Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
SUVs Chevrolet Suburban & Tahoe Chevrolet Suburban and GMC Tahoe MPG - Real World Numbers
181 messages, Last post on Aug 27, 2009 at 2:31 PM
You are in the Chevrolet Suburban & Tahoe Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & tidester
|
Replying to: spyla (Oct 22, 2007 8:07 am) |
|
|
I have the 5.3 engine with 3.43 rear end. Since May, I have driven 6600 miles, mostly Highway. I keep detailed records of my mileage. In Town 13mpg Highway 22mpg at 65 mph Highway 20mpg at 70 mph Highway 19mpg at 75 mph I use the cruise control consistently except when climbing hills. I actually get better mileage on hilly terrain. The engine utilizes the V4 option better on the downhill side of the terrain
|
|
|
Replying to: klmcleod (Oct 24, 2007 6:21 am) I have watched the V4/V8 indicator and mine spends a fair bit of time in V4 mode, even at higher speeds. When? Well, here in Michigan the roads are gently sloping over slightly rolling hills, and even a slight downhill can put me in V4 mode. Of course, even a slight uphill puts me in V8 mode with instantaneous mpg of 16 or less. I think the AFM feature is useful. While I would gladly accept higher mpg, I think my experience is quite reasonable given the size and power of the vehicle. There are many smaller SUVs that get the same or less mpg. I'm going to switch to synthetic oil at the first change and see if that makes any difference.
|
|
|
|
|
Replying to: acowboyfan (Oct 22, 2007 8:54 pm) Now that I live in the suburbs and commute locally in town for most of my ride, I get 13-14 MAX. I dont mind, its a trade off for the great ride I get with the Tahoe. I just think the auto makers should be FORCED to report real world mileage, its far off of what was on the sticker and advertised by the salesman. 
|
|
|
Replying to: sheltiepup (Oct 28, 2007 7:44 am) Whose real world mileage? Yours? Mine? My mileage goes down 1-2 mpg in the winter, due to the cold weather (idling while getting the snow off the car) and my snow tires. Should that be reported to someone buying a truck in Boca? The only thing that makes sense is doing a repeatable test in laboratory conditions, which is exactly what they do now. Otherwise there are too many variables to make comparisons meaningful. And for 2008 EPA has revised the testing procedures. The new mileage rates are significantly lower and should be closer to what most people achieve. That said, your mileage WILL vary. It depends upon how you drive (fast starts, high speeds, etc.) and where you drive (open road versus stop-and-go). There's no way anyone can predict the mileage that any particular consumer will get. |
|
|
Replying to: sheltiepup (Oct 28, 2007 7:44 am) I agree with Nedzel. Real world mileage will be different for different people driving the same vehicle. My wife's driving habits net her near 3 mpg less than I get with the same vehicle. FWIW the MPG numbers on the window sticker are EPA generated. Dealers are pretty much "FORCED" to display those numbers. The sticker also states your mileage can vary a bunch. As Nedzel said; "The only thing that makes sense is doing a repeatable test in laboratory conditions, which is exactly what they do now. Otherwise there are too many variables to make comparisons meaningful." That data is for the consumer to use for comparison. Mfg and dealers can, and do, lie or stretch the truth about other things. Example: General Motors advertises their 5 year/100K mile drivetrain warranty as the "Best warranty in the business, better than Ford, better than Toyota"! They used to say simply "Best warranty in the business." They have added the Toyota and Ford thingy recently. Notice they don't mention Dodge! But they are still saying "BEST". Hyundai has a 10/100K and Dodge now has "Lifetime" drivetrain warranty. I don't personally see how GM's 5/100k is better. They can legally do this by having a transferable clause, or covering some obscure switch that the others don't. However, by LAW, they are required to stick with the EPA stickers for Mileage. Last year Toyota proudly advertised the Corolla at 40 mpg. Advertisers are apparently not required to mention "HIGHWAY". Now they are saying, "Everybody knows a Corolla gets 37 miles per gallon." Real world is that a Yukon will get better or worse mileage than advertised. Driver, terrain, traffic, and weather all make a difference.  Kip
|
|
|
Replying to: kipk (Oct 30, 2007 4:38 am) Last night I filled up my wife's Tahoe (5.3 V8/V4) on the west side of Houston, and drove to the northeast side on the beltway. I held my speed to 55mph on cruise. When I exited the beltway 30 miles later, my average mpg was 24.4. K |
