Realistic MPG

[RJ2]

Thanks for the recent posts on fuel milage. I have been reading all this crap about 21 and 23 mpg on the 3500's for months and finally started reading about 17-18 mpg unloaded . This is what I have been getting for combined city and highway. All city drops to 15 at best (empty) . If I thought it could get 8 extra mpg it proably would be worth watching the boost.

 

[BCFAST]

realistic mileage...

This has been a long, drawn-out topic as old as TDR... . My first Ram was probably the mileage-king, as far as what's available: 3/4 ton, 5 speed, 2wd, 3. 54 rear. My all time best in that truck (only after the pump was warmed over) was 25. 7mpg!! Of course, setting the cruise on 62 was just awful, but the result was killer! See my sig. for my current ride... I routinely get 20-22mpg driving combo city-hwy... all city is 18mpg. The rule-of-thumb over the years has shown to be that 4wd is worth 2-3mpg less, a 4. 10=2-3mpg less, a dually= 2-3mpg less, and an auto is worth about 2-3mpg less... . sounds to me like you're doing about right! My experience has been that stock, the mileage is marginal... . at best... . and bombed, the mileage goes way up, loaded or empty.

 

[RJ2]

On the highway I run about 74 and is about 8 boost, if I stay in the low 60's the boost is negligible. I imagine if I could run down there ,mpg would go up.

 

[CPH]

RJ2

I have a 97 2500 w/3:54, 2wd, and 157,000. I log all fuel ups. I drive 75 miles a day min. Avg is 21mpg. That is combined. I have driven from Arkansas w/ a U-Haul car trailer with a Chevy S-10 on it, misc crap, 3 adults and a dog. Avg @70mph was 19. 6. Just came back from N. C. w/my 27' fifth wheel avg for round trip 14. 7 at around 60 mph. Real happy



Charlie

 

[R.ebel]

Milage

I've got a '97 4X4 SLT with 3. 54's and 5sp. Best milage I've ever gotten was 20. 5 mpg. The worst has been 9 mpg towing my travel trailor at 70 mph into a headwind of 30-40 mph.

 

['956Wheel]

'95 3500 5 speed w/3:54s=19. 5mpg "combo" city, highway.

" " " " " " =23. 5mpg all highway, (lightfoot)

" " " " " " =17. 4mpg "combo" (big heavy shoes)



This is a stock truck, empty (shell only) **the worst mileage was with Texaco fuel-15. 6 combo (big heavy shoes), seemed to run crappy too. It seems to me that if you keep you RPMs 2 or under you get the best... . hard to do!

 

[RedRamer]

Just finished my first ever Trailer trip and this is what I got in mileage. All Canadian figures...

Empty highway 23. 9 mpg - some city mileage

Pullin a 6,000lb TT 15. 3mpg at 110 km/hr - some headwinds

Pullin back home at 95km/hr I got 18mpg - no headwinds.

All with the air on, 4 passengers, on cruise in overdrive. Ming you cruise really messes up the transmission when it gets below the set speed. :-(



Guess what speed I'll be pullin at from now on



Now I have to decide if cranking up the pump will help any...

 

[SLang]

'97 3500 5 speed w/3:54s=17. 5mpg overall

=20. 4mpg best ever * 2 tanks

=16. 0mpg worst ever after fuel plate (I love smoke)

 

[RJ2]

Just checked the milage for the last tank ,a whopping 14. 3 (in town empty)

 

[FD5]

My best mileage in my 95 was 26. 7 with cruise set on 55, I was on the Natchez Trace Parkway (speed limit 50, well enforced) from Jackson, MS to Tupelo and back to Jackson.

 

[Deezel4x4]

15-17 city,21 highway cruising at 70,17 with 7k lb car trailer,I havent pulled with my #8 plate yet

 

[RedRamer]

Has anyone gotten a mileage increase by pumping up the pump with these various plates?

I think I'm a little low on mileage pulling 6k in cdn gals compared to some here.

thanks

 

[SLang]

If you pull a plate should help your fuel milage. If you don't pull and you run the truck the same as before the plate there should be no change in fuel milage.

 

[pcorssmit]

I got a whopping 13 mpg last weekend towing an 18' boat from Cheyene to Glendo and then home to Denver. Lots of wind (mostly blowing across the highway) coming home, had the cruise set at 85 until we hit traffic closer to home. My best guess is I need another OD, I run about 2350 rpm at 85.



Pete

 

[forr]

My ride is an '01 3500 quad, 4wd, 3. 55 final drives, 6spd. with the H. O. and 17k of overall miles. Chang'd the diff fluid & engine oil to AMSOil recently and saw some improvment (let's say 1-2 mpg city and 1-1. 5 mpg highway). Unloaded, my last trip through the northern Appalachians averaged just over 19 mpg. Around town I'm up to 17. No engine mods to date. With a 24' trailer and 10k I'm on the high side of 15 mpg and happy.

 

[Niki]

My 95 (see sig) gets about 18-19. The big tires improved mileage, and because of the 4. 10s, the city mileage is better than the highway. I used to have a 91 D250 5 speed 3. 54 and I always got 18 or 19, 20+ on the highway going 80, and 20 towing my 19' ski boat. My brother claims to have gotten 23. 8 one time on a trip, also going 80. The sad reality is, my buddy's '00 F350 powerstroke xcab auto SRW got 18 on a highway trip recently loaded with people and going 80-85. It would also walk away from either of my trucks, especially my 95. By the way, the powerstroke only had about 7k on it at the time.

 

[Big White Beast]

This is my first post on TDR. Was hoping for something more inspirational but this is a hot topic for me. Bought a 2001 in September of last year. 3500 with 4:10 gear and a big utility bed. Got 11. 5 MPG right off the bat. Dealer says wait till it breaks in. Dropped to 10. 5 on average. Found someone to trade gears for a 3:54. Milage hasn't changed. Average is 10. 5, I'm sure my lead foot doesn't help. Dodge says it's within specs. Actually got DC to pay for a trip to cummins to have it checked out... . Same story. After finding TDR I have hope again. Some minor Bombing and even if the milage doesn't go up I'll have the power

 

[Swamp Donkey]

Here's mine:



16 empty highway

14. 5 town/highway

12 towing 6500lb 24 ft travel trailer.



The best I have ever got was a hair over 18, driving at speeds of less than 60 mph. I don't think or worry about it to much, although 21 empty and 15 towing a simular load sounds pretty good.

 

[dieselburner]

mileage

My all-time best mileage was 25. 8 mpg. That was filling up at the same pump facing the same way before and after the test drive. All driving on that test was near sea level in the central valley of CA and on a long flat road at 55 mph. The odometer at that time was checked and right on. The drive was around 200 miles round trip if I remember correctly. This was also pre-bombed. Now, after the mods and pulling a 1000 foot grade twice daily on my drive to work, I get 18 mpg at my average speed of 70 mph and minimal around town driving and the occasional blast to 100+ to blow out the gunk...

 

[Tom Trujillo]

mpg

rock solid and consistent at about 18mpg since day one in combined driving conditions. no towing. My brother swears he gets 25 in his 95 bone stock work truck combined.



Tom