Guys thinks for all the help. I will tough it out for a while and maybe try this new TSB reflash to hope for more mileage. Does any one know the # on TSB, and should I tell them the truth on mileage or tell them it smokes white on start up? Truck runs perfect, just 10 MPG aint working.

As far as the comments on a big truck, megacab 2 wheel drive dually. I would think the 4x4 long bed quad cab is a close tie on weight. I know the automatic pulls a few mpg more than a stick and that a loaded trailer obviously lowers MPG but I am not crying about that, only crying about 10 MPG driving miss daisy around and this has to be my daily driver and tow the race trailer on the weekend. I can handle the diesal MPG on the weekend trips, but to drive everyday

 

From what I have been reading from other like threads, it seems there is some sort of built in metamorphosis that is supposed to happen when the truck hits the magic 15000 mile mark. Can't say for sure, as I am sitting at 3400 miles. I do know the computer is bogus at this point. I can idle iin gear and the milage numbers go up quickly... I can cruise and watch it go down, and when I get into boost situations, it goes back up.. Which shouldn't make all that much sense... but it does.

I am going to take it in at 5000 miles for the first oil change and at that time talk to them about the TSB flash... Assuming others are correct, I hope to gain some milage.

To date, I am getting a real 14.5 loaded, empty, in town, on the road.. it don't matter. 14.3 to 14.5 average with about half and half driving. (I live in a neighborhood with 25 MPH speed limits, and drive on a military base for work with same... so rarely does it get to stretch it's legs... although I have started to leg it out some in between... I took a 2000 mile trip with 300 miles on it, and it got over 15.. so I was pleased.. I keep it under 2000 RPM most of the time... but as the miles add up, I have started to step on it a little. SO far I am pleased.

Haven't hooked the trailer yet, thinking about doing that this weekend. Should prove interesting.

 

I checked my mileage twice by hand, and got 19.7, and then 20.3 both not towing, driving real easy.

 

i put fuel in mine today. bought it saturday. the overhead said 12.6, hand calc it and was 15.95. I have added a bed cover and overhead now says 14.9 in just over 70 miles. total milage is only 350 so a long way to go to get an accurate idea. my .02 cents

 

I just turned over 20k on mine today. When I took it out on the highway for the first time, I was getting a little over 15 mpg. I now get around 17mpg. This is mostly Interstate driving at speeds of 72-75 mph. When I hit 2 lane highways and slow down to the low 60's, I get around 18.5-20 depending on wind, terrain, season, etc. In the city, I will get 14-15mpg. I have found that driving in tow/haul mode gets me about 1mpg better in the city. The early TC lockup will help improve mileage.

 

Hey Bro's,
It's funny to hear us 3rd Gener's (who paid well over 35k for these things) start to break mpg's down into 10ths. But I'm no different!!! I recently clocked 16.1mpg on the overhead doin' 65-75 on a 200 mile round trip from work in Balto. City to Dover, De. and back. So far she's still all stock, but 7k miles and 3 months ago when I rolled it off the lot, it said 13.5! So i'm happier than a pig in edit, especially as it get's harder and harder to find fuel for under 2.99 a gal. And if I start to get bummed out, I take a step back and think to myself "this thing weighs close to 8k lbs, what the heck am I complaining about?" "The old 99' 360 only got 15mpg hwy / 8mpg city tops and this new one could pull that thing inside out!"

I'm actually thinking of replacing the stock exhaust with a new dual exhaust, and eliminate the cat, but want to post those questions on another forum.

Oh yea, like others have said, and my dealer too, drive it like you stole it. For me, it seems to do better the longer I keep it close to 60+ (glad I live in the country )
Later,
The Fruitman

 

I can't figure that **** computer out anyway. When I ride around with an egg under the go pedal, I get really crappy milage, but when I stomp it, and really get the boost going, I can watch the milage go UP as I keep accelerating. Exactly opposite of my Hemi. Another anomaly, I spend a great deal of time idling along in traffic. Again, the milage average jumps in this situation... Almost wish they didn't even try, and would have put a more useful guage pack up there, maybe a Exhaust gas tempurature guage, or boost guage.. Something we can really use....

 

I totally agree. I don't see you ever getting 20 MPG with a mega cab, DRW and auto but thats just me.

