2001 mileage
Question:
Hi, I have a new 2001 5.3 Z71. I have approx 2500 miles on it. Have been getting 12 mpg in town, 14 and 17 hiway. Is this right and will it get better? I have talked to people who say they have gotten 22mpg on the hiway but that seems b.s. Anyone who has seen improved mileage after "breakin" (???) please let me know. tia.
Response:
I have the 5.3 in a 2000 Yukon XL K1500 3.73 rear diff. We went to Florida in it and averaged 19.7 MPG the whole trip which included mostly interstate driving, but some traffic jams along the way. I was duly impressed.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hi, I have a new 2001 5.3 Z71. I have approx 2500 miles on it. Have been > getting 12 mpg in town, 14 and 17 hiway. Is this right and will it get > better? I have talked to people who say they have gotten 22mpg on the > hiway but that seems b.s. Anyone who has seen improved mileage after > "breakin" (???) please let me know. tia.
Response:
>Hi, I have a new 2001 5.3 Z71. I have approx 2500 miles on it. Have been >getting 12 mpg in town, 14 and 17 hiway. Is this right and will it get >better? I have talked to people who say they have gotten 22mpg on the >hiway but that seems b.s. Anyone who has seen improved mileage after >"breakin" (???) please let me know. tia.
When you hit 5000-7500 miles you will see a small improvement in gas mileage. Also, you might install a K&N factory replacement filter to allow more air flow and creating better gas mileage. Most truck accessory shops have these. Filters average 30-45 dollars but they’re worth it because they will last the life of your truck. -mark
Response:
You are the second person to state this. The guy next door with a carbon copy of my PU put on flowmasters and the filter and gets at least 2-3 MPG more than I in all conditions and he has a 4.11 versus my 3.73 hind end. GEA
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Hi, I have a new 2001 5.3 Z71. I have approx 2500 miles on it. Have been >getting 12 mpg in town, 14 and 17 hiway. Is this right and will it get >better? I have talked to people who say they have gotten 22mpg on the >hiway but that seems b.s. Anyone who has seen improved mileage after >"breakin" (???) please let me know. tia. > When you hit 5000-7500 miles you will see a small improvement in gas > mileage. Also, you might install a K&N factory replacement filter to > allow more air flow and creating better gas mileage. Most truck > accessory shops have these. Filters average 30-45 dollars but they’re > worth it because they will last the life of your truck. > -mark
Response:
I’ve got a 2000 5.3 Z71 with 12,000 miles on it and have gotten 16+ with it in mixed driving since it was new. I have a tonneau cover as the only thing I’ve done to boost the mileage a bit (maybe 1/2 mpg better?). When I’m not in traffic jams going back and forth to work it goes to 17+ mpg. I’d be happy with 20 mpg on a highway trip doing 60 or 18+ going my normal 75-80. What’s your tach say at 60? Mebbe they snuck some 4:56’s into your differentials when you bought it. You don’t have the "towing/hauling" button in on the shift knob do you? That’ll change shift points and maybe change your fuel consumption. Did you try releasing the parking brake? 8^ ) Good luck identifying the source of the trouble.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hi, I have a new 2001 5.3 Z71. I have approx 2500 miles on it. Have been > getting 12 mpg in town, 14 and 17 hiway. Is this right and will it get > better? I have talked to people who say they have gotten 22mpg on the > hiway but that seems b.s. Anyone who has seen improved mileage after > "breakin" (???) please let me know. tia.
Response:
thanks fo rthe reply, I think without trying it specifcally this second the tac at 60 says 1500. It was ordered with a 3.73 rear. what makes me think its right is that a co worker gets the same in his truck. And no the button is not in. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I’ve got a 2000 5.3 Z71 with 12,000 miles on it and have gotten 16+ with it > in mixed driving since it was new. I have a tonneau cover as the only thing > I’ve done to boost the mileage a bit (maybe 1/2 mpg better?). When I’m not > in traffic jams going back and forth to work it goes to 17+ mpg. I’d be > happy with 20 mpg on a highway trip doing 60 or 18+ going my normal 75-80. > What’s your tach say at 60? Mebbe they snuck some 4:56’s into your > differentials when you bought it. You don’t have the "towing/hauling" > button in on the shift knob do you? That’ll change shift points and maybe > change your fuel consumption. > Did you try releasing the parking brake? 8^ ) > Good luck identifying the source of the trouble. > Hi, I have a new 2001 5.3 Z71. I have approx 2500 miles on it. Have been > getting 12 mpg in town, 14 and 17 hiway. Is this right and will it get > better? I have talked to people who say they have gotten 22mpg on the > hiway but that seems b.s. Anyone who has seen improved mileage after > "breakin" (???) please let me know. tia.
