I have a 2009 Silverado 2500 HD Crew Cab 2X4 Long Box. Since is was new it has given about 10 mpg around town with gentle driving. Hwy is 15-16 at 65. I recently purchased a 10,000 lb 5th Wheel and have been getting 8 towing in the mountains. The city mileage makes no sense to me. What are the most cost effective ways to improve my mileage. Also what would help me tow the trailer in the mountains.

 

I apologize for asking a question that has been beat to death on the forum. I'm reading the FAQs and trying to learn what works but I am still confused about what are the most cost effective things that can be done to increase MPG. I am not interested in high performance.
Thanks,
Kyle

 

That's a little rough on the mileage. I know the 6.0's have that reputation, but I think the one I used to have got a few MPG's better than that. What rear gear do you have? Do you have an electric or mechanical fan? There really isn't much you can do for mileage beyond keeping it in good mechanical shape, proper tire pressure, and driving habits. My 96 Suburban 4X4 454 w/4.10's gets 11 pulling our boat (about 6000 pounds) through the mountains, but the best on the highway empty I have seen has been 14.7. My 6.0 was a 2001 so I am sure they are better now, but my Suburban will out pull it hands down.

 

Good working O2 sensors, clean air filter, and use at least unleaded plus gasoline. The vortec heads give a 9.5 to 1 compression ratio. If you tow alot, rear end gear ratio is key to balancing your power and mileage. Better gearing will mostly improve city driving, which is what you probably need.

 

Thanks for the help. When I purchased the truck, I chose the 3.73 RE since most of my driving would be solo highway and city. This gave me a 10M lb towing capacity which matches my trailer weight. Since then my son has moved to colorado and now we plan to do a lot of RVing in the mountains and the 4.10 RE might be more optimum. Although the city MPG is quite low the actual miles driven is also low, so may not be that important. I have a belt driven fan. I have changed out all lubricants to Amsoil synthetics. I also have an Injen Air Intake that I have used for display that would probably fit my truck. I presume the higher octane gas would allow more spark advance. I also have a soft bed cover that I could install. What do you think?

 

Yeah 4.10's would help alot, especially lower the the strain on ur transmission, with an added cooler too.

 

Ruffneck brings up a good point that a lot of people overlook. An add on transmission cooler will make a world of difference in the operating temp on your trans. It's an inexpensive addition that will help with the life of the tranny if you do a lot of towing.

 

Good advice. Another help is to use a high quality synthetic transmission fluid. Friction produced heat is reduced but the big factor is much better heat transfer between the fluid and metal. With my Ford Powerstroke I saw a trans temp reduction of 20 degrees when pulling a heavy trailer up a steep grade after installing Amsoil Universal Trans Fluid.