$22.50 daily x 5 days a week =112.5 x 4 weeks per month = $450. That's a free car...

[ace]

I've gotten great results by parking my Suburban in front of my house, buying a Ford Fusion Hybrid that gets 44 MPG and driving that instead. I do miss the front seats in the Suburban.