improving gas mileage???

[jet4fun]

in lieu of these gas prices and the threat of them getting even higher i have decided to finally get off my ass and try to get a little better mileage out of my truck... at least until i can afford to buy a diesel.
i have a '95 yukon which unfortunately is the last year of throttle body fuel injection (pre-vortec:frown: ). currently the only performance mod i have is a cat-back exhaust. the truck has a 6 inch lift with 35" tires, i did install 4.56's which helped a little. i currently get between 8-10 mpg. i was told i should have my speedo re-calibrated, but that seems to be harder than i thought.
i am not interested in improving power, just mileage (although some more power would be a positive byeproduct).
to make a long story short, i guess i am just looking for opinions on what to buy, i have done a little looking around and this is what i have come up with so far. i would appreciate any thoughts or input
i have decided to buy the following:
-headers (propably gibson)
-intake kit(no brand decision, who has the best bang for the buck?)
-throttle body spacer(which one? there are like 20 differnt ones to choose from)
if i have success the next thing i want to add is an MSD 6A box. beyond that i cant really think of anything... i am also thinking about cost involved. i really dont want to spend 2500 bucks to get 2 MPG better on the highway.
also wondering if anyone has a place they could recommend where i can get a good deal on the parts, i am in NOR-CAL (by chico)

[Mike67rs]

IMO, you'll spend way more money in aftermarket parts to make up for the possible gain in MPG. The mods you listed will give you minimal if any gains. The things that are killing you are the 35" tires (rolling resistance and aero) and the gears. Save your money on mods and pay the extra money for gas. I had an almost bone stock 96 Tahoe 4X4 and could only manage about 12-13 MPG. You will see some performance gains, but I think you are stuck with the MPG unless you want to change tires and gears. Mike

[Kachina26]

Originally posted by Mike67rs
but I think you are stuck with the MPG unless you want to change tires and gears. Mike
There ya go. I love my STOCK ride! I don't look like much, but it's reliable and gets 17mpg.

[jet4fun]

well, i hear what you are saying. and i agree, but i am not gonna take off the tires, and i already put the 4.56 gears in which actually gained me almost 2 mpg by itself...
a friend of mine has a early 90's ford pickup with the old 351 in it. he added a larger throttle body, intake kit, headers and exhaust; and he gained about 6 mpg, thats awesome and i dont necessarily expect that much but something close would be nice
well, i guess i am gonna go ahead with the items i listed at the top, but i'm gonna wait on the MSD... i guess i was just wondering if anyone had any better ideas than i have come up with, and if they could recommend a good place to buy them up here in NOR-CAL

[77charger]

I had an older suburban it had the same motor as yours i put headers,throttle body spacer,msd,chip.To be honest It didnt get any better mpg than stock power wasnt felt much either.It had a turbo 400 tranny(non overdrive)3.73 gears and 33s it would get 10-12 on avg not bad imo for what it was.10 towing the boat,And 6-8 towing the toybox.
If i were you i would just put that 2500 into the gas instead.

[rivercrazy]

Gotta agree with the comments made so far. The friction of the tires and rotating mass of the large tires are what's hurting you a bit....
Glad I stayed stock in my truck too. 17mpg to me sucks right now!

[dicudmore]

Dude, save your money and put it in the gas tank! None of the parts you listed will help your mileage AT ALL.
if you want to justify throwing parts at the truck w/the wife by saying its for mileage then go for it.....
Calculating your speedo also has NOTHING to do with your mileage, except that if it read accurately you could calculate your mileage correctly. Have you considered how far off your odometer is when figuring your mileage???

[Outnumbered]

Run synth oil. I think I figured out it was getting me about 1-2 mpg better in my 2500 Silverado.
OL

[Outnumbered]

BTW, you will not see the money you spend on all that stuff unless you keep the truck a long time and that assumes you get any increase in MPG. Two MPG would only save you $25-50 per month, depending on how many miles you drive. Just drive the truck and save the money. The only thing I would try is that Tornado spiral intake dealio. That is just because it is cheap and even if it does not work you're out less than $100.
OL

[jet4fun]

Originally posted by dicudmore
Have you considered how far off your odometer is when figuring your mileage??? yup

[77charger]

Hey robert i have a tbi spacer from my old burban if you want it let me know and i;ll take it to ming this month.I would give it to you for free but that is to easy so how about a beer for it?:D

[jet4fun]

Originally posted by 77charger
Hey robert i have a tbi spacer from my old burban if you want it let me know and i;ll take it to ming this month.I would give it to you for free but that is to easy so how about a beer for it?:D
deal, yeah i'll be there. you know where to find me;)

[Just Tool'n]

If you want to try a cheap updrade, try this. I know it sounds like a gimmick.
Try the throttle body spacer, then also buy on of those turbo tornados, the one you see advertised on TV. You know the one that they take the 2 liter coke bottles together & show you how fast in drains from one bottle to the other.
Shit I was up early one morning when the info commercial was on, so I said to self, Self buy one, hell you blow that kind of money weekly at the strip joint!
So I got it installed it. I noticed a little better throttle response, but i did start to get 1-2 MPG better, on the hi-way.
I drive a 2000 chevy express van with a 350 in it, 3.73 gears.
Where I really notice the better MPG is when I drive the normal speed limit of 65-70, instead of the 75-85MPH i usually drive.
As old lavey stated, 2MPG saves you $25-50 a month. Heck that one day of drinking money!
I was talking to a co-worker in Bakersfield this week. He has a 2002 Ford Excursion with the V-10, 50 Gallon tank, has to fill that thing up 3 times a week, you guessed it, over $300 a week on fuel times 4.3 weeks to the month equals $1290 a month in fuel, to which he states, hell my fuel bill is costing me more than my mortgage now days!
Any little increase could help!

[cc322]

The mods imo will not warrant any better fuel mileage! that being said, I have a 00 expy with a 4 inch lift and had 35"s on it ,but imo I lost alot of low end and fuel mileage was bad. I did not change the gears however. I decided to put 33"s on my expy and have been very happy with fuel mileage and low end power. I think if you are really concerned with the fuel, drop down the tire size. my 02

[shaun]

I havnt tryed this thing yet but i also saw the infomercial. My auto shop teacher from saddleback colledge was on the show as one of the guys verifying that it actually worked.
I know another guy who's running one that claims it works also.
Makes sense to me that it would increase performance/gas millage, you want the air to swirl like that!
only other thing i can think of would be a Ignition system (MSD) those i hear are suppose help out a bit too.
http://www.tornadoair.com

[FRENCHIE]

agree, not even worth it, just put it in the tank!!:D