Mpg?

[Steve_o]

I am possibly looking into getting a 88-98 ex cab short box 4x4, and I was wondering what the typical MPG was for the diesels. So if you could post up your year, engine size, and mpg, that would be great.

THanks guys.

[K5Fury]

'93 one ton 4x4 regular cab long bed with 6.5td and automatic and 92,000 miles, average between 19-21 mpg.

[chrisk1500]

Truck is in sig.....

15 mpg in the city with my foot in it at all times....

16 mpg in the city driving nicely....

18 - 20 mpg on the highway depending on things like wind and load....

[Steve_o]

Sweet, your from sask too...

do you think it would be a better choice to get a diesel, or a gas, based on fuel efficiency? Also what are some advantages of diesel over gas?

[chrisk1500]

Based on fuel efficiency - diesel is the way to go....

Based on cost - diesel parts are way more expensive than gasser parts.....

Personally I will never buy another gasser truck again....the torque the diesel produces can't be touched by a gasser while returning the same mpg....

If you know how to turn your own wrenches the diesel is the way to go IMHO of course....

[red suburban]

Sweet, your from sask too...

do you think it would be a better choice to get a diesel, or a gas, based on fuel efficiency? Also what are some advantages of diesel over gas?
i say diesel all the way, much better gas mileage (expecially in the older diesel motors or the cummins 4bt). alot more torque as chrisk1500 pointed out, known to last for more miles, and simpler to work on. as far as cost goes, yes parts for diesels are more expensive, but that is usually offset by the amount of money you save by getting better gas mileage, expecially if you make your own biodiesel (as i used to do). getting 25+ miles per gallon from the old 6.2, 6.5, ford 6.9 and 7.3L is not hard to do, and will improve your performance in the process.

[DADDYRABBIT]

what about millage?? im lookin at a 95 2500 sixlugger with 180000, how long will they last??

[chrisk1500]

I am at 320 000 kms on my truck and I have seen someone that had over 400 000 MILES on an original 6.5 block.....

It's like any engine - take care of it and it will last....

[cl1986]

i wastn that impressed with the 6.5 turbo.....my 98 vortec got me 18 mpg on highway....plenty of power i think more torque or it felt like it than the 6.5 and after the $.20 higher diesel price the gasser is the way to go.....mine had 135k miles on it when we traded.....engine was just like new....the tranny on the other hand.....well i believe the 6.5 had the same trany....pretty weak....

Id put the 350 vortec up agianst a 6.5 turbo anyday pulling a load.....although the diesel may get better milage while pulling......not sure....

[chrisk1500]

Id put the 350 vortec up agianst a 6.5 turbo anyday pulling a load.......

lol......

[red suburban]

dont get me wrong i've towed with 350's and they are great, but heres a point for reference. the old 6.2 diesel was better at towing than the 350 gassers of the era, both the carbed and the tbi models, yet the 6.2 would take off very slow and didnt feel powerful at all. same thing with the 6.5 and the 350 vortec. vortec is great, but the 6.5 will tow more and accelerate better under a heavy load than the 350 vortec.

the diesel will get better fuel mileage thats true, i've heard the usual is around 15mpg with a 8000 lbs load behind it, but check with chrisk1500 on that since he has one. the older diesels you dont really feel the torque by the seat of your pants, unlike with the newest ones. also if you want to make more power for towing a diesel is very easy to do that with, and upgrading your turbo (biggest help without changing the pistons to 18:1 compression) will also improve your fuel economy, whereas if you make substantially more power with a gasser you lose fuel economy.

[red suburban]

also i currently have a 94 suburban, tbi 350 4x4 with 3.73 gears for referance. getting 17mpg highway with my current cold air intake upgrade, i hope it will get better when i get my engine to warm up to the right temp of 180-190, i'm at 120-130 F on the highway for trips, so my truck is dumping more fuel than it should be into the engine because of the comp.

[chrisk1500]

Unloaded I have just recorded over 17 mpg on two recent trips running around 75 - 80 mph with the truck in sig....I know I could do a lot better if I kept the speed down around the 60 - 65mark....

I have owned many gm gassers over the years and none of the V8s would even touch that kind of mileage.....(although my 94 4.3 would) - just couldn't pull with it.....

FWIW - I towed a 10 000 lb combine home a few months ago and got 15 mpg doing it.....this was running for 60 miles at around 30 mph (speed rating of combine tires - didn't really feel like risking a blowout).....

