Hi, I am a new member and this is my first time on here. My son purchased an 02 dodge diesel and gets 20 miles to the gallon so he says. He really likes his truck; my wife and I decided we wanted to buy a truck that would get good fuel mileage for our pop-up camper that weighs about 1200#'s. We purchased a new 05-dodge diesel; the best mileage that we ever got out of it was 13mpg at 65 mph running empty. At times with our little camper we only got 8.5 mpg. We have about 14,000 miles on our truck and the dealership tells us that according to our computer on the truck that we have averaged 11 miles to the gallon since new. I was told that the new dodges are getting poor fuel mileage? We are going to take a $12,000.00 beating but we are going to turn our truck back to the dealer. We feel as though they misrepresented the truck they sold us when they were bolstering of people getting as high as 24 to 26 mpg. I have been told that I can do some trick things to it to make it get better fuel mileage but then it would void the warrantee. If anyone wants a 05 with only 14,000 miles please contact me. What I am hoping someone can help me with is what year dodge diesel should I be looking for that got the best fuel mileage and how many miles is to many miles on a diesel engine? Should I buy an older 12 valve? Am I better off going with a gas engine now that they are getting better mileage? I knew that a 3/4-ton diesel was overkill for our camper but we wanted some of that 20+ mile per gallon stuff a lot of people brag about. Understand, We love our 05 dodge, way more power than we need, ran good, comfortable, we just can afford the fuel it consumes.
Thanks, Zig

 

I was faced with a similar situation a couple of months ago. Fuel mileage wasn't my only consideration, but it was a big one. I owned an 05 Ram 3500 4x4 Cummins for about a year and a half. I bought it brand new in November of 2004.

To make a long story short, I traded it in for the truck listed in my sig (minus the mods). I now get over twice the fuel mileage than I did with the 05.

I haven't looked back since.

 

I have an 02 almost like the 01 above without a bunch of the mods. I get 14-16 in town and at 80 mph, and can get up to 19-20 if I set the cruise on 60-65 mpg.

 

How you figured out how long it is going to take you with anticipated fuel savings to recoup a $12k hit? Unless you drive a huge amount of miles every year, it hardly seems worth it.

I don't know of anyone with a 3rd gen truck consistantly getting 24-26mpg. The only ones that even come close are the '03 and early '04 trucks with 2wd. Mine will get around 23mpg on the highway (55-60mph), 21mpg on interstate (65-70), but the average will drop when combined with around town driving. Still, it ultimately averages out to around 19-20mpg, so I can't complain one bit.

If you don't do heavy towing it can take 20k-30k miles before the Cummins will fully break in. I think your fuel mileage expectations for a 2005 with only 14k miles and light towing are rather unrealistic. If you have 4wd, dual rear wheels, automatic transmission or a 4.10 axle ratio that will reduce your mileage as well.

 

I get 19-20 with a mix of highway & intown. Best tank was around 21, mostly highway @ ~65mph. Towing 5k, I get about 16-17mpg.

Nick

 

Zig,

Do you realize how much fuel you can buy for $12,000? Trading trucks is insane if you are happy with the truck otherwise. My suggestion is to work on improving the mileage on this one.

First of all, your truck is not even broke-in yet. It needs to pull a few heavy loads and it will probably be broke-in around 25,000 miles. That should improve mileage 2-3mpg.

Second....you might try taking your truck to the dealer and getting a "Reflash" of the ECM. There are updated flashes that dealer can do that will usually help mileage.

Thirdly....you might try adding a mild fuel pressure box. That will sometimes help with mileage and also give even more power (not that you need it).

Some members have improved mileage with a Tone Ring Mod or Rocktek Sensor.

Drive under 70 or keep your rpms at or under 2000 and that will help mileage.

Maybe try running some fuel conditioner with your next fill up.



I doubt you are going to get 20 or better mpg....regardless of what you do. But 15 city....and 17 highway is realistic for a 7500lb truck with the power it produces.

