25mpg on 04 xuv, more testing coming soon!

[ultravorx]

Hey guys, i've been testing out my mpg on my new envoy xuv, and ive recently been getting 22-25. So far, this is my best mileage going to work. The picture was taken right before my exit, after about 35 miles of highway driving.
http://gallery.trailvoy.com/data/506/25mpg.jpg
This was done with cruise at 65mph, rear roof closed, tires inflated to 40psi, and fuel system cleaned on the last tank of gas with redline fuel cleaner.
What i noticed is if my roof is open, i loose about 1-2mpg on the highway.
Today my volant cai comes in, so on tomorrows drive to work, i can test what kind of impact the cai will have on it. Hopefully it will be a slight increase!! If i can eventually hit26-27, i'd be a really happy camper!!


Frank

[ilikemy3s]

Hey guys, i've been testing out my mpg on my new envoy xuv, and ive recently been getting 22-25. So far, this is my best mileage going to work. The picture was taken right before my exit, after about 35 miles of highway driving.
http://gallery.trailvoy.com/data/506/25mpg.jpg
This was done with cruise at 65mph, rear roof closed, tires inflated to 40psi, and fuel system cleaned on the last tank of gas with redline fuel cleaner.
What i noticed is if my roof is open, i loose about 1-2mpg on the highway.
Today my volant cai comes in, so on tomorrows drive to work, i can test what kind of impact the cai will have on it. Hopefully it will be a slight increase!! If i can eventually hit26-27, i'd be a really happy camper!!


Frank

WOW I am hoping to get that with my Envoy XL on a trip this summer

[rbarrios]

nice.
So you reset the parameters and went for a nice long drive?
I notice that your at less than half a tank. Or was this average since you filled the tank?
Im asking because im curious about the mileage with a FULL tank of gas. obvioulsy it add a significant amount of weight.

[Super 88]

:iagree: I'd love to know what the real world numbers are (miles driven divided by gallons used).

[Knightslugger]

yeah, you can't go by what the Driver Information says with any accuracy. 25 will soon translate to 19

[njVoyXL03]

Use 4oz of pure acetone per 10gallons, the poormans MPG, without hurting ur engine or drivetrain
and you will see 3-4mpg increases
:m2: :thumbsup:

[jj02slt]

I wouldn't go by what the drivers information says. You're better off calculating the true mpg's by keeping track of your miles between fill-ups.

One other thing that I noticed from the pic is that your temperature is above 210? Mine always stays a tic below 210. So I'm wondering if they did something different with the thermostat between 02 and 04.

[RozmerJJ]

:iagree: You need to calculate manually and not trust the DIC for accurate numbers. After 02' they did change the way the temp gauge works, IIRC they made it more like an OK/Not OK gauge rather than an actual reading as to many people were complaining about the fluctuation of the gauge.

I have never seen any real world evidence that using acetone will increase your mileage. I do believe that this is nothing more then one of those Get Better Gas Mileage myths like the magnets and in-line filters.

[ultravorx]

nice.
So you reset the parameters and went for a nice long drive?
I notice that your at less than half a tank. Or was this average since you filled the tank?
Im asking because im curious about the mileage with a FULL tank of gas. obvioulsy it add a significant amount of weight.

I understand what everyone is saying, my test(s) are only highway mpg. I reset the DIC when i entered the highway. This is NOT an average of daily driving, my daily driving average is around 14-16mpg.

All im try to accomplish is whats the best mileage i can get on the highway.

I do know the gas is at a 1/4 tank, and i do take that into consideration for weight. When i perform the test with the volant intake, it will also be with a 1/4 of gas as well.

I do about 75% highway, 25% city, so manually calculationg the gas is a bit tricky. But after i perform the volant test, i will fill up next to the highway, drive for about 50 miles, and top it off, and see how accurate the dic is. In previous cars/trucks ive had, and my friends buick rainier, the dic is almost 100% dead on.

I'll keep you all posted!

Frank

[Envoy Fan]

I hope the Volant CAI fits you '04 better than the Volant I had for my '03 Envoy. The fit was POS.

