TOPIC: 2018 GMC Sierra 1500 6.2L V8 - Starting from scratch

Howdy!!

About a month ago, I traded my Grooved 2004 Mitsubishi Endeavor for a much needed and desired new/used pick up truck. I wanted to start a thread documenting the process from stock to the Groove. Trying to be as methodical as I can. So, here goes!

I found a decent deal from a dealership in Phoenix, AZ. The dealership is approximately 130 miles from my home in Tucson. The journey home netted a whopping 13.9 MPG over those hundred plus miles! I've been getting a little over 11 MPG in the city. Sometimes bumping close to 12 MPG at 11.9!! ? I guess I shouldn't be expecting too much considering the L86 under the hood and big tires!

Stock:

City: 11+ MPG
Highway: 13+ MPG

Here's what I've done thus far:

- K & N Series 71 Blackhawk Cold Air Intake
- MagnaFlow Cat Back exhaust.

These two upgrades have boosted the mileage to 14 MPG in the city. Highway is yet to be determined (as there is only ONE freeway in Tucson!). I have to visit this dealer next week for them to take out some dings they promised to do when I bought it. I'll make a post with the highway mileage I get on the Phoenix roundtrip, as soon as possible.

Intake and exhaust upgrades:

City: 14+ MPG
Highway: TBD (anticipating 18+ MPG)

What I'm planning on next... Any suggestions or comments are surely appreciated!

- Wrapping the exhaust at the O2 sensors
- PCV modification - Been looking on YouTube for exact location of PCV valve. Not a whole lot of info out there. Maybe still too new. I think it is located just behind the throttle body, but there are also two hoses from the K&N to the valve covers. Looking into those...
- Considering Jet Performance Mass Air Flow sensor upgrade to compliment the Cold Air Intake. (Most likely a performance rather than a mileage boost - that's okay! ?)
- Granatelli zero resistance spark plug wires. (Looking into over gapping the spark plugs, too.)

I'm chomping at the bit to get this thing Grooved! I'm trying to be patient and holding off, simply because I'm curious on how all these mainstream upgrades affect the performance/mileage.

I'm really interested in an aftermarket TB. Been considering the BBK 90MM TB (expensive!) or maybe the Jet Performance Powr-Flo TB. A recent post from Claudio and commentary from Michael got me excited to consider the aftermarket TB's!

I'll post as soon as I perform any of the above upgrades and the results. Looking forward to the journey.

Any comments and suggestions are welcomed. Have a great day!!

Andy

I'm not certain, but wouldn't that truck have Coil-on-Plug ignition? If so, and you want to spend money on things Granatelli, their big coils would be my suggestion.
Further, as to overgapping plugs: you may want to go and check this out Technical Information – Extreme Spark (go for the resistorless ones, especially if you go big on the coils)

After grooving and upgrading your ignition, you'll be putting a lot of clean air out your tailpipe(s). please consider helping your computer with ELECTRONIC FUEL INJECTION ENHANCER (EFIE) DEVICE - Eagle-Research on each upstream o2 sensor...and you may even want to address your MAP sensor (if you have one) as well:
AutoSpeed - Technology, Efficiency, Performance

Awesome! Thank you, GregK!! This is the kind of input I wanted. Been talking to another friend of mine about the Torquemaster plugs. Gonna give them a try....

Update on the Highway MPG. Just got back from a Phoenix round trip.

Highway MPG: 14 - almost identical to city numbers. I was expecting more. I'm thinking the big cross section of the vehicle has plenty of drag to offset the highway mileage at 80 mph. Still, it's more than when I first got it and only step one of multiple upgrades. Stay tuned...

You mentioned “big Tires” in an earlier post; while they might look cool, I’m not sure they’re the best for efficiency. Further, a pickup doing 80mph down the highway on big tires has the aerodynamic profile of a breadbox. It takes a lot of gas to overcome the drag.
Plugs with a wide gap and big coils behind them will only help you burn more fuel, faster.
That said, you might want to start looking at aerodynamics to help you improve your fuel bill. Air dams, vortex generators, these sorts of thing. I’ve seen websites more for racers/drifters, but I’m sure you’ll find ways to modify their methods to your application.
Only you can decide when you’ve gone far enough...