[cl1986]

oh i agree with the tbi 350....what a dog....

but the vortec 350 is a totally different animal....

what the 95 tbi was 200hp

my 98 vortec is 255hp.....

i pulled a 10k lb load all the time with my vortec.....never really strained it at all......70 mph on interstate......can the 6.5 td keep up with that??....not sure....maybe.....my guess is the rpms would be maxed out.....my vortec was good for 6k rpm....so running at 4k doesnt even bother it.....will 6.5 td pull over 65 mph??

whats the 6.5 td for hp and tq?? oh...looks like 185hp and somehow 400ftlbs...not so sure about the 400 ft lbs....

Ive driven the 6.5 td......still not impressed so unless you driven a vortec 350 you cant really say much......

i couldnt get any better than 18 with the 6.5 td at any speed it was about the same.....

i also had the 6.2 diesel in my old blazer......that was horrible..... one windy day on interstate i maxed out at 45 mph with my foot on the floor.....probrably in second gear.....

right now im driving a dmax with the edge monitor and theres no comparison with any other motor at all.....ive driven all the chevy motors and pulled with them.......

[chrisk1500]

i pulled a 10k lb load all the time with my vortec.....never really strained it at all......70 mph on interstate......can the 6.5 td keep up with that??



Not sure....haven't tried that yet with mine....check over at the dieselplace.com if you want to find out what people are pulling with the 6.5.....


my guess is the rpms would be maxed out.....my vortec was good for 6k rpm....so running at 4k doesnt even bother it.....will 6.5 td pull over 65 mph??



Huh?


whats the 6.5 td for hp and tq?? oh...looks like 185hp and somehow 400ftlbs...not so sure about the 400 ft lbs....

Ive driven the 6.5 td......still not impressed so unless you driven a vortec 350 you cant really say much......



You are reading 'S' equipped numbers....not 'F' equipped....bump those numbers up a shade.....

Yep driven a 5.7 vortec....I guess that means my opinion is now validated?.....lol....



i couldnt get any better than 18 with the 6.5 td at any speed it was about the same.....

i also had the 6.2 diesel in my old blazer......that was horrible..... one windy day on interstate i maxed out at 45 mph with my foot on the floor.....probrably in second gear.....

right now im driving a dmax with the edge monitor and theres no comparison with any other motor at all.....ive driven all the chevy motors and pulled with them.......

I can barely get into the 20's with my wife's Jimmy (in sig) and that has a 4.3 VORTEC and is a light truck.....

Obviously there is no comparison with a Dmax....nobody said there was one.....


BTW - check out TurbineDoc's k1500 6.5 TD over at dieselplace.com.....he pulls 18000 lb with it......heavily modded of course....

[cl1986]

well...your huh?? question is just what it asks....

my vortec wouldnt pull in OD.....will the diesel?? if not you wouldnt make it over 65 mph.....enough explaination..... if both trucks are in 3rd gear....your diesel would be running 4k....dont think thats possible......

also the vortec has 330 ftlbs torque.....

so you may want to reconsider what ur saying....

more power....almost as much torque......

and i would still put them up agianst each other....would be about the same.....the 6.5 is no amazing discovery.....face it....

[K5Fury]

The 6.5td will pull circles around that 350. Not really even close. Unloaded you might have an agrument. The diesel will never down shift, the gasser will downshift and struggle up every hill. I tow in 4th with a 6.5 and cruise 70 mph and rpm's are about 2,800. Have had it pegged unloaded and although the speedo only goes to 85 mpg I was well over 100 mph. Like Chris says it's no D'max but it will hold it's own and better with a gasser.

[cl1986]

allright i give up.....but i still dont believe it....id have to see the two stock trucks pulling the load to believe it....

im not so sure on the staying in overdrive either....the 98 6.5 td we had would downshift on steeper hills on interstate with no load at all.......

[chrisk1500]

and i would still put them up agianst each other....would be about the same.........

lol.....

I would run circles around your vortec with my truck both being loaded up with around 10000 lbs.....

[chrisk1500]

allright i give up.....but i still dont believe it....id have to see the two stock trucks pulling the load to believe it....

im not so sure on the staying in overdrive either....the 98 6.5 td we had would downshift on steeper hills on interstate with no load at all.......

did it have a new downpipe? boost controller?

