Increasing Effeciency on the LS1

What can I do to get this thing to get better gas mileage? Plugs? Air filters?
Exhaust?


Just curious...

Keep your foot out of it. ;)

Most LS1 cars get good gas mileage. For my weekly commute, I always average 22-23 MPG with mixed city and highway driving.

I drove from Orlando to Ft. Myers (~250 miles) yesterday on I-4 and I-75. I got 25 MPG going and 26 coming back. I had the windows open with the vent on going and had them up with the A/C on coming back in the rain. My average speed was about 75 MPH. I bet I would have got close to 30 if I went slower with the windows up.

What kind of mileage are you getting right now?

My mileage alse varies between 22 and 24mpg in every day commute (~30 miles one way) which includes some highway and some stop'n'go traffic.

In pure highway driving (~75mph) I've gotten close to 27mpg.

Not bad for a 300+hp vehicle. :D ;)

TS

The best I got stock at 55 mph was 27.I installed a flowmaster cat back,SLP lid & cold air intake & a K & N filter.I then took a trip from Philly,PA to Maine & got 29 mpg @ 70 mph.Not bad,more power,performance,& better gas mileage to boot.Ya gotta love it !:D

I drove from Detroit to Aspen Colorado and back; I averaged 27.7 mpg. I have a 2:73 axle and drove at 70+mph most the way. coming out of the mountains I got as high as 30mpg!
2001 a4 coupe

swap your tranny for a T56:cool: 30 MPG:cool:

Originally posted by camaro322hp
swap your tranny for a T56:cool: 30 MPG:cool:

:bow:

I gotta say "ditto" with the numbers the guys are saying above (well, the A4 guys!:irk: ).

IMO, anything over 20 mpg for a 300+ HP vehicle is darn good:thumb:. And again, to increase mileage, keep your foot out of it!!!:p

I got 30 mpg running 85mph in New Mexico...mostly since I did hit 125 on that tank.
When I got to TX and the limit dropped down to where I ran an averaged 70-75 mph, I got 29.

I average around 30 mpg on the freeway cruising 80 mph, but it does drop down when I need to change the oil.. Then I get around 25 mpg!!

Charlie

Well, I actually just got the car..... I am still having the shock factor of owning an LS1..... :D
I am on my first tank of gas..... I hope to get as good MPG as you guys! I know that my '92 gets an average of 21-22 on mixed driving...

By the way.. The "Oil Change" light came on on the way home (a 2 hour drive) When I change the oil, does that need to be reset?:confused:

Originally posted by kiztope
By the way.. The "Oil Change" light came on on the way home (a 2 hour drive) When I change the oil, does that need to be reset?:confused:

Yes. Instructions are in your Owners Manual.

TS

Yes it does, it is done by pressing the trip odometer twice, then hold for a few seconds

Thanks for the fast replies!! You guys are awesome! :)

Is it always a good thing to switch to full synthetic on the LS1? What are the drawbacks and Advantages?

I was coming home from northern California a few weeks ago. Coming down I-5, I topped the tank off in Kettleman City (CA.). Continued south on cruise control at 75 mph. I stopped in Grapevine just before the grapevine grade. Topped the tank off, did the math, and I couldn't believe it.

35 mpg:eek:

Mods in sig, my tire pressure was on the high side.

The highest I've ever gotten before is 28 mpg. I normally get 18 mpg during the week on the daily commute.

Best advice was above. Keep your foot out of it, drive it like an old lady, and don't feel you have to be ahead of everyone else.

Originally posted by 95GRNZ
Yes. Instructions are in your Owners Manual.

TS

When your car is in park and off, turn the key on until the lights in the dash come on, but dont start the car. Hold the trip reset for 15 seconds.

I changed the oil and reset the light... thanks for the help on that...

One prob though... I think that my gas mileage is terrible...
I have driven it no harder that I drive my Formula, and I seem to be getting less than 20 mpg.

