6.0 MPG

I have an '04 2500HD 6.0L with 4.10s and am getting around 10 mpg in the city and 12 on the highway.

You aren't alone. :)

Drive a car when you don't need the size of the beast (or a smaller more economic truck). Having a truck like that as a daily driver when you don't utilize it leaves no room for complaint about MPG. Using a truck daily like that though pays for itself if you need to use a truck like that.

Big Chris

Bill wrote:

Heh-Heh...my K5 gets about 6 gallons per mile....I just bought a smaller car and use the truck for fun in the mud snow and woods and every once in a while the street. In all actuality though I get 6 to 8 mpg. I got 35's w 4:56

Some of us can`t afford another car. If you figure the gas and cost of the vehicle,it would take a while before you would break even.

I`d get the diesel,if I had another $5000!

This truck is great for towing but I should have kept my `97 1/2 ton. It towed great,and the mpg was 16 and 13 when towing. My trailer is 5500 lbs.

Chevy was blowing out their econo car for $6k, brand new. Or you can get a used car for around 2k. Ether way, it takes a lot of driving to make it worth the gas registration, and insurance.

That's high avg. to what the '02 2500HD w/ a 6.0 company truck I used to drive for work! Got up to 11 or so at the best! I doubt I would ever own a

As for a comparison, my '85 Suburban with a 350(Edelbrock performer intake and carb, headers, and dual 2 1/2), TH700, 3.73, and 33x10.5-15 BFG A/T KO has gotten me 16.4 on the open road with 6ppl and luggage inside. I have gotten as bad as 8 but usually avg 12-12.5. The poor girl ate the 700 for the last time and I dropped in a TH350 and swapped in a set of 3.08 gears. Gets a bit less avg, but still runs STRONG! Too bat the body is full of cancer and the chassis is tweaked form towing a BIT too much!

You mean like mine, the one that blew its intake gasket at 42k and its water pump at 48k? ;-)

My '99 Yukon gets 19 mpg on trips. I'm not sure what it gets around town. I just hope it gets more miles on its intake gasket and water pump this time.

WW

BINGO!

You can't compare your new HD with your old 1/2 ton. you are moving a lot more weight down the road now. The 1/2 ton will always get much better mileage but the HD will do lots more work. If you don't need to do lots of work than save on gas and get a smaller truck. Still 10 is pathetic mileage even for the HD. I have an 04 4x4HD it gets 12mpg as per the DIC. This with permanent mount side tool boxes and racks with at least 1000lbs of stuff. Winter mileage is the worst because they change the gas mixtures and I do lots more idle time to keep me warm and use the 4x4 more. Enjoy all the extra work you can now do with your new truck.

I have a 2005hd 4x4 which I am still breaking in, first 500 miles, and I have been getting on it some and babying it most of the time and I have been getting about 12 mpg in town. I have the 6.0 also.

There are a lot of MPG tricks you can use. The one that will do you the most good is to make sure that your motor is running in it's sweet spot when you are at highway speeds. The biggest thing to kill MPG that I have seen is a "Tow Package". That gives you a higher gear ratio in the rear end, gives you the power at the low end when you need it to tow, and kills your milage. If you don't tow regularly an investment in the right gearing for highway mileage will do the most to improve your MPG.

You an also make your truck breathe easier. A K&N Air Filter or something similar and less restrictive exaust can pick you up about 10% (this was on the older rigs, maybe newer use the tricks) 6 to 6.6 isn't much but it's a step in the right direction.

Tow packages usually have LOWER gear ratios(higher number), and with overdrive puts the engine into more of its power band than a high gear(low number) which will put the engine into essentially high idle and make it work harder.

This is a discussion that is along the same line as narrow tires or wide tires for mud and/or snow...

Does anyone make a two speed diff for these trucks? use 3.55 when empty, and

There really isn't a lot of debate over it. If you run a motor in it's sweet spot, it gets better MPG. If that means towing gears, and an overdrive then that's what it means. Generally it doesn't. But that could have changed with some newer rigs. In which case there would be no such thing as a tow package/gears anymore as it would no longer be needed.