Black bear tune anyone increase MPG???

[Seamus]

Hey guys,
New to the forum but not to GM trucks. I have had many Gm trucks over the years and remember when 13 mpg was average. My last truck of this generation was a 2007 Sierra CC 5.3 w/ 3:42 gears averaged 14-15 mpg. Sold it in 2012 and have since owned a 2014 Silverado CC 5.3 3.08, -2015 Sierra CC 5.3 3.42, -2015 Denali XL 6.2 3.23 and then a 2017 Denali 6.2 3.23. The Denali got impressive fuel mileage. 23 mpg on the highway. 21mpg driving aggressively. Florida is 80 mph all day on the Turnpike. Surprisingly the 5.3 6 speed in the new trucks gets less mpg than the 6.2 w/ the 8 speed.

I was really disappointed with the new generation trucks. Too long of a story but the seats and the ride were terrible. Many other issues also. I loved the older LS trucks and started my search going back. I found a 2013 suburban LTZ , white diamond, with heavy duty tow package and 3.42 gears, 2wd. Dealer serviced since new, insane service records. 94k on her. A great find. Just did a lot of serviceable items, belts, tensioners, pulley, synthetic fluids rear, trans and engine, new Michelin defender tires, spark plugs, wires, air filter, brake fluid flush, and all 4- o2 sensors.


I got 17.5 mpg driving her home 250 miles. Around town I am getting 14 mpg. Well after all my service and new tune up parts I figured I pick up a little mpg???.........Well I was wrong!! I am getting 17.6

I guess I have been spoiled with better mileage these last years in the new trucks. Hated the trucks but loved the mileage. I figured with the sticker stating 21 mpg maybe 19 mpg wasn't an unreasonable expectation?

I have read many are in the 17 mpg range? Am I correct? Anything I can do?

The trans although shifting well ,never seems to be in the right gear for my acceleration. I am considering a black bear tune to get better shifting and a little power but those of you that have it can I expect to gain any MPG or will I lose MPG?? I just want better drivability and MPG. Love the truck otherwise, very happy to be back in the saddle. Newer is not always better, lesson learned...expensive lesson.

What MPGs are the 2wd guys getting?

Sorry for the long story, thanks for your experience and help

 

[cmc76]

BB tune gets your trans sorted.
As far as better mileage.....its so much fun to drive harder after the tune. I honestly have no idea.

 

[Bigkevschopshop]

Cant tell you MPG on BB tune, I am trying to get mine done at their event in dfw this fall.

I have a superchips cortex now... With afm off, I average high 17s to 18s with ac on... ac off 19-21 on my bridge filled 35 mile commute one way. K&n drop in filter helped about .5 mpg honestly. I have 3.08 so it breathes better at 85 than it does at 75 and blows through hills and bridges there. But best mileage is 60-65 also, pulled 23 average running down there but I don't do it often and traffic dictates that to me most days. The burb is heavy... bb tune should help alot with it fixing the trans control to hold gears and work better.

 

[avalonandl]

14 mpg in the city is typical. 17.5 about right. 5500 lb vehicle.....Your not going to get great mpg...

The new DI engines are more fuel efficient, no doubt.

The BB tune will help a little. It will make it more responsive but tell them you want an economy tune.

 

[08HoeCD]

I run an 89-octane BBP custom tune in my 2008 LT3 and average 14.5 MPG around town. I never get over 18 MPG on highway. Don't recall what I was seeing before the tune, but it was comparable.

Pretty sure that if I ran it strictly like a grandma around town I'd see 16 MPG. But the boredom and/or frustration of driving in that manner would NOT be worth the few bucks I'd save in fuel economy---and I'd probably piss-off a few other drivers around here with such slow operation.

 

[Seamus]

Thanks for the detailed points guys. Keep them coming.

Yes I forgot to mention it is Africa hot here and the AC is always on. So my MPGs are normal it seems ? I did see on one youtube video of a guy doing a AFM delete kit on a 5.3 with a stuck lifter stating they pick up 1-2 mpg??

To be honest getting 17 mpg in this truck running regular fuel compared, to getting 21 mpg in my '17 Denali running premium is not a big difference in money. It would take 2 lifetimes to get a return on fuel mileage to make up the 50k difference in price too!! I can tell you the new trucks are a nightmare and everyday felt this truck is not worth this money period. Then every month bringing it to the dealer was salt in the wound.

