600 owners,....your gonna love this....

[LewisD]

My build date (not that it matters) is 6-25-04 and I have 4000 miles on my truck. at least 2500-3000 of those miles are towing a 12k lb 5th wheel. The 5th wheel is now parked and I am getting 13MPG city and 15 hwy. I spoke to the dealer and they said that because I have a 4x4 w/ auto trans and dually that I am probably right where I am going to be.



Bummer of a birthmark hal!

 

[GOTSOOT]

I have a real problem beleiving these guys that get 16 to 24. 5 mpg. 13 to 14 is all this thing will get, no matter how you drive.

 

[Big_Daddy_T]

Ok,. . I'll take that donut bet. The reason is that DCX has Cummins doin' the reprogram for them, per my hot line contact. If that's straight up then it will be done right and they know this has been screwed up since the get go. Just goes to show that all the feedback we give dealers, web hot line and such does get heard. If your silent then they will think we're satisfied. You need to be heard,. . but in a positive manor. . not just *****in. I think they want a excellent product as bad as we do just because of the constant competition from the other majors. They don't need all that bad press.

Call it. Constructive criticism. Help them to make a better product. Or at least improve the old ones. Im still waiting for a high torque rise 250hp 800lb ft torque model. But I can still hope.

 

[PNeuzil]

I have a real problem beleiving these guys that get 16 to 24. 5 mpg. 13 to 14 is all this thing will get, no matter how you drive.

Glad it's your problem and not mine :-laf . It is what it is. I have no reason to fabricate mileage. Just got done with a 700 mile trip with my enclosed trailer. Running 75mph pulling an 7x18 trailer, roughly 5000lbs on mixed terrain I only managed 12. 6mph. Does that make you feel better?

 

[KBertetto]

Originally Posted by GOTSOOT

I have a real problem beleiving these guys that get 16 to 24. 5 mpg. 13 to 14 is all this thing will get, no matter how you drive.



If I were getting crap for mileage I would have a hard time believing it too. I, like PNeuzil, have no reason to fabricate. My high of 23. 1 was the absolute perfect conditions, can get 22 consistently, and like most others, always hand calc. I got banned from another Dodge diesel site because I threw the BS flag on a guy about mileage... claimed 29mpg with LOW air pressure, asked him if his Cummins was in a golf cart and things snowballed from there. That's why I don't subscribe to free sites anymore. I still don't believe that type of claim. I just hope this flash is coming soon and I hope it does what is being claimed... that would be fantastic.



Bert

 

[TAllen]

I just drove to FL. and back to NY with my Lance 1030 ( 4200# ). 600 4X4 and got 12. 3miles per gal. , 2230 miles total. I drove about 70 all the way. The truck now has 6500 miles on it.



Tim

 

[Sled Dog]

Can't wait to see if the reflash helps the low mpg folks.

 

[GCrowell]

Hopeful in PA

Well I am very interested in this. I am one of those in the low end of the mileage spectrum. Pulling ~11k I get about 10 in the hills of Western PA. I believe on the flat I might get 11 or 12. Empty the best I ever got was 15 and that was driving very very conservatively. Of course, I do have the worst combination for mileage but still, others with similar equipment are apparently getting better. So what is the latest on this? Is there a TSB yet? (I know it is not October yet but I am anxious!) Otherwise I still love my truck!!



George

 

[CAgnoli]

I hate to admit it, but it appears that you either get a good truck, or you don't. Granted, my truck has 3:73 gears, and I always drive empty on the highway, but I consistenly get better than 17-18 on the highway.



Today, I drove the truck 65 instead of my usual 70, and the trip computer shows 19. 9 as of 100 miles. we'll see what the end result is when I fill the truck again on Friday, I'll stay at the 65MPH for the tank, as a test.



I do notice two things. First, in town driving, the truck seems to stay at 2grand for a long time during the first three shifts, which can't help the mileage. 2nd, when I drive the truck over 70MPH the mileage suffers instantly. (ie, I drove the truck 80 MPH for one tank of gas, and only (I know this sounds bad for some of you guys in the low teens) got 15 MPG. My trip computer is also faily accurate, typically only off by a few tenths per gallon.



