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Tinsel Loaf · 03-16-2003, 09:28 PM

My 454 chevy truck gets 10 mpg naked. 6 to 7 mpg towing.

ipso_facto · 03-20-2003, 11:09 PM

87airstream345 ,

..... I almost forget I'm going deaf because the engine is putting out 135 decibles at anything over 55 MPH.

It might make you feel better to know that my big block gaser is loud enough at 65 for me to wear ear plugs. Forget the CD player.

Silvertwinkie · 03-21-2003, 06:33 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ipso_facto
87airstream345 ,
[/i]

It might make you feel better to know that my big block gaser is loud enough at 65 for me to wear ear plugs. Forget the CD player.

That's unusual based on my direct exp. Our Big Block (454 w/ factory dual exhaust) sounded like any other car out there. No earplugs needed and could hear every note, every whisper from the stereo. Do you have glasspacks on or some mod that makes it louder?

Eric

ALANSD · 03-21-2003, 07:37 AM

My 82 has straight pipes with small tubular mufflers and although its loud it isn't louder than most of the bb pickups.
There is road noise at 60- 65 mph , but not enought to overblow my 13" tv/vcr or stereo, or conversations across the front seats.

I hope to quiet it a bit more with some heat/sound padding under the front driving area this spring. I also expect to upgrade my carpet and pad which should be helpful.

ipso_facto · 03-21-2003, 08:34 AM

Silvertwinkie

No, no mods just the engine turning at 3100 RPMs is sufficient. Not as load as the diesel however.

Silvertwinkie · 03-21-2003, 08:42 AM

Ipso,

That is totally puzzling.

Eric

59toaster · 03-21-2003, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ipso_facto
Silvertwinkie

No, no mods just the engine turning at 3100 RPMs is sufficient. Not as load as the diesel however.

Does it have original exhaust?
Our 79 Blazer with a 350 I have made a big mistake and changed out the exhaust to flow masters and it Droans horribly on the hwy. Pretty well have to shout to talk. Having the mufflers under the passenger compartment makes a big difference. I have road in 350 pickups with same engine same mufflers and it was not loud at all inside sinch the mufflers were under the bed.
I will NEVER put loud exhaust on a SUV type hwy cruiser again.

Silvertwinkie · 03-21-2003, 10:24 AM

I hear you on that drone thing. The LT1 powered B-Body has a fair amount of it at about 1800rpm. Some guys put the tips straight out the back and claim that it cut drone by 75%.

The mystery to me Toaster is that he claims to have made zero mods. There has to be a problems somwhere cause a stock big block should not make the kind of sound he's talking about at 3000rpm.

Eric

femuse · 03-21-2003, 10:25 AM

Quote:

I don't know if high altitude is causing it or not....

I don't know if this was ever posted on this forum: Engine Performance Degradation
It's about the effect of altitude on engine performance. (it' about pop-ups, but a lot of interesting things about towing in general)

About noisy engines: we were never able to listen to the radio in our van. (having this big engine in the cab, between us, didn't help much). The truck is a lot less noisy than the van.

59toaster · 03-21-2003, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Silvertwinkie
I hear you on that drone thing. The LT1 powered B-Body has a fair amount of it at about 1800rpm. Some guys put the tips straight out the back and claim that it cut drone by 75%.

The mystery to me Toaster is that he claims to have made zero mods. There has to be a problems somwhere cause a stock big block should not make the kind of sound he's talking about at 3000rpm.

Eric

Well it could also be a perception thing as well. What he conciders loud an anoying may not bother someone else. Some people are more sensitive to certain frequencies then others.

I run into this all the time with what I do (repair cell phones) I have customers in all the time with "I can't hear it ring, it's too quite" Everybody in line is going "Man that's loud". Person has a loss of hearing in the range that the phone rings at. Not deaf but tone deficient. It goes the other way as well.

Course telling somebody they need to go have their hearing checked when they "can't hear their phone" usualy doesn't fly real well LOL.

I use to be a Roadie for a rock band so you go an idea how my hearing is LOL.
See around town the 79 with the flow masters doesn't bug me. After about 30 minutes at a steady hwy speed it's grating on my nerves. LOL

Pick · 03-21-2003, 01:26 PM

Yikes, that's a lot of R's!! I think my truck does around 2250 RPM at 65 mph. I'll check again to be exact, but I know it is less than 2500. My old 1973 3/4 ton would do 3000 rpm with it's 4.10 rears and tall 16" tires. (Old split rims!)

My 454 is very quiet rolling down the interstate at 70 mph. Too quiet, it is easy to creep up over the speed limit, even while towing.

59toaster · 03-21-2003, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Pick
Yikes, that's a lot of R's!! I think my truck does around 2250 RPM at 65 mph. I'll check again to be exact, but I know it is less than 2500. My old 1973 3/4 ton would do 3000 rpm with it's 4.10 rears and tall 16" tires. (Old split rims!)

My 454 is very quiet rolling down the interstate at 70 mph. Too quiet, it is easy to creep up over the speed limit, even while towing.

But you have overdrive. Kick it back into Drive and see what your turning.

Silvertwinkie · 03-21-2003, 03:39 PM

I suppose that's what I'd chalk it up to also.

With the flowmasters, the do make a bit more of a growl, but I can imagine what 30 minutes in a 79 on the highway would do to my nerves as well.

Eric

ipso_facto · 03-21-2003, 09:15 PM

Pick

Yikes, that's a lot of R's!! I think my truck does around 2250 RPM at 65 mph. I'll check again to be exact, but I know it is less than 2500. My old 1973 3/4 ton would do 3000 rpm with it's 4.10 rears and tall 16" tires. (Old split rims!)

Yeah, the only thing I don't like about this truck. C-6 is a very reliable tranny but no OD. Reading the manual, the peak HP of the engine is at 3800 RPMs. It was designed to go that high, if you needed it. High RPMs at relatively slow speeds.

Once I get an OD, that will be nice, but I won't be able to tow in it anyway.

59toaster

Well it could also be a perception thing as well. What he conciders loud an anoying may not bother someone else. Some people are more sensitive to certain frequencies then others.

I wear ear plugs in all of my vehicles, and avoid all places that are noisy. Use some form of ear protection when vacuum-cleaning the floor, etc.

It's has no modifications to the best of my knowledge.

Silvertwinkie · 03-22-2003, 08:55 AM

Ipso, don't feel bad!

I use my gun headset when I use the snowblower, lawnmower or gas hedge trimmer!

Eric

ipso_facto · 03-22-2003, 11:27 PM

I know this thread is about GM 454 and this link is about the big 460, but nevertheless I think the basic points are the same.

460 MPG

You're crazy, there's no way to get 18 MPG out of a big block Just kiddin'. You have hit on a fact that very few seem to understand - the weight and shape of the vehicle combined with how fast you drive has far more to do with fuel economy than the size of the engine. If you put a 460 in a vehicle with the size and shape of a Honda Civic and drive 50 MPH in overdrive you'll probably get over 30 MPG. If you put a 4 cylinder Honda Civic Engine in an F-350 and drive down the road at 50 MPH at full throttle in third gear you will probably get less than 15 MPG. My point, guys, is that for any given truck and travelling speed there will only be minute (1-3 MPG)differances between having a 6cyl and a 460.