what gas mileage does a v6 firebird or camaro get, compared to a 5.0 and 5.7 litre. the reason i ask is my mom wants to buy me a car for my 17th birthday and i mentioned a V8 3rd gen and she automatically turned that down, and said i need to look for a v6, so i just want to compare mileage on them and show her.

Idk the exact situation, so I can't say for sure, but its quite plausible that she said no to a v8 because of power output levels as much as if not more so, than mileage difference, but from posts I've read average v6 mileage stock on these cars seems to be about 18 or so for a decent running maintained engine.

From looking around here (i never bothered to keep track of mine), Most will get teens to 20 mpg city, and mid 20s to 30 mpg highway. Most of the 30s are manual. Lower is usually due to poor engine condition or a lead foot.
TPI cars can't touch that stock.
TBI can do well, but the power barely offsets the weight increase.



www.fueleconomy.gov gives the sticker and revised mpgs for our cars and engines.

TBI's are heavier and don't have much power over a well maintained 3.1, and like Jensen said, you'll never see 20's with a TPI, especially with a 17 year old behind the wheel. When I was that age my foot was so heavy i was lucky if I could squeeze 20mpg out of my Escort.

My 210,000 mile 1987 Trans Am GTA with a 350/5.7, 700R4/Auto, gets 16 mpg city/21 mpg highway. Compared to the "official" ratings new of 16 city/25 highway ratings.

I'd say that isn't too shabby, considering the mileage. Keep in mind, that a 3rd gen is heavy & a V6 has to work a little harder to move the car in town, from a stop. The V6 rating is 17 city/25 highway. So if you live in-town, the V8 CAN get you better mpg, if your right foot behaves.

V8s are not automatically gas guzzlers. It is how your right foot behaves, that determines it.

i take care of my motor like crazy but can only get 14-15 MPG or 240 to the tank.

Idk what wrong
i changed injector, fuel rail , plugs, egr, wires, the whole distributor, vac lines, old every 4000 miles.

im lost to why i get so low mileage and a 2.8 in my town that's almost falling apart black oil over 180k miles get almost 400 to the tank wtf man

my right foot behaves just fine, it gets heavy only when im in her car because its slow as hell, all i wana know is if the cars fast and then it behaves.

i have been averaging 24 in my v6/5speed, with a nice combination of city and highway driving

I think you've made this thread expecting a certain answer. Unfortunately that doesn't seem to be the answer your getting...

Do you keep up on fluids, and filters? If so maybe you have bad compression or something, unless you drive only city and have a lead foot you should have better mileage.

With the auto, I was averaging 22 MPG mixed city/highway and about 27 highway (with a failing torque converter clutch).

With the manual, it's hard to keep my foot out of it, and the city driving results would be better if I didn't have to warm the car up at the moment, but I average about 29 MPG highway, with a good amount of miles on my unknown mileage junkyard engine. Trans, IIRC, has about 185K on it, and the rearend is getting mighty close to 247K . I think it was March or somewhere in the first half of 08 I got 400 miles on one tank... Before the code 45.

actually, this is good info, its helping

How fast do think a heavy V6 3rd gen is gonna be? From what you just said above, your foot will be in it all the time "because its slow as hell" in a V6 3rd gen.

agreed... i have one. it's a good thing I don't care a rip about going fast, because I couldn't even if I wanted to

They have potential if you're willing to spend the time and money, and know what you're doing

My 89, when it was a 2.8, averaged 28. I could get a little over 30 on the highway.

That was with some of the cheap and easy mods, a light foot, and not slowing down very much around corners, etc.

as long as i know it can be fast, i know there heavy and its gonna take a little to get it going but, my moms car is an o6 impala, and its the shittiest thing i think ive ever driven to date, brakes are too damn touchy, and for fuel injection it takes it a long time to get it gong. Ive driven my dads 85 camaro 5.7 so i know how to drive thempretty well

i change everything that can be changed window wash down to the rear-end. i guess im going to have to do a compression test then.

That '06 Impala that you come down on has more power than a mid 80's 305 TPI had when it was brand new.

V6's are fun and get good mileage, V8's are fast and you'll be stopping at the gas station every few days. Ya know what I say, save your money and buy your own car, that way you can get whatever you want, if it's your moms dime she has the right to tell you you can't get a V8.

I get gas once a month in my 1987 350/5.7 Trans Am GTA. And it is my ONLY car. So much for the "you'll be stopping at the gas station every few days". It depends on HOW you drive & how much you drive.

And as far as "save your money and buy your own car, that way you can get whatever you want, if it's your moms dime she has the right to tell you you can't get a V8.".....As long as a teenager lives at home with mom/dad, who's dime puts food in their stomach, pays for their shelter, pays for their clothes etc....Mom/Dad have EVERY right to say what you can/cannot drive.

