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Who says you can't get good mileage from a diesel...

2K views 15 replies 13 participants last post by  Centerline 
#1 · (Edited)
Finally home from picking up my new (to me) Dodge Ram. Its an '02 bone stock 2500 with the 5.9 Cummins turbo diesel and only 62K miles. It was an 1138 mile drive back from Huston and using the cruise control on the interstate maintaining 65-70 it averaged 21.7 mpg the whole way. Wasn't really happy about paying $4.00 for diesel but I'm impressed! Our 03 Dodge 1500 4x4 with the hemi never saw 18 mpg even on its best day. I know I will not see that kind of mileage when towing but for a big diesel pickup I don't call almost 22 mpg too bad unloaded. :D :D



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#2 ·
My buddies Chevy Duramax gets close to 20, but it doesn't make much difference at all if he's towing a car on his car trailer. Maybe you'll find the same thing with yours. That's a good looking truck, looks brand new still. :thumbup:
 
#3 ·
good mileage

I have a F-250 crew cab with a 6.0, I have a topper on IT get 22 to 22.5 MPG and I don't drop much towing a car on an open trailer.

But in the winter it goes down almost by the degree. at anything below -10 I get about 17 to 18. The truck has 135,000 on it, I never started getting good mileage until I had 70,000 on it.

By the way that is a nice looking truck.

Bob
 
#4 ·
Well I for one have never said diesels get poor mileage as for the same work done will better a gasser by almost 30%. I have a 2000 Ford F350 4X4 crew cab dually Powerstroke and 6 speed manual and it breaks 20 mpg anytime on the highway, same for my 2001 Ford 4X4 Diesel Excursion. I wish the Audi 4.2 L all aluminum diesel (weighs less than a sbc), was available here in the States. That engine would go into the Track-T. 326 hp and almost 500 lb/ft before Gale Banks does his magic.
 
#6 ·
Makes me want to diesel swap a 5.9 Cummins/ NV4500 into my OBS Chevy. I'v been eyeballing the swap for a few months now. only takes 2 donor vehicles and some conversion mounts.. Will need an engine eventually anyway, and I'v been leaning more twords the 6.0L Lq4 swap until now.
 
#7 ·
Did some math last night and the results were interesting. Our other truck is a bone stock 4.7 ltr. (V8) Dakota with a 5 speed. On the road it gets about 18 mpg. If I had driven the Dakota the same 1138 miles and payed an average of $3.50 per gallon for gas it would have cost about $20 more to drive that compact pickup the same distance.

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HotRodsAndHemis.com

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#8 ·
A buddy has one almost the same as CL's and with 5 speed and is getting 20+ even with some knobby off road tires the original owner put on it, mostly for looks. He has the original wheels and will be putting them on shortly along with some OEM type tires - probably top 22-23. I'm jealous with my 10 town/15 highway mpg V10 F350 gasser :pain:

Too bad the newer ones have been gagged with even more EPA mandated crap as they are not getting the same mileage.
 
#9 ·
Irelands child said:
Too bad the newer ones have been gagged with even more EPA mandated crap as they are not getting the same mileage.
Ain't that the truth. I have a 2010 F-250 4X4 Crew Cab SB with the 6.4L Powerstroke and the best I can get around town is 14MPG. It's about the same when pulling a 20ft enclosed car trailer. If I could take the DPF off and not get a ticket, I know the fuel mileage would improve. I've heard a few stories of the LEOs checking for the DPF when they pull you over for any other infraction and if it's not there, they just add to the ticket. :(
 
#11 ·
killerformula said:
Is the truck a manual shift or an automatic? That's great mileage, a friend of mine has a nearly identical truck and uses it for his primary vehicle its mileage is so good.

K
Automatic 2wd
 
#13 ·
If ya "tweak it " a tad, it'll even do better
My 05 4x4 gets 18.5 around town & 22,5 on the road
Even though it ain't in 4wd it's still turnin the gear.
36" tall tires,6" sewer pipe xhaust, fresh air intake and a programer (Bullydog)
In the recent move to OK(1000 miles), towing a LOADED (14000 lbs) trailer
it got 18.6 mpg, runnin @ 75 all the way.
Not too shabby.
A few tweaks and that 2wd will get 26 no problem.
 
#15 ·
ford 7.3

My 01 ford 7.3 doesn't like cold weather, hard to start unless it's been plugged in all night. and 4 gallons of oil and a $ 10 oil filter. glow plugs and injector work is expensive. Sometimes I think I should have bought a medium size peterbuilt to pull My backhoe around and renewed my CDL. But the ford is quieter and nicer to drive than a medium pete. And I use the 4 wheel drive a lot on the Farm.
 
#16 ·
Ford and Chevy diesels are quieter for sure, however I kind of like listening to the Cummins purr down the road. Its been so long since I had a daily driver that I could hear run its actually a little exciting.

There is probably a fresh air intake system and exhaust improvements in the future but before any computer tweaking I intend to replace the fuel lift pump as this is an inexpensive but critical part that can fail and cost you a lot of $$$. It provides fuel to the injection pump and if the fuel lift pump fails the injection pump will not have enough fuel to cool itself and that's a $1200 part. So before any "tweaking" an aftermarket FASS fuel lift pump will go in with larger fuel lines and a fuel pressure gauge. Just a little insurance since the fuel lift pump weakness is the only real problem I've been able to find when researching Dodge diesels of this vintage.

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