Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives New Silverado Mileage

Me either, after having bought one about a year ago. Mileage sucks, in comparison to my old '06 Sierra 5.3L and so does performance from a dead stop. The GMC was a rocket w/342 gears, this one is a dog off the line.

Hadn't figured on pulling the double axle trailer as much as I once did with the GMC, so took the one Z71 ext. cab on the lot that I liked, 308 gears and all.

The 2010 has not gotten anywhere close to the 20 MPG highway, that the 2006 averaged. Still doing about 18.5 @ 12,000 miles.

My 2011, Z-71 has extended cab, not 4 dr. Otherwise, same set up as yours and at 600 miles, it's indicating an average of 15.8 mpg with city driving. It did say 21 mpg, hwy, on the door, but I'm not going to hold my breath on that one. I guess time will tell. It's a nice truck and I like it better than my brother's F-150. I've always liked the way a chevy pickup drives down the road. New F-150's do drive better than the older "walking I beams" they had for years.

DF

Went on a road trip on Monday approximately 520 miles. I ot 20.1 with my 5.3, 3.73 2004 silverado...that is 87 octane no ethanol...When I started putting in the ethanol halfway thru it dropped down to 18.8. I was going 70-75 using cruise control. The temperatures ran from 93 at home to 104 on the road.

Don't trade it on a new one...I did and am not happy...Wish the folks who advertise on the classified section would chime in here...That would be Chevrolet...

They rate rigs on mph differently for E85 ffv'S. On E85 they get significantly less. Too new to tell, but I have seen 21.5 on the DIC of my 2011 duramax. This was 55 mph highway with no regen cycles. I am sure overall it will be lower, but it will be no worse than my 2005 5.3l gasser. Amazing power for the mileage.

2011 Z71 is up to 16.5 mpg from 15.3 mpg with 2,000 miles on odometer. (5.3L, 4WD, 3.42, Ext. Cab)

DF

D-Farmer..I think mine has picked up a little possibly..I have 4000 miles on it..Just wondering your overall thoughts on your truck so far..They are nice trucks, but I still think they would benefit from 3.73 gears, at least on the top end..Also, mine seems to do quite a lot of gear searching..Does anyone know how well these transmissions are holding up if the truck is used as a truck..

I almost pulled the trigger on a new Z-71 last month and held off. I think that was a wise decision and I don't make many of them.

I traded an ext. cab, 4x4 2000 S-10, ZR-2 package, 4.3L V-6 that was a serious offroad truck, wearing a serious Warn wench. I was driving mostly highway and hadn't used the wench in several years. Still, I hated to see that little truck go. This Z-71 is more of a road truck and wouldn't go places the S-10 would. It's bigger and more comfortable, a great road truck. Drove it to New Orleans and back (3 hrs one way) this past weekend and it was as comfortable as my Tahoe.

Bottom line. I'm getting used to it. Had thought about the new 3.5L turbo F-150 (22 MPG road), but don't like the local Ford dealer. And I hate to get the first of anything, Ford built, notwithstanding. This 5.3L engine is a very proven design and should be about bullet proof. The Chevy dealer is a mile from my office and I've dealt with them for many years.

I signed up for an amazing deal. I do maintenance with them at a modest premium over Jiffy Lube prices and I don't have to wait. Drop the truck off, my office people pick me up and drop me off. Dealer checks and rotate tires and when they're down to a specified tread, they'll replace the set, FREE. That's right, 17" Good Year Wrangler A/T's. And twice during the life of the vehicle. I asked how they could do that and was told most people don't keep a vehicle that long. What! My S-10 was 11 yrs old and the truck it replaced was 12 yrs old. I think they'll replace those tires twice over the next 150,000 miles or so, which will take me around 10 yrs. of driving.

DF

My uncle get 14 tops with his 2007. He was suppose to get 20.

I think the quality of today�s fuel might play a part in the poor mileage. I drive a 2011 Chev. Tahoe as a company vehicle. It is a 2 wheel drive, 5.3 vortec with the 3.08 rear gear. The sticker said 15 MPG City and 21 MPG Highway. So far with 2050 miles on it the best I have seen is about 15 MPG and the worst was about 11 MPG. I hope it does better after it gets broke in.

10% ethanol gas is the norm today and has been in most areas where I travel.

As noted, my '06 GMC Z71 was rated at 15/19, regularly got 20 MPG on trips, if kept at about 72 MPH or a tad less. Occasionally got to 20.5. It was still doing that at 50,000 miles when I traded it last June. That truck had the aluminum 5.3L, four speed auto and 3:42 gears (or whatever the hell they were?). Same crappy 10% ethanol gas is used, usually Sunoco.

The 2010 Chevy Z71 has the same engine, 6 speed auto and 3:08 gears, plus fuel management 'puter. EPA rating is 16/21. Best I've gotten thus far on the same trip the GMC generally did 20 on over a four year period, is 18.5 MPG. Now have 13,000 miles on it, no change.

Only other difference, is the tires. The GMC had Bridgestone "highway" tires (HT Duelers), the Chevy has Bridgestone AT Duelers with a more agressive tread pattern, but I'm now running them at 37 PSI, instead of 35 PSI. Both trucks had/have the same type Access "roll up" tonneau cover on the bed.

Took mine to the local dealer today to get the rear differential fluid changed. Service writer told me the freaking throttle body was really carboned up. He top cleaned it and threw cleaner in the tank. I wonder how much my gas mileage will be on a road trip...72 mph or less is what my truck was doing when it got 20.1 on the last trip. I do not have a tonneau cover on it .

Most Chevy trucks (maybe all brands) will have a speed at which the mileage will really drop off. Most of our Chevy/GMC have done the best mileage between 65-70 mph

You guys are all making me feel happier by the minute that I own an '09 Dodge Ram Hemi..

My most recent trip to Phoenix from S. Colorado averaged, round trip, 19.6 mpg.- and this includes driving over a mountain pass and thru hills in New Mexico and Arizona, all at posted highway speeds.
Measured at fillup, BTW, not the digital MPG readout.

RAM......

HOw else would one measure mileage then at the pump ? There is at least 1/2 gallon discrepancy between what the dash says and the pump says when I fillup. I have not heard anyone rave about a Dodge Hemi's mileage...most people I know that have them in 2 and 4wd config have 16 as the best MPG they have.

A bud bought a new Ram crew cab 4x4 a bit after I bought my Chevy Z71 last summer. Last I'd checked, he was barely doing 16 MPG on the highway. His '06 F150 ext. cab 4x4 did about 17 or so. We both have hunting land in north central PA, about 30 miles apart, so it's roughly an identical trip for each of us.

Don't pay much attention to Ram or Ford gas engines, figure both of his were roughly the equivalent to my 5.3L GM engines?

I have a couple of friends with Dodges and my mileage with GM products has always been better, but granted, a pretty small sample size!