Patrick Campbell

My fuel gauge is broken. I fill up at 600 miles if I have been driving empty city or highway.

But if I go all highway at 65 mph I can do 750 miles!

I am very curious to see how this truck does pulling a 19,000 lbs car trailer.

Mike M

You can double your miles per dollar, move to a border town and buy fuel in Mexico at $1.77 per gallon

bekim

Since getting into the 30,000+ miles range, I get tank after tank 20+ mpg crusing my daily 120+ mile round trip commute. Usually I fill up between 600 and 650 miles and don't see the low fuel indicator come on. Now with your 4X4 and probably 4.10 gears (i'm 3.73 geared 2-wheel) I wouldn't expect the same mileage. The overhead on my truck is used for compass heading and temp. All mileage calculations are by hand.
The mileage is definitely helped by running the Triple Dog on Tow all the time.
The Tow setting is a timing advance and extra injection pulse.
Cheers
Mike
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chadwick

In my 01 on the last tank i dident even get to 400 miles on the odometer. i have replace my IAt sensor, AFE stage two, new fuel filter, i dont know what else to do. I am running 315 tires but that wouldent kill my milage that much any opinions would be great

89dieselkong

I was getting 19mpg average when I bought her, but after switching to synthetic everything (diffs and all) I noticed a difference. I also added a K&N filter and slowed from driving 70-75mph to 65-70mph. I am now averaging 21-22mpg with a 75% highway-25%city driving. I think the key for me is to just accelerate within a comfortable margin (I don't floor it from every stop) Even though I slowed my cruising down, in reality I only added a few minutes to my commute, and it is worth it for the extra mileage. I figure just drive it for what she is, a big 'ole diesel truck and besides, the more time I spend in her the happier I am!

J&L

Gambino
I have a 110 mile a day commute, drove this for 32 years, and the truck in my sig ,305/555 six speed,will average 22+ mpgs tank after tank. That is an average as this truck has put down some 23.5 + tanks on long cross country trips. All pencil figures and the truck has 55000 miles. The short road for me is I-44 and run 75 mph, max speed limit, with cruise on. I can use the mother road,old hiway 66 at 60 mph but fuel milage changes very little. This truck tows a 11200 lb 5er and averages 12+ mpg on the interstates. My previous truck was a '01 Dodge/Cummins 235/460 2500 QC 3.54 auto stock and on the same commute would average 19.5 - 20 mpg.
As some posters point out a 3500 DRW or 2500/auto/4.10/big tires/front brush guard/lots of extra goodies/city driving or heavy foot will not get the mpgs that someone with my hiway commute, no city miles, and a lighter 2500 truck such as the one in my sig. City driving is the biggest mpg killer on these heavy trucks.
Folks out here where I live that drive PSDs and a couple of DMAXs with some of the older 6.9 and 7.3 Fords are gettin' 20+ mpgs on our long commutes.
As far as miles on a tank of fuel I run around 500-550 miles and usually takes around 24 gal to fill. It doesn't pay to let our tanks get to low as sometimes its 55 miles to the closest fuel pump thats open.

JIM

RowJ

Also, If made at Lago Alberto Plant....last letter in VIN# is an "M" (just before final 6 numbers).
Had not heard about them being better made, in any way....How so?

Mine is also Lago Alberto...but without undercoating, as best I can tell. Lived with a vacumm pump leak for 6 months so it's hard to be sure.

RJ

toddbweaver

Well, to give you an idea that my mileage is correct my guage is just below 1/2 a tank between 1/2 and 3/8 and I've put 425 miles on this tank so far. I consistantly get 21-22 mpg's in the summer back and forth to work and around town. Having the 6 speed gives me a big advantage. I coast down hills, and when I can in traffic. My quad chip seems to help mileage some times. I've got as high as 24.4 last year on a summer all highway 675 one day trip. I have synthetics in engine, diffs, and transmission. I run howes and mmo mix every tank. My mpg numbers are honest. The quad chip screws up the overhead by about 3mpg. For instance my last tank it said 25.2 on the overhead but the actual was 628miles / 28.1gallons = 22.348mpg. Not sure why some trucks get better than others.

