Cost effective MPG upgrades

[LakeMurrayMan]

Hey guys ... yep, I'm a newbie.
I just bought a 08 CCSB Z71 4X4. It has a K&N intake on it already. Otherwise, it all looks stock to me. It has plenty of power to pull my camper (>8K lbs) as is..... but more is OK. MPG is my real goal. It's getting 18.5 mpg with very careful highway driving. I want more if the mods will pay for itself in a reasonable time. I foresee $1,000 to get +4mpg paying for itself in ~30K miles. Sound reasonable?

What is the cleanest / simplest way to get there? I don't really want any visible devices inside if possible. If needed I guess I could hide them. Please list the parts w/ mfg....I'm new! An idea of level of difficulty will be appreciated as well. Where is the best place to buy?

Huge THANKS!!

[LakeMurrayMan]

...also, I don't want it any louder.

[PAC-MAN]

Dsp2 switch. 2 tunes which allow towing with exhaust brake and one for mpg. Depending on where you are getting rid of your dpf and putting a 4 inch turbo back exhaust on with muffler. You should reach these goals.

[PAC-MAN]

I have a few more mods on my truck but i tow 6k everyday and get 20+- in town.

[LakeMurrayMan]

What kind of MPG increase does simply removing the DPF get? Is this OK to do without a DPF delete program?

What is a DSP2 switch?

THANKS GUYS!

[blksmok]

What kind of MPG increase does simply removing the DPF get? Is this OK to do without a DPF delete program?

What is a DSP2 switch?

THANKS GUYS!

:welcome:

If you remove the DPF, you'll need some sort of programmer to shut off the regen function as well as tell the computer to stop checking it, otherwise you'll have a CEL (Check Engine Light) all the time.

A DSP2 switch is a switch that you can use to switch between 2 different custom tunes (programs) for your engine. EFILive is used to load the 2 different tunes and the switch is used to select between the 2. You can also have a DSP5 and have 5 tunes to select from. With custom programing such as this, you can also elect to have the programming necessary for the DPF delete taken care of at the same time.

[RickDLance]

Welcome!!

I am in the same boat. I've done the exhaust and a tune so far and my last tank on several short trips was 17.1. I'm hoping for better on a long trip.

[OTHRGRL]

Take a drive over to Wilmington to see us, in a couple hours we'll have an exhaust installed and custom tuning of your choice on the truck, we have the 2 and 5 position switches mentioned in stock and can give you tunes for anything from stock power to much more than your transmission can handle (which I wouldn't recommend), a tow tune with a turbo-brake feature built in, a smoke tune to rid off tailgaters, an economy tune for when you are driving empty, a couple performance tunes that are safe for the stock transmission, a stock tune with the DPF and regen deleted, etc.

The exhaust with a muffler will keep it relatively quiet at cruising speeds but with a nice deep aggressive tone when you get on it, if you want it quieter there is a quiet tone muffler available. If you still want it quieter there is a Quiet Tone Front pipe that can be added to either kit as well.

With a 5 position switch and tuning and the 4" exhaust with normal muffler all installed with tax your total would be $1084.37 out the door.
With the quiet tone muffler - $1187.44 out the door.
With the normal muffler and a quiet tone front pipe - $1219.86 out the door.
With a quiet tone muffler and the quiet tone front pipe - $1322.89 out the door.

If you went with the 2 position tuning option instead it would be $100 cheaper out the door. If you wanted to install the exhaust yourself it would knock $175 off the out the door price.

I have had customers with this setup on a truck like yours report back 24.5 mpg, but the average reported mileage is 21-22.5 on the highway and 18-20 in town depending on how easy they drive.

[PAC-MAN]

I second this motion! ):h

[LakeMurrayMan]

So it seems that exhaust and programming are the key. AT what mileage is it safe to do this with regard to warranty?

BIG THANKS ALL!

[OTHRGRL]

Your warranty is 5 years and 100,000 miles. There are a few options to preserve your warranty.

[jnickerson]

Take a drive over to Wilmington to see us, in a couple hours we'll have an exhaust installed and custom tuning of your choice on the truck, we have the 2 and 5 position switches mentioned in stock and can give you tunes for anything from stock power to much more than your transmission can handle (which I wouldn't recommend), a tow tune with a turbo-brake feature built in, a smoke tune to rid off tailgaters, an economy tune for when you are driving empty, a couple performance tunes that are safe for the stock transmission, a stock tune with the DPF and regen deleted, etc.

The exhaust with a muffler will keep it relatively quiet at cruising speeds but with a nice deep aggressive tone when you get on it, if you want it quieter there is a quiet tone muffler available. If you still want it quieter there is a Quiet Tone Front pipe that can be added to either kit as well.

With a 5 position switch and tuning and the 4" exhaust with normal muffler all installed with tax your total would be $1084.37 out the door.
With the quiet tone muffler - $1187.44 out the door.
With the normal muffler and a quiet tone front pipe - $1219.86 out the door.
With a quiet tone muffler and the quiet tone front pipe - $1322.89 out the door.

If you went with the 2 position tuning option instead it would be $100 cheaper out the door. If you wanted to install the exhaust yourself it would knock $175 off the out the door price.

I have had customers with this setup on a truck like yours report back 24.5 mpg, but the average reported mileage is 21-22.5 on the highway and 18-20 in town depending on how easy they drive.

Do you guys have anything on the 2011's, yet? If so, I might have to come see you.

[OTHRGRL]

Do you guys have anything on the 2011's, yet? If so, I might have to come see you.

The only decent tuning out for them so far is H&S, which we are a dealer for. They are able to delete the DPF and Urea stuff.

MBRP has exhaust kits with and without a muffler to delete the DPF, which start at $329.46.

