2005 fuel milage

[RJOL]

... she will probally go back to a ford she bought the dodge because she was unhappy with the service at the ford dealership. but her ford got way better fuel Mileage... .

One thing you might remind her is even if she gets a few miles per gallon better in a new Ford, she will never recover the cost of buying a new truck just for that reason.



I've owned a 2001 CTD 2500 4X4 (4:10 gears / 5 speed) and my current 2005 4X4 3500 (3:73 gears and G56 6 speed). I got about the same mileage from the 2001 as I do the 3500 (a little less while towing in the 2500) and neither will set any mileage records. I get 9-11 MPG towing my 13000lb 5th wheel, 14-15 (a little less then the 2500) in town, and about 17-19 on the highway if I keep it under 63MPH (speed is the biggest factor). I knew the 3500 would get less mileage then the 2500 but I got it for the towing.



Keep the speed down and tell her that she has a superior product (over a Ford) and just be happy...

 

[TMarszalek]

'05 Mileage

I've got 22K on Blue and the lifetime average mileage is 15. 18. I peaked at 20. 16 on a tank once running all day down I-90. I'm not complaining considering it's a 4 ton 4X4. If I wanted fuel economy, I would have bought a Prius! :-laf I switched to AMSOIL 15W40 today, so we'll see if there's any improvement. If you run 60 down the hiway, you can improve mileage, but then who wants to keep getting passed by the Powerstrokes and Duramax's!

 

[Scottie]

If you run 60 down the hiway, you can improve mileage, but then who wants to keep getting passed by the Powerstrokes and Duramax's!

Let them pass you, people usually try to show off and try to impress others when they really feel inferior. We all know the truth, Cummins is the best, and this is coming from a former PowerStroke owner.



My 2005, 3500, 4x4, Cummins 5. 9, QuadCab giving 16+ MPG city @ 14,500 miles (when I can keep my foot out of it, it is addicting!!! Oo. ) has my old 2002, F-250, crewcab, 4x4, 7. 3 beat @ 14 MPG city when it had the same milage. When the Ford did break in, I did get 16 MPG @ 63,000 miles so I am hoping to see an improvement as the miles pass with the Dodge, but am happy so far.



I can not belive the power from the 5. 9 compared to my 7. 3, the Ford was a dog compared to the Dodge and the Dodge is put together much better than the Ford was, gaskets failing, knobs falling off, etc...



Don't get me started about the Chevy... Other than Corvettes, that is...

 

[BHolm]

If it is just luck then I have been very lucky I have had two '03 HO's, still have the dually. I had an '05 and now have an '06 Mega. Both the '05 and '06 took some time and some heavy work to get them broken in. When I traded the '05 in it had 30k, milage had come up from 14-15 new to a steady 17-18. My Mega started out worse yet, 13-14 mpg when new, I was bummed. Now with 35k on it I am up to 19-20mpg, never would have believed it possible.



The engine needs to be WORKED. The last work out session my Mega had was pulling from MN to CO pushing 20+lbs of boost twelve hours a day for two days straight. The engine needs to be under a fairly heavy load for a considerable amount of time to get the engine broken in and realize the Cummins fuel economy potential, thats my experience anyway. As for the comments about nat believing the fuel economy claims on the newer trucks..... not sure I care if you believe it or not but I sure am enjoying this huge truck that gets better economy than any other vehicle I own

 

[Rod_Montana]

Spent the summer towing a heavy boat (6k). Mileage in spring 19k. Mileage in fall 25k. Those six thousand miles bumped my non-tow mileage from 17. 5 to 19. 6 average mpg. I think my motor just got better from working it.

 

[cbmkr]

Mileage 2006

No offense to anyone but I just don't believe the 20 MPG claims with the 05's and up. The EPA has literally sucked the MPG out of these engines. It wasn't so bad with the 04's and lower because the EPA wasn't as strict with them. You'll definetly see much better mileage with an older 3rd gen. I'll be lucky to get 16 MPG if I'm driving the highway at 65 and I'm easy on the throttle. I might believe it with the 6 speeds but definetly not with the autos.

I did have a reflash that was supposed to help out but it just didn't happen. I got maybe . 5 MPG better per gallon. I did use a demo smarty for a week or so and was able to see 18MPG which was a vast improvement over stock.

Also, towing my 25' travel trailer, I'll see 11 to 13. Nothing to brag about thats for sure. Now, if I had done my homework before I purchased my 3rd gen, I probably would have kept my 2nd gen which I regularly saw over 20 MPG.

Also, these are also hand calculated numbers.

My 06 4 dr longbed 6 speed 3:73 is very consitintly getting 19- 21 on the highway 70- 72 mph , 13-14 pulling 14' enclosed trailer, and 10-11 pulling 29' fifth wheel with 18' walleye boat, amsoil fluids and air filter. We are seing better mileage with an 06 longbed 4dr auto 2 wheel drive less than 5k on this one.

