The laws of physics and aerodynamics are such that there's really very little you can do to significantly improve your fuel economy and retain any semblence of driveability if you're driving a full size truck with a big lift and 35" tires.
The easiest thing you could do I guess is to run a taller (lower numerically) rear end ratio. That will lower your cruising RPM. Unfortunately, doing so will also make your truck slower to accelerate and I'm sure with an older truck running big tires you're not real willing to part with any power.
Adding a chip won't do much if anything to improve fuel economy (and you'd probably have to run it on premium fuel using the chip, which costs even more), and anything you can dump in your fuel tank is just a gimmick - if a fuel manufacturer could dump some magic potion into their fuel to give drivers better gas mileage they'd do it in a heartbeat to steal customers from other fuel manufacturers.
I use iridium spark plugs with low resistence spark plug wires and got a 10% increase in fuel mileage 13 mpg to14.5. I put on a TBI phenolic spacer and a injector space and got it 10 16.7 mpg in my 93 Suburban 2WD. I haven't put the electric fans on or I bought a tornado off EBAY for $15.
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How can I get better gas mileage from my truck?I have found an issue with GM brakes. If the back brakes don't help stop the vehicle, then the tubes that hold the calipers bend and hold the front brake on. I would check your brakes on all four corners. I when down to 10-11mpg for no reason. Found the brake issue. Back up to normal now.
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I will add to this when I install the fans. I am modifying the breather so that air will flow straighter into the TBI unit, past the injectors. This was very restictive from the factory. By the way, all mpg shown are city values. I bought the Sub used. It got 14city/21highway when I bought it
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How can I get better gas mileage from my truck?I run 255/70/15 tires. It was bad with the 235/75/15's. It would not stop. That is why all newer Subs have wider tires. Lost 1MPG for wider tires. Gained 1 MPG for taller tires. This has 3.42 dif. Stock engine. 223k miles now. Check for vaccuum leaks. This will drink gas.
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You might want to check youor gears and timing chain. It has a steel cam gear and it doesn't go bad like the plastic one. I changed mine when the water pump goes out. Buy the true roller chain for a few buckds more..It gives a very sharp acurate timing set up and you can't wear it out.
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Unlike the scientists answer ill just say this adding a couple extra pounds of air into ur tires will decrease drag that will help a little also they sell aftermarket air intake mixer a common brand is tornado this will more efficiently mix ur air and gas a cold air intake would also help these can b ordered at any auto parts store spectre and k%26amp;n r very common making sure u have good plugs and wires to burn all the gas in ur cyclonders is also good hop this helps
A smaller truck, the gas saved will pay for it self
Snake oil salesman are out in force I see.
You can google the tornado, or any of the hydrogen making kits, magnetic fuel particle dividers, etc., and find each and every one is a hoax. The only way they help you get better mileage is by lightening your pocketbook. I believe it was popularmechanics a few years back that tested about 6 or 8 of these devices. I'm not a scientist, nor did I stay at a holiday inn last night, but the laws of physics are against every single one of these devices.
Did you or whoever you bought the truck from ensure that the odometer was trued to the new tires? If not, then your fuel economy calculations are false anyways...fix that issue, then see what you get. People used to be really bad about changing tire size without making sure they had changed the speedometer gears, but that seems to have pleasantly changed as of late. Anymore, a good GPS unit will give you very accurate speed readings, enough to see that your speedometer is correct at 60MPH. If the speedometer is off due to gear/tire mismatch, don't forget that it's a percentage...10% at 35MPH is 3.5MPH off, 10% at 60 is 6MPH off. Adds up when calculating economy on a tank of fuel.
You can add some air to your tires (and wear out the centers faster, may actually be worth the trade off) but most importantly is to make sure your driving habits are conducive to good mileage. Slow down (as in don't speed, if you do now). Economy decreases exponentially as speeds increase. Trucks require something like 25% more power to travel 10MPH faster. Don't ride the gas up to a red light. Don't tailgate. If you need your brakes, you aren't thinking far enough ahead of your own vehicle. If manual, take it out of gear down hill. ALWAYS get and stay right except when passing. That way your "annoying" (sane, economical) new driving habits won't irritate so many people. :)
Yes, it all may sound stupid, but my econobox rated for 31 MPG gets 38-40MPG (and I'm not easy on the car, I just follow what I suggest above) and I've gotten 16-18MPG on my (at the time) carbureted '85 K5, 350, transmission with no overdrive, 3.42 rear gears, and 33" tires.
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