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Who has a TBI Suburban???

P

Poohbair

1/2 ton status
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I am thinking about buying a Suburban in the 87?-91 range and have no idea what these get for MPG, reliability, etc... w/ the TBI 350 or TBI 454? Is there that much of a diff in fuel mileage between the big and small block? I would ultimatley like a 90-91 3/4 ton w/ the 454... but it is also going to be my wifes daily driver and I don't really want a 7mpg rig... so I may settle for a 1/2 ton w/ the 350!
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but the only chev truck I have ever had is my wheeler...and I never worry much about these issues with that!!
 
Oh, and what is the first year that I can get a TBI Burb? What year did they start using the 241 tcase?
 
Not that its the right year but our 93 Suburban TBI 454 3/4 ton 2 wheel drive gets a hair over 10mpg with the a/c on with about 50/50 hwy/city. as a comparison my 89 TBI 350 4x4 K-5 gets 11.5 on the same daily route /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
I have an '89, it got about 12-14 before it was lifted, now it's around 10, but the motor fires up every morning, runs good, does real well off road and in any angle situations, gotta love fuel injection. BUT, when there is a problem, it is kinda tough to finger out what exactly is causing the problem unless you have the scanner. I would not go back to a carb'd engine.

BTW, i would imagine, that the 2wd version, with the 350 will most likely get a bit better mileage due to less weight, as long as you are easy on the pedal, mine really doesn't do too bad in the city as long as i don't try to drag race off the line at the lights all day.
 
I have an '88 with a carb, stock and an '89 TBI, lifted. I would much rather drive the '89 everyday if I could (still torn apart) but when I had 8" lift and 36" tires, 4.56 gears, I was still getting 10-12 mpg with no problem. Started everytime and ran great on the freeway.

Since my '88 has a carb, I am pretty sure the '89 was the first year for /forums/images/graemlins/burb.gif to have TBI.
 
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I have an '88 with a carb, stock and an '89 TBI, lifted. I would much rather drive the '89 everyday if I could (still torn apart) but when I had 8" lift and 36" tires, 4.56 gears, I was still getting 10-12 mpg with no problem. Started everytime and ran great on the freeway.

Since my '88 has a carb, I am pretty sure the '89 was the first year for /forums/images/graemlins/burb.gif to have TBI.

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'87 was the first year for TBI. Not sure why your '88 has a carb, is it a 3/4 ton? I have an '87 half ton with a TBI 350.
 
87-91 model years are TBI.

'91 2500's have the 4L80E (big-ass auto with OD) as opposed to the TH400 in older years, so if you can find one of these it's a score.

4WD's didn't come with a big block until the new body style in '92, so if you want 4WD, you'll hafta settle for a 350 in our body style. (Or do a swap of some kind, depending on local smog & inspection, etc.)

For towing and general oomph, I am told that once you have a big block you'll never go back. I would suspect that mileage with a BBC isn't much worse than the small block, especially if you're doing any pulling... my 350-equipped 2500 Burb safely towed my Chalet home on a flatbed... but it was *working* to do it. I would hazard a guess that if I'd had a 454, she'd have been pulling that 7000-8000# trailer like it was nothin'.

(Next time, I'm getting a 454, dammit, and if I can score one, maybe even a '91 with the 4L80E. Sweeeeeeet!)

-- A
 
My 87 gets about 10 mpg. It's a TBI454. Yes I will never go back. I wish my K5 had the 454 too.
 
My 89 got about 10 mpg average. Its a TBI 350 with 465 behind it, all stock with 3.42 gears. I drive hard so it could do better. Previous owner claimed he got 17MPG once on the highway, a long trip to upstate New York. I'd believe it but would be hard to recreate.
 
I got 16 MPG with our '94 350 TBI Sub once. It was a trip down to Austin, travelling just ahead of a massive cold front that was pushing 30-50 MPH winds ahead of it. The tailwind helped a LOT! /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif But alas, on the return trip the highway mileage dropped back to its typical 14 MPG. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif In town it gets 10-12.
 
My '87 has a TBI 400 in it. It runs great. I get approx. 12 mpg out it. I am running 2 1/2" lift/33" Wild Country RVT's/TH-700R4 tranny/3.08 gears (I think??) I wish I had 4.10's. It's a dog on the freeway and I can't use OD and sustain it unless I'm above 60 mph.
 
OK, I have mistakenly said that my '88 has a carb.

I was wrong and finally took a look. Sure as $hite it has a TBI.

Thanks for correcting me, other wise i probably wouldn't of looked.
 
You have a PM.

My 91 going to the beach and back gets about 14 mpg - GPS verified, with 35" X Terrains, 6" lift and a 350 TBI. This with the almighty 4L80E overdrive tranny, loaded with 5 bodies and tons of camping gear. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
My 91 Burb with TBI 350, 4L80E and NP241 get...aw hell I dont know what kinda mileage it gets I dont wnat to think about it /forums/images/graemlins/eek.gif. Its pissin me off though. If my burb was a horse or a dog, I would have shot it in the head and burned its carcass by now. This thing is an electrical nightmare. My current set of problems are, windows dont roll down, a/c doesnt work, my rear heater started literally spewing coolant all over the back today, and did I mention the A/c doesnt work and the windows dont roll down? ITS 100 F***ING DEGREES EVERY DAY HERE AND ALL I HAVE IS MY LITTLE VENT WINDOW. Avoid burbs like the plague, if you come across one, shoot it in the throttle body and torch the bitch /forums/images/graemlins/angryfire.gif
 
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Avoid burbs like the plague, if you come across one, shoot it in the throttle body and torch the bitch /forums/images/graemlins/angryfire.gif

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WHAT,,,,,EVERRR /forums/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif

Quit being a cheapass and fix the sh!t
 
Just givin ya grief dude, but just because you are having problems with your at the moment, this doesn't mean that ALL Burbs are junk.
 
The rear coolant issue is the rear heater unit, either a hose broke, or the heater core back there sprung a leak, the AC is a b!tch anyways, i would take it out for that, the power winders, well, that needs to be hunted down. Hell, i dunno, work on it, thats what i do when thing go bad, i went wheelin aseveral weekends ago, after we finished the trail, i kept blowin the radio/horn/dome light fuse, tore the whole interior down, door panels, dash pad and some components, roof liner, and somehow found it, fixed it. But anyway, have fun. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif
 
91 4x4 Burb, 350 TBI, 4L80E, 4.10 gears, 33" tires. I can get 14 MPG on the freeway. Everything else I own are 1 ton pick ups with 454s and T400s. 7 or 8 MPG is about the best I get from them.

Eric M.
 
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