Is there anything I should take a look at to check the problem?


:confused:

Originally posted by kiztope
I changed the oil and reset the light... thanks for the help on that...

One prob though... I think that my gas mileage is terrible...
I have driven it no harder that I drive my Formula, and I seem to be getting less than 20 mpg.

Is there anything I should take a look at to check the problem?


:confused:

Are you talking about daily driving mileage. If so then that sounds just about right. Highway mileage, by itself, will be better. But combined I usually see about 18 mpg.

I have been driving mainly on the highway..... at least 100 of the miles....

I always reset the tach. when I fill my cars up and I am down to slightly less than 1/4 of a tank at 170mi. The gas mileage cant be this bad.... Like I said, I get 21-22 in the formula, same type of driving... This thing should be better.....

170 miles with 1/4 doesn't sound unusual. At least for my mileage. I see from your sig that your Formula was/is a '92. I also see your '99 has an A4. There are allot of differences between them, engine, transmission, possibly rearend ratio, and body style (drag coefficient?). These differences might explain the variations in gas mileage your seeing.

I actually saw better mileage during my daily commuting in my A4 equipted LT1 '96 Z28. These LS1s are very efficient considering their size. But if you keep your foot in it, you can almost see the gas guage needle dropping.

kiztope:

Do you know if the car has 2.73's or 3.23's? If you don't already know this, check the sticker on the driver's door jamb, and look for a code, either GU2 for 2.73's, or GU5 for 3.23's. If you don't think the mileage is good, what I can tell you from experience is that your city mileage will be significantly worse than your highway mileage, and especially if you've got 2.73's. The reason I know this? Well, I can get anywhere from ~300 kms (~185 miles) per tank, upto ~480 kms (~300 miles) depending on the driving I'm doing. On average though, I usually get around ~375 kms, or 230 miles per tank, and that's a 50/50 mix of city/hwy driving (not too bad considering the average of 185 + 300 miles is 243 miles!:D).

Now back at the beginning of the summer, I HAD 3.73's in my car (Richmond's, they whined, long story:rolleyes: )......ANYWAYS, I found that with those gears, my "average" mileage (city/hwy) actually improved slightly, and I think that's because a little more than 50% is city, so for city type driving, the 3.73's make it easier for the car to get moving, and even on the highway, I still got about ~425 kms (~265 miles) on a tank of gas, and that was cruising at around 75 mph;).

SO, my whole point here is that if you've got 2.73's and do a lot of city driving, your mileage will suck balls:p. If you've got the optional 3.23's though, the mileage should be more balanced:).

Highway I have hit 31MPG, and one night mainly on the track on hard driving I saw 10 MPG. Typical driving is 27 or so.

About the synthetic oil, do a search there are many good explanations out there, but if it is a low mile motor, than sure, switch to Mobil 1, but if it is high miles then keep the dinosaur juice in it. The synthetics are "more slippery" and worsen the oil burn problem on the LS1.

make sure to do all the free mods, they help!

Ed

Originally posted by edg1957
The synthetics are "more slippery" and worsen the oil burn problem on the LS1.



Ed

if thats the case then why do the vettes come stock with syn oil?

and why is there a synthetic oil package option on the f- bodies?

Do you know if the car has 2.73's or 3.23's? If you don't already know this, check the sticker on the driver's door jamb, and look for a code, either GU2 for 2.73's, or GU5 for 3.23's.


The only codes i saw that start with a G are GU6 AND G80. What do they mean?

Originally posted by Amit
if thats the case then why do the vettes come stock with syn oil?

and why is there a synthetic oil package option on the f- bodies?

To get people who think more expensive oil makes a difference to pay more. Same reason they'll charge for undercoating if you'll pay for it.

Instead of being defensive do a search and learn about this for yourself.