 

So for future reference, what is the "Best" combination for milage then? Given the truck is for pulling a 7500 pound trailer that is 10 ft tall v-nose.

 

Dragginbutt,
Dude, I'm with ya! Seems the more I abuse it the more it likes it!!

Mainly why I am gonna try to keep my mods under control and do the basics. Some minor performance stuff, ya know, exhaust and intake, some guages (like you said, would be better served up there). Then when the rubber goes, beef that up a bit and add some lift and flares. I'm even gonna go with the OEM diamond plate boards. I saw them on a DRW and thought they looked all business. Extreem Performance or Flash is cool and I'm not knockin' it at all. My 05' Road King Classic received performance upgrades only 3 months off the showroom floor. So even though I'll never go "off-road" or pull a sled, I'd still like to know and feel like I made good choices, plus that money tree I planted last year still ain't broke ground.

Hey, I'm just a regular guy with an ordinary lifestyle, but, I bet most of the users here fall into this catgory - we really dig the "man I wish I would have bought a Cummins" look on the faces of the guys/gals in those other trucks!
Tell me it ain't true!!!
WhozurDaddy
The Fruitman
That's Who

 

I think this is the tip of the iceberg! This is an article from a San Diego newspaper. What is VERY interesting is the part about the warning from Chevy Corporate to the dealers ... basically what you are starting to see!

Copyright Union-Tribune Publishing Co. Apr 1, 2006

A new diesel exhaust emission standard that goes into effect Jan. 1 will help clear the air, but at a significant cost to diesel- driving consumers and commercial truckers.

Limits on tailpipe emissions of nitrogen oxides and soot will be tightened by 90 percent over the current national standard. And the standard will increase again in 2010, with another round of equipment expected to be added to engines to further treat pollutants.

Diesel engines for 2007 heavy-duty pickups and larger trucks are being adapted to run on ultra low sulfur diesel fuel, which goes on sale in California in September and the rest of the country by mid- October.

The added cost of emissions equipment could range from $2,000 to $5,000 per vehicle for diesel pickups, vans and medium-duty work trucks, according to a document distributed by General Motor to its dealers.

Those costs are in addition to the higher retail price of the diesel engine, which can add as much as $6,000, depending on manufacturer.

The new fuel also will affect Californians who buy new- generation diesel pickups for travel to Baja California. Mexico's higher-sulfur diesel fuel will eventually clog the emissions treatment equipment and in severe cases lead to engine shutdown.

"Life as the dealers know it will end," said Barry Lehmer, general manager of North County GMC Jeep Kia. "Consequently, there is `manic panic' to get 2006 diesels."

International, the truckmaker, expects to increase prices $5,000 to $6,000 per vehicle for its midrange diesel-powered trucks and buses. Heavy-duty Class 8 truck-tractors (with Caterpillar and Cummins engines) will see increases of $7,000 to $10,000, with additional charges for engines that have higher horsepower requiring dual aftertreatment.

Ford would not comment on its future pricing, except to say that the new standards will add cost for additional equipment. "Whether Ford will pass that cost along to the consumer is certainly a consideration," a spokesman said.

The heavy-duty, crew-cab four-wheel drive pickup is the most popular model in San Diego, Lehmer said.

Suggested retail prices for a GM truck range from $43,000 to $53,000, which includes the option price of $6,030 for the Duramax 6.6 liter V-8 diesel engine and heavy-duty transmission.

The new diesel engines will feature cooled exhaust gas recirculation (common to passenger cars), a particulate filter to capture soot and some engine modifications to enable electronic calibration of engine management to minimize exhaust and fuel consumption.

Those added treatment systems are expected to cause a 4 percent loss of fuel efficiency, according to the Energy Information Administration. However, technological improvements are expected offset the loss by 2015.

The EIA reports the new fuel will cost 7 cents to almost 9 cents more per gallon "and could be higher if supply falls short of demand," said EIA spokesman Bin Zhang.

The added emissions equipment will not be desirable to San Diegans, Lehmer said, because of the added cost and limited travel range to Mexico.

"I expect it will cut my truck sales 30 percent," Lehmer said. "Next January my diesel sales will be 10 percent, then 20 percent in February and sometime by the middle of next summer I will be selling trucks again." He also expects a boost in the resale value of late- model diesels.

