On a recent(7000mile) trip from Oregon to Maine, on the way to Texas while in Ill. I am getting around 12 MPG, so I ask the guy in a NEW Cummins 2500- NY plates, pulling a 5th wheel similar to me how his MPG`s are.
Response " I get 20 towing and 27 not towing. "Wow, I says, I get between 11 and 14 at times, maybe 21 not towing." He replies "Only cost me round $80.000-but I got my Edge set on economy."
BS meter was pegged, I just walked away.
So there`s some truth in the(almost) everyone lies about MPG`s........................
Have you ever run into that kinda person?

 

yes and some of them are right here on this forum because my mpg is like your's 9 to 12 towing my fifth wheel 14 around town and 16 to 17 on the highway

 

I wouldn't go quite that far. We do have some members, mostly newer ones that try and exaggerate their mileage, but they usually get called out fairly quickly.

You also have to take into account terrain and vehicle condition. I average 17ish around town, and 20 on the Highway, but have gotten as high as 23 on a trip.

That's pretty typical for normal, relatively lightly loaded 2nd Gen performance, first gens typically hit a bit more, and you guys with the space shuttle trucks usually get a bit less.

 

I get 18 or so around town unloaded in my 1st gens.
Around here in the sticks, there is little stop and go traffic as there isn't even a blinking light in my town, just a few stop signs.
I can get 23 on the highway in my black crew cab with 3.07 gears and a 5 speed, due to the low RPMs at speed.
I have gotten as low as 12.5-13 MPG towing my trailer out west in the mountains with my 2nd gen.

 

My 2nd gen gets about 2mpg better than my 1st gen. Both autos with 3.54 gears. Both trucks basically stock performance wise. Modification can make a difference mpg wise when properly done. My old 91.5 5 speed with 3.07's reached 24mpg empty with plenty of power. Then it got totaled by an idiot. The biggest fibbers about mpg I've encountered have been pow'er joke drivers. Most duraturd drive usually complain about how bad theirs is.

 

I ran 40 MPG at 75 MPH with a 4.3 engine Astro Van one time.......


Bismarck to Fargo, flat as a pancake, about 2 feet behind a Semi.

My point is, extreme mileage is downhill, tailwind, or equivalent.

It's hard to beat a first gen Cummins when the pulling is hard. Mileage was down to about 11 at 65 MPH one time, as I was peeling siding off the Fiver bucking a 45 mph headwind. On the back flip, again with a 45 mph wind, but from the rear, I got about 19.

 

11.5 to 12 pulling 12,000# 5th wheel at 65 MPH. My previous '98 12v did a little better with the same trailer. I have never got single digit MPG with either truck and the '06 has never seen 20 MPG solo.
John

 

What I've found is the more a person likes their vehicle the better the fuel mileage they get. If I'm going to drive a truck and tow a trailer from A to B then it doesn't matter how much fuel I'm going to use, I'm not going to stop part way because I've used my allotted fuel for the trip.

 

My thoughts exactly. We've toured Canada when diesel fuel was about $4.50 per gallon, U.S.
John

 

One thing not mentioned is who is driving the truck. What is the attitude of the person behind the wheel and the driving habits. The truck that has to reach the next block first coming out of a red light will get lousy mileage. How about being the first to the top of the hill towing 16,000 pounds. Who cares. Let it slow down a bit and hit the right gear. Watch the EGT gauge - - that will quickly tell you how hard you are pushing it. 17,000 miles to Alaska with the rig for 5 months, total MPG which include towing and running single was 12.7 - - not bad for 24,000 total weight (OK, lay off, so I am 1000 over - - LOL).

Around town I average 19. Solo at 60 is 20 - 21. I do not push it, I do not rev it high rpm - - I am good to it, it is good to me.

 

I got over 20 towing my first rv. It was a popup and was exactly level with the tailgate and I guess the wind effects helped it somehow. The 5er and the 04 I probably got 12. Haven't pulled with the ntm 12 yet. I don't drive crazy especially when towing. Driving habits have alot to do with it

 

Why anyone feels the need to bolster their fuel mileage figures is beyond me. But we've all run across those who state outlandish results too. It just doesnt make sense, unless there's some unknown weird psychological issue or they simply dont realize that the overhead display mileage readings are nothing to trust, there is no gain I cant think of by telling someone you average a 1/3 more fuel mileage than everyone else with the same vehicle. Do people do this with other cars and trucks or is this just a Cummins thing?

That said, over the years I would say the general consensus for these year trucks is around 18-22 unloaded and 10-14 towing. The differences in those figures being affected by weather, terrain, truck setup, tires, driving conditions, aerodynamics, fuel, etc.....

 

My '01 with the Edge with Juice controller installed.
It messed with the factory MPG overhead console and would tell me I was getting 25+ MPG at times, but if you hand calculated it it was more like 18/20 MPG.
I bet this throws off several people...

 

Just had someone the other day tell me he gets 12+mpg towing his 42' toyhauler with a RZR on top of his Ford 6.7 dually while driving 65+ mph........

I didn't call BS as I figured it wasn't worth the argument.

 

I don't think everyone lies about it. I don't. Where I go and how i drive and how I maintain my RV and truck really contribute to decent mileage when towing.