[red suburban]

the 6.5 is not an amazing tower you are correct, older diesels cant even compare with new ones without some major upgrades. earlier you stated that the 6.5 has around 185 hp and 400 ft/lbs of torque, not uncommon changes with a diesel. most gas engines (350 is another story) have more hp than torque, but the difference is not that great. diesels are not hp engines, the old 6.2 had around 150 hp, but about 310ish ft/lbs of torque.

when it comes to gassers the 350 is quite honestly one of the best. decent fuel mileage, reliable, and alot of power in a small package. making it a vortec was the best thing chevy ever did to that motor (idiots for getting rid of it). but, just because the older diesels took off like an old granny doesnt mean they couldnt tow. usually a diesel will take off the same with/without a medium load. biggest problem with the 6.5 powerwise is the stock exhaust, and the older models had smaller turbo's as well.

[grey86carryall]

the thing to remember about torque numbers is the rpm involved the lower the rpm the less horsepower, a 10,000 foot pounds at 1 rpm engine has half as much horsepower as a 2 foot pounds engine at 10000 rpm.

I have some friends who haul calves in big horse trailers for a living. they have 2 ford double cab one ton duallys. one has a diesel, one a v10. they say (and they are old with no axes to grind ) that the v10 pulls away from the diesel going up the hills. both are 02s 0r 03s I think when loaded both rigs run around 24,000 lbs. they say 10 mpg on the v10 12 mpg on the diesel v10 has 260000 miles no major repairs and the diesel 180000 miles two injector pumps and the dealer told them that they need a f550 to haul that kind of load, that that is two much weight for the f350 diesel. I have hauled calves in them and both are slow up the hills but zip along on the level ground, pretty comfy trucks but I prefer chevys.

[red suburban]

10mpg towing that weight with a v10 is amazing to say the least. a friend of mine has a 2002 (i think) f250 with the triton v10, gets 11mpg city unloaded. got about 6-8mpg highway with his car-hauler and a 79 ford f100 loaded on it.

[Troyc20]

Sorry to butt in but i did'nt even know that the 6.5TD exsisted or a GM TD for that matter. What i want to know would the old 6.2 be a good daily? They suck on the "go fast" area right? does this 6.5TD have any balls(outside of towing)?

[chrisk1500]

The 6.5 in a truck with 3.73's can get into the very high 16's but usually mid 17's in the 1/4....

It can go faster though....ask Bill Heath about his 500 HP 6.5.....

[red suburban]

the old 6.2 will get you around fine with the best fuel economy (unless you want to drop in a cummins 4bt). your right, it is very slow, equivelant to the 305 with acceleration. however, you can upgrade it with a turbo to make it move alot better. turbo setups can either be bought from banks or make your own using a gm8 turbo and exhuast manifold from a 6.5L.

6.5 was introduced in 93. better power than a 6.2 but the early years, before 97, had cooling issues but that is easy to resolve. for acceleration in stock form a 6.5 is about the same as a tbi 350, but with more torque.

[chrisk1500]

6.5 was introduced in 93.

pretty sure they were available in 92.....

[Troyc20]

the old 6.2 will get you around fine with the best fuel economy (unless you want to drop in a cummins 4bt). your right, it is very slow, equivelant to the 305 with acceleration. however, you can upgrade it with a turbo to make it move alot better. turbo setups can either be bought from banks or make your own using a gm8 turbo and exhuast manifold from a 6.5L.

6.5 was introduced in 93. better power than a 6.2 but the early years, before 97, had cooling issues but that is easy to resolve. for acceleration in stock form a 6.5 is about the same as a tbi 350, but with more torque.


My buddy has a 87 TBI 350 and its stock but has plenty of giddyup, throws you into the bench evrytime. I think I might have to find a 6.5TD now.

[red suburban]

pretty sure they were available in 92.....
your right, but i believe it was towards the end of the 92 production year.

[tinsoldier]

allright i give up.....but i still dont believe it....id have to see the two stock trucks pulling the load to believe it....

im not so sure on the staying in overdrive either....the 98 6.5 td we had would downshift on steeper hills on interstate with no load at all.......


i know I am new here. I just bought a 95 suburban 4 weeks ago with a 6.5l turbo diesel in it. I towed a 5200LB mini van on a car dolly threw the PA mountains, never left 70 mph the whole 5 hr trip in OD at about 2k (downshifted on some of the big hills). I have driven a Chevy Van with a gas and it was a dog. :) Not bad but just shifted a lot on hills.


