HYBRID guys!!!

[InTruckDesign]

Looking at the possibility of selling my current '07 to pick up a new project Hybrid tahoe. Can you guys list your mods and real world mpg's? I really do not care if the highway mileage is similar or slightly better, it's the around town mpg that I am concerned with. Also if you have driven a 5.3 equipped tahoe how does the 6.0 hybrid compare powerwise?? TIA

 

[InTruckDesign]

Nobody??

 

[soulsea]

I have the 09 HyHoe and couldn't be happier.

Mods to date:

- Grillecraft upper/lower/fog insert grilles
- Black emblems
- Silverstars
- 50% front tint
- Dropped 2/4 then undropped
- Added Enkei 24" rims, then switched to 22" eom CK375
- Center console wood besel
- Ram iPad mount

Pending mods:

- Escalade chrome handles.
- Escalade roof rack.
- Resonator delete/new exhaust tip.

There's a couple of other things but I forget.

The 6.0 is great ... in a funny way, even though it's a hybrid and saves fuel over the regular Tahoe it is actually much more powerful.

I average around 20mpg on mostly city driving. On this truck driving habits make all the difference. If you're gentle with the throttle you can be in electric mode for miles without the engine kicking in, thus using 0 fuel.

---------- Post added at 11:08 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:02 AM ----------

Just to note ... it's not just that the engine is more powerful than the 5.3, but keep in mind that the truck is also 500 or so pounds lighter. So yeah.

 

[Mr Ghostrider]

I've got a stock '09 Hy ** (6.0L) and love it! Very happy and sure it was the right choice.

One thing I miss is no back seat bucket seats because that's where the battery bank is. I also miss the power liftgate. I have a feeling those will come back when/if they switch to LiPo batteries. Hopefully I never miss that there is no spare tire...But those are all made up by the cool hidden "Hybrid" menu on the nav that shows if the system is charging, hybrid, engine or battery power! Helps to explain to passengers why the engine shut off at the stop light.

soulsea is right, the performance of the Hybrid is better than the others. The electric motors have a flat torque curve. 0-60 is about .5 sec faster on the hybrid...most of that in the 20-40mph range and Hwy hybrid modes. Used to drive my dads 5.3L LTZ and this has noticeably more passing power from 50-70...havent towed yet though.
0-60 Video

I've been monitoring MPGs closely before I start modding it to soulsea's level (just 50% tinted the windows yesterday though...IT BEGINS!)

Took a 1,000 mi interstate highway road trip and averaged 21.4 mpg

I drive about 70 miles daily through 3 slow villages and the rest is 55 mph..I just looked at lunch and I'm averaging 23.8 mpg driving only that route.

If I try really hard, the best I've been able to stretch it using maximum electric motor usage (under 30mph) is 29.9 mpg on my daily route...probably could have got over 30 but I was pissing off a line of cars since the speed limit was 35mph and i was going 28mph...if there were no cars and i was patient...probably 35mpg.

At 55 mph on a flat road, I get 29 instant mpg..at 60 mph, I get 26 instant mpg.

It does poorly on mpg in the 35-45 mpg range..sometimes only getting under 10mpg.. because I dont think the gears are there to support it.

Driving very lightly under 30mph (more like 20mph) is >99mpg.
Driving 30-55 is about 21mpg if you are very careful
Driving 55-60 is about 28mpg .
Oddly 70-75 misses the good gears and you'll only get about 20 mpg..
75-80 is about 24 mpg..76mph seems to be where they tuned it for max Hwy mpg...probably 26mpg on a flat road.

Mostly it comes down to how you drive...if you drive like you dont care..you'll probably average 19-20mpg.

 

[InTruckDesign]

Thanks for the replies...they are very helpful...any other Hy Hoe owners please chime in.

 

[Fish1]

New 2008 Hybrid Owner so I don't have a lot of history (2-3 weeks). I'm definitley not getting the MPG the above have stated. I'm getting 16-18 or so. I wonder if I need something updated or modified.


I also had a question for other Hybrid owners about the electric engine up to about 30miles an hour. I keep hearing people talk about keeping it in electric only mode and I just don't see it unless I accelerate at a painfully slow rate. I could never go as slow as needed with anyone behind me. When you guys keep it in electric only mode are you going at a reasnable acceleration rate or ar you increasing your speed so slow you get the grandmother behind you laying on her horn at you?

 

[soulsea]

Fish, what kind of road environment are you located at?
Is it rural, city, suburbs?

 

[Fish1]

I would say normal city driving. No real traffic issues.

I was hoping the hybrid 2 mode system would help a little more at slower speeds.

Are you able to keep it in electric only mode up to 25-30 mph in real conditions with other cars behind you? As I mentioned, there's no way I can as I would need to go SOOO slow I would constantly be getting honked at

 

[soulsea]

Hi fish,

Ok, if you compare the Yukon's 6.2 to the HyHoe's 6.0 their city/hwy ratings is about 5mpg better on both, give or take a mile. So if you're doing mostly city driving, and for the reasons you stated, seldom drive on electric only then the mileage you are experience is correct. Basically if you drove the 6.2 non-hybrid the same way you drive now you'd be getting around 12mpg.

As far as my own experience with the electric, it isn't that far from yours. The only reason some of us experience better mileage is because we drive more highway miles and find ways to use electric power more. For example, as I drive around Georgetown (DC) there's a 4 way stop sign every block ... so I can go from stop sign to stop sign and the engine never kicks in unless I decide to floor it between stops. Folks behind me don't get upset because at the end of the day how fast can one expect to go between stop signs. I imagine folks who live in the country where in their town the speed limit is 20-30mph also make more use of electric mode. Now if I still lived in NYC I'd probably get the same mileage as you, same if I lived in suburbia and the average speed limit is like 40-45mph, which as mentioned before is probably the least economic speed to travel.

The thing is that at the end of the day one shouldn't have to adjust their driving style to their vehicle ... what I mean is there's no point in getting obsessed with mpgs. Even if you drive it as you would any other car/truck, know that in the end you're saving at least 5mpg across the board over comparable non-hybrids.

 

[showerfan]

i have recently tested a hybrid for a week and i loved driving it in the city and on the highway. the only thing that's rough is on the twisties, as it seems softer and there's noticeably more roll. but the torque and the power is the same as the denali that i tested the week before. this week i am testing a 5.3l suburban ltz. the creature comforts are a big bonus -- the ventilated seats that cool your **** are super key on long trips. and the fact that i can pull up to a front-end-on-curb parking space without being worried i will take off the front end is nice. hell, i might even be able to drive off road! but if i don't, the ltz has 20" wheels that make the ride at least twice as good as the little weirdos on the hyhoe.

that's my take and if i sound bitter it's because, at the end of the day, i want a TRUCK with the power of the hybrid, the gas-saving ability in traffic or in the godforsaken city of new york (where i have to go to work everyday), but without the styling of a japanese drifter or the pretending-to-save-energy cheap seats and non-power liftgate (can you even open the window on that thing?). no roof rack? WHAT?!?!?

---------- Post added at 11:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:19 PM ----------

why no fog lights? do the energy conscious stay home when it's foggy out?