Archives

I just got back from our canoe trip up to northern MN. Me and GEM camp director Dave Lindmark shared in driving up the camp bus, (96 suburban) with two other guys and all our gear.
He was concerned about all the fuel we would be using. I told him about hypermiling and he was very open to it. We took turns when one of us would get tired we would switch, both driving 10 to 15 under the psl (70) on the interstates. Light winds on the way up helped I am sure. I helped him to understand coasting to red lights when we got off the highway and went through towns. I would see the light up ahead and look and if his foot was still on the gas i would say light! and he would lift, he was getting pretty good. we filled up somewhere on the way up. I should have noted where, oh well. We had some hilly gravel roads going up to the first landing that probably didn't help. I shared about dwl and dwb some. Got to the landing. No more fuel burning all week, except wood for campfires and a tiny bit in a camp stove.
On the way back, went through Duluth, got to see it for the first time. Shared about timing lights and watching way ahead for signs the lights are about to change.
Heading up out of Duluth on I35 got to pass our only two vehicles, both big rigs loaded down with huge logs with their fourways on.:rolleyes:
I noticed a big south wind we had to drive into and thought that would take a big bite into our FE for sure.
I saw a big rig up ahead in the sane lane getting passed by lots of cars and caught it, it was averaging about 60 mph and slower on the up hills, perfect to follow!
I ended up behind him at a reasonably safe distance all the way to forest lake. He flashed his 4 ways a couple of times to signal he was exiting , He didn't really need to as he had his turn signal too and I was far enough back not to be concerned. mabye he was showing his apreciation for not following too close?
We had a couple of cars butt in between us for a few seconds, but soon got out when they found out how slow he was going LOL:D
We ended up logging almost four hundred miles and still show almost 3/4 full tank! I can't wait to get my scan gauge! I can't really know our numbers this time, but I bet we kicked EPA behind! :woot:


Cruisin' the Sane lane:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/Cyberfish8/mt%20pilgrims%20pics/sanelane.jpg

almost 400 miles and plenty of fuel for the next outing!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/Cyberfish8/mt%20pilgrims%20pics/miles.jpg

Practicing some draftin' on the water :)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/Cyberfish8/mt%20pilgrims%20pics/canoedraftin.jpg

MT

Very nice, Michael! :thumbs_up:

If it is a 2wd 1500 it is the same as my 1998.Ours gets 21 mpg at about 68 mph with the CC on during long interstate trips.All we do on those trips is 42/45 psi, Mobil 1 oil and diff lube and use the CC. The Suburbans do glide forever with adequate tires pressure.

21 mpg means we reach 3/4 at about 300 miles. The 1st quarter drains much more slowly than the last quarter.You should get about 24 mpg with it at 3/4 at 380 miles I think- very good!!.

Great job,
Charlie

It seems that your open was HIS concern about fuel consumption. You didn't force it on him. Very good.

The mileage is likely very good. And, you had 3 others plus gear - a very efficient way of transporting people.

Hi Charlie. We tried to keep it below 60, losing speed on up hills and gaining some on downhills.
I think that helps alot. did not use AC, just vent fan and crack the windows a little. if it was hot mabye we would have used it a bit. Dave used CC a bit on the interstate, I never use it.
it is 4wd, but we don't use it, I don't know if that makes a difference.

MT

If it is a 2wd 1500 it is the same as my 1998.Ours gets 21 mpg at about 68 mph with the CC on during long interstate trips.All we do on those trips is 42/45 psi, Mobil 1 oil and diff lube and use the CC. The Suburbans do glide forever with adequate tires pressure.

21 mpg means we reach 3/4 at about 300 miles. The 1st quarter drains much more slowly than the last quarter.You should get about 24 mpg with it at 3/4 at 380 miles I think- very good!!.

Great job,
Charlie

awesome job...that must be one HUGE fuel tank :eek: 400 miles and that woulda had me on MT with a 15.9 gal. tank!

MT -I've heard that the 4 wd Suburbans- when in 2 wd mode -are about 1 mpg down vs the 2 wd only ones. 1 mpg just because it is turning one extra shaft or two seems like a lot. I'm curious what mpg you get with your 4x4 when on the highway in 2 wd.

I have to use my AC constantly-New Orleans is hot - and the trips thru TX,NM ,AZ were really hot.It was 102 in Dallas Fort Worth 2 weeks ago when we went thru and it was 100 degrees or better 300 miles on either side of DFW -HOTTER THAN NOLA!

I get about 16 mpg in "city" driving when about 1/2 the driving is city interstates.I just drove 16 miles each way to swim laps ( usually only do it once a week when I have a class at UNO anyway).On the way out I got 15.9 mpg despite shutting down at all the rwed lights.Way back 16.6 not shutting off at the lights.Of course, it wa warmed up better on the ride home,and the winds might have been morwe favorable. I should get better shutting down at redlights maybe 6 minutes at 2.6 liters per hour(.6 gallons per hour)-should save about .06 gallons of the 1 gallons used on the 16 mile trip-better than 5%.

The Suburbans really glide well-you have already noticed that.

