6500 miles and still crappy fuel economy

[wrdouglas]

OK folks, I may need to be level set here . . just got back from the keys (450 miles round trip) towing about a 3K flat's boat, and only averaged about 12 mpg. This is mostly at speeds from 50 to a max of 75. That seems awfully poor in my opinion. I have a 2005 610/325 with a 48RE and a 4:10. btw . . the land was flat all the way.



Unloaded, I only get about 16 mpg.



Help me out here . . am I nutz?





Thanks,



William

 

[john3976]

Wow, I get in town up to 18 to 20 MPG when I don't have to stop for every red light and traffic is moving, when I hit every red light and traffic is a problem I get from 16 to 17 MPG.



On the road I can get empty about 21 MPG and when loaded with my 8 X 24 enclosed extra height trailer I drop down to abut 14 to 15 MPG.



I just came back from a trip and was running 80 MPH and still pulling down 17 MPG, that was just the truck running empty no trailer and I do have a Jason hard fiberglass cover on the bed.

 

[Bertram65]

OK folks, I may need to be level set here . . just got back from the keys (450 miles round trip) towing about a 3K flat's boat, and only averaged about 12 mpg. This is mostly at speeds from 50 to a max of 75. That seems awfully poor in my opinion. I have a 2005 610/325 with a 48RE and a 4:10. btw . . the land was flat all the way.



Unloaded, I only get about 16 mpg.



Help me out here . . am I nutz?





Thanks,



William

That is about what I get, I have just under 30k miles on the truck, the mileage has always been the same since day one.

I think there is a lot of hype with mileage, some will say, "wait till it breaks in" What is going to "break in"?? the tolerances in the engine may loosen up slightly in the first say 10k miles but I seriously doubt it is enough to change the mileage. This myth is right up there with the guys towing 10k lbs who say, "didn't even know I had a trailer back there"

You have a 7-8k lb truck with an automatic and 4. 10 gears, it is doing pretty well I think, especially with all the additional HP and torque the newer motors have.

 

[2Gen3Gen]

Im getting 16 in town and up to 23 on the highway with a 04. 5 4x4 3500 and speeds under 70. Anything over 70 and mileage goes in the toilet. These are unloaded figures. Pluulng my 30' TT, i get about 3 to 4 mpg less.

Im very happy with that.

 

[LightmanE300]

I respectfully disagree that this is a myth. I for a long time really did think the mpg/break in thing was bs too. It was weird... my mpg hovered near the same numbers for a long time, and then somewhere around 30-35k my truck made a noticeable jump in numbers. I think some people really underestimate the amount of time these things take to break in, especially when switching to synthetic early in the game. I really noticed the improvement after dragging 9k lbs from OH to FL and back. ]



When the truck was new I was averaging 15. 5 in the city and 16. 5 hw. At about 15k I was doing 16 and 17 respectively, and it hung around there for quite some time. Now I am typically 17. 5-18. 5 in the city and have see as high as 22 hand calc on a 65mph cruise control type trip from Cleveland to Chicago. I was in disbelief, as I too thought this was bs about the mileage creeping up.



10k behind the truck and 'it felt like a feather' - smoking crack - I agree that's nonsense.



Agreed with 2Gen3Gen - anything over 70-72 and the mpg starts plummeting.

 

[tjm]

MPG What?

I have 2005, 4x4, QC, DRW, 3500, 48RE. No Tool Box. basically the worst configuration for MPG. I have 1100 Miles on it. The 1st tank I got 15. 1 MPG and that was by babying it. My next tank was 14. 3 and that was driving without a care in the world about fuel economy. My old 96 2500, 4x4, club cab, long bed always got between 16 and 17 unloaded. I question anybody getting near 20 MPG @ highway speeds. :-{} - Whoa! That last comment should start a tirade. plz no offense meant to anyone.

 

[GerryDrake]

Satisfied with my mpg

When we put the first 1400 on driving moderately and NO towing, we averaged about 16. 8 ... Haven't seen that since.

With the heavy bumpers and toolbox, loaded to tow, we are nip and tuck to 10K. The trailer is another 13K and has a pretty large front face to push air. When towing, we can get up to about 13 or just a hair over, if it is pretty flat and we are holding it to 55 or so. Hills cost us some, but speed cost us more in mpg, to the point that if we fly over the hills, we can drag it down into the high 9's... We just put about 600 on it towing an almost non-existant utility trailer behind it with minimal load (1000# or less total) and got 15. 7. This was mostly at 60 with some slower traffic.



Considering it is a 6 speed dually, 4x4, 4. 10's (just hitting 22,000 miles) I am not complaining.



I've seen over 20mpg on the overhead. Heck, I even saw 99mpg, but that was at the bottom of the hill from the station where I had filled up. Reality soon set in.



Routine running empty, I would say 15. 5... towing at reasonable speeds 12. 5 ... numbers I can live with. . Gerry

 

[Eliminator]

Very pleased with MPG

I am at 4,600 miles, 6 speed 3:73 rear gear.

Around town 20. 1, live just outside of the city with not allot of traffic lights.

First trip towing a 22' enclosed trailer with a car inside, total weight about 7,000 at 62-65 MPH I got 14. 1 MPG.

