RAM 2500

Well, Black Beauty just turned 90K. What a great truck. I've only had the routine maintenance stuff since I brought her home in June of 2004. She doesn't use a drop of oil and I change every 3K miles.

These diesels just get better and better as they age. On the way up to NH from NC on Friday I got 24.9 mpg running solo but fully loaded with winter camping stuff and some tools.

She's a keeper guys.

25 mpg gal its close enough to round it up.

thats pretty good, Glad you found a keeper. I like the style of the new one's.

Mike,

That is great. I agree 100% with the performance of these new diesels. I have an '02 Duramax. I don't get the mileage you do, but at 210k miles, I still get a solid 20MPG mixed driving highway/city. The engine doesn't use any oil and has been flawless.

You just have to love these new generation oil burners (fuel oil that is)!!!!

I'm with ya with the new diesels, I'll be glad once I get the truck back with the new trans. on board.

"She doesn't use a drop of oil and I change every 3K miles."


Schrowang - You are probably throwing out perfectly good engine oil. My owners manual says change engine oil every 15000 miles for normal service and 7500 miles for severe service. Check your owners manual. I know alot of Cummins owners run over 25000 miles between oil changes using oil analysis.

I'm still trying to figure out how you guys get 24-25 mpg.

My 03 used to get as high as 24.4 MPG (hand calculated - the overhead lies!) but with the advent if ULSD, the best I get is 22.5. I lost 1 mpg towing too.
From what I've read in articles, the DMAX is the mileage leader now and by a good margin at that.

kcnielsen wrote:"She doesn't use a drop of oil and I change every 3K miles."


Schrowang - You are probably throwing out perfectly good engine oil. My owners manual says change engine oil every 15000 miles for normal service and 7500 miles for severe service. Check your owners manual. I know alot of Cummins owners run over 25000 miles between oil changes using oil analysis.

KCNielsen,

Thanks for the heads up, but I'll just keep throwing that oil away. 3K is the number that I've chosen to keep my engine alive for at least 300K. Guy on Turbodieselregister.com just turned 500K on his. Oil change every 3K for him is good enough for me.

I use to keep track of my MPG every tank, but I stopped. I just fill it up when it's empty and don't worry about it anymore. I also lost some MPG on both my trucks with ULSD and that's about when I stopped worrying about the MPG and just drive it.

Earl

I still keep track just to monitor overall performance. If it tanks, I know something is up. I get 10-11 towing. 14-15 with my daily commute that involves 15 traffic lights in 11 miles. If I go long enough at 55mph without stopping I can manage 19mpg, but that never happens. I got 19mpg when I made the trip to Dallas, OR to pick up the WC in 2006. 2 stops - one bathroom break and one breakfast break = 600 miles and 9 hours. Never have I travelled in the past 9 years without a trailer in tow to get a good empty highway average except that one time.

My biggest problem is my right foot. The tuner doesn't help any either.

I firmly agree with Jetskier. I get the same #'s on my Duramax. I think the only high mpg's are achieved at speeds I can't seem to tolerate.

Treekiller wrote:I firmly agree with Jetskier. I get the same #'s on my Duramax. I think the only high mpg's are achieved at speeds I can't seem to tolerate.

Yeah, I know what you mean. But, I guess at my age it's easier to stay in the Granny lane and do 60 - 65 mph. Either running bobtail or towing I usually set the cruise control right at 2,000 rpm. For me with the 6-speed standard tranny and the 4.10 rear, running 17" radials that works out to around 62mph. When you go by, I'll wave.

on my '01 Cummins I get 18 - 20 mpg on a Canadian gallon and 11 to 12 pulling my WC. I always travel at 105 km/h. The only time a got into the mid 20 range was with a 60 km/h tail wind - I was pulling the WC at the time. I get suspicious when I hear 25 mpg's pulling a trailer.

WxTravelers wrote:on my '01 Cummins I get 18 - 20 mpg on a Canadian gallon and 11 to 12 pulling my WC. I always travel at 105 km/h. The only time a got into the mid 20 range was with a 60 km/h tail wind - I was pulling the WC at the time. I get suspicious when I hear 25 mpg's pulling a trailer.

Just to clarify, if you're refering to the orginal post the mileage quoted was running solo. Towing, I get 13 to 14 mpg.

Thanks for the clarification.

Somewhere I read of somebody putting 2 cycle oil in with the diesel. Talking to trailer transporters they indicated doing something similiar. Does anyone have information as to how much oil shud be used per tankful? My cummins is a little old and a lot of my miles are pulling the WC. Want to get as many miles out of her as I can.

I put 6 oz 2 cycle and 4 oz Power Service (grey bottle) in almost every tank. That recipe is after alot of trial and error and it seems to give me the best increase in mileage (2 mph). I used to use it all the time, but now if I have to fill up and don't have a bottle ready, I don't worry about it. The reason I use the grey bottle is because our diesel doesn't gel around here.

Ramsees has 187k on him know and he still purrs like a kitten.

jetskier wrote:I'm still trying to figure out how you guys get 24-25 mpg.

It is easy,,, just drive at 40 mph, down hill.




Our truck still gets 18.5 mpg empty and about 11-13 pulling the WC, but I drive at 70 mph empty because with the 6spd trans, 3.70 gears, 18" wheels, it makes 2000 rpm at 70 mph. I have seen 21 mpg once when I drove at 55 mph to Susanville, but I do not think it is good for the engine to drive around at 1200 to 1400 rpm.