Normal MPG?

[sgf]

I have read this site since 12-11 but this is my first post. Hopefully I posted in the right place.



I bought my 2001 dually in late Nov 2010 with 53,000 miles on it. Before buying this truck I spent a few years researching fuel use on the Dodge and Ford diesel duallies. I am sure that over that span I asked sixty or so people in parking lots what they were getting for mpg. The answers spanned from 13 - 21 mpg but the overwhelming majority with two wheel drive trucks said 17 mpg loaded or not. The 4x4 guys said the same except they got 15 mpg.



I have kept track of mpg since I bought my truck. These are my numbers 16. 65, 16. 92, 15. 75, 20. 57, 14. 92, 14. 23, 12. 87, 14. 84, 10. 91. I am obviously disappointed because I know that all those owners didn't just make up the 17 mpg number. I have been the only driver and most all of the miles are on secondary roads with some stop and go for lights, etc. I have hauled a lightly loaded car trailer and a gooseneck horse trailer loaded with hay on some trips, but this kind of mileage just doesn't seem right. The truck is stock.



Now that you have the details, here is the question. Does this seem normal? I was fully confident I'd get 17 mpg as an average and I seem to be getting a little over 15 mpg. What really confuses me is the significant differences from one fill up to the next. In one case the mpg about doubled!

 

[The patriot]

You'll get a much more accurate number if you average it out over the course of a month or two.

 

[HBarlow]

Asking owners what their fuel mileage is will never get an accurate answer and even if the owner tells you the truth about his mileage it won't necessarily reflect what yours will be. Your fuel mileage is what it is. It will depend on gearing, driving style, load, wind, terrain, time of year, fuel quality, and road speed.

 

[Bob4x4]

:-laf 17mpg loaded or not is very inaccurate... ... ... .....

 

[ScottLewis]

Amen Harvey!

 

[sgf]

I realize and agree that there are many variables like gearing and driving style, etc. , and that asking owners isn't the most accurate way to determine mileage. That said it seems a reasonable way to get a baseline idea when you don’t own the truck yet and want to gain the experience of others. With so many owners saying 17 mpg I have to think that is more than coincidence but I obviously can’t know for sure.



Keeping the numbers over time like I did makes sense to me for what I want to know. I am not trying to determine variables due to temperature and humidity or anything that involved. I just want to know what mpg I am getting overall, under all conditions. Maybe 17 mpg is to optimistic but I have done that well and better. Not steadily though, as my numbers show. I guess I will keep doing what I have been and see how it goes. Thank you for your responses.

 

[bcbender]

For what its worth, There are too many variables to make blanket mpg estimates. That being said, I have been getting 11 ~ 13 towing, (even empty car haulers) and 15~16 empty. The best I have ever seen was 18 ~19 and that was all hwy for 3hrs (no stopping), If you want only mileage you'll have to go slow, and keep your foot out of it, doen't work well for me :-laf.

I would say just enjoy your new truck and the fact that you are more than likey getting better mpg than the gassers out there. Just my $0. 02

 

[PBJ2500CTD]

One variable is how you fill your tank. Do you slowly top it off after the "root-beer float" foam fizzles out and have liquid diesel at a set point in the filler neck? I get between one and five gallons additional fuel in after the pump first shuts off. Using the data I have kept on my '02 over the past three years I have averaged 17. 0094 MPG; low tank average of 10. 5412 towing an 8K+ travel trailer over Utah's Hwy 12 last month with, I could swear 16% grade signs, (avg. indication saw low fives crawling past the 9,700 foot level - (thank goodness for the 16% down grades - next truck WILL have an exhaust brake though!) - to 20. 1603 unladen in the summertime. Fuel mix plays a part, too. I seem to get a one to one and a half MPG increase using B5 bio-diesel.

 

[Gonzo 1066]

Good points all, My 04. 5 has 109000 miles on it 99% of that towing at least 23,000#gross. Towing it runs 10. 5 with a truck camper on it and a trailer behind. With my GN LQ trailer it gets about 12+. This mileage is VERY varable due to terrain and speed. Travelling at 63mph with the truck camper on the flat it is near 11, in the mountains closer to 9. 5 to 10. Because of far less wind resistance the LQ GN trailer adds 1. 5 to those figures running between 69 to 75mph. The one trip I had with the truck empty was down the I-5 corrodor to centeral Oregon. the cruse set on 70 the dually ticked off almost 20mpg. When I drive around short trips am lucky to get 16. Just the nature of the beast. At least it is getting better fuel use than my wifes JEEP liberty.

 

[fox]

Every truck and every driver are different. I notice the type of road surface has a big effect too.



I pulled an enclosed 18 ft trailer from sw florida to central illinois at 70 mph and got 14. 4.



I was getting 15-16 everyday local driving, then because it seemed power was down and mileage, I replaced injectors with fresh ones and it definitly runs better. Mileage is up, the diesel clatter is back too. i maybe getting hi teens again, maybe 20.



