Diesel pickup mileage

[timswi]

I think I missed something.. or you are *looking* to find fault in chris's posts?

soundguy

Don't have to look, virtually every post has an anti-GM screed included. I really think he should get over it, as long as I have been on this site he has been doing this...

Full disclosure, he did have some hesitant GM approval to a 2011 DMAX review based on the specs. There may be hope for some balance on his side yet.:thumbsup:

Honestly, I don't take offense, it just gets tiresome after a while. Like the guys telling me my RTV1100 is a gutless pig. Whatever, if I want to spend $20k for it, what do they care, I like it...

 

[ol'oilburner]

I've got an 04.5 Dodge quad cab with 3.73 gears, Smarty programmer on level 5, 325/70-17 toyo tires and i'm getting 22mpg in the summer combination city/hwy driving about 30% city and the rest hwy. Our gallon is slightly bigger as well 4.546 litres compared to 3.8 litres to a US gallon which would probably translate to about 18.5mpg empty US gallons. I don't drive mine hard at all and I'm a little skeptical of the claims of getting 24/25mpg.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Don't have to look, virtually every post has an anti-GM screed included. I really think he should get over it, as long as I have been on this site he has been doing this...

Full disclosure, he did have some hesitant GM approval to a 2011 DMAX review based on the specs. There may be hope for some balance on his side yet.:thumbsup:

Honestly, I don't take offense, it just gets tiresome after a while. Like the guys telling me my RTV1100 is a gutless pig. Whatever, if I want to spend $20k for it, what do they care, I like it...

Plain and simple. I would have not spent nearly $45000 dollars on my 05 Dmax 3500 4x4 SRW if I did not think it was the best truck.. Truth be told I had just bought a 04 F-250 4x4 6.0 Ford and it was simply not enough truck in the suspension dept plus I was scared of it after all the 6.0 stories. The wife wanted it and was willing to give up her Mountaineer so I made the change.

Man was I wrong. I keep the Dmax 9 months, still have the 04 F-250. The Dmax was in the shop right and left in the 9 months I had it. It continually overheated, had injector problems, glow plug problems, ect, ect, ect. I took a bath and got my 06 F-350 SRW 4x4 6.0 and have had great service out of it also.

Anyway, I do not have the money to drop just to try something. I use my trucks every weekend for pleasure and during the week to make a living. I bought the GM because everyone said what a great truck it was. It was not for me.

Chris

 

[WH401]

Honestly, I don't take offense, it just gets tiresome after a while. Like the guys telling me my RTV1100 is a gutless pig. Whatever, if I want to spend $20k for it, what do they care, I like it...

That's the point, you like your RTV, and it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. GM burned him and he doesn't like it, so since you don't take offense to it then stop worrying about it.

 

[Soundguy]

Don't have to look, virtually every post has an anti-GM screed included. I really think he should get over it, as long as I have been on this site he has been doing this...

Full disclosure, he did have some hesitant GM approval to a 2011 DMAX review based on the specs. There may be hope for some balance on his side yet.:thumbsup:

Honestly, I don't take offense, it just gets tiresome after a while. Like the guys telling me my RTV1100 is a gutless pig. Whatever, if I want to spend $20k for it, what do they care, I like it...

Um.. if someone isasking for opinions.. and that's his opinion.. then??

Or is it one of those hugs and kisses kind of threads.. where only good opinions are aired? ? ?

I personally have a bad taste in my mouth over GM stemming from my yukon.. so bad that I hesitate to buy another gm product... every time I look at trucks or cars.. and I find a good deal and it happens to be a gm.. well.. it makes a huge difference in my decision..

kinda like a cat hopping up on a hot stove.... they don't like the stove anymore.. even if it never gets turned on again. IE.. I'm sure not every gm vehicle out there is the POS that my yukon is.. but... the bad taste is in the mouth.. ... just the way it is.

Will likely take me getting a superb deal on a gm, and then having -0- problems with it, and tons of overwhelming good experiences with it before I change my line of thinking...


and that's not brand bashing. I've had bad experiences with that machine.. and it gets good service and care... it's not even a lemon.. it's kind of more like a rotten perssimon with some flies on it and a few maggots..

now if you want to know how I really feel.. PM me and I won't hold back like I have been..

soundguy

 

[JIGBUILDER]

Retired now but I had a 110 + miles a day commute for over 30 years. My current truck is the stock '03 305/555 HO 2500 truck with the NV5600 3.73 axle. I can jump down on the interstate and had only 3 stop signs to get to work. The Cummins would average 21-21.5 mpg week after week all year long. All pencil figures. the best tanks I've pulled out of the Cummins was a trip from Woodward, OK to Fort Cambell, KY which gave a 23.7 going US-412/US-60 and a 23.1 mpg comming back I-40. Ran the speed limit both ways.