Trading it out and taking a $12,000 loss just doesn't make sense when you are otherwise happy with the truck.

Take the $12,000 and go buy a used Honda Civic to run around in when your not towing.

 

Thanks for the reply, I think that is what I am going to do!

 

Yeah,hang onto that truck! I've got a 1700#(wet) Northstar popup on my ,99 and average 13.8 in town and not a whole lot better on the road. You've got great steering,brakes,which I lack. Get a used Accord like my '98 5-speed for a daily driver. I just filled up at Costco@$3.35 a gallon(ouch) and got 33.789 mpg. freeway. I just hope I don't get hit as its gonna be quick. No life support necessary. Smarty's going to be out soon for you guys and Marco's promising no "imprint". You may not have to be your own warranty station.

 

I am back again; I slept on everyone’s responses. I believe I tend to lean with Doomgaze. I think I should get rid of it and not look back! My closest town is 60 miles away and the closest major city is Billings Montana and it is 150 miles from us. We love where we live so we have to watch the money we spend if we want to live here. We have always had an economy car for the kids to go back and forth to school each day. It is 120 miles round trip for them. I still have one child at home and I bought her a Dodge Neon to go to school in that gets 32 miles a gallon. I am looking at buying my wife a new Volkswagen Jetta diesel that supposedly gets 48 miles per gallon. I hope I am not being lied to about that. I am paying almost $8,000.00 more for the Jetta to hopefully get an extra 10 to 16 miles per gallon. I would also hope that the diesel engine in the Jetta would outlast the gas engines. I have driven an old 2wd 84 ford one ton 6.9 liter diesel since it was new. It got me 21 miles to the gallon the day I drove it home. It was the best truck I ever owned. I should have never traded it off but my wife and kids would laugh at me running around in my old clunker and it would embarrass them to be seen in it. I know, I should have traded off my wife and kids.
It is not just the fact of loosing $12,000.00 on this truck. I didn’t get what I wanted! I could have bought another ford but I heard that they were only getting around 15 mpg, the same with a Chevy. The reason I went with dodge was because of the fuel mileage.
Now, every time I pull up to a pump it reminds me how I was lied to. Fuel mileage is very important to me and I want to like the vehicle I am driving if I am going to spend a lot of time in it as we do. My new dodge would have had a lot more miles on it had it gotten better fuel mileage. I didn’t buy it to just look at.
I have taken it back to the dealer 3 times for this fuel problem and they always tell me the same thing, it is getting the best it can get. I did get a “reflash” of the ECM and the next tank of fuel I got 8.5 miles per gallon. I took it in again and they reflashed it and it went back to where it was before. Like I said, they said their computer says my truck is averaging 11 miles to the gallon since new.
I know that I am taking it in the shorts by getting rid of it now but everyone that buys a new truck like this looses 10 grand when they drive it off the lot. The first year you take the biggest beating.
Do I spend a couple more grand to get a new exhaust system and a new air filter that will allow more airflow and a new chip for the computer? How much will it add to my 11 miles per gal? I noticed my right rear quarter panel and bumper gets black smoke on it. I pointed it out to my dealer and they said it was normal. I haven’t noticed it on other new trucks, which makes me think it is running rich. They also blame that the winter blend will cause bad fuel mileage, I’ve talked to others that say it only effects them maybe 1 to 2 miles per gal.
I live 80 miles from the dealership, add it up, at $3.00 per gallon getting 11 mpg it cost me almost $48.00 to take it to them round trip to see why I am getting poor fuel mileage. If it were getting what they told me it would get I would only be paying $24.00. I have already turned it back to them but we are both waiting on me to decide what I want to do with it. They also own a ford franchise and they said that I could trade it on a new ford. I don’t want a new ford if it’s only going to get 15 mpg. I want 20 like so many people brag about and like I once got with my 6.5. Maybe I should wait until they get a good used 01,02 or 03 in and trade down. The truck I purchased is a 4x4 and I really don’t need a 4x4 so maybe I should go back to a 2x4 if it gets better mileage. I originally wanted a 2x4 but they didn’t have one on the lot and they told me I wouldn’t save that much in mileage. They also convinced me that I wouldn’t save much weather I went with an automatic over a stick. I believe I should look for exactly what I wanted in the first place, that is a 2x4 with a stick and highway gears.
Am I thinking wrong? It cost me almost $100.00 to fill my truck, I look at that and I think, had I purchased the right truck it would have cost me half this much to go this far!
I know I sound confused, that is why I am hear.

