2010 Silverado Hybrid

[Waspswatter]

Just acquired a used Silverado Hybrid. The front air dam is missing, should I buy a replacement or build a larger-than-stock version?

It has instant and average MPG sensing, should I also get a scangage? I'll be doing a grille cover, is it helpful to also have temp sensing?

I'm going to make an aero bed topper customized to the work I'll be doing out of the truck, but I'd like to hear suggestions and input about favorable designs!

[redpoint5]

I'd get the OEM air dam if I could find one in a junkyard or reasonably priced. Otherwise, I'd fabricate my own.

Gauges are useful, and especially setting a fan or an engine coolant alarm so you know if your grill blocking is excessive. If fans are having to come on frequently you need more airflow.

[S Keith]

Originally Posted by Waspswatter

Just acquired a used Silverado Hybrid. The front air dam is missing, should I buy a replacement or build a larger-than-stock version?

It has instant and average MPG sensing, should I also get a scangage? I'll be doing a grille cover, is it helpful to also have temp sensing?

I'm going to make an aero bed topper customized to the work I'll be doing out of the truck, but I'd like to hear suggestions and input about favorable designs!

Start saving now for a replacement hybrid battery.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Waspswatter

I'm going to make an aero bed topper customized to the work I'll be doing out of the truck, but I'd like to hear suggestions and input about favorable designs!

What kind of work are you intending to yse the truck for? BTW the good old body-on-frame layout leaves plenty of room to take even further steps regarding aerodynamics.

[Waspswatter]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

What kind of work are you intending to yse the truck for? BTW the good old body-on-frame layout leaves plenty of room to take even further steps regarding aerodynamics.

Part of my job is installing residential entry and storm doors. I need to carry doors to the jobsite and carry old doors away, so I need the top to open up. The good new is that a lot of the time I'm just commuting or will only have one door so I can take advantage of the aero cap.

I've looked at a lot of different designs here, and I'm trying to decide if I want it to open in the center similar to Bondo's and JRMichler's designs, or if I want a one piece shell that is hinged at the front and lifts up in the rear. Sometimes I work in bad weather, The more protection, the better.

What do you mean "body on frame"?

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Waspswatter

What do you mean "body on frame"?

A vehicle featured with a chassis fully dettachable from the body of the vehicle, in contrast to the unibody structural layout which became a standard for newer cars and for some smaller commercial vehicles.

[Waspswatter]

I'm trying to get used to driving a hybrid. I was very soft on the brakes on my Ranger, but now I wonder if I should use brakes more to engage the regen. Also, I've been a member here for five or six years and JUST RECENTLY read up on how to do pulse and glide. I had heard that engines are more efficient under load but it must not have "sunk in". I would always slow down up hills and only start to speed up as I rolled over the crest, then using gravity to help me accelerate down the hill.

Can someone please invent a smart cruise control that will automatically pulse and glide for me.

[ksa8907]

Originally Posted by Waspswatter

I'm trying to get used to driving a hybrid. I was very soft on the brakes on my Ranger, but now I wonder if I should use brakes more to engage the regen. Also, I've been a member here for five or six years and JUST RECENTLY read up on how to do pulse and glide. I had heard that engines are more efficient under load but it must not have "sunk in". I would always slow down up hills and only start to speed up as I rolled over the crest, then using gravity to help me accelerate down the hill.

Can someone please invent a smart cruise control that will automatically pulse and glide for me.

Don't try to p&g your truck, it's not going to work. It's got the aerodynamics of a brick and that engine is already operating pretty efficiently under normal conditions.

Aside from the hybrid battery, the only thing that is going to be a maintenance issue is the afm (active fuel management) on that 6.0 ls engine. You can get a $200 plug in chip that will disable 4cyl mode or be proactive with oil changes and replacing the screen under the oil pressure sending unit. If $200 isn't a big problem for you, I'd go that route. Failure of an afm liter means an engine rebuild...

[Waspswatter]

Originally Posted by ksa8907

You can get a $200 plug in chip that will disable 4cyl mode or be proactive with oil changes and replacing the screen under the oil pressure sending unit. If $200 isn't a big problem for you, I'd go that route. Failure of an afm liter means an engine rebuild...

Where do you get the chip?

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by Waspswatter

I'm trying to get used to driving a hybrid. I was very soft on the brakes on my Ranger, but now I wonder if I should use brakes more to engage the regen. Also, I've been a member here for five or six years and JUST RECENTLY read up on how to do pulse and glide. I had heard that engines are more efficient under load but it must not have "sunk in". I would always slow down up hills and only start to speed up as I rolled over the crest, then using gravity to help me accelerate down the hill.

Can someone please invent a smart cruise control that will automatically pulse and glide for me.

Regen is better than friction braking, but not as efficient as coasting to a stop. So your current way if being soft on the brakes is still better. Also, if you brake hard you activate the friction brakes because the hybrid drive can only regen so much.

Pulse and glide is more important the slower you go, the more aerodynamic your vehicle is and the bigger the engine. A smaller engine in a big, non-aerodynamic vehicle flying down the highway is already going to be under a lot of load.