I'll still get the firmware upgrade though, maybe I'll get that magic 21MPG that the salesman said the truck would get after break in (10,000 miles by his calculations..... )

 

[favord]

Took off with dogs and horses to train this a. m. with 1/8 tank of fuel and 260 miles on trip odometer... all pulling horse trailer. Wasn't going far so decided to roll the dice and see how low she'd go. Before I got to where I was training, the low fuel indicator was on so I was sweating getting back. Heading back home I chickened out and filled up at the exit 12 miles before I'd planned. I put 32. 45 gal in with 307 miles on the trip odometer. 9. 5mpg. I'd have been on fumes or worse if I'd have waited to fuel up where I'd planned. I'll be first in line for a reflash for fuel milage but I don't think there will be such a thing... hope I'm wrong.

 

[John - K5AWO]

Better get you a spare ECM first!

I'll still get the firmware upgrade though, maybe I'll get that magic 21MPG that the salesman said the truck would get after break in (10,000 miles by his calculations..... )

If I were you, I would be looking for a spare ECM before you let them flash the one you have. Keep yours, install the spare and then get that one flashed.



That way, you can have your cake and eat it too...



Otherwise, you just might pay for that spare ECM with the extra $$$ spent on fuel and have no recourse.



Just my 2 cents worth...

 

[NDanecker]

My mileage is below (see sig) which I keep updating as I rack on the miles. I generally drive around 70 to 75mph. My commute is 144 miles round trip to work per day. Note: This is a TRUE all around average which takes into account warm ups, cool downs, sitting at lights, some light towing - a real world average and not some instant point in time on a trip.



I'm ok with it. I expected better ... like 23 - 25. No regrets though on getting the Cummins over the Duramax or PowerStroke. If I would remove the chip, 4" lift and 315's I would probably get closer to my goal (I once thought my mileage went up with the chip. Actually it went down and just the overhead display went up to 23 or so ).



My brother hand calculated his average on his new ride (04. 5 4x4 LWB SRW 6spd 600 3. 73 gears) from our trip back from Tomeygun. We ran mostly between 55 to 65 the whole trip with very little traffic (about 950 miles). He just broke 20. This is on a brand new truck! Overhead showed something around 18 and change.



I don't understand how the early ones get such poor mileage considering its the same truck, engine, drive train. I guess its all in the program and a REFLASH is needed BAD! Good luck to all of you that get 12 mpg…. hang in there!

 

[crobertson1]

I'd be interested in a re-flash. My computer shows usually about 14 mpg and the "distance to empty" after fill up is only like 330 miles! Does that sound right?

 

[CAgnoli]

My distance to empty shows between 550 and 590 consistently. BUT, does everyone's fuel light indicator come on with forty miles left on the trip computer??? Never 41, always 40... .

 

[zues]

After I fill up my DTE shows 325-330. I got my truck re-flashed today and hope this may help. I filled up after the re-flash and the DTE still showed 325-330 miles.

 

[CAgnoli]

I think the DTE calculates based on your last tank or two of fuel average mpg. I might be wrong, but it seems to me that the number varies based on the last average mpg at reset of the trip computer.

 

[AGrubbs]

My DTE after fill always shows 639 miles after I fill. So I guess it would go to show that it must be using an average that it has stored from the previous tank or two.

Only time I see a DTE of 350 or so is when the fuel gauge is around 1/2 tank.

 

[CJEliassen]

Some of you guys are gonna hate me, but I filled up yesterday and hand calc an average of 19. 6. 18. 5 was showing on the overhead.



My fuel light came on yesterday with like 90 DTE I believe. Right at 1/8th tank. When the light comes on, you are suppose to have 5. 25 gallons left if you have the LB (5. 1 SB) , and 2. 8 (2. 72 SB) gallons when the DTE reads 0.

 

[CJEliassen]

I discovered why I have such great MPG's. I don't have a 600. I have an 04. The MFG date is 10/03 which shocked me. I thought that since I bought it two weeks ago, it must be a 600. I guess I have to change my signiture script now. LOL

 

[mberry]

I just calculated my last tank of fuel. 15. 9mpg half highway, half city. That's acceptable to me right now as the truck has a little over 1400 miles on it right now.