u/c10scout

This was 13.6 lb untrimmed and 10.5 lb after. It was cooked on a pro 22 for approximately 15 hrs with a 5 hr rest. It was wrapped in butcher paper not aluminum foil

following up on my post from yesterday to share the real-world pump numbers.

For a quick recap of the data from the truck's computer:

* **The Full Trip:** I clocked **819.4 miles** total at **23.3 MPG** across mountain passes, canyons, hilly high desert, and some city driving (shown in the first picture)

* **The Leg Home:** The specific trip home was **355.5 miles** averaging **23.9 MPG** on the dash (shown in the second picture)

I wanted to see just how accurate the dash cluster actually is, so I manually checked it at the pump. For that 355.5-mile leg home, the pump took **15.696 gallons** (shown in the third picture)

Doing the manual math (355.5 \ 15.696), my actual hand-calculated average comes out to **22.65 MPG**.

The truck's computer was a little optimistic by about 1.25 MPG, but honestly, pulling a true 22.6 MPG over that kind of mixed terrain is still incredibly solid for a 5.3L V8. To be entirely fair, I'm not 100% sure how full the first top-off really was when I left my destination yesterday, but this is where the truck sits now after filling it back up today, showing an estimated tank range of **558 miles** (shown in the fourth picture)

Still a massive win!

Just got back from a solid road trip and wanted to share the fuel economy numbers from my 5.3L. Honestly, I’m pretty impressed with how it did considering the mix of terrain.

The full trip racked up **819.4 miles** and averaged **23.3 MPG**

For the leg back home, I tracked the drive summary: **355.5 miles** at **23.9 MPG** over about 5 hours and 43 minutes of driving.

This wasn’t just flat, easy highway cruising either. The route included climbing over a mountain pass, winding through some tight canyons, dealing with the constant elevation changes of the hilly high desert, and even a decent amount of stop-and-go city driving mixed in.

I know some people swear you need the Duramax for decent road trip numbers, but for a 5.3L V8 gas engine handles the mixed driving incredibly well.

What kind of mileage are you guys seeing when you throw some mountains and city traffic at your trucks?

I just finished hardwiring my **Uniden R4** into a redesigned 2025/2026 Chevy Equinox using a MirrorTap kit. GM completely changed up the mirror shroud assembly and the plug pinouts for this generation, and the factory service manuals/old forum posts are a trap.

While I used a Uniden, this exact same wiring process and pinout combination applies to most any radar detector you are trying to mirror-tap. After a ton of trial and error, a few false starts, and a lot of plastic-induced frustration, I finally mapped out exactly how to get it done without breaking anything. I've attached photos to walk you through the process step-by-step.

1. The Windshield Shroud Tear-Down

If you look at the replacement plastic pieces online, it looks like a multi-piece snap assembly. **It’s not.** The center vented piece and the outer wings are actually held together internally by a rigid plastic C-clamp hook wrapped around a solid post. If you try to pry them apart, you *will* snap the plastic.

* **Photos 1 & 2:** These are for identifying this new style of GM shroud so you know exactly what assembly you're working with.

* **Photos 3, 4, & 5:** These show the inside of the shroud, identifying where the clips are and what they look like on the internal frame.

* **Photos 6 & 7:** These show a close-up of that center piece and what the actual C-clamp hook looks like. **DO NOT pull on this center piece.** Because of how that clip wraps around the post, it is physically locked. Instead of fighting it, it is infinitely better to just slide the whole unit down off the windshield mount pins as one single assembly.

### 2. Tracing the Wires (The 16-Pin Connector Trap)

Once the shroud is dropped, you'll see a massive 16-pin connector block that splits duties between the rearview mirror and the forward-facing camera system.

The internet will tell you to use the solid green wire for switched power and the far-right black/white wire for ground. On my vehicle, the green wire was completely dead (even with the engine fully running). Testing the solid red/blue wire *did* give power, but it's a constant battery circuit that stays hot 24/7—which will eventually drain your car battery.

* **Photos 8 & 9 (The Final Wiring Solution):** These last two pictures show exactly where I found the working power and ground circuits. You actually have to split your pins between the upper and lower sequences of the connector block to isolate a clean, true ignition-switched circuit.

**The Winning Combination:**

* **Red Prong (Positive 12V Switched):** Mount this to the **Purple/White wire** located a little further down the windshield at the front of that vent section. This circuit safely powers up when you crank the engine and shuts down completely when you walk away.

* **Black Prong (Negative Ground):** Do not ground it to the lower block. Instead, wire the ground over to that "side hot black" **Black/White wire** up on the initial top sequence (right next to the factory red and green wires).

3. Wrapping Up

Once both prongs are wedged tightly metal-on-metal into those slots, test the ignition. Your radar detector should fire up immediately on crank and shut down cleanly when the car is turned off, ensuring a true 12V switched source.

Throw a small zip-tie around the wires for strain relief so they don't vibrate loose on road bumps, and slide the shroud back into place.

Let me know if you run into any questions trying to mirror-tap your radar on this new gen!

Has anyone remove this shroud? It's a real bitch and a half.