i have a 2011 sierra ext cab with 5.3 afm with 6 speed transmission 2 wheel drive,3:42 rears,what kind of milage can i expect to get from this set up,i was hoping to average around 19,as of right now i have 1400 miles on it the trip thing says im getting 16.1 i checked it at 16.4,it seemed when i got my new truck gas went up 20 cents on a gallon just my luck haha,ive owned f150 average around 17,had a tacoma it averaged around 20,really like the sierra hope it gets better gas milage,also truck is a daily driver i do not tow anything much,just got towing package just in case i ever needed to tow something.just thought maybe someone here that has this package that is broke in could tell me what kind of fuel milage they are getting,i guess a engine is not broke in until it has at least 30,000 miles on it.thanks
Fuel Milage
- Thread starter ewrob
- Start date
GMC Customer Service
New member
According to EPA estimates, you can expect anywhere from between 16-21 MPG highway, depending on engine size. Some tips we have to increase gas mileage are: having the proper tire pressure, changing your air filter regularly, using the properly rated oil, and watching for the “check engine” light to come on (When the computer lights the Check Engine/SES light it has lost some ability to run efficiently. This may result in increased fuel consumption, increased emissions, and/or driveability concerns.)
Thanks,
Laura
GMC Customer Service
Thanks,
Laura
GMC Customer Service
fuel milage
thanks for your responce,no one else had,but i was not wanting to know what is on sticker,i was wanting someone who had this package on their truck,and had driven at least 25 to 30 thousand miles to see what kind of milage they were getting,i live mostly on flat ground with a few rolling hills,the central part of north carolina if that helps with location,ive got 1600 hundred miles on truck now and its up to 17.4 avg,i think i might be able to get 19.and by the way i have not had any of the problems ive read on here with the rearend making clanking noise,if they have a locking rearend if you spin your tire a little bit it going to kick in with a noise,just a mechanical noise.the 6 speed transmission works great on my truck so far,the truck has more power than the comp other trucks i test drove,i did not test drive a dodge to be fair,like my truck more every day
thanks for your responce,no one else had,but i was not wanting to know what is on sticker,i was wanting someone who had this package on their truck,and had driven at least 25 to 30 thousand miles to see what kind of milage they were getting,i live mostly on flat ground with a few rolling hills,the central part of north carolina if that helps with location,ive got 1600 hundred miles on truck now and its up to 17.4 avg,i think i might be able to get 19.and by the way i have not had any of the problems ive read on here with the rearend making clanking noise,if they have a locking rearend if you spin your tire a little bit it going to kick in with a noise,just a mechanical noise.the 6 speed transmission works great on my truck so far,the truck has more power than the comp other trucks i test drove,i did not test drive a dodge to be fair,like my truck more every day
GMC Customer Service
New member
Glad to hear you’re liking your Sierra so much, and I’m sorry that I can’t provide my own personal experience on what to expect in terms of fuel economy with the towing package.
Thanks,
Laura
GMC Customer Service
Thanks,
Laura
GMC Customer Service
Wartsnuff
New member
I have a 2011 Sierra Z71 4x4
and i am getting about 12.5l/100km or 18.8 USMPG or 22.6 ImpMPG
sounds like you might have a heavy foot yet
lol J/K
cheers
Warts
and i am getting about 12.5l/100km or 18.8 USMPG or 22.6 ImpMPG
sounds like you might have a heavy foot yet
lol J/Kcheers
Warts
fuel milage
i have pushed it a couple times just to see what it would do,5.3 will get up and go,but i have been tring to drive it to get the best gas milage i can.how many miles on your truck,i figured a 4x4 would have 3.73 in it,like i said if i can average 19 mpg out of it i will be happy
i have pushed it a couple times just to see what it would do,5.3 will get up and go,but i have been tring to drive it to get the best gas milage i can.how many miles on your truck,i figured a 4x4 would have 3.73 in it,like i said if i can average 19 mpg out of it i will be happy
Wartsnuff
New member
i now have 7500km's on it... and its 3.42 ratio in it.. with the 6 spd auto.
its going into 4cyl mode more and more... in the city... its cruising at 8-9L/100km
on the hwy still getting the 18.5 to 19mpg
i was hoping to get over 20mpg myself.. .but maybe it will get a little better in the next couple of 1000 kms
good luck
Cheers
Warts
PGDriver
New member
Hi Wartsnuff
I see you have a nice truck now, did you get rid of the Tacoma... LOL
Just kidding that was a good forum also.
