Fuel Mileage

[Diesel Nut]

Mine, worst posible config for milage, and still doing freakin awesome!

Empy, 19. 9 (65mph) to 17. 2 (80+)

Towing, 13. 76 (65mph, flat) to 12 (65mph, Siskyou Mountains - all 6-8% grades) 13K lbs ish



But I get 78mpg downhill! :-laf

 

[CRoss]

I got that whole speech too but my cars salesman said it's going to get 40+mpg on the highway HAHAHAH. After that I went to get another salesman to sell me the truck



I get about 14-15 in the city traffic and 18-20 on the highway it all depends on the right foot :-laf

 

[jsimpson]

Before I bought my truck which is a 2004 Dodge 2500 quad cab automatic with the 5. 9 cummins in it.

I heard that the fuel mileage was good on the diesel and the sales man that sold me this truck said that after the 10,000 mile break in I should get around 30 miles to the gallon.

Well it ate so I am getting around 13. 1 in the city and yes on the highway I get 21. 1 but it ate no 30.

I ask two guys that had Ford with the power stroke and both said they get 18 miles city and on guy said he gets 30 in the city

And it has kind of made me mad that Dodge won't give the OK to us an Exhaust break on anything but the new 2006.

So if anybody has any info on what the fuel mileage shoud be for my truck that has 27,000 on it I would really apreciate it.



Thanks

Jim Lafferty

-- email address removed --

TDR member

I'm getting 16-18 mpg with my 03 3500 DRW automatic. The only thing that has improved my mileage is Rokktech's crank sensor. By the way, my Miata gets 30mpg, but it fits in the back of my Dodge.

 

[jsimpson]

My friend just bought an '04 Duramax ext. cab 4x4... says he's getting about 23mpg.



I'm jealous, must be nice.

My brother's Duramax gets 15 mpg and he babies it. I think your friend exagerates.

 

[jsimpson]

I heard a guy tell another guy, one night, he got 19 mpg with a Dodge 1ton & a V10. I asked him if he used the milage to figure his mpg, from every other tank? He didn't think I was very funny... ..... wonder why? :-laf :-laf :-laf

I have a friend who is a Dodge engineer. he claims 16 mpg with his V-10 dually using a box.

 

[jsimpson]

Mine, worst posible config for milage, and still doing freakin awesome!

Empy, 19. 9 (65mph) to 17. 2 (80+)

Towing, 13. 76 (65mph, flat) to 12 (65mph, Siskyou Mountains - all 6-8% grades) 13K lbs ish



But I get 78mpg downhill! :-laf

I hardly think your six speed qualifies ats a worst case scenario for fuel mileage!!!

 

[BHolm]

I have been driving the '03 QC SB around lately and checking the milage against my '05. Empty the '03 can get 20-22 mpg where the '05 is getting 17-19. This is running 60-65 on the two lanes around here, not much traffic... . city driving, whats that I have seen 23mpg crusing the '03 at 75 and 19 cruisng at 85 across Nebraska. I was going to seel one of the trucks, maybe it should be the '05 with fuel prices



BTW, I owned two Duramaxes, an '01 and an '03, they NEVER did better than 15mpg and it was more like 10 when towing something.

 

[Sasquatch]

My recent mileage had gotten discouraging—low teens when driving rural roads at about 65 mph, with minimal stops and consistent load of contracting tools (10,000 lbs GVW). When the truck was newer, I used to flog it on the interstates (75-80) and it would average about 17 mpg, but was often empty and/or lightly loaded.



In recent years, the truck's been weighted down with ATS utility shell, KargoMaster racks, and all manner of other drag producing stuff (e. g. , big mirrors, winch, brush guard, etc. , etc. ) Also installed a "bed drawer," and miscellaneous other storage racks, etc. , inside the utility shell...



So, lots of weight/drag — a prescription for crappy mileage.



I'd grown complacent, but the price of fuel ($3. 55 her in Basalt!) got my attention, and caused me to replace my overflow valve, clean my air filter, replace my fuel filter, and restrict my impulse to embarrass the guy in the Ford next to me.



Not too surprisingly, my truck is now getting about 17 mpg, again, in 65mph rural driving, and I can milk 18-19 out of it if I slow her down to at or under 60 mph.



I'm thinking, out here in "the wide open spaces" where wind is often a big factor, that "drag" is a bigger destroyer of optimal fuel usage/mileage, and weight is less important.



Anyone who's not too invested in regular maintenance of his truck might want to take a look at his air cleaner, fuel filter, and overflow valve, too. At pushing $4. 00 per gallon, routine maintenance care can yield big savings dividends.