To lift or not to Lift

This truck is my "lifer" truck. Even if I could afford a newer one, I will keep this. Would a 2 inch lift (cant go to high wife is not that tall) and 18 inch tires affect the gas mileage and make it worse?

2002 Tahoe LT

I lost about 1 mile to the gallon when I leveled mine and put a set of 33" BFG KO2s on it.

I don't know what you mean by 18" tires.

I lost more like 3 running the Grabber ATX in 275/70r18. They are heavier than the ko2, I suppose. I try not to look anymore, lol. I also traded a 30 minute commute for a 5 minute one this year, so I'm still ahead on gas.

This is also my BMX travel vehicle. I work 10 minutes from home. But I hope to be hitting the road now that I have a reliable and comfortable truck. So gas mileage is a concern

If you lift it but still keep at least a slight rake, the aerodynamics won't be affected so negatively. Wider and taller tires would have more of a noticeable impact on MPG. GMT800s tend to be kinda low as it is and usually have a strong rake. Maybe a 1/2 or 2/2 and stay around 32"-33" tall tires? Wheel size doesn't matter much. You can have 24" wheels and a 33" tire or a 16" wheel and 33" tire. You can get 18" wheels but tires that are the same height and width as what you have now. The type of tire (tread included) can affect MPG as well. If you never or rarely go off road and don't need an aggressive tread, there are various levels of all-terrains that would ride almost like a highway tire but still have sufficient tread blocks for off-road grip.

iamdub said:

If you lift it but still keep at least a slight rake, the aerodynamics won't be affected so negatively. Wider and taller tires would have more of a noticeable impact on MPG.

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+1 on the tires. I have found tread pattern and tread compound to be the cause of a drop of 2-3 mpg. I run dedicated studless winter tires with soft compound and bigger tread blocks vs the dedicated summer tires and have always see a winter drop on all our vehicles.

Antdogbmx said:

This truck is my "lifer" truck. Even if I could afford a newer one, I will keep this. Would a 2 inch lift (cant go to high wife is not that tall) and 18 inch tires affect the gas mileage and make it worse?

2002 Tahoe LT

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Should be fine Anthony. Going to run 265-65-18s? A highway tread is more fuel efficient than an all-terrain tread. P-Metrics are lighter tires than LTs. Skinnier tires are more fuel efficient than non stock widths.

Mild level should have little to no effect on your mpgs. 1 MPG at most.

HiHoeSilver said:

I lost more like 3 running the Grabber ATX in 275/70r18. They are heavier than the ko2, I suppose. I try not to look anymore, lol. I also traded a 30 minute commute for a 5 minute one this year, so I'm still ahead on gas.

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I could be wrong on that. Might be more like a 2mpg loss. I did not have mine for long before I leveled it and put the wheels and tires on. I remember getting 17-18 before and more like 16 now. I also drive mine very sporadically as it is not my daily driver.

There is no doubt that my KO2s are HEAVY.

Thanks I am glad I got back on here such a wealth of knowledge