How to Improve the Fuel Mileage on an Avalanche
by Tonya Cunningham
A Chevrolet Avalanche is a large sports utility vehicle that owners typically enjoy for its durability and size features. The heavy structure, roomy interior and storage capabilities, however, create a greater load for the motor to carry. The harder your motor is working to support your driving style, vehicle weight and engine condition, the more fuel that is required to keep everything running efficiently. Luckily, there are several easy ways to reduce the number of trips to the gas station and improve the fuel mileage on your Avalanche.
Step 1
Use a tonneau cover. As with any pick-up truck, purchasing a tonneau cover is a fuel-saving investment. While you may feel like your Avalanche drives fine without one, the difference in your mpg average will be tremendous. The wind resistance that occurs in the bed of the truck is known as "drag." Such aerodynamics create a force that works against your vehicle, causing your engine to perform under stressful conditions. When your engine is stressed, your gas tank is depleted.
Step 2
Eliminate excess baggage. Take a look in the bed and back seat of your truck and determine what you really need to be lugging around on a day to day basis. Pick-up truck owners tend to use their truck as a storage space on wheels; however, the impact that heavier weight carries on your fuel tank may create greater frustration than the convenience of storage is worth.
Step 3
Ease up on the gas pedal. The forcefulness of heavy acceleration creates a thrust of gas to make the engine work hard, quickly. As you leave stop signs and lights, accelerate gradually to build up to your desired speed. When you reach that speed, allow your truck to coast. The heavy weight of an Avalanche may tempt you to press harder to achieve your goals in a minimum amount of time, but with such forcefulness, you are likely to be accelerating all the way to the nearest gas station instead.
Step 4
Reconsider the method you use to cool your vehicle. Whether or not to roll down your windows or turn the air-conditioning on is a very debatable topic. Since the aerodynamic pull created by open windows impacts your fuel mileage as much as turning up the a/c, a sensible compromise may be to keep the air-conditioning on low or only crack the windows for a cooling effect.
Step 5
Check the air pressure in your tires on a routine basis. Tires that are low, weak or leaky cannot hold your Avalanche's heavy weight alone. The slack that bad tires creates will be made up for by the motor. Since the motor will be working harder for each part to operate, it will require more fuel and you will receive less mpg. Fully inflated tires have the important purpose of holding the vehicle's weight, therefore allowing the engine to do its job with minimal strain.
References
Writer Bio
Born and raised in western New York, Tonya Cunningham attended Niagara University until 1992 as a pre-law student. Today, Cunningham is a legal assistant and freelance writer looking forward to the completion of her first book.
