New Truck MPG?

[DGamelin]

Hello guys I don't get time to play with TDR anymore. I am thinking about a new truck and I would like some straight answers on the MPG of a 3500 crew cab dully 4x4 4.10 aisin both loaded and empty. I'm looking at a 2015 with the air ride. I really like the idea of the air ride and the power would be nice. I'm on the fence on a new truck or a needed addition on the shop. I also found a 06 with 60K on it and a G56 trans. I haven't heard too much good about the G56. When I bought my 04.5 I went out of my way to make sure I got an NV5600. I tow 16-20k lbs regularly. The truck has 235k on it now and I doubt there's more than 15k on it without a trailer. I'm either going to replace it or run it into the ground. Alright guys what are some real world number for mileage?



_____________________________________
2000 2WD XCab Short Bed Auto 354
04.5 4WD CC Dully NV5600 373

 

[SnoKing]

Air ride on the 3500 may be a misnomer! Read the other thread! More like factory add on air bags, and not what was pictured earlier in the year! SNOKING

 

[garrettg84]

2014 3500 Cummins w/AISIN SRW
unloaded city driving: 12-13mpg, unloaded highway: 17-18mpg

(I drive like a jackass)

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[Dieselnerd]

Straight answers, I have a truck like you are asking about. Mileage empty, around 15 city and highway combined. I have over 10K on the truck now and the numbers stay pretty much the same. Highway only, empty, 17-18 mpg going 75 mph.

I average around 14 mpg when traveling with my Lance 850 camper on board and 10-11 mpg towing a 15K fifth wheel on the highway, depending on the wind. I sometimes get 13 and have been as low as 8 with a strong headwind. I recently averaged 10.9 traveling from MN to AZ towing the fifth wheel. It gets about 1 mpg better than my 2005 SRW 3500 with the same camper and fifth wheel.

 

[terb]

2014 3500 Cummins w/AISIN SRW
unloaded city driving: 12-13mpg, unloaded highway: 17-18mpg

(I drive like a jackass)

I get the same mileage as you, so what does that make me??...........:-laf

 

[zmos]

I use fuelly.com to track MPG..

http://www.fuelly.com/car/ram/2500/2014

 

[zmos]

http://www.fuelly.com/car/ram/2500/2014/zmos/321874

This is mine.. The above is for all rams.

cb

 

[gsbrockman]

I have 3.73's, but this link still might help ya a little :

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[moparnut72]

I also have the same truck. I have 10,500 miles on it to date. My mileage is very similar to what Dieselnerd stated. I was hoping for it to be a little better coming from a 1998 12V, but not going to happen and didn't expect it. The mileage was awful for the first 1,000 miles or so but got better as mileage built up. I am happy with what I am getting and well worth it especially when I am pulling 5th wheel up a pretty good grade at the speed limit and not even straining to do it. With the old truck I had to plan ahead for grades etc, (manual trans) now Ijust drive normally.
kk

 

[rrl989]

Hand calculated, with 3.73s, I'm typically in the 15-16's range empty. I just drove 1300 miles to FL hauling a truck camper, mostly in the 11 mpg range and used 2.5+ gallons of DEF. Speed kills the mpgs. When empty, my EVIC reads in the 17/18 range which is always BS. In slow, stop and go or rolling heavy traffic, I seem to get the best mpgs, recently 17.6 mpg.

 

[Brocky]

I have the 3.73 rear and am getting 15.5 (+/-) locally empty and got 10.9-11.0 on my only long tow in the hills of NC/VA grossing 23,000 running 65-68 MPH.

 

[TCDiesel]

Real world #s on this trip to our cabin In West Yellowstone MT, I pulled My 4 Place snowmobile trailer (It tugs hard) 1114 miles. I had a window to drive this trip do too wintery conditions, I drove 70-75MPH the whole way to Bozeman MT,I hit head winds From Bismarck ND to Bozeman they really picked up Miles city to Bozeman MT. HC the Best mileage was from Blaine MN to Valley city ND 9.6 HC. Valley ND city to Miles city MT 9.0 HC, Miles City to Billings MT 8.0 HC, Billings MT to Bozeman MT 7.2 HC. I have 100 Gallon Auxiliary Tank So these #s cannot be attributed to pump errors.

Truck is 2013 SRW 3500/Aisin 3.42, Mods are Stryker, Pump/Rail.

Truck empty City/Mix 14.1 HC, Highway 18-20 HC. I have had some 20-22.5 under good conditions. The Truck been in My possession for 18 months have 17K miles.