My truck with just a few more Kms gets about 19 - 21 in town and 24 -26 0n the highway.
Real fuel mileage
Don't you just love the way factory advertisments always quote only the higher "highway" fuel mileage figure , as though that's the only type of driving we do ? They could, if they're being honest, tell you both the city and highway figures, or a combined average. In my opinion, if they mislead you on that point, how can you believe anything else the advertisement says ?
Don't you just love the way factory advertisments always quote only the higher "highway" fuel mileage figure , as though that's the only type of driving we do ? They could, if they're being honest, tell you both the city and highway figures, or a combined average. In my opinion, if they mislead you on that point, how can you believe anything else the advertisement says ?
Wartsnuff
New member
Yes i did alot to the tacoma... nothing aftermarket gave me any problems..
but the truck its self was giving me grief... and i dumped her
missing the stereo and nav system...
but not missing the drive of the truck over my GMC
I do so much traveling, with me getting older.. the toy was sorta outgrown..
cheers
Warts
PGDriver
New member
Yes i did alot to the tacoma... nothing aftermarket gave me any problems..
but the truck its self was giving me grief... and i dumped her
missing the stereo and nav system...
but not missing the drive of the truck over my GMC
I do so much traveling, with me getting older.. the toy was sorta outgrown..
cheers
Warts
I hear you, did the same.
There is something about the ride of a larger truck.
Cheers
Doug
I have a 2010 Sierra SLT Extended Cab Z71 (4x4) All Terrain with 5.3L 3.42 axle and just about every option less the sunroof and navigation. So far in the first 13,000 miles my combined average is 17.6 mpg (fluctuates about +/-0.3). I am about 55/50 mix of short trip and highway, during winter In was using AUTO 4x4 all the time. I never bother to spot check mpg as that will often give you incorrect values as its impossible to measure the fuel used exactly whereas over 10,000 miles you get a better mean. I guess its my many years as a land surveyor I know to never trust one measurement, take many and mean them (average) to get the correct reading.
PS-I just drive normally, never hot-rod or take off fast, usually drive no faster than 65 mph etc.
2010 GMC Sierra Z71 All Terrain E. Cab
2009 Cadillac CTS4 AWD Performance Sedan
Freakinoldguy
Member
Interesting thread.
I was pricing out GMC Sierra's for my daughter since she's looking at trading in her 98 on a new one and I discovered something interesting.
Since she's in Alberta I went online to Calgary dealers to see if they had what she wanted and while perusing the site of one dealer I discovered their gas mileage claim for a 4.8 litre Sierra 4x4 with the automatic transmission is totally different from my local GM dealers claim.
They claim the gas mileage is as follows:
City L/100 km 18........ Hwy L/100 km 13.
Yet when I went to the website of the dealership that I bought my new truck from they claim that the mileage is.
City L/100 km 15.9........Hwy L/100 km 11.4
Natural Resources Canada Gas Mileage
SIERRA 4WD PU 4.8 8 X E4E 15.9 11.4 18 25 $2,919
So here's the 64 Million dollar question. Why would the Alberta Dealer put down a worse gas mileage than BC Dealers or Natural Resources Canada have for what amounts to the same truck?
I was pricing out GMC Sierra's for my daughter since she's looking at trading in her 98 on a new one and I discovered something interesting.
Since she's in Alberta I went online to Calgary dealers to see if they had what she wanted and while perusing the site of one dealer I discovered their gas mileage claim for a 4.8 litre Sierra 4x4 with the automatic transmission is totally different from my local GM dealers claim.