I'm really fond of this vehicle- it is a great trip/evacuation/Home Depot vehicle.Like having a long bed pickup, but more comfortable-and cheaper.

I wish I had the $$ to upgrade to a 2004-they are rated 2 mpg better city and 1 mpg hy. I think at 60 mph it could get really close to 25 mpg. They are cheap now-you can buy a 2004 with 70000 miles for under $10,000 now-this is a vehicle that sold for $45000 new!

Don't have the $$ so I'll work with what I have-maybe seal the underside with double layer flashing to improve the aeros.

Let us know what the "Camp Bus -1996 Suburban" got MPG wise when you fill up.360 miles at 3/4 full should be really close to 25 mpg-great!!

I'm heading to Home depot-need some 4x8 foam board for insulating my attic access panels.AC is blasting but can't get below 79 degrees in the house - AC costs 50 cents per hour-almost 4000 watt hrs per hour now,so I want it off!! Just can't beat a Suburban for all around utility-buying used and using just when you need it,they are great vehicles. I would never buy a new one- but used they are great!
Charlie

Thanks for the info!

Unfortunately I cannot find out the MPG for this trip, I do not own this vehicle, and there will be many days and miles til the next fillup. I have ordered a scanguage so I will find out on future outings! :)

MT




Let us know what the "Camp Bus -1996 Suburban" got MPG wise when you fill up.360 miles at 3/4 full should be really close to 25 mpg-great!!

Charlie

Hello MT Bucket, I also was doing some hypermiling this past week while on vacation. I was driving my wife's 2007 GMC Suburban 4x4 5.7L. We put on about 600 miles on the trip with a family of six and a full load of gear for a 7 day vacation. I use synthetic oil (Pennzoil or Mobile 1) to get greater mileage between oil changes, increased fuel mileage, and better protection for the motor. The Suburban now has 108,000 miles and still runs like new. I have never had to perform any work on the drivetrain since new as I have performed all maintenance fluid changes myself since new. I recently added BF Goodrich LT (Light Truck) Long Trail T/A's in April of '08. These state that they have specific load capacities at up to 80 psi in the tires. I upped them from 35 to 40 prior to our trip to see what kind of extra mileage I could get on our trip. Do you think that I can go much higher??? I have never had LT tires before and previous tires had a max of 35 psi rating on the tires. I use many of the hyper miling techniques and total mpg for the trip was 18.6 mpg. I thought that this was great as we were carrying a pretty good load with our four sons and this included the urban and rural driving. I do shut down at stoplights to conserve fuel and restart when the light for cross traffic turns yellow. I was actually pulled over on Route 30 in Indiana by a Plymouth Police Officer. He had clocked me at 37 mph as I approached a traffic light. I was slowing down well in advance of a traffic light so I could time the light. The speed limit had gone from 60 to 45 approaching the light so there was no minimum speed limit. I honestly did not know what I was getting pulled over for after I went through the light. I made the light and only had to slow to 35 or so. The police officer was shocked to hear that I was timing the light to try and conserve fuel. Any other tips on conserving fuel in a Suburban would be appreciated. Many Thanks!!!
- FamilyMan :-)

Hi Family man! Welcome to clean MPG forums! I don't know what we got for mileage in the burban, I didnt have my scan gauge yet, but look at that pic again, we put almost 400 miles on that thing and only used a little over a quarter of the tank! I would guess at least in the low 20s! its a big truck but it ran well easy to keep at low rpms, plus I got to follow a big rig moving at 55mph for over 120 miles (3 seconds back, not tailgating)
That is weird getting pulled over for slowing for a light. I wish our tax money would be paying them to chase the real bad guys!:rolleyes:

As for tips on saving gas, I will point you to where I learned mine, I am still a grasshopper on this site :)
Check this out....Most of it will apply to any vehicle.

beating the epa the whys and how to hypermile

http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1510


Also check this out, very helpful if you need to drive in heavy traffic with stop and go stuff..

http://mtbucket.blogspot.com/2008/08/traffic-waves-video.html

MT

Familyman,
Welcome.My 98 2wd Suburban gets about 21 mpg at 65-68 mph on long interstate trips.I also use the Mobil 1. Mine is a 2wd ,and the trips are on long mostly level highways.I don't know how hilly you are - hills don't help! The Suburbans can do pretty well considering the size/capacity.

You can go higher with those tires especially since they have a 80 psi max. I wouldn't use 80 psi- loosen your fillings - but I would slowly increase and see if the mpg improves or the ride degrades.You have to balance improved FE with roughness of ride. After a certain psi the FE improvements will be very slight.

Luck,
Charlie

Thanks for the tips gentlemen!
Since bringing up the tire pressure, the Suburban seems to coast forever on the highway and exiting at off ramps. My wife has been driving it and I will have to check her gas receipts to check that mileage again. Thanks for all of your help!!!!

- Bob D.

I was driving my wife's 2007 GMC Suburban 4x4 5.7L. The Suburban now has 108,000 miles and still runs like new.
What? 108,000 miles on an '07 model? The 5.7 wasn't available in '07.