I have had my truck up to 100mph on the flat in Ohio (it was scary and won't happen again (GPS verified)).

I am also getting an average 15 MPG bone stock highway/city combo driving. I want more but don't know how to do it yet.

[chrisk1500]

Funny this thread got pulled back up.....

I just drove my wife's 00 Jimmy through some hills out here and with the cruise @ 80 MPH the truck had to downshift into D on some of the bigger hills to maintain speed.....on the same hills with my truck at the same speed my TCC does not even disengage while in OD and the cruise set.....

I realize I am comparing a v6 vortec to a v8 turbo diesel but the vortec has around the same HP as a 305 TBI iirc.....

just some food for thought....

[cl1986]

edit

[cl1986]

other food for thought....

the gas engine is SUPPOSED to downshift....its capable or running 5-6k rpm....why not use it??

when my 98 downshifted it usually was around 3-3800 rpm and rarely if ever downshifted to run 5k....my bosses 04 on the other hand will downshift and run 5k all the time just pulling some snowmobiles.....

believe it or not my 2000 pound jeep will pull harder than our S300 bobcat that weighs about 8000 pounds......wind is a primary factor.....so sometimes the load doesnt matter.....esp if going over 65 MPH.....damn SD wind!!! Jeep does have a 8" lift and 38" tires so it sticks well above the cab of the truck

I can drive straight into the wind no problem.....its the side winds that kills me....esp on I-90

[topcop38]

i'm new here. i'm looking at buying an '07 silverado soon. it will be an x-cab 4x4 loaded. i might consider the diesel in the 2500 but i need more info. i frequently pull a 3500lb trailer and will occasionally pull a 6000lb trailer. this can be done with the 1500 5.3 with no problem.
what i want is fuel mileage. i have always owned trucks, some fords and a few dodges, but i insist on a GM this time, mainly because of mileage and past experiences. my current truck is a 96 GMC sierra 1500 4x4 x-cab with 138,000 on the 5.7. it pulls fine and runs great. i've never owned a diesel before. in my research i've been told that for mileage you need the allison 6-spd.
what kind of mileage should i expect with the diesel? i would be willing to install the reprogrammer for improvements but thats about the extent of modifications.
based on my pulling requirements should i forget about the diesel and go with the 5.3?
also, on another thread i read that they are coming out with a new baby diesel in '07.
any truth to that? any info?

[cl1986]

it really depends on what ur doing.... the 5.3 will be similar to the 5.7... but remember you get more torque at lower rpm and more power at lower rpm on the 5.7 (ie 3800) compared to the 5.3 (ie 5200)

If you want to pull at 60 mph or faster....diesel is about the only way to go...

If its just a trip here and there and only a few hours at a time you can get by with the gasser...

One of my excavating contractors has his skidload and trailer hooked to his duramax at all times and the truck is only for work and gets 10-12 MPG driving from lot to lot (may be 5 up to 35 miles per trip)

I usually got about 8-10 MPG pulling with my 5.7 vortec same...5-35 miles at a time and sometimes interstate at 65 MPH...

ON the other hand my 03 duramax will go just about as fast pulling a skidloader as a gasser can go empty.....with edge chip that is...

Alot of pulling = duramax

Ocassional pulling = gasser

My 5 speed allison does extremly well loaded or unloaded but 6 would be better.....not too much difference im assuming....

[red suburban]

if your going to be towing and want a gasser get the 6.0 or get a 98 or older with the 5.7 if you are gonna be towing at 60+mph. like cl1986 stated, the 5.3 reaches its power at around 6k rpms, at long periods of that rpm your engine is gonna drink fuel like an alchoholic at a beer festival. the 6.0 is basicly the best gas replacement for the 5.7, similar fuel economy and its torque band is similar to that of the 5.7, so much better than the 5.3 for towing.

i know chevy is coming out with a smaller diesel, but i've heard it might not be till 2010, but i dunno for certain.