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

I get about 16 mixed city, 18-20.5 highway at 75 mph with some mountainous terrain. I have SRW but it is 4x4 with a 75 gallon auxiliary tank, bed cap, so always pretty heavy. The rule of thumb for our Turbo Diesels since the 1990s, as I remember from an early TDR issue, is that you lose about 1 mpg each for 4x4, dually. Also, it is easy to lose mpg as road speed goes up; even slowing to 72 vs. 78 nets a noticeable gain in mpg. Winter fuel costs about 5% and the new ultra low sulfur formula costs another 5% at least vs. older diesel fuel formulas.

 

[garrettg84]

I get the same mileage as you, so what does that make me??...........:-laf

A very respectable challenge if I ever find you on the street next to me =P

 

[DGamelin]

I don't think these numbers look all that bad. I don't think it would be any worse than what I get now and the power would be a lot better.

garrettg84, I like your honesty.

Dieselnerd, That MPG will work for me.

As for the air ride, no matter what it has to work better than adding air bags of your own. I have them on my trucks, it works fine but the auto load leveling would be great and you would think with just 2 leafsprings it would ride better empty. The only thing that disappoints me is the lack of a second radius rod, preferably below or even above the axle to the frame, like a 4 link (the leaf spring being one link). The additional leaves in front will help with axle wrap on acceleration but it won't stop the axle pump you get on the kind of roads like in WI. The seams in some concrete roads cause the axle to roll up then sharply back after jumping off the raised seam when pulling big loads, causing that pounding pulse over the seam. That I think is a miss. I had planned on building a set of rods for my truck but always had something else to do. This set up won't stop me from ordering the air ride. Can't wait to hear from others on how it works.

The mileage is ok, now I just have to convince myself to spend the money.

Thanks for the info.

 

[Newsa]

I get the same as Joe Donnelly, with a 2500 G56. But on flat florida terrain. But it warms up faster in the winter becaus it's Miami. I do much better if I keep my foot out of it. And I'm not carrying a heavy fuel tank. I'm guessing the final drive ratio is better with the Aisin. But the lighter G56 might help. At 70mph, my tach is under 2000 rpm's. Probably reaches 2000 rpm's at 75 mag or a bit above.

 

[Bob V]

With the extra HP on the new trucks you are most likely going faster up the hills than you would have been in a 1st or 2nd gen, BTDT. When you think about more than double the HP and Torque, and, close to the same MPG, with a heavier truck with more interior room, the 2013s and newer are really nice. The bonus is there are GOOD for the environment also. I remember when over 300hp was something, and it would be smokey

 

[DGamelin]

Bob v

That was one of the arguments I used to convince myself. We are hoping to move more goosenecks trailers this year so we so I would run empty one way more often. Then on the way back having more power I would spend less time on the hills. Having an auto means you could get going a little quicker and you could relax a little in the hills. Had the wife called a dealer today to asked once ordered how long would it take to get it, he said about 8 weeks. Then she couldn't shut him up. Dealing with salesmen almost takes the enjoyment out a new truck.

 

[Smokestack]

Bob v

That was one of the arguments I used to convince myself. We are hoping to move more goosenecks trailers this year so we so I would run empty one way more often. Then on the way back having more power I would spend less time on the hills. Having an auto means you could get going a little quicker and you could relax a little in the hills. Had the wife called a dealer today to asked once ordered how long would it take to get it, he said about 8 weeks. Then she couldn't shut him up. Dealing with salesmen almost takes the enjoyment out a new truck.

You're right about the negative value in dealing with the salesman. So, when I ordered my '15 I simply didn't. I sent an email to the dealership explaining what I wanted and what I didn't. I was direct in communicating that I didn't want to be called; I knew what I wanted in the truck, so please don't try to sell me something else; we would negotiate the deal by e-mail; and as long as those criteria were satisfied, I would show up with a check when the truck was delivered. I am happy to say that the deal went off without a hitch. The truck was delivered on 11-13-14 as specified about 6 weeks after ordering.

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

I found what I wanted on ramtrucks using the build and price, then check inventory. My experience with the dealership, Town & Country in Salida, CO was very positive. Took very little time, and they were ready for me when I came there. Signing the papers took only a few minutes, then I was gone. They had prepped the Ram carefully and had performed the current re-flashes. Fuel and DEF tanks were full. Eric Murdoch, their internet sales mgr, was easy to work with and to arrive at a price. So, not all of the salesmen are as miserable as some. Of course, going onto ramtrucks is very helpful in finding just what you want, but then you have to deal with whomever has the truck. Overall, though, at least you get exactly the truck you expect if you can reach a price with them.