Don't blow on your $ on gas & insurance, until you can afford all the other stuff that living requires.

And insurance brings up another good point. Who is going to pay for the insurance? "I'll pay if you buy a V6. Your on your own if you buy a V8." Ever looked at insurance rates for a teenager? That can settle it right there.

Yup insurance for teenagers is astronomical. I would first call around and get quotes on insurance for both a V8 and a V6 car. I am 36 years old with 2 kids no accidents or tickets, and I drive a V6 Firebird. As soon as I added it to my insurance, the policy jumped about $300 a year. As for gas mileage, Stephen is correct in saying that the V6 has to labor harder to move that 3900 pound car around town. This translates into it needing more fuel whereas a V8 barely breaks a sweat getting it going. If youre not laying a patch on every straight strip of roadway, you should get decent mileage. Stomp the go pedal into the oil pan, and you can literally watch the gas gauge go down.

300 a year...thats $25 a month. that's cheap! When I lived with my parents, I paid for my car's insurance but it was on their policy...it was about $50 a month. That's still cheap.

Since he only 17 I'd assume this will be a DD, and IMO, a V6 is a far better choice for a DD. A V8 makes a great 2nd car or project, but for a daily I'd rather have the smaller, cheaper, easier to work on/ get fixed car.

Thats a really good point, insurance didnt even cross my mind. Teenager + RWD V8 sports car = $$$$. I have my own insurance plan, still live at home while going to college, and for the V6 it aint bad.

Insurance is the biggest killer of your bank account when youre a young driver. I agree that he should start out with a V6. Hell you can make these V6's run too. Drop in a 3.4 hybrid build with a turbo and you can whoop on a V8 and still get the same mileage and insurance policy

Idk about the v8 F-bodies, but my 1985 v6 Camaro is cheaper to insure than my 1994 Buick Century, which is also a v6.

What cheap easy mods are you refferring to?

Well I am not sure on the third gen v6 insurance when I had my 94 v6 camaro I think it was 136 a month when I was sixteen and then it got down to around 100 when I turned seventeen. When I turned 18 went down to like 50. That was being the third or fourth car on my parents state farm, stear clear program and no tickets or wrecks on my record. I worked and saved during the summer to pay for a years worth of insurance. Then when I hit twenty it went down to 40 on my 88 firebird (305). As far as gas mileage I average around 13-14 city and 18 ish highway. Its my dd and drive it college and to me the extra gas is more than worth it. On a slightly funny note my insurane went from 45 a month to 88 when I was driving a beat up 86' mustang lx four banger. Worse five months ever.

When I first bought the Bird, on another part of my parents' policy and being listed as the only driver, getting about 4 discounts through State Farm, I paid $141 a month until I turned 21. But, I didn't get my license until I was 18, or the car, for that matter, so it has to do with experience as well as the car and your parents and their discounts.

Homemade intake with cone filter in corner bolted directly to MAF with the bend cut off (or get a 2.8 camaro MAF)

MSD 6A with a blaster coil, 8mm wires, plugs at .048.

Underdrive pulley (probably doesn't make much difference, but every little bit counts I guess)

tv cable adjusted

alignment

tires at 32 lbs

highflow cat with 2.5 I-pipe and muffler.

synthetic oil (although it was some off brand, 'Mag 1' I think. Probably wasn't real synthetic)

Now I've got a 3.4 with headers, but it's way too loud with the rest of the exhaust system, and has a bunch of other issues. Bad MAF?, injectors?, o2?, ground?, charcoal canister?, combination of all that plus more?????? who knows.

Getting maybe 24-25 right now with it running weird.

That is a bad suggestion & will not add power, unless your stock filter is CLOGGED badly.

That is creating a HOT air intake. Cold, outside air bis what your engine wants & needs to make any decent power from.

I like the air intake on my 2.8. I've always scratched my head at guys that put a cone in the engine bay.... it may be less restrictive, but it's warmer. Now... do they make a less restrictive air filer for a stock 2.8 set up?


edit: i see the K&N filter, any others that are good?

Well if you have a dual snorkel TPI intake it really doesn't get much better than that, ram air excluded, I can't say for sure but I would imagine it flows as much as a cone filter would considering its two filters, just gut the airbox with a hacksaw...cheapest, easiest 5hp ever :P

And I'm not quite sure how this became the topic, but anyway, hearkening back to the original subject, better air intakes improve mileage as well as power. Same for exhaust upgrades.

Pretty much.

But...

I put the filter as far into the front right corner as it would go (I still need to build something to isolate it from the rest of the engine bay and keep hot air from it however, which shouldn't be very hard once I get around to it) Until then I don't consider it a cold air intake, more of an 'increased air intake' or whatever.

Ran some self-sealing pvc joints up into the rubber thing going into the throttle.

Unplugged battery for a bit, reconnected, drove for a bit.

