dad's chevy K1500 4.3L 4X4

[87Jeffrey]

my dad has a 93 chevy K1500 4X4 4.3L need to know how to get better MPG

 

[Bennybooster]

drive like a grandpa, or sell it and buy a diesel gti

 

[87Jeffrey]

friend told me that the V8 get better MPG's because they don't have to work as hard to do the same job. As for drivin like a grandpa he alread does. he goes 5MPH under the speed limit. I can't stand it.

 

[Will]

friend told me that the V8 get better MPG's because they don't have to work as hard to do the same job.

This is wrong for at least 2 reasons. It takes a certain amount of power to drive a certain shape and weight of vehicle through the air. Since either engine, large or small, make the needed power, the larger engine has more internal friction from the unnecessary piston ring and bearing area.

The second reason is that an engine working hard is more efficient than an engine not working hard.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

This is wrong for at least 2 reasons. It takes a certain amount of power to drive a certain shape and weight of vehicle through the air. Since either engine, large or small, make the needed power, the larger engine has more internal friction from the unnecessary piston ring and bearing area.

The second reason is that an engine working hard is more efficient than an engine not working hard.

Odd, every vehicle I have been in gets better milage the lighter it is and the less hard the engine is working...

From what I have gathered V6's in fullsizes are a joke...

 

[87Jeffrey]

ok I see it is a metter of oppinion. My dad told me that when driving in the mountains. that would be true but not on the flat. I don't see how that would mack a differnance.

 

[Bennybooster]

We have a 96 with the same engine that gets consistently 17-18 MPG, I don't know what you are complaining about. I wish my ranger got that good of mpg

 

[87Jeffrey]

well i've got a 89 ranger 2.3l that gets 20 to 24 MPG depending on where we drive it. if we go to PA going up the mountins it doesn't have enough power to get up the mountains so you have to floor it. that makes it eat up gas. my dads chevey through has the power but still eats up gas.

 

[stimmie78]

Way back when I was in HS I knew a kid that had a similar truck with a 4.3L in it. He was always hauling hay and pulling trailers with it. Dual exhaust with cherry bombs.... sounded like a pissed off bumble bee! Anyway, he dropped in a 5.7L in it thinking he'd have more power and better economy... He was wrong.. He always said he wished he hadn't swapped engines out.

 

[kemo]

drive like a grandpa, or sell it and buy a diesel gti

or you could get an unleaded car that gets almost the same mileage, with a lower priced fuel, and it isn't a VW. win win win.

 

[87Jeffrey]

ok do the computer chips that say they'll give more power and getter fuel Econmy really work or are they just a scam.

 

[Bennybooster]

or you could get an unleaded car that gets almost the same mileage, with a lower priced fuel, and it isn't a VW. win win win.

Could you find a gasser that gets 45mpg and is the same price as an old GTI?

Plus I have a place to get diesel for basically the same price as gas

 

[87Jeffrey]

the only thing I know of that could get anything near that MPG is like foreign cars like the Civic and they are not big enough for a family of 5 plus luggage

 

[RustedRanger]

The 4.3L can get good mileage,I had a 86 Monte Carlo with a 4.3,the only thing I changed was to a K&N air filter,Bosch plugs,and Slick 50 and it had a little taller tire then stock on the back and I was getting 30 mpg. Back then I had a 60 mile round trip to work and each day and I usually just put in $2 in gas a day...of course thats when gas was 99 cents a gallon. The 4.3 is smaller than a V-8 but the V-6 has a better torque curve,it starts earlier and stays "fatter" longer. I don't know what gears it had but the RPM at 55 was only like 1600 or 1800 rpm...I can't remember for sure that was around 92 or so lol

 

[Will]

Odd, every vehicle I have been in gets better milage the lighter it is and the less hard the engine is working...

From what I have gathered V6's in fullsizes are a joke...

I don't know how to respond except to say that my experience is exactly opposite.

A V6 in a full-size isn't a joke. My dad has a 1500 crewcab Ram and I drove it around a while without knowing it was a 3.7 V6. It's stronger than the 5.7 2500 I used to tow my B2 to meets with. Gets a lot better mileage, too.

I've seen a lot of full-sizes with the 4.3. You can't tell by driving them. You open the hood and can't find the engine, that's how you tell. The 5.7 makes more power, but you won't notice unless you use it and then it will cost you.