 

[mhsmith57]

I'm a 2nd owner of a 2005 3/4 ton, 2wd, 3. 73, G56 6-speed, quadcab short bed. Bought the truck with 37K miles and I now have 67K+ miles. My job is 60 miles round trip, probably 60/40, fwy/surface streets, respectively, and I use the cruise control @ 65mph on the fwy in the mornings and when I can in the afternoon. This truck is bone stock, for now anyway, and I get 21mpg calculated. When I'm pulling our 5th wheel at about 12K - 12,500lbs, I average between 10-15mpg, pending traffic, hills, and wind. I guess you could say I'm a happy camper and very happy with the performance of the Dodge/Cummins product and a new member of TDR. Really enjoying all the forums and feedback.

Mark

 

[Flying_gage]

You might want to have her read the new consumer reports for 2010 vehicles. The worst vehicle in production for MPG, according to their testing, is the Ford F250 "diesel". Their calculated mileage was 10mpg.



I am not sure if this was the new scorpion motor or the 6. 4? Just a heads up...

 

[AMcCormick]

This is a new truck for me. I bought it for the GB transmission, the injectors and turbo are a bit bigger than I would have done. My first tank was 12. 5 with LOTS of playing and swapping Smarty tunes. The second tank i just filled this morning at 15. 37 normal mixed driving with some smoking tires here and there, Smarty TNT sw1. I have an AirDog 150 waiting to be installed then I'll bump the rail up should help with the smoke and mpg. Truck has 75k on the clock. My 03 reg cab 4x4 was 16-18 most of the time.

 

[RaymondSmith]

Hi,



My experience mirrors RStamand's exactly. I consistantly get 20 and some change mpg. Most of my driving is secondary roads and hiway with very little traffic. I also use Power Service additive which may help but I doubt it.





Ray

 

[TMutziger]

I have never gotten over 17 with my 04. 5. I bought it used with 65K miles and it now has 102k. I tow heavily a lot with it so I know it is broken in. It has new injectors, new CP3, and a lot of aftermarket performance products all advertised to increase mileage. And I use synthetic oil in everything. I get 8-10 towing my 25 ft. travel trailer. 12-14 during daily driving (country gravel roads and highway, I live on a farm) and maybe 16-17 all highway at 70-75 mph. Tires and wheels are stock size. I have tried everything and spent a lot of money to try and improve mileage and absolutely nothing has given any improvement over stock. It is very frustrating to see these posts of 20mpg. I have a hard time believing it. I think it is true that you just get lucky and get one that gets good mileage or you get one like mine. I used to drive an 02 Ford 7. 3 and it got better mileage in every type of driving by about 2mpg over my Cummins. I will say that there is no comparison whatsoever as far as power goes between the two. Love my Cummins, just not the mileage.

 

[rjones]

17 in the winter and 19 in the summer around town for me with a quad cab and edge juice w/ attitude set on 3 plus 315 tires and a 4:10 gear

 

[Wingate]

Idling, gearing, oversize tires, heavy-footed accelleration, external accessories like massive bumpers. . etc. . poor front end alignment, all play a factor on fuel consumption. If she has a boost gauge, you can tell if the engine is working harder than it should be... Typically, running on level ground at 70 mph, Im running about 6 psi boost. If I were to see something push that average up, it could indicate an issue in the drivetrain.

NEVER use the overhead console except for a compass direction. The MPG calculator is worthless. . and on that subject, I can put pencil to paper and calculate my fuel mileage and on mostly unloaded highway runs I get about 21 MPG. In town, my personal mileage sucks, due to the fact that I dont shut it off from the time I leave home, until I get back home. I carry two keys and leave it running. My in-town mileage is about 10-12mpg. . oh well, I am making sure I contribute my fair share to global warming.

 

[wneubauer]

My 05 3500, QC, srw, 4x4, 3. 73, 61k will get up to 22 running unloaded on the highway. Towing my 33ft camper, 11-13 depending on headwind, etc. The overhead and a "hand-calculated" mileage tend to be very close on my truck... . Everything stock except for a silicone down tube to the turbo and a TAG.



I think the mileage is great for a 7500 lb vehicle, especially when I talk to owners of the newer diesels. .

 

[Scooby]

I, over the last two years of owning my 06 4x4 MegaCab, get a very repeatable 19-21 on the Highway - driving 65. I often get 18-19 with some more spirited driving. My truck is bone stock and I have just under 70K miles on the odometer.



My 04. 5 Dually 4x4 QuadCab got about 17 mpg on the highway driving 65-70. But I sold it with less than 20K miles.