SSminnow

My Z71 got 13-15MPG........20 MPG in your truck

JAX

I just got back from a trip from Powell Wy to Jackson Hole and back and averaged 23.2 MPG in the truck in my sig. I just had the VP44 replaced and put the Fass on right before that. I think that made a huge difference alone, just having equipment that is working properly on these trucks plays an important role. Like somebody else stated, I coast downhills for the most part, and I only use cruise control out on the flats. Keep in mind that the speed limit on this trip varied between 35-55 mph for the most part (Mostly through Yellowstone), but I was very happy with the results none the less. I've noticed that I get the best mileage when I can keep my rpm's below 1900. So I will be looking for an aftermarket overdrive sometime soon.

BTW, I only run premium (#1) diesel fuel.

crossy

I didn't read every thread to the end but i can tell you that my 95 that i sold had EVERY tank full of fuel hand calculated from new , till the day i got rid of it with 200K on it and it was 2WD, CC with BD power auto and lockup converter.3.5 rear. the hand calcs were ALL recorded and the P/O who drove like a grandpa was showing as high as 21+ many times in the summer but i soon found out that my driving was far less miserly than his. then i found out that the factory speedo was reading about 5 MPH fast at 60, hence the calcs were to the high side. when i jumped up from 245's to 265's it brought the speedo close to true and mileage naturally went down a little. Everything done to the truck was done for mileage. It had a small set of aftermarket injectors (230's??) pump timing and quality exhaust mods and a #10 plate, every orifice was filled with synthetics even the chassis grease. I then put the 3GSK kit in with a #6 plate when i got rid of it it still got 15-16 everyday and 18 on a trip at 70-75 MPH- Thats it no matter how miserly i drove it. You know it doesn't seem that good but i wish the new 05 got anywhere near that good!! . anyway I talked to one of those knuckleheads this weekend that told me his 03 with 360 gas is getting 19. YEAH RIGHT!!!!!!! boy I guess I really wasted $5500 on the diesel option .
**NOTE*** these are NJ flatlands calcs.

oh ,one last thing the 95 got 15-16 towing 5500# and the 05 gets 13.5-14.5 GEEZ DC you were right we really did need 3.73's instead of the 3.54's. I wish 3.23's were an option.
I've been helping i guy I work with do his hand calcs on an 04 2500 2WD Hemi with 4.10's and it gets 13.7 in everyday use(mostly open back roads at only 55MPH) so i dont feel too bad about my daily 16 MPG.
I'm done :-), DAVE

DeaconWayne

I normally average 20 mpg. The wife and I were talking about this a few months ago and agreed that 20 mpg was pretty good for a truck that weighs almost 7,000 pounds. Then I told her that this meant that in 10 miles I had used 1/2 gallon. In 5 miles I had used a quart. In 2.5 miles I had used a pint. In 1.25 miles I had used a cup. 8 ounces of fuel to go 1.25 miles!!!

Looking at it that way, 20 mpg isn't all that great.

But - I still wouldn't trade my Ram CTD for any other truck on the road.

Wayne

RowJ

Wayne, I think you have waaaaay too much free time

I wouldn't trade mine either, and my avg hwy is just 18.5 mpg! let's see that means every 1.25 miles I use............

RJ

crossy

it seems as though the early VE pumped trucks and the 98.5-2002 24V trucks get more MPG. as i said earlier my last 95 was done mstly for the sake of mileage and the BEST i got from a tank was appx. 550 before the light came on and about 650 till fumes. must be that wonderful P-pump. :-) .
All i want to know now is how to make this 2005 get anywhere near those figures. :-( . DAVE

Diesel-Dan

I LOVE These threads! haha!!

I get a solid 17.56 average up here in MO. Back in Texas i got 16-17.....unloaded.

Loaded (NOT drunk ....but could be true!), i get 8-10 MPG

only time i ever got 20+ MPG was when i drove a '91 Nissan Hardbody PU around......and even then that lil bugger get 18 MPG every once and a while......but DANG good truck for a compact!!!! I wish i still had it! 5 speed and that 4 banger.....it would lay some rubber!