Most folks out here including myself need a truck so the diesel makes cents/sense. Buying a another small vehicle to keep up/more insurance didn't make cents/sense traveling such long distances.

 

[Cat_Driver]

Don't have to look, virtually every post has an anti-GM screed included. I really think he should get over it, as long as I have been on this site he has been doing this...

Full disclosure, he did have some hesitant GM approval to a 2011 DMAX review based on the specs. There may be hope for some balance on his side yet.:thumbsup:

Honestly, I don't take offense, it just gets tiresome after a while. Like the guys telling me my RTV1100 is a gutless pig. Whatever, if I want to spend $20k for it, what do they care, I like it...

ANTI GM? I spent 90K on two trucks I would have to say that was PRO-GM. Now for the facts which most brand loyal GMers hate to hear. Bran new the 2005 Durmax was an overheater ( look it up it's a know fact that 04, 05 Duramax's were overheaters ). When it was brought to the attention of GM corporate and teh local dealer they said "its' normal' REALLY NORMAL that a warning light comes on and says ENGINE HOT, not pulling anything and empty? REALLY that's normal according to the service manager.

No, No, No sorry two truck and 90K is my limit for any manufacturer. If I was smart I would have stopped at the 04, BUT BECAUSE I WAS LOYAL, I went with an 05.

Never again. I bought an 06 Ford that I flat out abuse, and only put oil and fuel in it, she purrs like a kitten and pulls like a mule, and when the temps are 120 degrees outside I'm freezing inside with the air on.

I babied those GM's maybe that was the problem.

 

[timswi]

I never said it was a hugs and kisses thing. Bad experiences happen to all of us, and I'll leave out the brands where that has happened to me. I just don't include them in every post I make, that's all.

It appears this is a completely anti GM thread, so I'll go away.

 

[Ken45101]

I suspect that if you want best mileage, a six speed manual tranny will do a lot better than an automatic. I know that in theory, modern automatics do great, but...

I had a '02 F250 diesel with the manual tranny. Consistently got 20-21 mpg even locally (hilly, twisty roads). I read a magazine review of the same truck but with the automatic and they got 15 mpg.

Sold the F250, bought a '07 C3500 dually with the automatic. Mileage dropped to the 16-18 range. Yes, I know it's not apples to apples comparison, but it does led support to my F250 data.

Ken

 

[Renze]

If I stay under the 2000 RPM mark. I can get 21-22 mpg with my 5.9 cummings ( no towing)..

my diesel -car- last saturday, got 25 mpg average when towing 5500 pounds at 55mph, and up to 37mpg when not towing

 

[scoutcub]

I would love to get 20+ but cursed with a dually 4:10. I can get 16-17 empty @2000 rpm. But, it's a towing beast and never drops below 10 mpg, even with 26K hooked up.....
Since I'm past the warranty, guess I can play with the dpf and mod the exhaust to tweak it a bit more. Maybe add taller tires, which I'll need to replace in 10-20K miles.
Liking the numbers on the new scorpions, but need to get my money's worth out of the '06......

 

[ITHINKICAN]

My '08 F250 gets around 16mpg on a regular basis. If I pull out of a gas station and reset the meter - get set at 55mph - it will show around 20mpg or even more - but I can't drive 55 I've gotten as low as 7mpg - 100mph with a loaded 26' Jayco Octane - headed to a Regional in Wortham, TX... we get around 11 or 12 making that trip all other times going about 70mph and stopping at Buccee's every hour . It's relative.

Funny thing is every morning I watch people sitting in dead stopped stand still traffic - it probably takes them an hour to travel 15 miles - I'm in the toll lane at 70mph spending $1.60 getting 16+mpg - their stopped but saving that tiny toll fee... wonder what kind of money their wasting on fuel... gotta be more than what I'm spending on the toll... plus I get to work early, get to surf the net, visit this forum... and enjoy a fresh cup of joe. :licking:

Just go for it. Love my F250 Super duty 6.4L Power stroke Twin Turbo diesel... regardless of the mpg :thumbsup:

 

[Soundguy]

I would love to get 20+ but cursed with a dually 4:10. I can get 16-17 empty @2000 rpm. But, it's a towing beast and never drops below 10 mpg, even with 26K hooked up.....
......

you think that's bad.. my F450 has 4.88 rears though i can usually get 10 mpg loaded and doing about 77mph .. which is pretty much top end..

soundguy

 

[Diamondpilot]

I would love to get 20+ but cursed with a dually 4:10. I can get 16-17 empty @2000 rpm. But, it's a towing beast and never drops below 10 mpg, even with 26K hooked up.....
Since I'm past the warranty, guess I can play with the dpf and mod the exhaust to tweak it a bit more. Maybe add taller tires, which I'll need to replace in 10-20K miles.
Liking the numbers on the new scorpions, but need to get my money's worth out of the '06......