They claim the gas mileage is as follows:
City L/100 km 18........ Hwy L/100 km 13.
Yet when I went to the website of the dealership that I bought my new truck from they claim that the mileage is.
City L/100 km 15.9........Hwy L/100 km 11.4
Natural Resources Canada Gas Mileage
SIERRA 4WD PU 4.8 8 X E4E 15.9 11.4 18 25 $2,919
So here's the 64 Million dollar question. Why would the Alberta Dealer put down a worse gas mileage than BC Dealers or Natural Resources Canada have for what amounts to the same truck?
Fuel mileage
It sounds like your foot is a little heavy. On my 2000 Sierra, with a 4.8 and with 346,000 miles on it, I still get 18 mpg on the highway and an average of 16.5 overall. I'm not bragging, it just seems your mpg is really low for a relatively new truck. Good luck with your mileage issue. bdja
It sounds like your foot is a little heavy. On my 2000 Sierra, with a 4.8 and with 346,000 miles on it, I still get 18 mpg on the highway and an average of 16.5 overall. I'm not bragging, it just seems your mpg is really low for a relatively new truck. Good luck with your mileage issue. bdja
im glad for all of the info,this has been a big help with going into the future with my new truck,i can tell you with the afm and it kicks down to 4cyl i can get up to 99 miles per gallon woohoo,the bad part is when im in 8cyl mode going up a hill or hilly,it can go down to 4 mpg haha.that info i guess you call it dic can really learn you how to drive and get the best millage,at least im tring to learn,i know everyone says if you are interested in mpg why buy a truck,im like most people i need a truck for things around the house and i hate to borrow a buddys truck to bring home a new appliance or haul a load of mulch,i like to get the best mpg when im driving it.thanks to ya`ll feedback
I have a 2011 GMC 4X4 SLE crew cab with 20" rims and the 5.3 litre V6. I put new Nitto tires size 295/55/20's and a 2 1/2" front end leveling kit. I was only getting approximatley 11.5 mpg prior to doing this and had only 4000 miles on it. I did run E85 for about 700 of those miles. I have 6300 miles on it now and have been running nothing but E10 gasoline. I know with the bigger tires I would lose some mpg but thought I would go up to at least 15-17 mpg. Can anyone tell me if this is abnormally wrong? I am still only getting 11 mpg!!!
I have a 2007 !500 ZX4 and it has the 5.3 and 3.73. rear with tow package. Cruise control at 60 MPH I get 20 mpg. Towing my 7000 lb camper 10.3 which is good. I just purchased this GMC about 3 mos ago and it only had 14000. miles now 20000. Love the truck
I just purchased a new 2011 sierra with a 4.8l 6spd and have never been more disappointed with the gas milage. I just went over 1000 miles in the truck and averaged 10.5 miles per gallon. This is with the truck empty. The last 400 miles was a trip with all freeway and cruse control set the entire way. The truck got 10.6 MPG. Now in all fairness the truck came with the rocky ridge lift package with 35" tires. I spoke to my local service manager regarding the poor gas milage and he indicated that the lift and the tire size should not make that big of a difference. I have an appointment in two days but I just don't have this warm and fuzzy feeling that they can do anything. The truck runs perfect and i have no check engine warnings. So we will see what happens.
I have a 2010 Sierra SLT Ext Cab standard box Z71 All Terrain and I have owned 4wd trucks and SUV's dating back to 1975. About to hit 20,000 miles on my 2010 Sierra 4x4. I live in Upper Michigan where its winter from Dec thru March and I drive around all the time with AUTO 4wd engaged as the roads are snow covered and slippery 75% of the time. So far over the 20,000 miles I am averaging 17.7 mpg. I use the truck for business hauling light loads and also have a car to drive, my truck sees limited use in the summer months as I go everywhere I can with the car which gets about 23mpg.
There are many variables that affect mileage such as: tire inflation, the type of fuel (ethanol fuels will have lower mpg), weather, elevation, the speed at which you drive, the gear in which you drive, the speed with which you accelerate, engine maintenance, excessive idling, cruise control, the grade of motor oil you use, and so on. In other words difficult to predict from on driver to the next.
