PERRY WILLIAMS

NEW TO THIS FORUM, HAVE MY FIRST DIESEL TRUCK 04.5 CTD 2500 CREW CAB AUTO. HAVE BEEN READING ON HERE SOME OF YOU GUYS ARE CLAIMING 18 TO 20 MPG. WELL SHOW ME HOW TO ATTAIN SUCH FIGURES, I AM CURRENTLY GETTING 12 PULLING BASS BOAT AND 15 ON THE HIGHWAY. HAVE INSTALLED AIR RAID SYSTEM AND HAVE 9100 MILES. ANY SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. THANK YOU

spudman

3.73 or 4.10? I get avg after tsb 21 mpg mine is a six speed 3.73 reg cab. I drive about 60 on state roads and 70mph on interstates more often than not with a ton or more in the bed. i shift at 13-1400 rpms I don't stomp on it often but I'm certainlly not a baby with it. 11,000 miles on it , I never use the A/C tires are 70psi rear and 65psi front don't know much more to tell ya but to run it where it feels comfortable all trucks are diffrent mine seems happiest at 62mph and at about 73mph find where yours likes to run

odie2219

Are you going off the overhead trip computer? Have you had the new "Flash"? Are you hand calculating your milage?My overhead computer was way off before the flash.
To hand calculate, fill the tank all the way up, not just till it foams up. After letting the foam settle down add more fuel,then repeat. It will take about 5-10 minutes until the fuel is right at the very top. Reset your overhead computer and drive for about 3/4 tank (not all at once)When you refuel, fill the to the very top again. This will give you your actual milage. Compare the overhead computer to your actual milage. Depending on where you drive (Highway/city) your overhead will be between 1.5/ 3.0 miles on the low side.The new TSB flash will correct the overhead error and also add another 1 to 2 mpg
Hope this helps
Odie

PERRY WILLIAMS

TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS, 3.73 REAR & YES I FIGURE MY MILEAGE THE OLD FASHIONED WAY NOT FROM THE COMPUTER OVERHEAD. WHAT IS THIS FLASH ADJUSTMENT EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT? JUST TRYING TO GET A LITTLE BETTER THAN I AM NOW. BY THE WAY THE BOAT & TRAILER & GEAR ONLY WEIGH ABOUT 4000 LBS. RANGER 521DVX 225 MERCURY OPTI-MAX THANK'S AGAIN FOR ANY HELP.

SuperGewl

You need to fill out your SIG info & turn OFF the caps, you are yelling at everyone

What speed are you running? Is the boat covered when pulling it? How many miles on your truck? Are you running in OD?
These are things that need to be answered to help you better.

Next time you tow try running with the Cruz set at 65 for the whole trip and see what happens, your rpms should be around 1950 if running 3.73's.
The thing is you need to find out what the ideal rpms are for your truck to achieve the best mpg

PERRY WILLIAMS

ok Guys, this is the deal. I drive 65-70 mph on the highway. I do not have a heavy foot. At 70 I am turning 2000 rpm's which is about right with 373 rear. My question is if some of you are getting 18+ miles to the gallon then there is obviously something wrong with my truck or the way it is dialed into the comp. system.The reason that I bought this truck was for the power and the fuel mileage that I was told all these trucks are getting. Don't get me wrong I love the truck but I think I should be getting better mileage. And to repeat I have 9100 miles and I do run it in overdrive. Thank's..........Perry

handymantim

Your mileage sounds about right pulling something. I'm getting about 11 pulling a tandem axle enclosed trailer city/highway after the 18-037-04 flash.

Those 18-20 numbers are unloaded.

Here's a "trick" I do when filling.....I put the nozzle auto shutoff on the same setting (high) and then stop when it first clicks off by itself. As long as you have the same amount of fuel at each fillup then hand-calc will be accurate. Assuming the diesel foams the same amount each time then this trick saves a lot of time and hassle at the pump.

odie2219

Perry,
The TSB or "flash" is done by the dealer at no charge. The TSB reprograms the ECM. In most cases people see between 1-2 mpg increase and a more accurate overhead. My overhead is dead on now!!!!Mine even shift smoother......The tsb number is 18-037-04. Call your dealer and tell them that you want the new TSB. It takes about 40 minutes for the dealer to download the data.
TSB stands for Technical Service Bullitien
Odie

moterhead

Perry, one of the problems with calculating accurate fuel mileage with the 3rd gen Rams is poor tank venting from the factory. If you look at your tank, you will see a large hump on the top rear. That hump is very poorly vented, if at all. This poor venting makes consistent fillups difficult. The guys who trickle fuel in after first click off are filling that hump. If you really work at it, you can squeeze another 4.5 to 5 gallons in. There is a guy over on the TDR website who has a tank vent kit out. You do have to drop your tank to install it.

Here is a link to the thread on it.

http://www.turbodieselregister.com/f...5&page=1&pp=15

I put one of the kits on my '04. I've put 37 gallons in my factory rated 34 gallon tank. A complete fillup is easy now. When it clicks off, two more little clicks & I'm done. Very worthwhile.