[thabet_2]

Did you use acetone in your car? for how long? did you notice any deterioration in plastic and ruber parts? maybe gas smell? read allot about it and see allot of people voting against it, thi is the firsttime someone really advise on it in here.
Thanks

Use 4oz of pure acetone per 10gallons, the poormans MPG, without hurting ur engine or drivetrain
and you will see 3-4mpg increases
:m2: :thumbsup:

[MTPockets]

Cool data & pics, but like Super 88 and John say, it's total miles per tank of gas that counts (or hits your wallet :eek:). I'm not surprized the computer calculated mid 20's for a 35mi hywy run. 4.2's do pretty well at sustained, easy 65-70mph runs.

Joel

[iamkhanz]

that is unbelievable.. I would say the same zero out your odometer next time you fill up. Then when your gas fully runs out again look at how many miles you drove on your odometer. Fill up your gas and note the number of gallons you fill. Divide the odometer reading by the # of gallons you fill...miles/gal.

[DrumMedic965]

that is unbelievable.. I would say the same zero out your odometer next time you fill up. Then when your gas fully runs out again look at how many miles you drove on your odometer. Fill up your gas and note the number of gallons you fill. Divide the odometer reading by the # of gallons you fill...miles/gal.

:iagree:

[ghoster]

I have done just over 25 mpg. That was in a tuned 04 with 2 people in it on a trip from Va Beach to Miami and back. So I was at sea level or really close to it the whole trip. And, it was late fall. So the temps were really cool. Mine is also 2wd. So what I am saying is, I got that mileage, but only in perfect conditions. My normal driving, with an average highway/city mix, is between 17 and 19 mpg.

I agree with Joel, these trucks do really well on the highway when you find that perfect speed. Once you load them down or try to run at 75+ mph, forget it. And city driving, forget it. Lucky to average 14 to 16 in the city.:cool:

[RayVoy]

I understand what everyone is saying, my test(s) are only highway mpg. I reset the DIC when i entered the highway. This is NOT an average of daily driving, my daily driving average is around 14-16mpg.

All im try to accomplish is whats the best mileage i can get on the highway.

I do know the gas is at a 1/4 tank, and i do take that into consideration for weight. When i perform the test with the volant intake, it will also be with a 1/4 of gas as well.

I do about 75% highway, 25% city, so manually calculationg the gas is a bit tricky. But after i perform the volant test, i will fill up next to the highway, drive for about 50 miles, and top it off, and see how accurate the dic is. In previous cars/trucks ive had, and my friends buick rainier, the dic is almost 100% dead on.

I'll keep you all posted!

Frank
I think the point that Frank is trying to make, is that on his 35 mile trip (as long as conditions and other "things" are constant) he can test his changes. Sure it's not as accurate as a full tank of gas, but it is a lot cheaper and quicker. It's almost instant feedback; if today's change doesn't improve mileage, it can be removed for tomorrow's trip.

[petemorales]

Man, I cannot believe 25 MPG, thats great. Do you have 4x4? I get 14 in the city if im lucky.
Also, I get maybe 18 on the highway going 65:duh: . Maybe I have a bad setup or
something(possibly a heavy foot?). I thought Id get better mileage with an I6:confused: .
The city mileage I don't mind, but i thought the I6 would be better on the highway. My cousin's
HEMI Ram gets 15 highway, only 3 less than me?! That engine dwarfs my little I6's... Any comments?
Is this normal. I don't mind it too much though because I used to drive a silverado 1500HD
with 8 city/13 highway MPG so the TB is better. But, I sure do miss that 6.0L V8 POWER!
I'm going back to a silverado after another year or so with the TB. I'll tough out the gas prices.

[LastCall]

I just ran my first tank of gas through my 05 TB 4X4 4.2L as was impressed that I got 15.5 MPG(87 Octane) in city driving. I am driving from KY to GA tomorrow and I will see what I am getting on the highway.

This is a bone stock TB, I cant wait to get my CAI and Tune!

LastCall

[ultravorx]

I think the point that Frank is trying to make, is that on his 35 mile trip (as long as conditions and other "things" are constant) he can test his changes. Sure it's not as accurate as a full tank of gas, but it is a lot cheaper and quicker. It's almost instant feedback; if today's change doesn't improve mileage, it can be removed for tomorrow's trip.