|
|
Replying to: zachinmi (Oct 25, 2007 7:29 am) trip miles / MPG 193 17.7 383 17.0 374 16.8 164 16.5 416 16.3 377 17.8 291 19.9 All these are calculated from odometer and gas receipts, not based on the trip computer. The last two tanks are from a long road trip with a mix of freeway and highway. The 16.3mpg tank was after topping off with 10 gallons of E85, making for about 30% ethanol in the tank. I did not notice any difference in driveability or power with E85 in the tank, but it does appear my mileage took a hit, especially since I had a lot of highway driving that should have been higher mpg on that tank. (I am aware that E85 has less energy and will reduce mpg.) Locally E85 is only 30 cents/gallon cheaper than regular gasoline, and it makes no sense to buy E85 at this price. During the E85 tank I changed the oil and filter, using Pennzoil Platinum 5W-30 full synthetic. I see mileage varying with temperatures (colder is much worse) and driving style. AFM seems to be coming on more frequently now; not sure if that is break-in, some computer setting after X number of miles, or an indication that the synthetic oil has reduced friction by some meaningful amount. I think my mileage is right on target given the EPA ratings (old or new system). I am trying to optimize driving for AFM to function. There seem to be sweet spots on cruise at 58mph, 68mph, and 72mph, all where AFM is frequently on when on level grades or very slight downhills. On the last roadtrip I had a 30 mile stretch of freeway with over 23mpg showing on the trip computer. However, it may be that I was going slightly downhill for the entire 30 miles or had a tailwind; both seem to make a difference in gas mileage. Not surprisingly, best mileage in commuting is with a very light foot on the gas. However, if not a very light foot, there doesn't seem to be much if any mileage difference between a moderately and extremely heavy foot (shifts >5000rpm; make sure the engine is fully warm!) when accelerating. |
|
|
I've kept real good track of my fuel mileage over the years, a bit obsessively perhaps, and put it all into Excel each year. Here are the results: 2002 - 17.0 mpg. 2003 - 16.6 2004 - 17.2 2005 - 16.0 2006 - 16.8 2007 - 15.7 Some years had a lot more highway miles, obviously. Note, I went by the Suburban's odometer without adjustment to actual, and as I recall now it's about 2% long, suggesting that actual mileage based on real distance covered was 2% lower than the above figures. I'm not unhappy with our truck's mileage based on it's excellent driving characteristics, utility and reliability. That said, like most people I'd like to send less $$$ to the ragheads in the mideast who use the money to blow us up. So I'm looking forward to buying the new hybrid when they make it available in a Suburban model, and hopefully they'll fix those god-awful middle tumbling seats and uneven cargo floor so that a big Suburban can once again fit a simply 4x8 sheet of plywood in the back like my '02 can do. 'er y' go |
|
| My 1996 Tahoe was having terrible problems starting and running correctly. The initial diagnosis was the crankshaft position switch was malfunctioning. After almost $2000 dollars of replacing the sensor, engine tune-up, fuel filter and fuel pump I was still having the same problems, but not all the time. I had a local mechanic due the work and he said take it to Chevy and have them diagnose the problem, which they determined was still the crankshaft position switch was malfunctioning. Since my mechanic had done the original work I took the Tahoe back to him with the Chevy diagnosis problem. He crawled under the truck with it running and saw the sensor moving around while it was running. He took the sensor out and discovered that one of the mounting bolts screws into a brass fitting inside the plastic timing chain cover. The brass fitting was loose and just needed a screw driver inserted into it to spread it to increase the tension on the plastic cover. My mechanic put it back together and it resolved all my problems, meaning most of the $2000 dollars I had spent trying to fix a problem that ended up being caused by maybe a 25 cent brass fitting in a plastic cover. Live and Learn. By the way my 1996 Tahoe has almost 154000 miles on it with the original engine and transmission. | |
You are here:
Forums
SUVs Chevrolet Suburban & Tahoe Chevrolet Suburban and GMC Tahoe MPG - Real World Numbers
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
2010 Chevrolet Suburban
2000 Chevrolet Tahoe Limited/Z71
2010 Chevrolet Tahoe
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
Today's Chats
