Fuelly Forums - Hey Y'all

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First and foremost, the vehicle I drive is by no means a gas sipper, its a 88 Chevy K5 Blazer with a 350 V8 :D I use to get 14 mpg on it, which was a big improvement over the 11.7 mpg :eek: I got when I got the tank haha! I'm looking for gas saving tips, I REALLY need em! and I know I've come to the right place by what I've seen. Please don't bash me too bad, I'm a 19 year old college student and its all I could afford 2 years back.

That's ok, we have several members that have larger vehicles. One of my vehicles is a 98 GMC K1500 with a 350. Start with creating a page for your truck in the garage here on our site, then log your fuel purchases. The best thing for those 350's is just to learn how to drive them right to get a decent amount of economy out of them.

There are a few who may disagree with your vehicle and post nothing else. Ignore them. We are here to learn how to improve fuel economy in a variety of ways in whatever vehicle we choose, for whatever motivations we have.

What strategies have you tried so far?

I've monitored my tire pressure extensively, that helped the most. I lowered the weight of oil I used from 15w-40 to 10w-40, added true duals, put in an aftermarket computer chip, and put a throttle body spacer. I have tampered with the emissions junk on it, and that helped out with the power a lil. Soon, I'm planning on adding long tube headers, upgrading the chip to a stage 2, closing off the front of it to a degree, and maybe putting methanol/water injection if I can figure how to rig it up. Rednecks are getting high tech too!

How many miles are on the truck, and does it use/burn/leak any oil? You can certainly switch to 10w30, and if everything is in good working condition I'd run 5w30 in it. I run 5w30 in my 1981 Buick with no problems. Switching oil weights won't be a big improvement, but every little bit helps.

What are your motivations? I was under the impression that you were broke and needed to save money, but those are some expensive modifications.

Have you experimented with tire pressures higher than the OEM-recommended pressure?

You should practice accurate fill habits and keep a gaslog. I'd like to see some credible, long-term numbers before and after longtube headers...I think they could potentially help, although I doubt they'll ever pay for themselves.

Welcome to the site! It' a good place to learn. I've got a full size truck and folk here have been a big help in improving my mileage!

I agree with HolyCow. There are lots of things that can be done, but I don't consider economically feasible, as you will never recoup the initial cost. The most effective is to make sure your tires are inflated properly, your vehicle is in good running condition, but the most important is to closely examine your driving habits and find where you might be able to improve. Learning new driving habits does not cost anything, and can make some of the greatest impacts on mileage.

The headers might help out. Don't bother with the chip.

Like jay said, get your truck in good running order first.

Do you carry anything in the back that you could take out?

check front end alignment, brakes not dragging?

Been away from the computer most of the weekend, lets see if I can answer all of the questions!

Jay: I have a 180,000 on it and it does burn some oil, a quart every 1000 miles. If I get the 350 rebuilt, I'll run Amsoil 5w-30. Ive got to get new tires too, the BGF AT's up front leak down and are wore out all around, What is some driving habits that you use?

Holy cow: My motivations are to pull at least 16 driving around and 17-18 on the interstate. I have got 14.7/16.2, so I aint to far off of my goals. And those mods have been going on for the past 2 years, and I get deals on everything cuz either I know them or they know my family :D and yes I have gone higher than OEM AP, I use whatever the sidewall tells me regarding AP. and no problem!

LxMike: I had to get the chip when my stock PROM went haywire. I'm just going to get it a lil more aggressive with the timing and get a bigger bang with 93 octane I run in it now. Truck runs amazingly strong right now! Nothing in the back really except for the spare tire and a few truck parts and tools. As for the front end, I have not and will not worry to much with it untill I get new tires, which will be 33x12.50