Disappointed in the 05 600...Fuel Milage Once Again

[BrittonTurner]

I know this has been beat into the ground but I am really disappointed in the fuel mileage of my 05 CTD 600. It is only getting about 12 MPG in the city and maybe 14 MPG on the highway. The 05 is an auto with 3:73 gears. My 03 that I traded in was a 6 speed with 4:10 gears. The 03 averaged 17-18 MPG in the city and almost 20 MPG on the highway. I know that I will lose a little with the auto but not 5-6 MPG. I’m beginning to wish I had kept my 03. The mileage decrease is not worth the extra 45 lbs ft. of torque. Especially since diesel fuel is so high right now. I know that it will get better with time but I don’t see it making up 5-6 MPG. Is there any kind of re-flash on something like this?



I’m sure this has been discussed but I guess I’m too lazy to search for it.





Britt

 

[KevinO]

There is a reflash out the last few weeks but i'm waiting on more responses from people before i unhook and hide my tst stuff i just put on. 600's DO NOT get good mileage unless this reflash is some miracle don't expect better than 15-17 for a 4x4 auto broke in.

 

[rmcnamee]

2005?... ... . How many miles are on it... ... . can't be many. Give it some time... . every motor, whether gas or diesel, gets crap mileage when it's new. BTW... good luck with new ride



Ryan

 

[BRuppel]

im getting 12. 3 in the city w/o my EDGE and i can get 18. 5 on the highway unloaded if i stay at 68 MPH. go any faster and it starts going down fast.

 

[RTuvell]

I know this has been beat into the ground but I am really disappointed in the fuel mileage of my 05 CTD 600. It is only getting about 12 MPG in the city and maybe 14 MPG on the highway. The 05 is an auto with 3:73 gears. My 03 that I traded in was a 6 speed with 4:10 gears. The 03 averaged 17-18 MPG in the city and almost 20 MPG on the highway. I know that I will lose a little with the auto but not 5-6 MPG. I’m beginning to wish I had kept my 03. The mileage decrease is not worth the extra 45 lbs ft. of torque. Especially since diesel fuel is so high right now. I know that it will get better with time but I don’t see it making up 5-6 MPG. Is there any kind of re-flash on something like this?



I’m sure this has been discussed but I guess I’m too lazy to search for it.





Britt

You obviously realized ahead of time that the MPG issue could come with the 05. So, why did you trade-in the 03?

 

[BrittonTurner]

You obviously realized ahead of time that the MPG issue could come with the 05. So, why did you trade-in the 03?

the mileage issue could have come with the 03 also. didn't stop me from buying one of those.



just hoping i would get lucky i guess. didn't though.

 

[WStoops]

When you say "maybe 14 hwy" it kind of sounds like you have not really calculated it by hand. How many miles on that bad boy? What everyone says with respect to hwy speeds is correct. I can get 20. 5, sometimes 21 if I stay at or under 68 mph. No such thing as a free ride, carries alot, weighs alot, tows alot, goes fast.

Thats just the way it is.

 

[DaleStevenson]

I have a 04. 5, 48RE, 3. 73. 4X4 with 10000 miles on it. Originally I got 13 to 15 mpg but have recently found that if I run about 62 MPH I have seen an honest 19. 6, if I run my normal 70 to 75 it can easily drop 4 mpg. I will admit that low 60's on speedo is not always easy but at $2. 00 per gallon I can live with it.

 

[sarj]

dale...



what kind of rpm's are you turning at 62?

 

[DocDetonancour]

I doubt the auto has mcuh to do with the mpg. I would lean toward all the x-tra emmission junk that came in in Jan. My auto does low 20's on the highway at 70. Good luck, Doc

 

[BrittonTurner]

When you say "maybe 14 hwy" it kind of sounds like you have not really calculated it by hand. How many miles on that bad boy? What everyone says with respect to hwy speeds is correct. I can get 20. 5, sometimes 21 if I stay at or under 68 mph. No such thing as a free ride, carries alot, weighs alot, tows alot, goes fast.

Thats just the way it is.

miles 950.



i have run 2 tanks of fuel through it so far and i am working on the 3rd. i have hand calculated both tanks of fuel and the best i have come up with so far is 12. 5 with a 50/50 city/hwy. the overhead display is very accurate so far. it is within . 5 mpg. i haven't been able to take a long trip on the highway so i'm not sure what exactly the hwy mileage would be. all i can go by is the overhead display which hasn't read more than 14. 7mpg.



i can only hope it gets better with time.

 

[KHogan]

Doc hit the nail on the head: you gotta keep the speed down to get great mileage. I whine that I'm only getting 16-17mpg, BUT I can't drive at less than 75mph! I usually cruise at 80-85mph on the highway and I do a mostly highway trip to/from work (100mi/day round trip). If you have a heavy foot, pesky physics rears it's ugly little head: aerodynamic drag varies with the square of the velocity. In other words, the faster you go with the barn door of the automotive world AKA Dodge Ram HD, the wind resistance increases geometrically. I'm a firm believer that a 4-ton auto 4X4 LWB CC SW Cummins 600 can get 18-20mpg or a little more. To do so, however, you gotta drive like Cap'n Coma in his Caprice in the slow lane and make believe the pedal has an egg on it.