Diesel engines are preferred for their reputation of long life, improved fuel economy over a gasoline engine and the power to tow 12,000-pound travel trailers and recreational vehicles.

But much of that advantage will be lost with the higher vehicle prices and the higher cost of fuel. In the San Diego area, diesel fuel costs about the same as premium unleaded gasoline.

The payback period to recapture the initial cost of a diesel vehicle over a gasoline model is a little more than six years, when driving 15,000 miles a year. The payback period for the 2007 diesel would be close to 10 years, according to GM.

"The only reason to own a diesel now would be to tow an extremely heavy trailer," Lehmer said. "The heaviest tow rating for a GM light- duty diesel is 14,000 pounds; the gas motor is 12,000 pounds."

San Diegans who drive 2007 diesel trucks might avoid trips to Mexico, though experts say that just a tank or two of higher sulfur fuel is not likely to shorten the life cycle of the new engine's filter, experts say.

The Baja 1000 off-road races could be affected. There are 300,000 registered off-highway vehicles in the East and North County area, said Ed Soens, president of the San Diego Off Road Coalition.

"And I would say 1.5 percent of those users drives a diesel truck to pull their trailers for the bikes, buggies and ATVs," he said. "If they are not going to be able to burn fuel from Mexico, and Mexico doesn't allow you to take fuel across the border, that will curtail a lot of activity down there unless somebody can make a deal."

Pemex, the national oil company for Mexico, has plans for making improvements to its diesel fuel, but no new standards have been announced.

"There is an intention to considerably reduce sulfur content in diesel fuel, probably to about 30 parts per million, but there is no way that this will happen in the short term despite good intentions," said David Shields, an independent energy analyst in Mexico City.

The so-called green diesel engines use high-pressure direct injection systems and fine-tuned electronic fuel metering to control smoke and soot. The engines are designed to run on the new cleaner ultra-low sulfur diesel. The diesel particulate filter, or diffuser, collects soot by circulating exhaust gases through a series of ceramic honeycomb channels where the soot is trapped.

General Motors claims a price advantage over the competition because its diesel truck engine already has been using recirculated cooled exhaust gas. A particulate filter will be added to the 2007 trucks. Ford and Dodge are expected to use similar systems.

The most noticeable addition will be the filter, a cylinder about 10 inches across and 16 inches long, that will attach to the exhaust pipe.

GM has not said when the new diesels will be in dealerships, but Lehmer does not expect them for the traditional October new-car launch time.

"It seems as if they are telling us to be ready to sell gasoline (engines) because of the price differential, which would be an $8,000 difference," he said. The report also promotes GM as the only medium-duty truck maker that has a viable gasoline engine for heavy- duty applications, such as rental trucks and other fleet uses.

GM's 8.1 liter V-8, which is rated for 325 horsepower and 450 foot-pounds of torque, is a $950 option in the pickup trucks, plus $1,200 for the heavy-duty transmission. Either engine is rated to pull a 12,000-pound trailer

 

Yeah,, that is something i noticed today while spending my latest C-note to fill her up. A new sticker on the pump saying that the diesel fuel they were selling should NOT be used in 07 models. I am hoping that my 06 is OK, but you never know. I trust oil companies about as much as I trust the local government. Not past my nose for sure....

I live in Virginia and am new to the diesel scene. Is this new or just my inability to see? Anything to worry about?

One good thing though, if the 07's do go up in price, it should help the current batch hold their value even more.

 

You know, as a guy that rides a Harley, I almost see how this might eventually make my cruising more enjoyable (even though I'm totally against all of what I read posted by blord). When I'm on the highway, I just make my way around the problem and keep on gettin' it. No big deal.

It's those two lane back roads in the country where some 80 year old dude/dudette is driving the gas powered car or truck their parents gave them that drives me crazy. The goverment will spend our tax dollars imposing all these regulations on new vehicles, thus driving up prices for the end users, but will continue to allow the Fuds to pollute the heck outta the environment with their POS any not require emission testing.
Go figure

 

It takes a while. I was disapointed at frist but just got my frist 20 MPG this week end after 7000 miles. Gets better all the time until at least until 30,000. The Fords and Chevs are about the same.

 

Sgt. Peper,

Any "legal" mods you can tell us about or are you still stock?

The fruitman