Originally posted by LT-14me
The only codes i saw that start with a G are GU6 AND G80. What do they mean?
Ah;). GU6 is for 3.42's, which are the standard gears with the M6:thumb:. Since kiztope already said he had an A4 though, he would either have the 2.73's or 3.23's, so he wouldn't see GU6 on his sticker.

What's G80? I'm dunno?!:think:

Originally posted by Greed4Speed
To get people who think more expensive oil makes a difference to pay more. Same reason they'll charge for undercoating if you'll pay for it.

Instead of being defensive do a search and learn about this for yourself.

im not being defensive..

just wondering.

relax, junior.

Originally posted by Amit
im not being defensive..

just wondering.

relax, junior.

Greed4Speed just wants everybody to stop using synthetic and use what he's using. HAIL GREED4SPEED!!! *bows* OOMMMMM OOMMMMM. BAHAHHAHAA! Hmm.. better products cost more money. :D

Originally posted by Capn Pete
Ah;). GU6 is for 3.42's, which are the standard gears with the M6:thumb:. Since kiztope already said he had an A4 though, he would either have the 2.73's or 3.23's, so he wouldn't see GU6 on his sticker.

What's G80? I'm dunno?!:think:


Ok thanks alot for the help:) I just wasnt sure what i had back there.....lol

Originally posted by Capn Pete
What's G80? I'm dunno?!:think:

G80: Axle, Rear Posi-traction (Limited Slip)

:cool:

Originally posted by Lan01z
Greed4Speed just wants everybody to stop using synthetic and use what he's using. HAIL GREED4SPEED!!! *bows* OOMMMMM OOMMMMM. BAHAHHAHAA! Hmm.. better products cost more money. :D

No, I just want people to quit believing everything they read or hear in adds.

Watch the boards, this same question pops up at least once a month. Use the SEARCH feature.

So, basically by your concept of quality=higher price, if you buy the same product at a higher price it is just automatically better.

It's interesting how when people can't prove something they resort to personal attacks. :rolleyes:

Thank you Grashopper

Originally posted by Greed4Speed
No, I just want people to quit believing everything they read or hear in adds.

Watch the boards, this same question pops up at least once a month. Use the SEARCH feature.

So, basically by your concept of quality=higher price, if you buy the same product at a higher price it is just automatically better.

It's interesting how when people can't prove something they resort to personal attacks. :rolleyes:

Nah, i'm just messing with you because you're at it again. I just find you funny because you are so opinionated. You must have had a really bad experience with synthetic oil to make you so against anyone else buying it.

You want an example... hmm... well, wonderbread is better than always save bread. There's an example. Generally in life products that cost more money are better. Sony tv's are pretty much always going to be better than sanyo tv's. Sometimes the same principal applys to automotive parts. I'd say you are right about oil, the oil companys add something in the oil and call it "new and improved" and people pay extra for it. My personal opinion is that synthetic oil is better for a "race car" and I would recommend that to anyone who drives one.

I know how to use the search feature, thanks for the advice.
:cool:

No bad experiences with the stuff. Just practical experience in drag and circle track racing where engines that ran synth neither ran better nor lasted longer than engines running regular oil. I've seen a Consumer Reports that aslo stated Synth was a waste because the few benefits do not out weigh the price.

Example of paying more not always = better product. Edelbrock crate engines vs other crate engines. They're no better but you pay a lot more for less. ;)

Originally posted by 95GRNZ
G80: Axle, Rear Posi-traction (Limited Slip)

:cool:
Sweet!:D Now I **officially** know everything!:thumb:

(just kidding!)

Thanks for clarifying. I figured that a "G" code would still have something to do with Gears;).

At long last.
I have GU5
3.23's.... and am still getting the same MPG...

By the way...

What are all the free mods?

Look over at ls1.com . They have a list and how-to of all the free mods. Each description has step by step instructions most have pictures.

Also try InstallUniversity.com (http://www.installuniversity.com/install_university/support/installu_documents.htm). They've got write-ups on pretty much all of the "free mods";).