Response:
Jack up the frame in the front and see if you can spin each front wheel. Possibly, it is in 4wd? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Hi, I have a new 2001 5.3 Z71. I have approx 2500 miles on it. Have been > getting 12 mpg in town, 14 and 17 hiway. Is this right and will it get > better? I have talked to people who say they have gotten 22mpg on the > hiway but that seems b.s. Anyone who has seen improved mileage after > "breakin" (???) please let me know. tia.
Response:
I’m lucky to get 12 on a good day, I have had mine into the Dealer 4 times so far and they still can’t figure it out. One question about yours, do you have a rotten egg odor "(catlytic converter)" with yours after its warmed up? This has been an on going problem with mine however I only have about 3000 miles on it now (01 Z71 5.3), let me know, this might be similar problems. Thanks !
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Jack up the frame in the front and see if you can spin each front wheel. > Possibly, it is in 4wd? > Hi, I have a new 2001 5.3 Z71. I have approx 2500 miles on it. Have been > getting 12 mpg in town, 14 and 17 hiway. Is this right and will it get > better? I have talked to people who say they have gotten 22mpg on the > hiway but that seems b.s. Anyone who has seen improved mileage after > "breakin" (???) please let me know. tia.
Response:
I have a 2000 5.3 4×4 sierra. Best I can get is 17 highway. I get 15-17 when driving mixed hwy/city. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –
Response:
change the fuel you are using. try finding a fuel that has ethanol [max 10%] added. here in canada, petro canada fuel doesn’t seem to work well with many engines. you get the rotten egg smell with their fuel too. i never fill there. shell/beaver, sunoco, and esso are all that i ever use – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I’m lucky to get 12 on a good day, I have had mine into the Dealer 4 times > so far and they still can’t figure it out. One question about yours, do > you have a rotten egg odor "(catlytic converter)" with yours after its > warmed up? This has been an on going problem with mine however I only have > about 3000 miles on it now (01 Z71 5.3), let me know, this might be > similar problems. Thanks ! > Jack up the frame in the front and see if you can spin each front wheel. > Possibly, it is in 4wd? > > Hi, I have a new 2001 5.3 Z71. I have approx 2500 miles on it. Have been > > getting 12 mpg in town, 14 and 17 hiway. Is this right and will it get > > better? I have talked to people who say they have gotten 22mpg on the > > hiway but that seems b.s. Anyone who has seen improved mileage after > > "breakin" (???) please let me know. tia.
Response:
No, I don’t have a strong converter smell. The fuel here in Illinois as far as I know is all 10% ethanol. Mine typically gets 12, but I have gotten 14 for longer drives, and 17 on the hiway going to Wisc. So, my guess is that is correct, but again, even from some of the messages posted here it does seem some people get way better. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > change the fuel you are using. try finding a fuel that has ethanol [max 10%] > added. here in canada, petro canada fuel doesn’t seem to work well with many > engines. you get the rotten egg smell with their fuel too. i never fill there. > shell/beaver, sunoco, and esso are all that i ever use > I’m lucky to get 12 on a good day, I have had mine into the Dealer 4 times > so far and they still can’t figure it out. One question about yours, do > you have a rotten egg odor "(catlytic converter)" with yours after its > warmed up? This has been an on going problem with mine however I only have > about 3000 miles on it now (01 Z71 5.3), let me know, this might be > similar problems. Thanks ! > > Jack up the frame in the front and see if you can spin each front wheel. > > Possibly, it is in 4wd? > > > Hi, I have a new 2001 5.3 Z71. I have approx 2500 miles on it. Have been > > > getting 12 mpg in town, 14 and 17 hiway. Is this right and will it get > > > better? I have talked to people who say they have gotten 22mpg on the > > > hiway but that seems b.s. Anyone who has seen improved mileage after > > > "breakin" (???) please let me know. tia.
Response:
RE/ > Mine typically gets 12, but I have gotten 14 for longer >drives, and 17 on the hiway going to Wisc. So, my guess is that is correct, but >again, even from some of the messages posted here it does seem some people get way >better.
