[Shop-talk] Improving truck performance

[Dave Cavanaugh]

I have a 2004 GMC Sierra half ton, 2WD extended (not crew) cab.  I 
believe it has a 5.3 Vortec engine, automatic transmission, unsure of 
the axle ratio. I'm the original owner, and it has about 74,000 miles on 
it.  Other than the tires and radio, it is completely stock and is in 
generally very good shape.  It fits my needs, and has been totally 
reliable to date, and I plan to keep it for the foreseeable future.   It 
also has a Leer fiberglass canopy on it right now, but it'll probably 
come off when I finish my move later this year.  It's not my daily 
driver; I typically use it to pick up lumber, construction supplies and 
other routine truck duties.  I typically don't do much towing, and  I 
have never been unhappy with the performance until last year when I 
started making multiple trips from Washington to Utah, usually towing an 
8 to 12 foot UHaul trailer with my shop stuff in it.  This trip includes 
several mountain passes and quite a bit of elevation change.  The truck 
performs OK, but not great.

I don't have a boat or RV, and I'm not trying to turn it into a one ton 
hauler; I would just like some suggestions as to possible mods I could 
have done to the engine to improve the performance and, if possible, 
improve the gas mileage.  It generally gets about 16 MPG on these 
trips.  Any ideas?

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