How To Increase Chevy Silverado Fuel Efficiency

If you’re wondering how to improve a truck’s gas mileage, you’re not alone. After all, that’s one of the biggest downfalls of owning a truck – most of them aren’t super friendly on your bank account when it comes time to fill it up. In a way, that’s unfortunately kind of the price of admission. If you want the benefits of a big truck (e.g., towing, clearance, power), you need to live with bad truck gas mileage. While modern fuel-efficient trucks are getting better in this area, there are some ways to increase Chevy Silverado fuel efficiency, even in an older model. These would apply to most other truck brands and cars as well. In the video below by Lonestar Hawaiian, you can see how he tackles this problem with his 2007 Chevy Silverado. Check it out below.

How You Can Easily Increase Chevy Silverado Fuel Efficiency

There are a few ways you can tackle this problem. None of them will be miraculous and double your truck’s miles per gallon or anything, but if you use them in combination, you can get a noticeable difference for your Chevy. And when you use a truck on a daily basis, it’s all about the small gains here and there so you can make a long-term difference.

• Basic Maintenance – one of the easiest things you can do to increase Chevy Silverado fuel efficiency is to just maintain your truck well. When you keep up with basic maintenance (i.e., changing the fluids on a regular basis, keeping your tires properly inflated, keeping air filters clean, etc.), your truck is able to perform more efficiently.
• Cold Air Intake – swapping out your stock air filter with a Silverado cold air intake system will definitely make a noticeable difference to your truck’s gas mileage. This system pumps a higher volume of cooler air into your engine, which increases the oxygen content and produces a cleaner, more efficient combustion cycle. In the video above, you saw that Lonestar Hawaiian was installing a cold air intake on his 2007 Chevy Silverado, with the primary goal of increasing miles per gallon. With his 2020 Trail Boss, which he already updated with a cold air intake, he noticed a pretty significant increase in fuel efficiency (16.5 to 21 mpg). One of the benefits of our intake system is that you get a clear, plexiglass window to monitor how dirty the air filter is and see when it needs to be changed.

• Reduce Drag – most people don’t realize how much drag an average pickup truck creates when it moves down the road. This friction with the air slows the truck down and makes it work harder. By simply installing a tonneau cover over your truck bed, you can really reduce the drag on your truck, which will help you eke out some more miles per gallon. Plus, it keeps your gear secure and dry, so why wouldn’t you want one anyway?
• Engine Programmer/Tuner – you can use an engine tuner or programmer on many modern vehicles, including 5.3 or 6.2L Chevy Silverado’s. Essentially, this little plug-in machine can help you dial in how you want your engine to run to increase Chevy Silverado fuel efficiency or power.
• Slow Down – yeah, it’s obvious and probably a little annoying to hear, but it’s true. When you hit the gas to hear that beautiful engine roar (especially after a cold air intake or aftermarket exhaust system), you’re consuming a lot more gas than if you just reasonably accelerate. If you want to see a boost to your fuel efficiency, then take it easy – you’re probably not on a race track. If you are, well…then let her rip.