New '06 ... couple of questions and 19.6 mpg on first tank!?

[2broke2smoke]

yes that was hand calculated and mostly highway mileage ...



wife is a home health nurse and is putting roughly 1000k miles a week on her truck ... at 42 cents a mile she can make a truck payment so we traded off the 47re, 10 1/2 aam truck for a loaded g56'd lariat ...



absolutely love the truck ... sirius radio is like manna from heaven when you're driving around in rural WV :-laf



i was just wondering ...



1) 19. 6 mpg!! i had to do the math twice ... i thought that the g56's lower gears would end up loosing mileage ... am i the only guy on the site with this kind of mileage? the wife is driving this thing like it's made out of glass ... i rode with her the other day and was all :-laf when she'd run it up to 1700 rpms and gently shift up ... she wouldn't lug it, she just ran 'er up real easy ... she actually set the cruise at 65mph ...



2) while gutting the cat yesterday i noticed that the inside of her exhaust was already black and sooty at 600 miles ... i thought they had cleaned up the exhaust ... and i'm not talking about the '07 clean exhaust ... can you guys with '06s wipe your finger inside your tailpipe and come away with a black fingertip?



3) here's a question that i never really gave much thought to until yesterday ... what is the life expectancy of the cat in these trucks ... the cat material looked exactly like the stuff we recently beat out of my buddies '03 cobra ... with the soot already in the tailpipe it would seem that they would need replaced pretty frequently when you hold the cat material up to the sun you can BARELY see the sun at all ... and that was looking through the small pieces i had out and on the ground



4) and finally, has anyone got any measurable results with just gutting or removing the cat? ... egt's ... dyno ... long term mileage ... etc

i'm recording mileage but with a new motor it will improve as it loosens anyway so i don't want to give credit where it's not due



thanks

 

[RobertP]

i have always seem pretty good milage with mine.



also i have noticed about a 100 to 150 degree drop with the gutted cat.

 

[klenger]

wife is a home health nurse and is putting roughly 1000k miles a week on her truck

Wow, I've heard of million mile Dodges, but not in one week.

 

[B.G. Smith]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



"yes that was hand calculated and mostly highway mileage ... " After next fill up if it is still up there let up know, I haven't beat 16 yet empty. With the possibility of about a 3 or 4 gallon error in how much it takes to fill depending on how the truck is sitting it may change. bg

 

[ilovetrains]

Mine would see around 19 after 5K or so miles if I kept it to 65 or under. I averaged significantly less than that.



With less than 1K on the clock I was amazed at how much smoke this thing would blow. They soot up very quick.

 

[KParsons]

20.1

at 3200 miles, i went to sc. 70-75mph . 19-20 mpg,on my 06. i think 22-24 mpg . are poss. kp

 

[mlewis73]

16mpg in mixed driving and some idling here in Sumter, SC.



I got 17. 6 coming from MO to SC when I bought the truck, including LOTS of stomps uphill in the Smokies.



Not impressed with the mileage yet, but we'll see how things go when she has more miles on her.

 

[BHolm]

First tank on my '06 mega was 13. 4 :{ Before my wife took it to MN this week it had 26k on it and the last tank I checked was 18. 8 Not much in town driving, mostly 30 miles each way on 60 mph two lane.

 

[2broke2smoke]

Wow, I've heard of million mile Dodges, but not in one week.

ahhhhhhh ..... woops :-laf

 

[DBabbitt]

When I first got mine ('06 QC 48RE 4x4 DRW) it was getting terrible mpg, about 13 mpg @ 70 mph empty on flat land. Didn't see the MPG's come up substancially till about 16k on the clock. At around 20k finally started to feel alright. Getting about 18. 5 mpg @ 70 mph empty now with 25k on the end of warranty count down read-out!



The new truck was a dog compared to my old truck (04. 5 w/80k miles). Also noticed the oil press. was much higher than the 04. 5. I think the new motor was tight and took longer to break in. Also noticed more black smoke than the 04. 5 from day one still today but It finally has decent power & mpg!