[topcop38]

my dad had an 01 1500 with a 5.3 that he said got around 14-15mpg around town. last year he bought a 2500 with a 6.0 and says he only gets about 11mpg. this will be my everyday driver so fuel mileage is essential.
an older one with the 5.7 is out of the question. i have that now and its a great truck but i will be buying a brand new one.
i will be towing about 15-20 times per year. most of it will be about a 10 mile trip with an occasional longer journey.
i'm leaning towards the 5.3 because of mileage but if i can get 14-15mpg around town with the 6.0 then i'll go with that.
i like the looks of the 2500 better than the 1500.
i don't want to buy either and regret it 2 months later.
if i go with the gasser then i will install a re-programmer and air intake to gain some power and MPG. i think the 5.3 with these upgrades would be okay.

my dads 5.3 wouldn't pull his 8000lb boat too well thats the reason for him going to the 6.0.
he says it pulls fine but he can't afford to keep gas in it.
what kind of mileage are you guys getting with the 5.3 and 6.0?

[Zick]

what kind of mileage are you guys getting with the 5.3 and 6.0?

When my '03 was stock w/ the 5.3, I was averaging around 16-16.5. Now with the LQ9 6.0 built w/ 11.5CR and my own tuning, I'm getting about 15mpg average. It will still get around 18-20 on the hwy too. But with the higher stall convertor and big cam it doesn't fair too well when towing but then again I didn't build it to tow. :wink:
That's why I'm now selling it to buy an '07 DMax.

[topcop38]

i'm not overly concerned with mileage while towing as about 90% of my driving will be around town with no load. mileage under load is important to me, just not as important as regular driving.
if i can get 14-15mpg around town unloaded with a 6.0 then i would go that route.
do you think that with the air intake and programmer on the 6.0 i could get that with a 2500 x-cab 4x4 auto?

[Zick]

i'm not overly concerned with mileage while towing as about 90% of my driving will be around town with no load. mileage under load is important to me, just not as important as regular driving.
if i can get 14-15mpg around town unloaded with a 6.0 then i would go that route.
do you think that with the air intake and programmer on the 6.0 i could get that with a 2500 x-cab 4x4 auto?

I doubt the air intake will do much, but with a custom tune(not a hand held programmer) I think you should be able to pull off 14-15. As long as your not running 4.10 gears or large tires, as I think that will hurt you the most.

[topcop38]

i will be running stock tires and rims. i'm not into the fancy stuff. i'm too old for that now.
i might consider an aftermarket exhaust if it will improve mileage but only for that reason.

another question. will the 2500 fit into a 7' garage door?
my 1500 fits with about 8" to spare.
my door is 83" counting the weatherstrip.

[Zick]

i will be running stock tires and rims. i'm not into the fancy stuff. i'm too old for that now.
i might consider an aftermarket exhaust if it will improve mileage but only for that reason.

another question. will the 2500 fit into a 7' garage door?
my 1500 fits with about 8" to spare.
my door is 83" counting the weatherstrip.

I don't know, I'm in the same delema as you. My 1500 just barely fits into my garage as it is, and the 2500 seem to sit a little higher so I'm not sure if it will make it or not?

[topcop38]

maybe i'll drop by the dealer tomorrow and measure theirs. if it don't fit then that will help narrow my choices.

[Farm Boy]

Hey guys, my neighbors got an '06 Dmax K2500HD and pullin a 20000 lb trailer he's gettin about 8-10 mpg. This seems kinda low. Hes also had a lot of trouble with injectors too. Three sets in 50000 miles, all under warranty. Hes really starting to hate this truck. I wanted to know if installing bigger exhaust and a different intake would help his mileage? If so how much? and what is causing his injectors to go bad?

[cl1986]

20,000 lbs??? I think 8-10 would be awesome pulling that weight....

If you mean 2000 then thats different.....

The injectors must be a fluke cause the 01-03 had the injector problems....id say he should be able to get a new truck after 3 sets.....has to be the engine....

Is he running any programmers....that may cause the injector problems....

[Farm Boy]

the truck is currently stock, I thought about putting bigger exhaust on it and an aftermarket intake setup. that should help his mileage i would think. I thought maybe too much backpressure would screw up his injectors, just a thought.

[cl1986]

this site has excellent answers to your questions....there aint much here on FSC

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/index.php?

[1990gmc305]

[QUOTE=chrisk1500]
You are reading 'S' equipped numbers....not 'F' equipped....bump those numbers up a shade.....

What is the diffence between S equipped numbers and F equipped numbers. and how would i tell what a truck is equiqqed with.