On trips with only a single passenger at 65 - 68 MPH, I get about 21. 5 MPG.

So far pretty good.

 

[LightmanE300]

I have 2005, 4x4, QC, DRW, 3500, 48RE. No Tool Box. basically the worst configuration for MPG. I have 1100 Miles on it. The 1st tank I got 15. 1 MPG and that was by babying it. My next tank was 14. 3 and that was driving without a care in the world about fuel economy. My old 96 2500, 4x4, club cab, long bed always got between 16 and 17 unloaded. I question anybody getting near 20 MPG @ highway speeds. :-{} - Whoa! That last comment should start a tirade. plz no offense meant to anyone.

Question all you like - that's why we're here. Your mpg sounds about right - you only have 1100 miles. I was getting about the same as you - 15 something in the city babying it - I once got 12. 8 EMPTY in the city just romping around and stop/go when it was new. I can tell you it WILL get better once you break it in (towing heavy accelerates the break in). As I mentioned when my truck was new, I thought everyone on the forum was full of it -claiming the mpg would get that much better in time. Mine has. I can't remember the last time I've seen below 17 empty. . Now lets not forget that the 305/555 engines get slightly better economy than the 600's, however they all improve over time.

 

[TConnolly]

I just got my best mileage yet! I think it sucks, 11. 428 mpg. 8,200 miles "Flat Central Florida" an even mix of unloaded & 10k towing / city & hwy. 48RE just a warranty rebuild by dealer, new TC, Transduce, Solenoid, Seal pkg, Trans Par & Filter. 2nd Transmission failure in the 2 month I've owned this truck. I never made it to 11 mpg hwy / unloaded before the trany fried a week + ago.



My trade was a E250 HD 5. 4L auto that toad the same load daily for 120K miles without a single failure or warranty visit and got 10 mpg loaded 18 mpg unloaded hwy.



-Tom

 

[MBurtch]

I have the 2003 3500 SRW pulling a 2002 RK Wildcat. I have been waiting for someone to tell me my truck is to small. I get around 11-12 mpg here in Montana pulling the trailer. I just went down to Nebraska to get my son's four wheeler and averaged 18. 6 round trip. Most of my driving was at 70 with a little at 65 and a few hundred miles at 75. Enjoy your truck and trailer.



Michael

 

[ECappleman]

2003. 5 HO 4x4 48RE



In town lots of stop and go, 14. 5

70mph unloaded, 17. 5 mpg

60-65mph unloaded, 20-21. 5 mpg.



65mph pulling a 6000lb (loaded) 26ft Travel trailer and a single Jetski trailer behind, 11. 7mpg Avg on a 250 mile run in mixed hill country and flat land.

Problem with the trailer is that its like pulling a Bill-Board sign down the road. A lot of wind resistance.



I was hoping for better mpg pulling the trailer. Does this sound about right though?

 

[TX Gooseneck]

Drive it harder

With my box turned off I get about 18. 9mpg. Haven't been able to get a good read on it with it turned on But I would say it's fairly close to that. If I'm pulling 15-18k I get around 10-12mpg.

 

[Boosted Inline Six]

Mine has been getting better as well. 4500 miles on it with one oil change. I was averaging 17 when I first bought it 2 months ago. It's been creaping up to 19 MPG (pen to paper) I have an 80 mile mostly open highway commute. Power service seemed to help as well. I run all 4 tires at 65 PSI and have a Truxedo soft cover. I use cruise most of the drive set to 70ish depending on traffic. I think they made my truck on a wednesday

 

[Cattletrkr]

My '01 took until 12k to "loosen up". Mileage went up about 1mpg almost overnight. The '04. 5 gained 2mpg right at 6K. Those increases were seen towing, don't know about empty.



Don't be afraid to crank up the rpm's a little. Let it go up to 3K every now and then, loosen 'er up a little. Ya don't have to hold it there screamin', just touch it every so often. Makes it seem like you're babying it when ya shift at 2600.

 

[Donn]

OK folks, I may need to be level set here . . just got back from the keys (450 miles round trip) towing about a 3K flat's boat, and only averaged about 12 mpg. This is mostly at speeds from 50 to a max of 75. That seems awfully poor in my opinion. I have a 2005 610/325 with a 48RE and a 4:10. btw . . the land was flat all the way.



Unloaded, I only get about 16 mpg.



Help me out here . . am I nutz?





Thanks,



William

Believe very little of what you read on any forum on mpg and just fill er up when it is empty and enjoy!!

 

[tschwab]

I don't think anyone asked the following questions.



1 - Is it a dually?

2 - Is it a 4x4 or 2x4?

3 - Do you use a good fuel additive with every tank?

4 - Do you have jack rabbit starts from a light?

5 - Does your engine fall with the manufacture dates and serial numbers for tsb 18-037-04 for mileage improvement? My early build '05 did.



If you try to drive a CTD like a gasser, your mileage will suffer, if you roll on the power, you will improve fuel economy. 4X4, 4. 10's and dually will all reduce your fuel economy.

 

[jhyatt]

14500mi 15 - 16 mpg w/box on one for mileage 05 2500 empty