I only get 12-14 on my ‘99 ‘burb. Got 16-17 very early on, but something happened during the first year of service. One possibility is that Pennsysvania changed their laws regarding automotive fuel and more ‘oxygenators’ (whatever they are….) were added. OTOH, the Philadelphia area where I live is 60-80 miles from the beaches of the New Jersey shore. When I worked at the electric company, always searching for the fastest route to the shore I used to ask people what route they took and how long it took them. Used to get some truly amazing answers like "45 minutes on the back roads…" from guys that really believed what they were saying. When I dug a little deeper, it always turned out that different people have different ideas of how to measure driving time…..like starting the clock when they crossed the bridge over the Delaware river and stopping it when they crossed the border of the town they were heading for or when they hit a particular parkway offramp. I think that uninvestigated MPG reports are similarly fraught with potential problems. Did the person compute MPG regularly over a reasonable period of time or did they just do it once? Do they fill up at the same pump at the same station? (some fueling pads are tilted, causing the tank to appear full before it would on a level pad). I’ve read claims by some that they’re getting 18-20 MPG on their full-sized 5.7-liter Suburbans. All I can think of is that these people are driving with the wind, using un-oxygenated gas, doing the first fillup on a pad that’s tilted forwards and doing the second fillup on a pad that’s tilted backwards….at a gas station that’s ‘way downhill from where they filled up. I rented a Ford Windstar for a month recently. The *best*I got was 12.7 MPG. Granted the driving was not typical (Hawaii, frequent trips over a mountian range, much driving without overdrive, 90k miles already on the vehicle…) but it seems to me like the claims for a car like that are up around 20 MPG… Pete Cresswell
Response:
I have a 2000 K3500, 4.10’s, 5.7, 4 spd auto, and I average 13 mpg in rural driving. I keep track of every tank, and I have just under 12k. I run Mobil 1 5w30, and I put 60psi in the tires unless I am loading big. I would think you have some sort of a problem if I can match you with gas-zilla… regards mqqn >Hi, I have a new 2001 5.3 Z71. I have approx 2500 miles on it. Have been >getting 12 mpg in town, 14 and 17 hiway. Is this right and will it get >better…
<SNIP>
Response:
RE/ >2) When refueling the pump will automatically shut off and the gauge will >read full but if I it top off slowly until it is full to the cap and stays >there, I can add 2 gallons or more.
I think that’s a significant source of inaccuracy when people report milage based on just one or two tankfuls. Pete Cresswell
Response:
You are right…people need to do a record of gallons added and the odometer reading. After many weeks the data will be meaningful provided the driving conditions are consistent. We all do a long trip occasionally…which affects the overall average…. Or the opposite… we use the truck mostly on highway trips and then change the mode to all town operation for extended period of time… The record could state what the conditions had been. I knew a guy who watched his mileage to determine if a tuneup was needed.. If wasn’t changeing for the worse, he put off the tuneup cost… I do not trust the computer and O2 sensors, etc.. installed in never trucks. They can be causing differences in performance from one truck to another and if we accept whatever is given us, then we could be paying at the pump far more than we should. I have a ten year old and a new silverado… I compare efficiency and fuel costs. Some owners who have the ’same’ truck as I do, report better fuel mileage than I. I wonder why. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > RE/ >2) When refueling the pump will automatically shut off and the gauge will >read full but if I it top off slowly until it is full to the cap and stays >there, I can add 2 gallons or more. > I think that’s a significant source of inaccuracy when people report milage > based on just one or two tankfuls. > Pete Cresswell
Response:
My son’s put the K&N in his and it didn’t make any difference. He keeps -meticulous- maintenance and mileage records on his 2000 5.3 liter Silverado. How good a records are you keeping? You can’t just check mileage once or twice and think that represents it. You have to keep it for every fillup or you are just shitting yourself and everyone else about gas mileage.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> You are the second person to state this. The guy next door with a carbon > copy of my PU put on flowmasters and the filter and gets at least 2-3 MPG > more than I in all conditions and he has a 4.11 versus my 3.73 hind end. > GEA > >Hi, I have a new 2001 5.3 Z71. I have approx 2500 miles on it. Have been > >getting 12 mpg in town, 14 and 17 hiway. Is this right and will it get > >better? I have talked to people who say they have gotten 22mpg on the > >hiway but that seems b.s. Anyone who has seen improved mileage after > >"breakin" (???) please let me know. tia. > When you hit 5000-7500 miles you will see a small improvement in gas > mileage. Also, you might install a K&N factory replacement filter to > allow more air flow and creating better gas mileage. Most truck > accessory shops have these. Filters average 30-45 dollars but they’re > worth it because they will last the life of your truck. > -mark
Response:
I have 18K miles on my 2000 Z71 with 5.3 and 3.73 locking diff. (ex. cab, sb). I have checked my mileage since new and have averaged 16 to 17.5 MPG. My driving is a mix of highway (70-80) and around town. Around town for me is limited stop and go but not city grid lock. Two things I noticed; 1) mileage is about 1 MPG less in winter, I’m told that cold weather formula gas could account for this. 2) When refueling the pump will automatically shut off and the gauge will read full but if I it top off slowly until it is full to the cap and stays there, I can add 2 gallons or more. The last item can make a big difference when trying to compute MPG. I have to say that while I would always like to get more, I’m happy with the MPG considering what I’m driving The only thing I have put on the truck that would effect mileage is a soft t. cover (if I knew how to spell it, I would have), I put this on so I wouldn’t have shovel it out every time it snowed. Hope you find a 100 MPG trick and pass it on; Al
Response:
> Hi, I have a new 2001 5.3 Z71. I have approx 2500 miles on it. Have been > getting 12 mpg in town, 14 and 17 hiway. Is this right and will it get > better? I have talked to people who say they have gotten 22mpg on the > hiway but that seems b.s. Anyone who has seen improved mileage after > "breakin" (???) please let me know. tia.