Of course all of this would be for offroad use only.

[LakeMurrayMan]

After a couple of tank fulls, and REALLY careful driving (62 MPH), I got 18.5 MPG on one and 19.3 on the other at the pump with slightly lower reading on the DIC. Not bad for an almost stock (K&N intake only) CCSB. After talking with my local GM techs, warranty is a BIG concern for me. Long story.....I'm not going there AGAIN. :( I have just hungup with a Banks tech. He states that an inline system is my best bet with no traceable "footprint". Of course, he recommends the Banks 6-Gun. He says 15-25% with careful driving on level 3 or 4. That seems a bit streched to me. Does anyone have any experience with these and the typical MPG increases? What about similar inline units?

Again...cost effective MPG increase is my goal, power is OK as is.

Thanks to all for your help!!

[RickDLance]

Let us no how it works out.

[LakeMurrayMan]

I'd like to hear from those that I have already done this. But thanks anyway.

[blksmok]

I'd like to hear from those that I have already done this. But thanks anyway.

I don't think many guys here are using banks tuners. Many of us may have had banks in the past, but I'm not sure of anyone that has one currently and especially on a LML. You may have to be the one that let's us know. :thumb:

I personally had a banks six gun w/power pda at one time, but the unit kept shutting down on me. I think it couldn't handle under hood temps out here in Az during the summer. I returned it and banks gave me my full purchase price back. That's my dealings with banks. I would also say that I did like they way it shifted more than the way the edge module I had shifted.

[LakeMurrayMan]

So...should I be concerned with warranty? The truck is used GM certified w/ 42K miles on it. I drive like grandma, not going to hurt it, but stuff happens. Is EFILive the way to go? Do I drive several hundred miles to get it installed or buy the kit and do it myself? I have ZERO experience "tuning". Note that my wife drives a Tahoe that could be tuned as well, reducing the effective cost.

[OTHRGRL]

I have been a Banks dealer for years but have never sold one of their tuners. I have driven a lot of trucks with them and never been impressed. Most of my experience with them is taking them off to put on EFI Live tuning, which I do at least a couple times a month. Many of the LMMs that come in have tried the inline modules and the programmers that leave the factory exhaust and DPF (to keep warranty), and none have gotten the mileage gains that were advertised. Without deleting the DPF you cannot delete the regeneration cycles that throw away fuel to clean it; many times adding power, even if it makes it run more effecient, will put out more soot - forcing the truck into Regen mode more often, canceling most of the fuel savings you gained.

I have a father and son that each own LMM's; the son bought his in 2008 and bought into all the Banks hype - bought the DPF back duals, six gun PDA, and intake and within 10,000 miles sold it all and got EFI Live and never looked back; he's gotten up to 24 mpg with 22" tims on the truck. The father bought a 2010 early this year and against his son's strong recommendation bought a Banks DPF back exhaust and 6 gun tuner - it lasted him about 4 months and one trip towing his camper before he switched to EFI Live. If you are concerned with your warranty you can buy a spare ECM; then you'll pull the stock tune off your factory ECM, build your custom tunes from it, and load them on the spare - leaving your stock, untouched ECM ready to be swapped in for warranty work. If the risk of something major going wrong that would be covered under warranty outweighs the additional cost is up to you.

If you drive here to have it tuned the cost to you is much lower because you wouldn't have to invest in the hardware and software setup ($899)that you would likely never use afterwards. I also have tunes to get better mileage out of the Tahoe.

[TheStepChild]

I don't think many guys here are using banks tuners. Many of us may have had banks in the past, but I'm not sure of anyone that has one currently and especially on a LML. You may have to be the one that let's us know. :thumb:

I personally had a banks six gun w/power pda at one time, but the unit kept shutting down on me. I think it couldn't handle under hood temps out here in Az during the summer. I returned it and banks gave me my full purchase price back. That's my dealings with banks. I would also say that I did like they way it shifted more than the way the edge module I had shifted.

I've had (and still have) the 6gun on my truck. Been on for over 300,000 miles.

[blksmok]

I've had (and still have) the 6gun on my truck. Been on for over 300,000 miles.

I stand corrected.

[LakeMurrayMan]

So how much for a "spare" ECM?

[OTHRGRL]

Here is one for $450:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2007-08-Duramax-Diesel-LMM-6-6-ECU-ECM-computer-/150405204539?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2304d94a3b

[LakeMurrayMan]

Food for thought .... thanks.
With the "spare" ECM i assume I would have to come in and get you to copy my ECM then install my programing onto the "spare" ..... then EFI. Right?

[OTHRGRL]

Yes, you would just bring it with you when you came, I would download the stock file from your stock ECM, then while we installed your DSP5 switch we would install the "spare" ECM. After writing your custom tuning I would load it on the spare ECM and you would keep the stock "virgin" ECM in a box just in case you had to go in for warranty work.

[n2brk]

I have just hungup with a Banks tech. He states that an inline system is my best bet with no traceable "footprint".

I hope I'm not too late in pointing this out, but I don't think it's true. The TCM will store the max torque its seen, and when it is over stock they will know you have used a device to increase power.

If your warranty is that important to you, then spend your "tuner" money on subsidizing the cost of fuel you put in ):h

Wally

[RickDLance]

I hope I'm not too late in pointing this out, but I don't think it's true. The TCM will store the max torque its seen, and when it is over stock they will know you have used a device to increase power.

If your warranty is that important to you, then spend your "tuner" money on subsidizing the cost of fuel you put in ):h

Wally

Food for thought.

Welcome to the posting side! :hello:

[n2brk]

Thanks, Rick :) I guess I've been here a year reading silently, hahaha.

Wally
P.S. The downpipe is great - THANK YOU!