low gas mileage

[2008 gmc owner]

hi
i'm a new 2008 2500 hd work utility truck owner.
although it has a utility box, i don't believe it is that heavy, probably
7000 lbs +/-. truck has 2500 miles.

my last tank got 9 mpg, which includes city and highway.
other tanks 10 to 11. took truck back to dealer, they said there
is nothing wrong.

i cannot believe the mileage should be this low. my 99 ford that this truck
replaced got always 13 to 15, and it was heavier because i weeded out a
bunch of s**t I didn't use for years. my opinion is that either something
is wrong or this truck is a lemon. if gm can't design a truck that gets
better mileage they deserve to go out of business!
what is other owner's experiences?

thanks

[bubbatrucklover]

Welcome to truck forum.

Here is a list/poll on here you can check out for reference while you get more truck specific answers:

How many miles per gallon?

Hope it helps.

[chickenbone]

Well best thing i can say is welcome to the gas guzzler club. I got the same Truck. Give u a few tips.
I put a tank of gas a day, already had steering box replaced. Thought it was my duaghters hoopdy. No it was my new GM junk. Glad i did not pay for it, its a co. truck.
Found out the hard way. The head lights blew out 3 months after i got it. Oh yeah what a ******** dream that was. Putting those things in. While i was reaching up into the radiator area, i was getting dripped on. Talk about tight tailed...

Well thats not the end. About a month ago it started again. The spots in the driveway. Guess what it was, shocks were leaking. I haul alot of tools and supplies to work on equipment.

I count the days of the week, so i can drive my f-250.

Now i think the tranny is goin. Don't no why they don't buy fords. Tows like ****. Already replaced tires. 39000 miles.

Best thing i can say. If it were not for GM my tools was rust and flake away! Oh yeah lets not forget Altec in that.

Good luck chickenbone

[BernieB]

Originally Posted by 2008 gmc owner

hi
i'm a new 2008 2500 hd work utility truck owner.
although it has a utility box, i don't believe it is that heavy, probably
7000 lbs +/-. truck has 2500 miles.

my last tank got 9 mpg, which includes city and highway.
other tanks 10 to 11. took truck back to dealer, they said there
is nothing wrong.

i cannot believe the mileage should be this low. my 99 ford that this truck
replaced got always 13 to 15, and it was heavier because i weeded out a
bunch of s**t I didn't use for years. my opinion is that either something
is wrong or this truck is a lemon. if gm can't design a truck that gets
better mileage they deserve to go out of business!
what is other owner's experiences?

thanks

There's so many factors that affect fuel mileage that I'm not sure where to start here. Well, how about some basic information such as what engine and transmission you have? What kind of utility back is on it? SRW or DRW? What's the gear ratio on the differential?

[2008 gmc owner]

it's a srw 2500 hd. 6.0 gas 8' utility bed six speed auto trans. i believe 3.73 ratio.
i don't believe it's excessively heavy as it's not really loaded yet. i just
started using it.
thanks for the input.

[BernieB]

Okay, well with the 6 speed and that gear ratio you should be doing pretty good at highway speed, but not so hot in city traffic or stop and go. I'm assuming your utility back is like mine (Reading) and wider than the cab, which is going to hurt you a little at anything over 35-40 mph. Is your enclosed or an open back? Mine is enclosed, and the big flat front is about as aerodynamic as a brick wall, and my mileage shows it.

Weight is a important factor, especially when you consider tires and rolling resistance. What's the pressure set on your tires? With that much weight I imagine you're using load range E (10 ply) tires. If they're pumped to anything less that 50-55 psi I'd be very surprised.