Mileage increased.

Had a little more power.

I was able to cruise up over hills in overdrive that would make the car shift down before unless I had much more speed built up.

I was in Germany at the time going up and down hills, driving 110+, or driving in city traffic. I went from about 230 miles per tank to about 270 miles.

Got back to WA and flatter roads, went to 360 or more per tank (was about 310 before I went to Germany if I remember)

That's more or less what I remember happening anyway, that was back in 01.

Anyway, don't worry. The intake may have worked for me and no one else, but while everyone else that did the 3.4 swap had great success, mines been a nightmare, and the 165 swap that also works for everyone else has been a complete failure for me too.

Hell a 32 year old behind the wheel and I'm lucky to get 15mpg highway

I am at 19 male with a right foot of solid lead. I drive an 89 firebird with the 2.8 TPI automatic. It has 195K original miles. I have never had a problem laying black marks in my town. I get 24 on the open road running about 75-80 the entire way. In town I get about 18. I use it as my DD and the designated driver but that is a different sotry all together. I drive my car like I stole it. Insurance for me is $60 a month the lawyers bill is 308 to get the speeding ticket to go away. I would say go with the v6 and have fun with it. You can get in as much trouble with a V6 as you can a V8. I know if i kept my foot out of it I could get better gas mileage. I also have just cheap filters and use the cheapest gas I can buy. When I buy gas at a BP station I get 25 of the crooked roads so I dont know what the roads are like where you live but I would say v6 is enough for a teenager.

I understand that you have drove your dads 85 maro and you think you can handle them pretty well but bud that is definatly when you need to watch yourself cause the car will prove you wrong everytime. The only two times I have almost wrecked the statement I made right before the car got away from me was "I can handle the car mom, I drive this fast all the time."

Lol, sounds like me cept for the lawyer bit and the fact that I haven't driven the maro yet as it doesn't run yet. I only ever lost control once that wasn't due to road conditions, took a bend too fast, and my *** end swung out and fishtailed really bad with my 94 buick century.

Both of mine were road conditions really, the first time right after I got the car it was raining and water was standing on the road and I hit it about 45 while trying to tell my mom I had it and listen to her yell and scream about it ( she was on the phone), the last time was a really sharp curve on a road after i made a wrong turn and the road went from blacktop to chip and seal about half way thru the corner. The first time i spin all the way around and went into a ditch backwards lucky into a thorn bush that caugh the car, the next time i just break traction and scared the crap out of my buddy who was riding along. I was once again on the phone listen to my mother yell and scream about needing to slow down.

The point is a v6 is more than enough motor for a teenager, you can get in trouble with them just as easily. I driver two and a half ton trucks all day during the summer, I drive for the local fire department, I have even driven a 01 dodge dakota with a 4.7 and wide tires on the back (the truck is squirrly). The point is just wait until you mature and dont have the immature need for speed or hey look what my car can do thoughts before you get a v8.

Sounds to me like you need to stop using your phone while driving.
hehe

/\ /\

I no longer talk to my mother while I drive. I am always on the phone while drive my car or a company truck, for either business or rarely for just the fact I am talking to a friend. I have solved the problem with wreck as I dont talk to my mother anymore.

I get 24 mpg highway @ 75mph with a 3 speed automatic. 5.7 L31 Vortec engine

How did you wire the Vortech ECM into a 3rd gen harness? Or is it 100% independent?

Carb'd 650 Holley double pumper.

I drive a 1988 Camaro RS that I recently purchased (two weeks ago)with 80,000 original miles on it in excellent shape. I purchased it from the original owner in excellent condition with the intention of swapping out the 2.8L V6/Automatic for a TPI 350. Well after driving the car for a few weeks to work and on an 800 mile round trip this weekend I have decided to keep the car as is and look for another to build into a performance car. The RS averaged 26.2 mpg on the trip (90% Highway driving with three passengers and luggage for the trip). That is only 3mpg less than my wife's 06 Scion XB averaged on the same trip last year. I don't have the heart to take the near mint condition RS apart after driving it this week. This is my seventh F body car (1 first gen,2 second gen. 4th, 3rd generation car). I wish I still had all of them but kids and marriage changed things for a while. Now in my 40's I am back with a vengeance, Camaro parts all over the place and loving it, my wife on the other hand

Gunner

Guy's please believe me, you don't know you're borne!
My Bird does around 16mpg, I live in a very hilly area in the U.K. so I guess that's what does it for me because my car runs (well it did last year before I put it away for the winter) beautiful.
What does it for me are our gas and tax prices! Here in England we pay £6 (or $9.2!!!!) A GALLON!!! And road tax is £190 ($292!) a year!!
I can only afford to drive my Firebird for 6 months of the year!

Sorry, a bit off the subject but boy do I feel better!

Speed.