Thanks guys

 

[adventurenali92]

@Seamus I’m not in a 2013, but I have a long wheel base truck. 2006 6.0 denali xl. With AWD. My truck is black bear tuned. I live in SoCal and lately have been traveling the freeways a lot. Almost two years on my blackbear tune. I think that the biggest thing that helps with fuel economy is the transmission aspect of the tune. With the transmission being in the correct gear and not searching its shifts a lot less which I think I helps fuel economy. Plus it keeps your trans a lot cooler which helps in the long run for transmission life! I consistently see 18-20 mpg on long highway drives given there’s no traffic. I can sometimes see 21ish if I keep my door out of the throttle and keep cruise control at 70..... lol. But that’s hard to do especially since the tune my rig holds 75-80 with ease..... lol. But I have a 6.0, AWD and require 91 octane fuel. Given a blackbear tune I think your 2WD 5.3 burb will see better fuel economy! Either way the BBP tune is worth every penny as it makes these trucks so much more enjoyable to drive! You won’t regret having them tune your truck!

 

[MajorJakkov]

I drove the same route to work and around town for 2 years before I got the BB ECM + TCM tunes on a Tahoe. Averaged 13.8-14.0 mpg, then averaged 15.1-15.3 mpg after it was tuned. I ran the 91+ octane tune only until I was getting ready to trade it, then dropped it back to the 87/89 octane tune for the next owner.

I had a Corsa Sport catback and liked to hear it, especially after it was tuned and moved a little better, so my mpg average may have been a little on the low side. In my opinion, the tuning did help with the mpg but more importantly it helped with power, shifting and removed AFM.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

I have a Black Bear Performance tune on both the ECM and TCM for my 07 Yukon XL Denali with the 6.2.

When advising Black Bear regarding my tune preferences, I stated that I was looking primarily for performance improvements using 93 octane gas, and that I had no concerns or preferences whatsoever regarding changes in gas mileage, since this is not my primary vehicle, but rather my 'fun' vehicle.

After the Black Bear tune was installed, I lost about 2 mpg in the city and 1 mpg on the highway. Now, I have to admit that I have a heavy foot, so with the tune, in the city, I average 10-11 mpg, and on the highway, I average 15-16 mpg (18 mpg, if the wife is in the truck with me, LOL).

My understanding is that if your primary preference is increased gas mileage, Black Bear Performance can also support that preference with a custom tune, though I do not know how much of an improvement is possible through the custom tune.

 

[08HoeCD]

It'll take years of vehicle operation to see enough savings in fuel cost to offset the cost of the tune itself.

If fuel economy is that important, get or trade into a different and lower-cost vehicle altogether.

 

[BlackBearPerf]

I work here (obviously), and once I got my vehicle tuned, I just wanted to drive faster, it improved responsiveness, it's a lot of fun to drive. That, of course does not help my gas mileage necessarily. Someone said this a long time ago, they are getting "smiles per gallon" I thought that was great!

 

[K2 Kaiju]

Long story short - you will lose mpg with custom tune. I lost 1-2 doing 93 octane custom on my 13, but it drove much better.
No matter what you do, you wont come close to getting K2 direct injection mpg in a gmt900 without losing a thousand pounds. Im seeing almost 5 mpg improvement going from the 13 to 18, and love it...

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

 

[adventurenali92]

I work here (obviously), and once I got my vehicle tuned, I just wanted to drive faster, it improved responsiveness, it's a lot of fun to drive. That, of course does not help my gas mileage necessarily. Someone said this a long time ago, they are getting "smiles per gallon" I thought that was great!

I like that! I get a lot of smiles out of my tuned Denali! Haha. And that’s way better than worrying about fuel!!

 

[Seamus]

Thank you guys! Its a second vehicle here and we are loving it, but was a little shocked at seeing 13-14 at one point! Its been a long time since seeing that. There is no comparing my 2017 Denali XL to this truck. The Denali was very fast and got great gas mileage. If I was driven by just mileage I would have kept it. But I hated the truck otherwise. Quality, ride comfort and seats were inferior at that price point. Tons of warranty work on both of them. The new ones are crap. No regrets other than going from a 15 Denali to a 17 Denali!! Finally gave up and traded it for an S550. Big win, but still needed a truck for the dog, kids and traveling Gymnastics meets!

