Fuel Economy Tricks for the Hummer H2

The Hummer H2 has really gotten a bad rap these last few years, and frankly, it isn't an entirely undeserved one. While the H3 tends to get passable fuel economy for a large SUV, the Hummer H2 is still one ride that you can't afford to pass up too many gas stations with. Fortunately, increasing the fuel economy of your Hummer H2 isn't nearly as difficult as finding a parking space these days. With advances in the aftermarket, adherence to the recommended service intervals, and a healthy dose of responsible driving, you can turn your Hummer H2 from an ungrateful tree-stomping, gas- swilling beast into a gratefully tree-stomping beast on a diet.

One of the first things that you have to do to make your Hummer H2 get better fuel economy is to air up the tires and make certain that you're running the correct tires. The incorrect size tire on a Hummer H2 can lead to a fuel economy disaster. Oversized rims may look good, but they take more RPMs to push the Hummer H2 along down the road. When this happens, your injectors have to shoot more gas into the cylinders in order to run at an equal speed. One way of overcoming this if you've just got to run 22" rims on your ride is to change out the gearing. The gearing at the differential can be changed out by sourcing parts for the Hummer H2 from any reputable 4x4 supplier. Doing this will help to offset not only the fuel economy nightmare that the Hummer H2 would become, but also give you better acceleration, as well. Just don't expect to be able to pull a houseboat with you Hummer H2 afterwards. The tradeoff is that you're switching low-end power for high, and your towing will suffer. If you never tow with your Hummer H2, however, you're golden!

Next on you're hit list for upping the fuel economy of your Hummer H2 is to switch your closed airbox system for a high-flow cold air unit. Many, many companies offer complete kits for the Hummer H2 application, and all of them are very high quality, offering you the best fuel economy that can be achieved versus a standard air-induction system. With that said, the final piece of the low-cost puzzle is to trade out your exhaust system for a high-flow system. This works particularly well when used in combination with the cold-air intake, and as an additional benefit, a new, high-flow exhaust for your Hummer H2 will give the exhaust note a nice, throaty bark that will match the Hummer H2's bite.

It goes without saying, however, that the best way to keep the fuel economy of your Hummer H2 on the good side, is to drive gently, not trying to impress all the people behind you at the stoplight, and maintaining the Hummer H2 per the owner's manual's specific maintenance schedule. Not only will you receive better fuel economy for your troubles, but you'll keep yourself out of the repair shop for serious problems more often, as well.