I’d hoped for that but it didn’t happen. My son and I both keep detailed cost records on our 4wd 1/2 ton 2000 Z-71 5.3 liter w/auto (3.73 gears). My truck is a GMC Sierra SLE Ext cab and His is a Silverado SL ext cab bought from two different dealerships. The trucks are identical other than GMC vs Chevy badging. We live out here in the wide open spaces of Wyoming. A portion of our driving is interstate highway with the cruise on 75. Both trucks get 16.8-17.0 under those conditions, which is -real- dissappointing. I tried cruising at 65mph and still could not get over 17.0mpg on the highway. Doesn’t seem to make much difference whether I drive 65 or 85. I made one 350 mile round trip with the cruise on 82-83 and still got 16.8mpg. I average around 14-14.5 "around town" which I think is quite good for a 4700 lb truck. However on the highway, I did a bit better with a 1990 5.7liter and -much- better with a 1982 and 83 305 auto (18-20mpg) with similiar driving style and conditions. In any case, I expected, and according to the GM Salesmen, for my mileage to be at least 2mpg better on the highway. Certainly I expected it to be better than anything mfg’d in the early 80’s to early 90’s on the highway (note that the "around town" mileage is substantially improved (8-9 and 10-12 Vs 14-14.5) in the new GM trucks). The crap that the GM salesmen tell you about mileage "being the same" for the 5.3 liter Vs the 4.8 liter is pure bullshit. The 4.8 liter does better. The 4.3 V6 is really good and unless you are pulling a heavy trailer, probably just fine for tractable power in a 1/2 ton in a place like Wyoming where the snow gets real deep in the winter and mud gets ass deep to a tall basketball player in the spring. I have found that "power" is usually the most over rated 4wd thing there is in deep snow and slimy mud. I wish I’d of bought a V6 or a Ford or a Dodge. I’ve been buying and running GM 4wd’s in the oil patch (The rocky mountain oil patch is easily the toughest place in the US there is to run a 4wd vehicle "for real") for over 30 years now. It’s not just the mileage I’m disappointed in. It’s the crappy doors (molding falls off, won’t close tight when cold, horribly excessive wind noise around the 3rd door), The driver seat on both my GMC and my son’s Silverado is coming unraveled. The read window latches and molding were bad on both trucks. The horse shit with hassle and expense of the fluid changes in the Xmission, Transfer case and differential every 6000-7500 miles to keep them from falling apart. No doubt the new GMC and Chevy 4wd’s have lots of power, much more than any other stock 1/2 ton 4wd, but the rest of it turned to pure shit. Both the engineering and the quality of workmanship. I wish I had my 1990 Chevy 4wd back. As far as quality control and workmanship, every GM 4wd product I have purchased new (at least 8 or 10), either as a company vehicle or personal vehicle since the early ’70’s has been better for quality control and workmanship than both of these new GMC and Chevy Z-71’s my son and I purchased. If I had it to do over again, for my personal vehicle, I think I’d just keep the 1990 4wd and keep rebuilding it. Better built truck, better engine and certainly had a better quality body and interior. Don’t know what kind of pbs the new model Fords and Dodges are having, but I’d sure look hard at one them before ever buying another GM product again. GM has probably have lost a very long time customer (30plus years) the next time I go buy a new 4wd. I will say that GM dealerships, both Cheyenne Chevy and Casper GMC have been excellent in doing the warranty work. The dealers are making a real good honest effort to fix our trucks and all their problems, but I am afraid it may be like the little Dutch boy sticking his finger in the Dike trying to stop a flood.
