pluguglyinhere

Well everyone may be right on the break in stuff to get better milleage. I have on 06 now since October and was bummed about the mileage also, I was getting no more than 12 mpg and usually 10 here in Iowa. I have 3800 miles now on mine and I am getting 15-16 in town regulary and 19-21 on the raod at 65 mph. I tried everything that everyone suggested and the big difference was got after i put the cold front on. I got that because the truck was so cold to ride in. I bouight the Cummins one (well worth the money compared to anything else) and immediately saw a mileage increase. I was shocked. I zip tied cardbaord on one night cause I was sick of freezing, and the next day I ahd heat and the computer mileage was going up. I have hand calculated and everything is on the up and up. So the next day the cardboard came off and the new cummins cold front went on.

The engine block heater did nothing but make easier starting no heat difference or anything. I run mine even with temps in the 50s, we had a couple of those days here and the temp gauge stayed in the middle.

I think running the truck cold makes the mileage problem. It did on mine, immediately after running the cold front the engine warms quick and milleage is up. My two cents

WACTD

Do you have a weblink to this "Cummins cold front" you're talking about?

Thanks!

HaulinBut

Dan,
i was sweating it when I got my first-ever diesel which as my sig shows is a 04.5 auto with 3.73s. I am a race engine builder by trade, and I had a bit of time believing what the wiser and more knowlegeable guys on this forum were telling me to do, but of course, they were right....Load it HEAVY and point it up something steep. I would add that I only did this for short bursts (maybe 5 to 8 second shots) but magically my truck started improving. The free Tone-Ring Mod (or buying the Rokktech unit), learning to drive these monsters, along with the other mods listed really helped. As long as I don't get racey, I pull down 20mpg hwy, and probably around 17 city. I am switching to syn. lubes, along with taking it in for a billet TC and Valve Body kit tomorrow, and when you concider we are pushing a big, tall and very heavy beast down the road, I will be even more impressed if I can get ANYTHING over 20 empty on hwy.
Give it a little time....I agree with everyone else who says they just keep getting better.
Mike

SolarExpress

My last tank was 747.1 miles. I hit the station right as the overhead hit "0 DTE". Took 31.9 at the first click. I tried to get some more in but for some reason the pump shut down at $75 (~32.75 gallons). Driving style can affect mileage greatly. When my wife drives my truck the overhead reads in the high 16's to low 17's. When I drive the same route the overhead will read as high as 21. I short shift. She doesnt, but that cant be all of the difference. I think she hangs in each gear for quite a while too, takes her time to hit the 2g shift. I really dont know. I'm always amazed when I get my truck back from her and the mileage is lower. Also, I took the truck to Louisiana a couple of weeks ago. 285 miles one way. The truck is not as impressive on straight highway miles. I still averaged about 19mpg between 65-70 mph, but I seem to get better mileage in the Houston rush hour traffic. Currently at ~14k miles.

xyzer

When I have owned 3 of them that would run empty and get an easy 20mpg(high teens new) 14 loaded you kinda wonder where this 12 empty stuff comes from! I'm getting 14.85 townish(not bad) MPG with 600mi. empty. Hardly worth checking much yet. As soon as I get my gooseneck hitch I'll do the pull method loosen er up then see where I stand.

tomm

Yes, many of us got suckered in by false claims of higher than actual mileage.
I don't think alot of these filks know how to calculate properly and the whole topping off the tank to the filler neck doesn't help.

WACTD

I can tell you this: I was driving a gasoline-fueled 3.0L Nissan Pathfinder that consistently delivered 17 MPG in mixed driving over the 114K miles I owned it. So far I've got ~2000 miles on my new CTD and it's already delivering over 16 MPG - and climbing. Keep in mind that my 3500 is twice the weight of the Pathfinder, can carry at least 4X the weight, and tow at least 5X the load. Yet it's getting basically the same mileage as my traditional SUV, and that mileage is getting better with every tankful.

CTD-owning friends with whom I spoke before buying my truck described what to expect regarding mileage and engine break-in, and so far they've been very accurate.

I don't know why some people are seeing numbers in the 9-12 range on a new CTD but my response would be "something is broken, get it looked at."

pluguglyinhere

I do not the part number is 82208646 from my dealer. This will help you get it more than likely. I was told at least 5-6 times no one made one yet. I took this number in and low and behold they do make em for the 06 and they had one in stock.

The cummins site does not show a picture, you can search this site for cold front and find some pictures. I tried to make one out of plastic, cost like 20 bucks, totally sucked. This so worth the money.

bluesurf

The crazy thing is my 03 got 17/20 right from the factory. Never better never worse. I did tow right away with it and heavy. I need to load up a trailer soon cause this 14 highway isn't goin to cut it. Not when I was getting 21 before. Can someone explain rokteck for me and where to buy one. Alos is this something that can be removed if I need warranty work? thanks

Sgt. Peper

I had a 03 3/4 hemi and it passed everything but a gas station. Put a heavy trailer behind it and it was dead and mileage worst. Got 06 3/4 ton 4X4 diesel and got better at 12 to 14 at frist. Now up to 14 to 15 mpg in town with 4000 on truck and 17 to 18 on the road. When I'm towing a heavy trailer, it has guts and does much better than the hemi did on MPG. I love this truck!

Bigdaddystroker

I too am not happy with the fuel mileage of my 06 4x4 1 ton duelly. At 8000 miles I am getting 13 mph per gallon empty no matter how I drive it. I had a Banks monster exhaust installed and a Bully dog programmer. It gets the same mileage as my 1/2 ton quad cab 4x4 with a hemi that had 17 inch 12.50 33 inch tires.

PThree

Ok, I've been reading about MPG for a while. My dad and I each have a 1 ton. 04.5 only he has DRW i have SRW shorty. Now in the city I get around 14.5mpg and 18mpg highway. I have 28k on mine, His gets 12 city and 14 hwy and has 16k on the clock. The trucks are identical except he has DRW and I have SRW. I still believe the MPG on both of these to be low. Both are auto and 4x4 Laramie's so go figure on mileage. BTW these are unloaded numbers

Backwoods

dan 1912 Doubtful any 06 mileage will compare with the others, thats history mileage IMO (ticks me off too). Wish I had the $$$$ not to worry about that, didnt have a rich daddy.

I spoke with a Regional Rep and DC is aware of the decrease in mileage from prior years. Of course they lay the blame on EPA, could be the reason?

They are aware of the compliants, more the better, and hopefully they can or will come up with a flash etc., if they can meet the emmisions standards.
Couple of weeks ago He (R/R) had indicated they are working on this issue!!!!

Someone stated, on another site, they MAY have come out with one this week?????? I havent had time to drop in and see the Service Manager, as yet to check.

I'm doing OK on mileage, not as good as others state, but location, conditions,
are all a factor. We have had some cold temps and it seems REAL tough on fuel if the temps are not close to normal. I have a shield, not sure if that helps, I'm told it will just keep the temps in normal range during very cold conditions.
The statement, it will get better as mileage increase, will need to improve by 25%, LOL, have my doubts. Good Luck

PourinDiesel

When I bought my 2004.5 I was getting 11.7-12.7 on the overhead.
I now get 16mpg in the city and 18mpg on the highway.

With my driving though I am usually around the 15.4 mark mixed.

slickr1

I just checked mine and I am getting 17 mpg. 06 Mega 3.73 48re. This was done by hand and it is looking good. 90% of the miles were on the highway.