Ray hit the nail on the head!! What im trying to achieve is what mods can improve gass mileage. My trip to work is constant everyday, so its a good baseline test. Im not saying i get 25mpg average everywhere. This is just highway test at 65mph with cruise control.

http://gallery.trailvoy.com/data/506/img141.jpg
Here is another test, same setup, but i started with a full tank of gas, this time i average 25.7mpg (i took the picture on the exit ramp, thus the lower speed), i filled back up and divided. I drove 40 miles, and needed to fill about 1.55 gallons, which comes to about 25.8mpg, so the DIC is pretty accurate. So i am comfortable using it for my test.

Im still waiting on the intake, there was a shipping problem, so im not getting it in until friday, but i will have the results for this monday.

So far, my results show that 40psi seems to be a sweet spot for tires, and that full tank or empty tank of gas have no bearing on mileage.

Frank

[RozmerJJ]

So far, my results show that 40psi seems to be a sweet spot for tires, and that full tank or empty tank of gas have no bearing on mileage.

Frank


If you have the stock (OEM) size tires on your truck then 40psi in all 4 is to much. This will cause the tires to wear incorrectly and fail prematurely. You should look at the sticker inside the drivers door and run about 2-4 psi higher than that unless you are really loaded down or towing. The sticker shows the minimum psi you should run and I believe the 04' like the 05' has a different pressure for the fronts then it does for the rears.

[ultravorx]

If you have the stock (OEM) size tires on your truck then 40psi in all 4 is to much. This will cause the tires to wear incorrectly and fail prematurely. You should look at the sticker inside the drivers door and run about 2-4 psi higher than that unless you are really loaded down or towing. The sticker shows the minimum psi you should run and I believe the 04' like the 05' has a different pressure for the fronts then it does for the rears.

that is a good point. ill check on the doors tonight and make the proper adjustments. someone else on here said for mileage to increase to 40psi, so thats what i did.
to answer a few questions. i do have 4 wheel drive and i am running the stock tire size.

frank

[RozmerJJ]

My wife's 02' recommends 32psi in all 4 tires so I run them at 34-36 and they wear great. When I got my 05' I did the same and found the fronts had issues with wearing on the inside edge, that is when I noticed that the newer trucks recommended 30psi in the front and 35 in the rear. I rotated my tores and ran 32-33 in the front and 35-38 in the rear and the inside wear went away.

When I load up the TB with either gear in the back or a small utility trailer I will up the pressure in the rear tires to compensate for the load as this is the normal procedure. Running 40psi will up your gas millage as it will reduce rolling resistance but you will pay for that with excessive tire wear.

[ds8]

I've run 40psi in all four tires since I drove the vehicle home from the dealership. 68,000 miles later without any tire rotations and the tires are in perfect condition...even wear across the entire surface. I can probably get another 12,000 miles out of them.

DS

[notajeep]

I've run 40psi in all four tires since I drove the vehicle home from the dealership. 68,000 miles later without any tire rotations and the tires are in perfect condition...even wear across the entire surface. I can probably get another 12,000 miles out of them.

DS

you serious

i get new tires every 35,000 miles. i keep 34psi in mine

[ds8]

My Dad got 87,000 out of his first set on his TB and never rotated his either. They wore well too and he ran them at 40psi on all four tires. In fact he's still on his orignal brake components after 108,000 miles.

[notajeep]

My Dad got 87,000 out of his first set on his TB and never rotated his either. They wore well too and he ran them at 40psi on all four tires. In fact he's still on his orignal brake components after 108,000 miles.

what tires

[ds8]

My dad had the BFGoodrich stock tires. He replaced them with the Michelin Cross Terrains that came standard on my Envoy. The Michelins give a softer quieter ride than the BF's.

[RozmerJJ]

DS8, You are the exception to the rule. Running that high a pressure is bad for OEM style tires considering the max on them is just over 40psi.

[JamesDub]

Jeesh you all will think I'm crazy but I run my Goodyear MTRs at 55 psi . The max for them is 65 psi .

James

[Nixxx]

I dare not run mine above 36... at 40 you must feel every crack in the road?

