chase431a

Looking at buying a 1999 Dodge 2500 with a 24V cummings and an automatic and 4x4....what kind of mileage should i expect?????

going to use it as a daily driver and to tow a race trailer on the weekend and i am wondering if it would get better than 14mpg(mileage my current vehicle gets)

Mike D

Welcome to DTR.

Most 24v Cummins will get decent fuel mileage. I've towed with results ranging from 15 to 16.5 mpg.

chase431a

ok......we travel racing a lot and my dad's gas chevy 1/2 ton gets about 10mpg cruisin about 60mph on flat ground and about 7.5mpg cruisin into the wind goin about 60mph......both towing a 24ft aluminum race trailer weighing approw 6500lbs.....would a 2500 cummings be a good bet???? any problems with this year model and motor combo???????

Shovelhead

I get 17-18 running empty @ 70 mph on my dually.
19 or better if I keep it below 2100 rpm.


There is no G in Cummins.

1-2-3

I'm getting average driving, right at 20 mpg. Thats a 99, 2wd, 3.55 gears.

With that said,You need to include dif gearing into your calculations. The 3.50s will get better mileage than the 4.10's. That's becuase the 4.10's will raise the engine rpms at highway speeds. With the gears I have, she runs right at 1900-2100 rpms at 70 mph. I try to drive senisibly. I certainly don't ever get in a hurry to go to work each morning, and I don't fly home every evening, becuse we have alot of deer that get hit, so I want to be aware and ready. I'd rather be 5 minutes late for supper than spend $1000 on a new front end. Plus, I have plan to see the clock turn 300,000 miles. I aint gonna do that if I tear it up. I actually try to keep rpms a hair under 2000 to hit that 20 mpg mark.

I do have two diffrent trailers I pull at times. Both about the same weight. Maybe 7-8000 pounds. I get about 15 mpg as long as the wind is in my favor. Going into a headwind, and pushing it a little, economy drops. But for me, it's easy to watch the weather forcast and just leave an hour earlier.

Besides, I can't ever imagine ever leaving work too soon to take the rv down to the beach or the woods for a weekend, which is what I'm planing over Thanksgiving. (We're going to fry a turkey on the beach)

The 4.10 gears will be what you want to look for if your pulling trailer alot, and if your going to be in a hurry to get there. You'll get there with either gear, but the 4.10 will seem to have more bottom end torque when you pull away from a stop. That's not saying the 3.50's are a dog. My truck still feels like I could drag the house along without wheels if I want to.

If your set on 4X4, my guess would be you'd see more of them with the 4.10 gears.

Also pay attention to tire size. When you move away from the stock sized tires, you change your gearing. The bigger diameter tires raises the gear ratios. A taller tire will take that 4.10 to a 4.0 or 3.9, depending on the tire size. That 3.50 will be a 3.20, and so on. All that adds up.

mcoleman

I usually get mileage in the low 15s pulling my 4 horse horsetrailer or 30 foot gooseneck. And the truck stays in the 20-22 mpg range running empty on the highway if you keep the rpms down under 2000.

danimal1208

My 99 2500/4WD, all stock, no special gears (don't know the actual ratio) gets anywhere from 16.5 city to 20-21 highway. I try to limit the jackrabbit take offs, and keep my speed fairly reasonable. I have 125k, and have always been happy with her fuel economy. Gets better than my wife's Lexus RX300.

96_12V

Yep - do a search on VP-44's, lift pumps, and RE-47 automatic transmissions.

That said, it's a good truck, should get decent mileage, and will last a long time. Keep in mind maintance on these is more than a 1/2 ton truck (brake rotors cost more, for example) and it's best to plan to have 20% of the purchase price avalible for maintance and repairs in the first year.

Welcome to DTR!