Also and I have seen this a lot, many tend to only report on the good or what I call 'cherry pick'. They rarely take an average over thousands of miles of various driving they do and then mean the results to get an average (mean). They may say they get 22 mpg when I reality its a 'cherry picked' result and if they were to average that out they would find out they are not really getting that. I can go back to my logs and find where I got 21 mph from a here to there trip but i can also go back and find where I got 15 mpg driving in some other situation.
So if I can get 17.7 with a 4 wheel drive operating in AUTO 4wd for a good portion of the time, you should be able to reach 2 with a 2wd.
Btw- I have a 3.42 also, since 2010 the 3.73 can only be had with the MAX trailering option, the default ratio is now 3.08 and the 3.42 is a no cost option. But 3.73 cannot be ordered unless the Max trailer option is ordered.
There are many variables that affect mileage such as: tire inflation, the type of fuel (ethanol fuels will have lower mpg), weather, elevation, the speed at which you drive, the gear in which you drive, the speed with which you accelerate, engine maintenance, excessive idling, cruise control, the grade of motor oil you use, and so on. In other words difficult to predict from on driver to the next.
Also and I have seen this a lot, many tend to only report on the good or what I call 'cherry pick'. They rarely take an average over thousands of miles of various driving they do and then mean the results to get an average (mean). They may say they get 22 mpg when I reality its a 'cherry picked' result and if they were to average that out they would find out they are not really getting that. I can go back to my logs and find where I got 21 mph from a here to there trip but i can also go back and find where I got 15 mpg driving in some other situation.
So if I can get 17.7 with a 4 wheel drive operating in AUTO 4wd for a good portion of the time, you should be able to reach 2 with a 2wd.
Btw- I have a 3.42 also, since 2010 the 3.73 can only be had with the MAX trailering option, the default ratio is now 3.08 and the 3.42 is a no cost option. But 3.73 cannot be ordered unless the Max trailer option is ordered.
Last edited:
Molson02536
New member
Its not the truck that's causing the poor mileage. Its the fuel we are getting from the gas stations.
Depending on where you buy your gas or where you life will dictate your fuel consumption to your ride. Here in Ontario we have as much as 10% ethanol mixed in with our gas except with shell which still run 100% gas in there 91 octane.
Mose case it 10% 87 octane, 05% 89 and 91 octane but like Husky they can have as much as 10% in all there grades of gas and should be posted on the pump.
Also the area will dictate the gas you will have in the stations, Ethanol attracts water so eventual condensation in the tanks will mix in with the gas due to the ethanol so you could get up to 10% of water in your tank.
This is why the coastal regions will not have any ethanol in there gas stations due to this or during the winter months will have less or no ethanol it self.
For this i have been using 91 octane from shell and have got my mileage up again from what it was. Yes it cost more but, it pays for the long run for me cause i do about 220 km to and from work.
i found with the 87 octane it costing me $20.00 to and from work one round. With the 91 octane pure gas at $35.00 will get me two rounds.
Just a little FYI
Molson02536
Depending on where you buy your gas or where you life will dictate your fuel consumption to your ride. Here in Ontario we have as much as 10% ethanol mixed in with our gas except with shell which still run 100% gas in there 91 octane.
Mose case it 10% 87 octane, 05% 89 and 91 octane but like Husky they can have as much as 10% in all there grades of gas and should be posted on the pump.
Also the area will dictate the gas you will have in the stations, Ethanol attracts water so eventual condensation in the tanks will mix in with the gas due to the ethanol so you could get up to 10% of water in your tank.
This is why the coastal regions will not have any ethanol in there gas stations due to this or during the winter months will have less or no ethanol it self.
For this i have been using 91 octane from shell and have got my mileage up again from what it was. Yes it cost more but, it pays for the long run for me cause i do about 220 km to and from work.
i found with the 87 octane it costing me $20.00 to and from work one round. With the 91 octane pure gas at $35.00 will get me two rounds.
Just a little FYI
Molson02536