[RozmerJJ]

Jeesh you all will think I'm crazy but I run my Goodyear MTRs at 55 psi . The max for them is 65 psi .

James


I don't think your crazy! Those are not OEM style tires and have a much higher pressure rating so running 55 in a tire rated for 65 is like running 34 in a tire rated for 44, not a problem.

[ultravorx]

Sorry, no photos for these test, but monday providing there is no rain i'll get some photos.

I installed the volant last night, i took a 20 mile trip to the mall and i average at 27.3 mpg. This was a different route than i did the test, so its not an official test.

This morning, i redit my test with the volant, but i only got 24.3mpg. but there were 2 variables!! One was the new intake, which i got great mileage last night. And the other was rain!!!!

I'll have to restest on monday providing there is no rain, but im running on a theory that rain impacts your mpg!!!

facts:
I gained about 2 mpg from baseline with the volant installed, no rain, but different route

Using my baseline route, with rain and volant installed, i got 1mpg less than bassline

I need to redo the test with the baseline drive with no rain to really see if the volant helps or not, from the looks of it, from the test last night with no rain it should!!

to be continued.......

[RayVoy]

Rain will do at least 3 things, change the density of the air going into the engine, cool the radiator and increase your rolling resistance. All 3 will change your mpg. There may be some arguments that the 1st 2 will improve the mpg, but the 3rd will kill the mpg.

[ultravorx]

Well, i finally got a baseline reading with the volant intake installed.

23.6mpg :duh:
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w267/ultravorx/img148.jpg

Tonight, im going to remove the volant and put the factory back and retest tomorrow morning. So far, its looking like im going to get a decrease in mileage. Im kinda surprised about this, but tomorrow will be the true test, hopefully it will go back up to mid 25's!!


Frank

[paul2005TB]

Ray hit the nail on the head!! What im trying to achieve is what mods can improve gass mileage. My trip to work is constant everyday, so its a good baseline test. Im not saying i get 25mpg average everywhere........................................ ....

Here is another test, same setup, but i started with a full tank of gas, this time i average 25.7mpg (i took the picture on the exit ramp, thus the lower speed), i filled back up and divided. I drove 40 miles, and needed to fill about 1.55 gallons, which comes to about 25.8mpg, so the DIC is pretty accurate. So i am comfortable using it for my test.

Im still waiting on the intake, there was a shipping problem, so im not getting it in until friday, but i will have the results for this monday.

So far, my results show that 40psi seems to be a sweet spot for tires, and that full tank or empty tank of gas have no bearing on mileage.

Frank



Frank are these tests all in the same direction or are they round trip ?... if they are in the same direction and during the same time of day you may have the wind a bit at your back and perhaps rolling down hill, these two factors will biasing the MPGs... wind resistance on the TB is a big factor on the MPGs.

[Buddyrich]

I thought you might have to have the computer learn the increase in air flow. I think it takes 100 to 200 miles to learn.
You might want to wait for 200 miles after putting in the Volant, then do your tests.

[ultravorx]

Frank are these tests all in the same direction or are they round trip ?... if they are in the same direction and during the same time of day you may have the wind a bit at your back and perhaps rolling down hill, these two factors will biasing the MPGs... wind resistance on the TB is a big factor on the MPGs.

Hey, the test are all in the same direction and stretch of highway. I did a run today, but got stuck due to a tanker fuel spill, so my test wasnt accurate. But what i did find is at that point, my mileage, with the stock intake was back to about 25.5 But im not counting that as official because i didnt complete the full run.
I ran the intake for about 300 miles before this test. I drove the truck with the volant over the weekend, so that should have allowed for any adjustments.

Tomorrow mornings forcast is rain, so im going to report back tomorrow and see if the stock shows a decrease with rain.


Frank

[ultravorx]

Hey guys, i finally got to run the trial with the stock intake, in the rain, and i got a whopping 23.7mpg!!!

This confirms that rain plays a role in gas mileage, it decreases it!! So with this know, i will reinstall the volant tonight, and retest it tomorrow morning. Tomorrow is suppoed to be sunny and clear, so i will finally get an accurate gas mileage reading!!

Pix will be posted once i get home.