Unfortunately, I can't. So I just have to live with my "crappy" mileage. It still beats my old 2nd Gen. Ram 360 cid gas job I traded in even though it was much smaller, and much lighter. It's unfortunate Diesel went for 30-40cents/gal CHEAPER than gas, to now 10-20cents MORE in only a few months... @ $2/gal, my leadfoot ways certainly hurt me at the pump. Oh well, such is life. It's still a cool truck.

 

[KevinO]

with the emissions and extra injection cycles 20 mpg is out of the question for these 600 unless you don't go over 60 and take forever to get to that speed. i should have bucked up earlier and bought a 03 or early 04. Unless things change this will be my last diesel unless the oil king gets out of office in november. Sorry for the carrying on i'm just

 

[Winston Wolf]

Kevino

with the emissions and extra injection cycles 20 mpg is out of the question for these 600 unless you don't go over 60 and take forever to get to that speed. i should have bucked up earlier and bought a 03 or early 04. Unless things change this will be my last diesel unless the oil king gets out of office in november. Sorry for the carrying on i'm just

Yes, it's all a vast Howlyburton conspiracy, ain't it? :-laf



Maybe you should trade your Dodge in for a Toyota Previa.

 

[wyosteve]

I'm about tired of reading these mpg threads primarily because what is the alternative? I mean, I bought my truck to tow my horse trailer, flatbed, etc. Even if it only gets 10 or so towing, that is much better than any other available vehicle for this purpose. If someone wants a truck as a daily driver and good mpg. then get a small pickup. My . 02

 

[Po' Riggity]

Why do people pull a brand new truck, off the lot, and expect spectacular mileage? its just NOT going to happen. . These trucks need to break in. Give it time. . Don't even look at the overhead until you get about 4k miles on it.

Scott

 

[kshimizu]

I have been watching and listening to the all the MPG threads on the 600. I too am somewhat disappointed that so many people are reporting such poor mileage. In past years, you had a pretty good idea what MPG your truck should get when new and after breaking in. If a truck was getting a few less MPG there was usually something wrong with it. My family has owned 6 Dodge Cummins trucks in different configurations (91 2wd, 93 2wd, 95 2wd, 01 4wd, 02 4wd, 04 4wd). Our 2wd trucks averaged 17-19 City and 20-22 Highway. The 4wd's not far behind with 16-18 City and 19-22 Highway.



I know you might be thinking, we're comparing apples to oranges when you look at the 1st Gen 160 hp and the 04. 5+ 600 with 325 hp. Now put it up against a 2nd Gen trucks with mods and you can find common waters. I've never heard of a 2nd generation truck getting 11-12 MPG unless it was towing a load. It's very disappointing to hear of such poor mileage with the 600s.

Why do people pull a brand new truck, off the lot, and expect spectacular mileage? its just NOT going to happen. . These trucks need to break in. Give it time. . Don't even look at the overhead until you get about 4k miles on it.

Scott

Yes, these trucks do have a break in period. In the trucks we've owned we've seen a 1-3 mpg improvement over time. Maybe I had a truck that was one in a million, but I had a 04 305 HP that got 18 mpg it's first tank doing all city driving. The first chance I had to drive in down the highway, it got 21 mpg on its 3rd tank of fuel.



Myself and most of my friends own Dodges and would like to buy another one in the near future. The reason we've bought all our Dodges is for the MPG and longevity of the Cummins. With the poor MPG reports of the 600, I'll hold out for as long as I can. Two of my friends didn't and bought 6. 0 Fords. I know Fords have their problems as well, but both of these trucks get 19 mpg on the highway. I had my doubts but have seen it with my own eyes.



Dodge better get things straightend out before they go from # 3 in sales to # 4... ... when the New Titan Diesel comes out Don't get me wrong, I'm a loyal Dodge Cummins driver. But with the price of fuel going through the roof if there is a comparable truck to haul with that get 5+ mpg more then Dodge, I'm going to have a tough decision on my hands when it's time to buy a new truck.

 

[KevinO]

Yes, it's all a vast Howlyburton conspiracy, ain't it?

sure is WINNY

 

[rashwor]

You can pay Hally or you can pay it in taxes when the anti-Hally gets in office... pay me now; pay me later... oh, wait; there won't be a later if anti-Hally gets in... the terrorist will be knocking soon after. Wait and see boys.



Flame suit on. :-laf

 

[JeffJackson]

I've got an '05 6spd with 4. 10 axles. With 750 miles on the odometer, I'm getting 16. 5 mpg unloaded and 11. 5 pulling a 7500lb+ trailer (which is equal to my old V10 unloaded).