 

[2broke2smoke]

17. 8 on 2nd tank ...



but that was with me driving :-laf



rear bumper is sooty at 1000 miles Oo.



that kind of suprises me



this truck is strong ... stronger than the '03 with 90hp injectors



and this one isn't broke in yet and has a 6 speed

 

[ASchuerg]

Something has got to be wrong

1000 miles a week!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How does she find time to do anything else but drive and work?

i am getting 21 mpg w/my 06 6 sp no cat change muffler cold air amsoil.

runn at 2000 to 2500 rpm. 4k on rig

 

[Yo Hoot]

Nice Rex. That's a good sign with your mileage figures. Any differences that stand out... ride, interior that you might comment on.



Congrats on the new ride. Pics yet?

 

[JHenry]

I have 24000 on my '06. Bought it in Oct. '05. I removed the cat and put in a Banks flow-thru muffler, Banks Technicooler, and AFE Stage 2 filter system. My mileage runs around 20-22, driving it easy. If I push it harder or pull a loaded trailer, it goes to 16-18. Smoke on the tailpipe is common. I'm a general contractor and spend a lot of time in the truck. Obviously 1000 miles a week is not hard to do, based on your circumstances. Some of my miles have accumulated from longer trips into Canada. JH

 

[ARedmon]

My '05 2500 CTD with G56 is averaging 19. 2 during mixed city/highway driving. I believe I could get more if I tried. The overhead computer (when zeroed) will show the truck getting between 21 and 24 on the Interstate. I am pleased as this is much better mileage than the '91 Dakota that I traded in on it.

 

[2broke2smoke]

Nice Rex. That's a good sign with your mileage figures. Any differences that stand out... ride, interior that you might comment on.



Congrats on the new ride. Pics yet?

hey Mike,



everything on this truck seems to be higher quality the wens old '03, of course it was an early one (12/02) ...



no vibes, her '03 had the 2000 rpm vibration ...

interior quality seems to be higher ... much better fit and finish ... we compared the two side by side at the dealership ...



truck lugs down lower and smoother than my father in laws '01 nv5600 and freinds '03 nv5600 ...



wen and i have both driven and preferred standards since we were teens ... (1981!!!!!) and we absolutely love the feel of the g56 ... brannon has a nv4500 in a '93 that he has and as stated above i've driven two other nv5600's and this transmissions FEEL is much better ... both my father in law and freind have expressed suprise as i've shifted into 6th and lugged the engine at about 1200 on the small road we live on and no gear lash or engine lugging ... this combo just takes it all in stride ... very user freindly



wendy has been on call 24/7 since may doing home health ... starting a new branch office in a part of wv with no current service ... great pay and benefits are rare in WV and she loves what she's doing ... she has recently hired 3 temp RN's and an office manager so her mileage should drop but it's 30 miles each way to the office and if she heads to her corporate headquarters it's a 200 mile round trip so her mileage will be easy to keep track of ...



i had the truck last week for rear inner fenders, heavy duty mopar mud flaps (decreased gravel road noise by 95% ... and we live on a gravel road so thats important), rhino liner, cat gut ,silencer ring removal and limo tint ...



sadly now my time with the new toy has come to an end and it's earning it's own monthly payments ... 42 cents a mile worth ... i missed the stacks anyway :-laf



was gonna change the oil this weekend but it looks like we're moving into the new house instead Oo.



oh well oil change at 2k will be good enough



and no, i still am the only member of tdr without a digital camera ...



if move goes well i'm gonna take it up to fall brawl to dyno her stock ...



wens 250 hp '03 dyno'd 268 hp with 90hp ddp injector tips and i'm betting this truck makes more ... wanna check my butt cheek dyno

 

[kbond]

so you are getting 650 out of a tank?

 

[2broke2smoke]

nope we fill up at about 450 ...



with in tank pump i don't like to go much below 1/4 tank ...

 

[2broke2smoke]

ok guys one last post on the subject and then i'll let it die ...



drove from central WV to scranton and back this weekend ...



400 miles each way ...



most of the time the cruise was set at 70mph/2250rpms ...



with occasional blasts to get around some sheeple who like to drive in packs ...



got 17. 8 going up and 17. 7 mpg on the way back



truck has 5k miles on it now and a gutted cat and mbrp cat back ...