Any pictures of the truck that we can drool over?

You may also want to search for the thread on Plasma or Nano! It's super easy to add plasma to your system, and it'll cost you about a WHOPPING $0.50!

In fact, you probably already have the materials laying around...

Ron

I think you're exactly right, GregK. Lol! Big ol' box "cutting" through the air down the road! I think that had a lot to do with it. Most of my driving, 85-90% is non-highway driving, anyway. So, my focus is city gains from the get go.

Just installed the Jet Chips Mass Air Flow Sensor that is supposed to compliment the K&N intake. I'll report any results....

Here's the bread box...

Let us know how it goes with your new sensor...if the results aren't up to your expectations, can you pull the K&N intake and revert to stock/factory? More importantly, would you be willing to, along with a paper filter?

And yeah, the lift that's required to get those big tires underneath makes it easier for drag to build up on bottom surfaces of the truck...or has that been mitigated with underbody panels/dams/channels?
Or am I to understand that "85-90% non highway driving" includes a significant portion of off-roading?

That's a badass truck brother! Lets get that groove on it quick since your doing all these mods. I am sure the gained hp and mpg will increase the "hell yeah" level to 11ty!

Thanks for your comments guys! Yeah, the truck rides like a dream! There are no special aerodynamic additions to the truck besides the factory front air dam. So, there is plenty of opportunity for turbulent air to drag things down at the higher speeds...! The non-highway driving is limited to city streets is what I meant. Speed limits usually in the 35 - 45 mph ranges. Plenty of wheeling in the future, for sure! Haven't had the chance to take her on any serious off road adventures......yet!

Results on the upgraded Mass Air Flow sensor; I wasn't expecting TOO much with the new sensor, to be honest. But, I'm happy to report I'm pretty impressed! The K&N really liked it! A very noticeable improvement in throttle response is the first thing I noticed. It changed the sound a bit, too. It seems to be quieter at light accelerations - very much like it's breathing easier. It sounds amazing when you get on it! It sounded pretty good before the new sensor, but with it it has an even deeper and throatier growl! The MPG jumped a bit, too, by almost 1 mile per gallon.

Pre mods in general MPG's: 11/13 city/hwy.
Intake/exhaust mod: 13-14 city and highway (last fill up 13.8; best was 14)
New sensor: 14.8 MPG with this latest fill up.

So, the new sensor seemed to put the finishing touches on the intake and exhaust experiment.

The Torque Master plugs and Granatelli wires just arrived, so those will be the next mods. I'll keep y'all posted......

Thanks again for the comments!

PS Questions on the plasma/nano... Has anybody tried it with the Granatelli wires? Will I be the first?? ?

(EFIE mods are en route. I'll have questions about those.....)

Just to be clear: this is all BEFORE you get the Groove on this truck, these 3-4MPG gains. that's typical of the gains of a basic air filter replacement and MAF sensor cleaning on a somewhat neglected vehicle.
Fresh plugs and proper wires will get you another mile or 2, maybe 3-4.
EFIEs will get you maybe 20% beyond that point, so you will be pushing hard on 20MPG if not a tick over.
Get the groove on it for another 30+%
You could enjoy a 25-30 MPG monster, right? Double the original fuel efficiency? Half the number of fillups?

(I did this pre-groove prep on my ride, too, and it has turned out VERY well, so I'm quite optimistic for you!)

If you bought the Eagle Research EFIEs, George is great for support, but he has a video on his YouTube channel on how to adjust/tune them. You bought the manual too, right? It's all in that...

since you're talking plasma nano coils, you should also look into improving your grounds/power system. look for the Big 4 upgrade on youtube.

Correct. I want to apply each mod individually, just to see how it affects MPG and performance. ....and having fun doing it!

That is very encouraging! I'm glad I'm not blazing a new trail.

I think I'll have time to install the new plugs and wires tomorrow. Getting itchy - maybe I'll do it tonight!

I went crazy, maxed out the credit card and got the Granatelli coil packs as well as a BBK 90mm throttle body. I'm getting a little nervous about grooving my first groove on such an expensive TB. I'll be relying heavily on you guys for support and advice when that time comes.

I did get the manual for the EFIE's. George seems to be a straight shooter. Got a couple of his other books, too. Checking out his YouTubes....