 

You can look at what truck I have in my sig. I gets really consistant mileage, but it varies depending on where I'm driving. It gets 21.5 at 65 mph, 20 at 70 mph, and 18.5 at 75 mph if I'm on a road trip. I average about 17 overall if I'm really nice to it and don't go over 65. I spend almost all my time driving on the freeway and most trips are about 10 to 20 miles.
Before that, I had an 04 that got about 1.5 to 2 mpg less and it was broken in. Before that I had another 98 12v, but with many mods, that got about the same mileage. Before that I had a 91.5 (intercooled with overdrive) that got about 2 less than my current truck. All of the trucks I've owned have had the taller gears and have been autos. In all my experience, I have noticed that the 94 to 98 12 valve trucks get about 1 mpg better than the older 24 valves. The best trucks for mileage that I've ever seen have always been completely stock 95's, but I don't know why. Most people with those claim they average 21 to 23 mpg. I'd say your absolute best bet for fuel mileage would be a 95 regular cab, auto with 2wd. The 5 speeds don't seem to do any better in that year.

 

Zig,

It sounds like you have made up your mind. Do what you feel is best and makes you happy.

Personally, I think trading it off is a big mistake. ESPECIALLY trading it for a Ford 6.0 PSD!!!!!!!!!!!! Those things have 77 technical service bulletins out on the 6.0 powerstroke for all kinds of problems. By comparison, the Duramax in the Chevy has 8 and the Cummins in the Dodge has ZERO!! I am talking about major problems, not fuel mileage.

My brother-in-law has a 6.0 PSD and he averages about the same mileage as me......which is about 17 on the road....and 14-15 around town.

Mine didn't get the best mileage either when I first got it, but it did improve some and is still improving a little with over 41k on it.

I also notice quite an improvement now that the temps have warmed up.

Taking a $12 grand hit would not make me happy! That is alot of fuel. Your truck isn't even broke in yet. But, the 3rd gen trucks just don't get the mileage of the 2nd gens regardless, partly because they weigh more.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

Zig, there are so many discrepencies in your last post that I can't figure out what you are saying. In one sentence you say you have to watch what you spend and that fuel economy is the most important thing, but then later you talk about buying a new vehicle for your wife and taking a $12k depreciation hit on your '05 Ram. Something doesn't jive here.

It almost sounds like you are willing to pay out big money when buying vehicles just to feel better when you pull into the gas station. If you do the math, I think you'll find this is being "penny wise, pound foolish".

Obviously you aren't happy with your Ram, so best of luck in trading it in for something you'll like better, whatever that is.

 

Zig,

Do what will make you happy. But remember your truck is not near being broken in, and milage will go up when that happens. People seeing 26mpg are driving chipped trucks, and going by the overhead. A mild box, intake and exhaust, and a broken in truck will help get you closer to the milage you want...

 

[QUOTE=Zig]Hi, I am a new member and this is my first time on here. My son purchased an 02 dodge diesel and

I dont really know what ur prob is zig. Ive got a 05' 2500 with 4:11 gears and 35" tires and i can get 17-20mpg. 16 if i drive crazy.

 

[QUOTE=35" 05']Is your truck stock? maybe it is the 35" tires?