I noticed your numbers are going down. Is this because you are driving a little more agressively?



Do you have gauges on it?? You must know fuel pressure on these trucks.

 

[Troubleshooter]

I get 20-21mpg unloaded, 13-15 mpg towing the car hauler, and 8-12mpg with the 5th wheel (depending on terrain and weather). Wind resistance makes a big difference with either of the trailers.



Best ever mileage was 24mpg while driving I-40 through Texas and NM at a constant 75-80mph and Smarty in "fuel economy" mode, which put me right into the power band for my gearing.



All numbers hand calculated, as I have no overhead display.

 

[sgf]

I see that many of you get significant variations in mileage as well. That is good to know since it tells me that what I am seeing is normal.

Fox, I am not really sure if I have been driving more aggressively but I am going to try and pay better attention to that. As far as gauges go, there are two things I want to do to this truck, or maybe need to do is a better description. One is to get a pressure and a transmission temperature gauge. I haven’t decided what would be best for the third gauge, as I would install the three gauge pillar mount. The holdup really is that I haven’t decided what to get. I was leaning toward the pillar gauges but keep seeing ads for these dash mounted electronic units that give a wide range of information on different systems. I have been in the same quandary, except more so, about the fuel lift p pump. I have read so much that all the great info. has become a haze. What I know for sure is I have to replace the stock one sooner than later. I wrote some aftermarket folks for recommendations for a stock system. This morning I read an ad in a magazine about a pump that replaces the stock pump. I think it is made by Air dog that really got my attention since I don’t anticipate performance mods. Ahhh choices, and of course confusion!

 

[Grizzly]

There is nothing 'normal' about fuel mileage. It depends on who's telling the story and if they lie about or not.



Remember, the best way to get better fuel mileage is to lie about it. That's what my brother-in-law does about his Furd Powerjoke.

 

[fox]

I see that many of you get significant variations in mileage as well. That is good to know since it tells me that what I am seeing is normal.

Fox, I am not really sure if I have been driving more aggressively but I am going to try and pay better attention to that. As far as gauges go, there are two things I want to do to this truck, or maybe need to do is a better description. One is to get a pressure and a transmission temperature gauge. I haven’t decided what would be best for the third gauge, as I would install the three gauge pillar mount. The holdup really is that I haven’t decided what to get. I was leaning toward the pillar gauges but keep seeing ads for these dash mounted electronic units that give a wide range of information on different systems. I have been in the same quandary, except more so, about the fuel lift p pump. I have read so much that all the great info. has become a haze. What I know for sure is I have to replace the stock one sooner than later. I wrote some aftermarket folks for recommendations for a stock system. This morning I read an ad in a magazine about a pump that replaces the stock pump. I think it is made by Air dog that really got my attention since I don’t anticipate performance mods. Ahhh choices, and of course confusion!

With the VP44 trucks, the most important gauge is the fuel pressure. Next will be the pyro, especially if you have added any fuel, but it still shows you how to drive.

I like individual gauges so I can glance at any at any time.

 

[HBarlow]

There is nothing 'normal' about fuel mileage. It depends on who's telling the story and if they lie about or not.

Remember, the best way to get better fuel mileage is to lie about it. That's what my brother-in-law does about his Furd Powerjoke.

Yep, it's the same method used by many TDR members as well.

 

[THess]

You guys are right about people lying about fuel mileage; and a lot of guys say "I get the same loaded or not. " I'd say they are usually loaded with groceries.

 

[Bob4x4]

Yup I get 13 to 17mpg when towing my little

Airstream... ... ... 13 on the way out but 17 when

I am heading back Towards home/work... ... ... in no kind

Of rush

 

[sgf]

I got a good laugh out of the mpg lie comments, because it is so true. It reminds me of when I'd listen to these guys say how long they took to make the run from NC to NYC. It was always these crazy low times. I'd made that trip and past NYC to New England tons of times, and when I'd say how long it took me I'd get scoffed at as being slow. One day this guy told this story about making the trip in some ridiculously low time. I got so sick of it I challenged him and did the math. I proved that the time he cited meant he drove a sustained 121 mph, and that without lights, etc. he never missed a beat. He looked around and said, "Yep, we really were hauling A**". When will I learn.

 

[Grizzly]

Yep, it's the same method used by many TDR members as well.

I know a few of them, but the Powerjoke guys tell the biggest lies.

 

[AMcCormick]

So go back and ask all those guys if they actualy ran the numbers or are just going by the overhead. The over head is not accurate. You seem to be int he norm though. Towing is really difficult because every trailer is so diifferent. Just did a tow from SF up to Vancouver BC towing a 35' sail boat. Permits had the load at 9k but high with lots of windage. Worst was 9. 5 and best was 11. 5. Unloaded before some big changes for the truck my worst was 14something and best was 19 and some change. I am hoping that the changes will help with the mpg. They have for sure made the truck fun to drive. There is a big variation on how much fuel you can get in the tank as well so you need to look at the big average of many tanks.