2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission 19 Mpg

[klenger]

Just turned 14,000 this week and filled her up today for a camping trip tomarrow. 19 MPG. I'm happy. Note, for all of you who are afraid of 4. 10's because of bad milage, my truck is the heaviest configuration 2500 Dodge makes, (QC, LWB, 4x4, 6 speed), and I have 4. 10's.

 

[Cummins Corvette]

:{ Why do you people have to go and say stuff like that? :{ That used to happen on long trips with my truck..... not any more. :{

 

[Swamp Donkey]

Maybe that is because you have nothing to regulate your fuel Cummins Corvette.



Fuel plates are good! Just givin ya a hard time... ... ... .

 

[Okie-Go]

Real good milage. I still say I am going to have a tough time deciding on the rear ratio when I get another ram. I like the 3. 55 in mine but have also driven a truck of the same year and configuration with the 4. 10

 

[mikel]

Mine's not too bad...

Ever since the greens decided to lower the speed limit to 55 I've been setting the cruise on 65 and have averaged 21-22 over the last four tanks. My daily commute(sp) is about 110 miles round trip. Anything that's as heavy as this thing and gets what I consider to be great mileage is OK in my book!



mfl

 

[LarryG]

I have about 10k , QC 4 WD, Auto with 4:10's and am now getting 17. 8 ( on my last fill up) empty on a commute which is part highway, part crawling like a snail. Guess I'm happy, cause my last gasser got 11 to 14 on a real good day

 

[Blakers]

Ever since the greens decided to lower the speed limit to 55 I've been setting the cruise on 65 and have averaged 21-22

mikel,



Who are the "greens"?



Sounds like your truck is the same color as mine. I like blue and silver Oo.



Blake

 

[Michael Hughes]

I thought I would add me 2 cents.



I have a little over 90,500 miles on my truck and I mostly get somewhere in the 19-20 mpg.





Overall ave 20. 4 MPG in 96 tanks.

Last 12 tank ave 19. 2

Last 6 tank ave 19. 8

Lowest ave 16. 9 Highest 22. 5



This is alot better then my 97 2500HD 360 gasser, it had 112,000+ mile on it.



Overall ave 15. 3 MPG in 231 tanks.

Last 12 tank ave 15. 4

Last 6 tank ave 15. 4

Lowest ave 12. 9 Highest 16. 8

 

[mikeg135]

Before the mods I would average about 19 even got 22. 5 on a trip to West Virginia. After I added the EZ box it appeared to stay the same. Then I added the BD II's and now I get 16 after 3 tanks and normal driving.

 

[Motorhead]

Yea mikeg, But how big is your smile from 0 to 60mph There is where your mileage is going. Had an EZ on my truck, got good mpg if I kept the foot out but I sure liked to get on it and the mpg suffered but I didn't!! Chris

 

[mikel]

The "Greens"

Blakers





The 'Greens' are the group that decided that lowering the speed limit from 70 to 55 was going to make a difference in the air quality here in Houston while ignoring two big issues.



Issue # 1. Most of the time traffic is sitting still or very close to it for almost 25 miles out of town. If I'm sitting in traffic at 30 mph on the freeway it doesn't matter what the speed limit is (55 or 70)



Issue # 2 If nobody enforces the 55 (which they haven't been doing *yet*) then nobody is going to slow down. I don't like the 55, but I'd drive that speed if the majority of traffic was going that speed or close to it. I think one of the most dangerous drivers is the one going a vastly different speed than 'normal traffic'. Too fast and he is swerving in and out of lanes looking like a maniac, too slow and he's forcing people to slam brakes and cut lanes to get around him. Believe me I drive I-10 West from Houston almost every weekday afternoon and once you do get past the congestion, at 65 more cars pass me than I pass.







I really like the blue/silver. I think it was one of the best looking combo's offered when I bought mine.



Later,

Mike

 

[redramnc]

24. 54 MPG on a 270 mile trip to see Dad on Father's Day. 1/4 interstate at 75mph, 1/2 4-lane at 65 mph, 1/4 moumtain backroads at as fast I could keep her on the road. The "load" consisted of me and my little brother - about 520 pounds between us - and a cooked ham for dinner, courtesy of the wife.



Since my truck is the lightest configuration - 2WD, reg cab, vinyl tonneau cover - with STOCK motor and trans and 3. 55s I expect that this mileage is about as good as can be had without a overdrive of some sort. One note - I did not run the AC because the temps weren't too bad and I was moving the whole time.



I also recently managed 22. 8 mpg over a trip to Orlando, with the AC on, with alot of stop-and-go traffic mixed in with the 9 hours of I-95 each way.



You have to love these trucks!!! Try getting those numbers out of any other trucks or one of them Ford Expletive SUVs. Even the diesel Excursions have a hard time cracking 20 mpg.

 

[Hale on wheels]

Even the diesel Excursions have a hard time cracking 20 mpg.

So do I. In fact, my best calculated mileage has been 19. 2.

 

[cmckinney]

I'm avg around 18. 6 MPG for my first 6500 miles but am still waiting for my baby to break that 20 MPG avg one day. I've been close at around 19. 3 MPG but I have never seen the 20 MPG you guys talk about.



-CM

 

[CumminsPower98]

I used to get between 18 and 20 something and I just bumped the timing up to 15º and my last 400 mile trip got me 22. 07 at speeds from 55 to 76 (mostly 70). For a 7,000 lb 4x4 truck running the A/C the whole time, over size tires, and a 2" lift up front I say that is great!

 

[mikeg135]

Timing

That is interesting and do not believe I have heard of anyone doing that on the TDR site.



Just a couple of questions:



What was the time set at from Dodge?

What does Cummins recommend?

How does the motor run with the timing advanced?



Mike

 

[CumminsPower98]

mikeg135: The timing I am talking about is only for the 12 valve trucks. I see in your signature that you have an 01 truck so your timing in controlled by the onboard computer. For those of us with the older 12 valve engines and mechanically controlled fuel systems we are able to manually advance the timing from the stock rating which does a number of things. Probably one of the best things is better mileage. If you want to see a list of what advancing the timing does there is a chart part way down on this page. The label on my engine says the timing is at 13. 5 from the factory. Mine was actually at about 13. 25. I have not noticed much of a difference in engine performance. I'm sure there is some gain but it is very small. I don't know what Cummins reconmends. As far as I know they generally won't set the timing faster then stock rating.

 

[Big P]

20. 6 mpg driving mostly highway at about 65mph. Not bad considering my mods. BTW this is the best I ever got, average about 18 mpg.

 

[LarryG]

Originally posted by lgould

I have about 10k , QC 4 WD, Auto with 4:10's and am now getting 17. 8 ( on my last fill up) empty on a commute which is part highway, part crawling like a snail. Guess I'm happy, cause my last gasser got 11 to 14 on a real good day

UPDATE: I now have about 16. 5K miles on the truck and I just got back from a trip to the Maritimes Provinces in Canada. Put on agout 1800 miles and averaged 23. 46 mpg. I was lightly loaded - golf clubs and clothes, coolers for two- for two weeks ,and I didn't go screaming thru the countryside.

 

[C Schomer]

My last camping trip included a lot of unloaded sightseeing miles (about half was towing - mountain and hiway) and I filled the tank til it ran out when I got home. Average was 18. 0. Craig