Bought A 2010 3500 Crew

[Alan Reagan]

I had been looking at a TRX 2500 but the dealer kept jacking me around so I went to Atlanta and they had a great deal on a 3500 Laramie so I own a new truck.



It is really a lot more truck than I wanted but I do like it except for parking in busy/ tight areas . The backup camera is great and although I've turned it off for now, the auto tilt feature on the mirrors is a nice addition.



First fill up after a trip to south Georgia (541 mile round trip) shows a hand calculated 17 mpg with mostly highway miles. The EVIC was showing 18. 6, so I guess the accuracy of that hasn't improved over my old overhead. I'm hoping the mpg will improve after a good tow or two. I was getting 20 mpg on my 2500. Any suggestions are welcome.



So far, I really like the truck and all the features and it is nice to have a long bed again. That gives me a lot more flexibility.



I love the power this truck has. The transmission is smooth and the ride is firm but good.

 

[DAN V]

cograts

Congrats on your new ride. What gears do you have? I have been thinking about a new one ever since I test drove one about a month ago. How do you like the funky cruise control lever? I did not know there were any such thing as an auto tilt mirror.

 

[Alan Reagan]

It has the 3. 73 gears. It's strange running 65 mph and taching about 1600 rpms.



I'm getting use to the cruise lever. It took a little but I'm liking it. All of the EVIC controls are on the steering wheel so there was no room for cruise control. The cruise control is very smooth with 1 mph adjustments by touching up or down on it.



The auto tilt mirrors are activated in reverse. They tilt down so you see the fenders and wheels for lining up in a parking space. It is activated in the controls for the EVIC display.



I like the camera but wish it were like my wife's Nissan. Her's displays track lines the width of the car with a second set that activate when the wheels move that show the new track based on how much the wheels are turned.

My camera is extremely clear and works well in the dark with the new backup light system.

 

[DAN V]

sounds cool

sounds cool. I might just have to go look at a Laramie now! Not sure I wanna pay on a new truck for another 6 or 7 years unless I get a good deal.

 

[Alan Reagan]

Down here, the 3500s are discounted $10,000. With the Dodge coupon and military discount, that pushed it to $11,250 off. Then I negotiated for the spray in liner and running boards plus a good trade in on my truck. I'm very happy with the deal.



I really like the vented seats in the Laramie. It's a two speed fan that cools the seat and seat back.



Now is the time to buy a 2010 model if you are looking.

 

[TulsaOkie]

Sure are tempting with all the discounts... maybe next year

 

[tp0d]

17mpg??? did you buy a gasser?

best I`ve seen in my 3500 srw is 14, drivin like a granny on the highway at 55mph...

then again i do have a lotta stuff bolted onto the bed heh

-j

 

[EricBu12]

Have the same gears on my 09 3500. 17 Average is the best you will get with the new 6. 7 and all the emissions and stuff. . . I get around 14-16 with split hwy and city running. . I did do a reset when I was on the freeway and the best it would do is 19-20 . . any rollers and it goes down. .

 

[Alan Reagan]

I haven't towed anything yet. I'm hoping it will be like the 5. 9 and improve after a good pull.



Doing a little more local driving this week and I can see a drop in the EVIC miles down to 16. I'm so used to getting 20 overall that this is going to hurt. It seems like there would be something to improve the mileage without voiding the warranty.



Did my first hookup to a trailer I needed to put in a different place here at the house. The backup camera was good for lining up but will take a little practice to get the ball under the hitch. It's the "fisheye" effect of the camera that makes it challenging so I ended up getting out to check. The bright sun made it a little difficult to see when the ball was directly under the trailer. The real annoyance was the warning beeper once I hooked up. It just keeps beeping once a trailer is hooked up and the truck is in reverse. But I noticed that I get proximity bars on the EVIC if the trailer starts to turn showing which side of the trailer is getting closer to the bumper. That's nice.

 

[EricBu12]

Going to 19. 5" rims and tires with a stiffer sidewall helps the truck to roll easier. . Have 245/70R-19. 5" michelin XDE-Ms 12 ply "F" rated.

 

[Alan Reagan]

Thanks, Eric.



I think this truck would get better mileage if it had 4:10 gears. With the 68RFE, the RPMs seem too low.

 

[AABEN]

Why do you thank that lowing the gearing will give you more milage running empty ? I thank his new truck will out weigh his old and have more HP so that is also one reason his milage is down.

 

[Alan Reagan]

I think the lower gear would give me better mileage. I think that the engine is turning too slow (1600 rpms at 65 mph). Although it reacts quickly to hills, I think that more fuel is having to be used due to maintain speed when I start up a hill.



My 01 had 4:10 gears and I averaged 22-24 mpg.