2012 ram 2500 ST complaints

[sheepdawg]

I have driven this truck for 42k mile and have some issues. 1st is mileage is about 15 mpg on average and on long highway driving I get maybe 17.5 mpg. Not towing of course. I would like better. Do you have any suggestions? I am not tied to having smog checks where I live. 2nd issue is ride quality. Drives like an empty dump truck. It has leaf springs in rear. Is that an ST issue? 3rd is head lights absolutely suck. Even with hi beams on. Horrible and yes they are adjusted correctly. One more important point is everything is stock. Even tire size. It's an automatic 4door long bed 4x4 that is mostly a daily driver but does tow a 31' travel trailer.

I need suggestions to improve my issues mentioned above. It is my 3rd diesel truck and I returned to cummins for a reason, but did not know about all the new emissions crap. Are the newer models better? How so?

 

[Regcabguy]

These guys can help:

:http://www.straptperformance.com/

http://www.cjcoffroad.com/

 

[Bob V]

You will get better MPG if some "stuff" falls off. wouldn't be surprised close to 20mpg hwy MT. You oil will also stay clean

 

[mpaulson]

For the head lights, get the HID bulbs for low, highs and fogs if you have fogs. Night and day difference literally. (pun intended). You can also use a relay and get the switch power for the relay from a high beam wire and use the relay to power the fog lights when the high beams are on since they shut off when the high beams are on. I have done this to the last two trucks and it helps light up the road right in front of you when the high beams are on. As for ride, upgrade shocks, possibly remove a leaf or two from the rear if you don't haul heavy loads. The 2013's and up do average a little better on the milage since the use DEF fluid rather than diesel for the regen process and the oil stays clean a lot longer without getting diluted with diesel. My personal experience with deleting an 07.5 truck netted me absolutely nothing in the milage department, just the loss of the warrentee, not saying that it doesn't help since lots of people say it did help them, just didn't work for me.

 

[DonFitzwater]

I've yet to meet someone that actually gained mpg's from deleting. What they did end up with was trucks that got stuck in regen modes and had to pay to reconfigure back to stock.

Kelderman 4 link would make her smooth like a car..."...

 

[Bob V]

If you keep the parts and do the work yourself it doesn't cost anything to return to stock.
The truck does not use the DEF for regens. DEF is added to the exhaust as an after treatment to control NOx. Without DEF, ALL the NOx reduction has to be done with EGR and retarted timing, among other things. DEF can decrease the number of regens because less soot if formed so the particulate trap will not fill as fast.

 

[Cummins12V98]

As far as ride goes I will bet you are way overinflated foe your load. Running solo with out any real load air rear to 45 and front to 72 you will thank me and your tires will last much longer!

 

[Bob4x4]

If you keep the parts and do the work yourself it doesn't cost anything to return to stock.
The truck does not use the DEF for regens. DEF is added to the exhaust as an after treatment to control NOx. Without DEF, ALL the NOx reduction has to be done with EGR and retarted timing, among other things. DEF can decrease the number of regens because less soot if formed so the particulate trap will not fill as fast.

The op has a 12,where does the def come into play.

 

[SnoKing]

As far as ride goes I will bet you are way overinflated foe your load. Running solo with out any real load air rear to 45 and front to 72 you will thank me and your tires will last much longer!

What Ron said^^^^! Snoking

 

[Bob V]

MPaulson posted that the DEF was used in place of Diesel for DPF regens. .

 

[Beast2B]

I've yet to meet someone that actually gained mpg's from deleting. What they did end up with was trucks that got stuck in regen modes and had to pay to reconfigure back to stock.

Kelderman 4 link would make her smooth like a car..."...

Hi. I've run my truck deleted and emissions intact. Click on the link and look at my Fuelly graph and I bet you can tell at a glance when I deleted, when I returned to stock and when I deleted with a different tuner box. My delete usage is for trips into Mexico where ULSD is unavailable.
#ad

 

[mpaulson]

MPaulson posted that the DEF was used in place of Diesel for DPF regens. .

I was answering the op's question on if the newer models were better. And the end result is a little better milage on average and no fuel dilution in the oil due to the different process.

 

[RUSSELL5000]

I have pretty much the same truck, but the only the mileage is in common. I get 17 to 19 on highway empty; 10 to 12 pulling my travel trailer. A TPMS sensor on the right rear passenger side failed and was replaced under warranty. Otherwise, truck has been great.

I love the ride in my truck, so I agree with others: sounds like tire inflation not right.

 

[sheepdawg]

As far as ride goes I will bet you are way overinflated foe your load. Running solo with out any real load air rear to 45 and front to 72 you will thank me and your tires will last much longer!

I will try this. Thanks for the recommendation. Although, I am still running the stock Michelins tires and I have 42k on them. I will need to replace in 3k, but I am impressed with getting 45k out of a set of truck tires. I live near a long 8% grade, and that alone eats up mileage for tires.

 

[sheepdawg]

I am very happy with the power that this truck has stock. I have plenty of acceleration and pulling power up long grades. I do not live in the flat lands am always pulling grades. Any suggestions for upgrading headlights?

 

[EGroeneveld]

For the headlights, if you want to stick with upgraded bulbs I'm running some PIAA lights on my 2011 for low beams and fogs, made a huge differnce. Also I went and added some HID lights on a lightbar for adding to the highbeams.

If I was to do it over I'd still do the PIAA light bulb replacements and then add a 30-40'' LED light bar tied to the highbeams

 

[sheepdawg]

For the headlights, if you want to stick with upgraded bulbs I'm running some PIAA lights on my 2011 for low beams and fogs, made a huge differnce. Also I went and added some HID lights on a lightbar for adding to the highbeams.

If I was to do it over I'd still do the PIAA light bulb replacements and then add a 30-40'' LED light bar tied to the highbeams

That is what I will probably do. Those LED light bars are amazing.

OAN. Lowering the pressure on my back tires has now created the light in my dash to constantly remind me that my rear tires are low on pressure. Such is technology.

 

[jhenderson]

I met someone with an LED light bar mounted on his plow frame the other night. If I could have gotten my hands on him he'd have it off his damn truck by now. It blinded me so bad I almost wrecked. Think twice about putting one on. Around here it's a big fine for running unapproved lightIng on the road.

 

[RUSSELL5000]

sheepdawg,

There is a high and low inflation setting on the TPMS. It is finicky. You should be able to (eventually) get the light to go out by setting it to light load. There are threads on the forum here.

Not the best in the west, IMO.

 

[EGroeneveld]

I met someone with an LED light bar mounted on his plow frame the other night. If I could have gotten my hands on him he'd have it off his damn truck by now. It blinded me so bad I almost wrecked. Think twice about putting one on. Around here it's a big fine for running unapproved lightIng on the road.

That is why I mentioned having it come on only with your highbeams and just upgrading the headlight bulbs to some better PIAAs.... The guys that put in the HID headlight replacements and run the LED light bars all the time get tickets and annoy the heck out of everyone else....the ''better'' your lights, the worse it is for on coming traffic...