Frank

[Blazernut]

Hey guys, i finally got to run the trial with the stock intake, in the rain, and i got a whopping 23.7mpg!!!

This confirms that rain plays a role in gas mileage, it decreases it!! So with this know, i will reinstall the volant tonight, and retest it tomorrow morning. Tomorrow is suppoed to be sunny and clear, so i will finally get an accurate gas mileage reading!!

Pix will be posted once i get home.



Frank

I'm wondering if you should be resetting the PCM for each different intake test? I'm sure there must be a need for the PCM to relearn the different attributes of each one.

Single runs with different intakes must keep it in a confused learning mode or an ineffective one? :undecided

B.

[ultravorx]

Before i make my trials and switch over the intake, i usually drive around for 30-50 miles each time before i run the test.

Well, I finally got to test the volant on a nice sunny day. It looks like i lost 1mpg over stock.
This morning, i hit 24.5mpg. This is down from 25.7mpg i hit yesterday.

With this info, im going to run one more test. Im going to try a k&n drop in filter with my stock inake tubing. Im wondering if the factory ribbed tubbing some how benefits gas mileage.

Im going to try to find one tonight that i can drop in for tomorrows drive in. Either way, it looks like ill probably be selling my volant cai very soon!

Im kinda surprised about this, i did have high hope that the intake would yeild some better mileage, but i guess i was wrong.


Frank

[88BlackZ-51]

I just got 23.1 MPG on my trip to ROME NY.

[03kctb]

I just took a trip to Branson last weekend with the '03 EXT. Bone stock except for synthetic oil, 35PSI tires, 5 people aboard and about 200 lbs of luggage, we logged 18.9 mpg. This was 95% hwy with a slight headwind and a lot of hills and downshifting the last 45mi. Total mi one way 226mi. A/C on about 30% of the time. Not bad but I was hoping for at least 20.

[RozmerJJ]

18.9 on and EXT with a lot of hills, a head wind and 5 passengers is very good.

Remember your driving a truck with the aerodynamics of a brick on wheels.

[Buddyrich]

Before i make my trials and switch over the intake, i usually drive around for 30-50 miles each time before i run the test.

I believe it takes 100 to 200 miles for the relearn. You may be changing out to quickly and confusing the heck out of the computer.

With this info, im going to run one more test. Im going to try a k&n drop in filter with my stock inake tubing. Im wondering if the factory ribbed tubbing some how benefits gas mileage.

[I]I believe the ribbed tubing would actually inhibit the air flow. It is not smooth, and I would think it would slow down the air flow.

Im going to try to find one tonight that i can drop in for tomorrows drive in. Either way, it looks like ill probably be selling my volant cai very soon!

Im kinda surprised about this, i did have high hope that the intake would yeild some better mileage, but i guess i was wrong.


Frank

I believe it takes 100 to 200 miles for the relearn. You may be changing out to quickly and confusing the heck out of the computer.

[I]I believe the ribbed tubing would actually inhibit the air flow. It is not smooth, and I would think it would slow down the air flow.

[ultravorx]

I believe it takes 100 to 200 miles for the relearn. You may be changing out to quickly and confusing the heck out of the computer.

[I]I believe the ribbed tubing would actually inhibit the air flow. It is not smooth, and I would think it would slow down the air flow.

You do have a point, thats why when i go back to stock it goes back up, since its still under "stock" settings. I'll maybe next week i'll keep the volant on all week and see what happens from there!

Thanks,

Frank

[ScarabEpic22]

I forgot to post about this, but about a month ago I got 24.5mpg at 65mph (cruise on all the way) on about a 200mi round trip. I was pretty happy, and I had over half a tank left (that soon went bye-bye once I got back in the city and playing again:rolleyes::laugh:).

[confusedsoul]

Get a MPG tune for that intake and you might gain some back :yes:

[ScarabEpic22]

Get a MPG tune for that intake and you might gain some back :yes:

Me? Ive taken the PCM4Less stage 2 shifts and modded it, yea I moan about MPG but all I really care about is the performance. BTW, this is an 02 LL8 CAI+Magnaflow catback+ PCM4Less/Custom tune via EFILive.