This truck is awesome, comfortable seats, great ride quality. I actually got 18.4 roundtrip to Fort Lauderdale today. 75-82 mph. Its an hour each way mostly TP. I am pretty happy with that. I agree with the one post that the price of the tune will not pay for the fuel savings in many years. Very true. But if I can get this trans a little sharper and maybe pick up 1-2 mpg on an 87 tune I think it would be a big win and make the ride a bit nicer. I am going to confer with Black bear and my needs and wants to see if it will be an 87 or 91 tune? Thanks Guys

 

[swathdiver]

Hey guys, ...I found a 2013 suburban LTZ , white diamond, with heavy duty tow package and 3.42 gears, 2wd.

I got 17.5 mpg driving her home 250 miles. Around town I am getting 14 mpg. Well after all my service and new tune up parts I figured I pick up a little mpg???.........Well I was wrong!! I am getting 17.6

I guess I have been spoiled with better mileage these last years in the new trucks. Hated the trucks but loved the mileage. I figured with the sticker stating 21 mpg maybe 19 mpg wasn't an unreasonable expectation?

I have read many are in the 17 mpg range? Am I correct? Anything I can do?

The trans although shifting well ,never seems to be in the right gear for my acceleration. I am considering a black bear tune to get better shifting and a little power but those of you that have it can I expect to gain any MPG or will I lose MPG?? I just want better drivability and MPG. Love the truck otherwise, very happy to be back in the saddle. Newer is not always better, lesson learned...expensive lesson.

What MPGs are the 2wd guys getting?

Sorry for the long story, thanks for your experience and help

That version was rated for 15 city, 21 highway and 17 combined. On Fuelly, the average for all GMT900 SUVs with the 5.3 is 14.3 MPG.

Compared to mine, your motor has VVT and that was good for a 1 MPG improvement in city and highway.

Slow down. If you want better mileage, slow down. I'm an hour or so north of you so our terrain is about the same, our hills being highway overpasses and the local dump!

Here is my Yukon's MPG profile with an 8% alochol content burning 93 octane gasoline:

Note: RPMs are mathematically calculated. My truck has AFM turned off and was tuned in person by Justin @ BlackBear.

The truck has been averaging 15.5 MPG in combined city and highway driving. Not bad for a 4x4 with 3.42 gears and All-Terrain tires.

My favorite part of the BlackBear tune is the improved performance of the transmission. I was happy with the truck before the tune, no complaints, but she drives now completely different and for the better afterwards.

Edit: When I drive it, my average has been 16.2 MPG at an even slower speed than my wife's 15.5 average! LOL

 

[Seamus]

Great info, and encouraging. Thanks Swathdiver !

 

[Seamus]

Well today the weather is pretty good and no wind. There has been a lot of wind lately with the recent storms. Driving 74-80 mph with an easy acceleration I got 19.6 mpg on the turnpike over an 82 mile span. Got off did a little city driving and then drove home same route a little more traffic. 18.4 mpg roundtrip. I am pretty happy with that. The only things that I haven't touched yet are the throttle body and MAF sensor. I think with 2 PSI in the tires and a BB tune I may get to a good number. But 18-19mpg is awesome for this truck.

 

[swathdiver]

Well today the weather is pretty good and no wind. There has been a lot of wind lately with the recent storms. Driving 74-80 mph with an easy acceleration I got 19.6 mpg on the turnpike over an 82 mile span. Got off did a little city driving and then drove home same route a little more traffic. 18.4 mpg roundtrip. I am pretty happy with that. The only things that I haven't touched yet are the throttle body and MAF sensor. I think with 2 PSI in the tires and a BB tune I may get to a good number. But 18-19mpg is awesome for this truck.

My truck gets better mileage than gasoline running low mixtures of Ethanol, between 15% and 20%. You've got some Racetrac's down there that sell E85 pretty cheap and there are a few stations selling Unleaded 88 which is E15. Less expensive than 87 and delivers better mileage in my engine than Chevron's 93 octane.

 

[Seamus]

I'll give it try, Thanks

 

[fastscirocco]

Shannon,

I have a 2014 GMC Yukon xl Denali that I would like to learn what tuning options there are.
I live in Kalamazoo, MI and don't believe you do tuning in my area.
The truck is in great shape with ~ 95,000 miles on it.