I think you truck is a 06 so there is no DPF crap on it. None of the 6.0 Fords had DPF so that one less thing you have to worry about.

Chris

 

[Soundguy]

showing ignorance here.. but DPF?

soundguy

 

[jlsmith]

General Lee's new Super Duty got me drooling and I responded to his post down in one of the other forums and this started a personal quest for answers concerning diesel pick up MPG's. Rather than continuing my pursuits in his thread, I thought it best if I start a new one.

I have two friends that are claiming to get 25-27 mpg Hwy from their "older" Quad Cab Ram 2500's 4X4 w/ 5.9 Cummins' w/ chips and minor mods. They do say that this requires vigilant driving habits but that these are "their real world" figures. I have no reason to believe they are BSing me....but now I kind of have to wonder after reading responses in the forum below. I also think "real world mileage" interpretation might vary some from driver to driver based upon their habits. That said, I have a 'Vette that I can consistently get 29-30 mpg Hwy with if I drive carefully. I can also get 15 MPG with this same car on the same trip if my foot is "in it" constantly. I consider 30 MPG my "real world" Hwy mileage because I drive this car to work (72 mile round trip) often and consistently get this mileage with it.

My question is, what can a diesel pick up that is driven with a little prudence and not towing anything expect to get (MPG) on the hwy? The reason I ask is, I am looking for a used extended cab 4X4, (preferably) a f-250 Super Duty or Chevy 2500HD that I will likely be driving to work ....if I can hope to get 25 MPG ( or better) on the Hwy. Is anyone here obtaining this kind of hwy MPG from their diesel P/U truck? I assume to do this almost always requires installing a chip and probably other minor mods such as aftermarket exhaust for example? Anyone running these mods on their diesels?

I have a 2500hd 4x4 and i was getting around 19 mpg on the hwy. I installed a bulldog which adds power or decreases power depending on what ur doing and i started useing CA-40 fuel treatment and now getting apox 32mpg hwy

 

[Diamondpilot]

I have a 2500hd 4x4 and i was getting around 19 mpg on the hwy. I installed a bulldog which adds power or decreases power depending on what ur doing and i started useing CA-40 fuel treatment and now getting apox 32mpg hwy

32 highway is getting hard to believe. 25 is not out of the question but 32????

Chris

 

[Diamondpilot]

showing ignorance here.. but DPF?

soundguy

DPF=Diesel Particulate Filter. They are found on the late 2007 through 2010 Ford, GM, and Dodge diesel trucks. Dodge still uses it while Ford and GM went to urea injection.

DPF is simply a particulate trap. When it gets plugged the system injects diesel fuel and basically lights a fire to burn it out and clean things up. It was a MPG killer because it used as much as .6 gallons to run and could do so about every 300 miles or less.


Chris

 

[consaka]

I have two friends that are claiming to get 25-27 mpg Hwy from their "older" Quad Cab Ram 2500's 4X4 w/ 5.9 Cummins' w/ chips and minor mods. They do say that this requires vigilant driving habits but that these are "their real world" figures. I have no reason to believe they are BSing me....but now I kind of have to wonder after reading responses in the forum below. I also think "real world mileage" interpretation might vary some from driver to driver based upon their habits. That said, I have a 'Vette that I can consistently get 29-30 mpg Hwy with if I drive carefully. I can also get 15 MPG with this same car on the same trip if my foot is "in it" constantly. I consider 30 MPG my "real world" Hwy mileage because I drive this car to work (72 mile round trip) often and consistently get this mileage with it.

Speed is ALMOST everything. My grandfather got 25 with his new 1983 6.2 liter diesel van. I inherited it and my personal best was about 22.
Keep in mind when it was new the speed limit was still 55 and he would have obeyed that. After I got it speed limit is 65 to 70.
I fueled up both tanks and drove from Vancouver WA to Casper Wy. I believe that was where I got the good mileage run.
You drive long distances and with a diesel you can easy get that kind of mileage. If you start using hypermileing techniques you can get even better.

 

[consaka]

I think I missed something.. or you are *looking* to find fault in chris's posts?

soundguy

Lol maybe you should reread the bottom of chris's post. It wasn't a big slam but apparently he heard chris slip it in before. People get tired of that kind of stuff after a while.