Hi guys,

I'm new to the forum here.. Live in MA and have owned a 2500 24 valve cummins auto; reg cab for about 5 yrs now. I'd like to upgrade to a 3rd gen and find a 6 spd HO like I was originally shopping for back in 02..(rare as hens teeth then..) Need that extended cab now and still hoping to purchase my first 5th wheel.

I'm liking the almost 22 mpg (empty) I get in warm weather with the auto with the 356 gearing and am wondering what to expect on the newer 2500's or for that matter I'm also considering the 3500 single (or dream about a dually, but probably not so practical?)

Can I expect similar fuel economy with a 2003-2006 2500?

What about the 3500 mpg?

I appreciate your help here... thank you in advance!

Dieselthunder00

 

Welcome to DTR! I feel your pain. I couldn't find a stick two years ago when I was looking either. Emailed several dealers. Luckily a friend of mine took a job at a dealer in CT and they had them. He doesn't work there any more, but I could see if he could help you out.

Truck in sig gets 18 on average. My last fill up was only 16, but alot of in town driving over the last 400 miles. It's all stock with the stock 265's and 3.73 rear. I wish I had the 3.55's.

What part of MA are you in?

 

I have a 3500 SRW, 3.73 and NV5600 5 speed. I might get a bit over 20 at 65 on the freeway. Get it in a 75 zone and milage drops to around 18.

The only difference between 2500 and 3500 SRW is some extra overload springs, so there shouldn't be a milage difference. The duallies might get a mpg or two less.

I think the 04.5 and up cat equipped trucks might get slightly less, but so much depends on speed and driving style that it's tough to do a direct comparison.

 

3rd generaton H.O. have a lot more H.P. (305 to 325)and geared shorter then what your driving now(3.73 or 4.10) fuel mileage is less then what your driving now.Not a lot less but less.They will tow a lot better then what your driving now also.

 

We have been getting 20 to 21 highway, summer on a new 3500 SRW auto, and 17 to 18 highway, Minesota winter. We now have 9000 miles on truck. Not broken in yet. No interstate driving around here. cdru

 

I appreciate your comments.. encouraging to know that even though the gearing has shortened a little, mpg isn't that much different.

What about the ride with the 3500 single wheel... my 2500 is stiff.. it's a truck.. it likes "stiff".. is the 3500 similar empty? I add about 500 lbs and that 2500 rides like a dream. I don't know how it would like a pin weight of like 1800 to 2000 lbs though. I read some posts earlier about the 2000 lb threshold.... that's got me considering a 3500. Haahaaa.. and my wife says:"first you had to have an extended cab.. then you needed a 3500.. now your looking a dually's.. (what is the world coming to, right?)
12pack: I'm in Woburn, MA
edru: how do you like your Big Horn??

 

i have a 3500 DRW SO , 4.10 gears , with the mods in my sig i have been avg 21-22 running 65-69 mph, and at 90, 17.1 mpg

 

The overload springs on the 3500 don't hit the spring perches until you have like 1300 or 1500 pounds in the back, so unloaded I don't think there is a difference in ride quality.

My 30' toyhauler lists a 1900 pin weight empty. Probably closer to 2000 to 2100 in real life. With the weight of the hitch and stuff in the back of the truck, it levels the truck out nicely.

Unless you are in one of those states that has way higher registration fees for 3500's, the 3500 SRW makes sense to me.

Personally, I wish I'd have gotten a dually. People's taste in RV trailers seems to grow over time, and the bigger ones would way overload my rear axle, plus duallies are just more stable.

P.S. Tell the wife that now you are looking at a converted class 8 semi tractor. Then she'll think the dually sounds rational.

 

My experience is that if you drive stop sign to red light - in town stuff - You'll have to be light footed to see 14 - 15mpg.
Longer the wheelbase smoother the ride - harder to deal with in traffic and parking lots...

 

When I test drove the 2500 and then the 3500 SRW, the 3500 felt like it was bit stiffer. Might have been my imagination though. I carry about 1000+ pounds in the back with my tool boxes and topper. The 3500 does ride considerably better then our previous F-250 Ford Super Duty. We just love our new Dodge/cummins and wonder why we waited so long to get one. We also tow a 30 foot travel trailer. It just so happened that the 3500 had the options we wanted, cdru