Diesel pickup mileage

[Kernopelli]

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?

 

[Kernopelli]

Well, guess I should spend a little more time in this forum I see from a recent thread that Chris is getting some impressive results.

"....I have a 06 Powerstroke F-350 4x4 SRW with bigger tires than listed above, 275/70/18. It was my stock size also. My truck will run 78 mph at 1900 rpm and with the Quadzilla chip, MAC intake and filter, and 4" exhaust will turn in 23mpg on the highway. It averages 17mpg between fill ups with some towing, in town driving, and some highway stuff".

 

[20 20]

My little NPR gets over the 20+mark per gallon.

 

[sldva00]

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.

I have the 98.5 model of the 5.9 cummins. The engine is stock. No modifications or chips of any kind and I get 19-20mpg city. I don't spend much time on the highway with my truck. I do have larger tires (285/75/16) rather than the 245/75/16 it came with. So in reality I'm sure I get a little better than what I actually measure. When I used to travel to Houston in my truck my odometer read 320 miles one way. No that I go by car, it reads 360 miles.

One last note, I don't travel very fast now-a-days. Even on the 10 mile stretch of road that is 65mph on the way to work, I still do 55.

 

[WH401]

If anyone with a diesel truck is getting over 21, maybe 22, then there either BS'ing you, or they have a one in a million truck. Being able to duplicate that number to another truck can be complicated. 20 mpg, can be about guaranteed with the right combination of features, such as a high gear ratio, single rear wheels, or manual locking hubs on the front axle (if it's 4wd). 2wd drives will do even better. But truthfully, if your gauging getting a 3/4-ton truck because you hope to get 23 mpg or more with it, than I wouldn't buy it. It's a complete misuse of the vehicle. If mileage is what your after than get a cheap commuter car. If you only want 1 vehicle then live with the 18 - 20 mpg figure and be ecstatic that an 8500lb+ brick can even achieve that.

That said, I get 20 on the highway with my 92' Dodge at about 70, and around 17 - 18 in my 06' at about 63 mph, (1900 rpm with a 4.10 rear gear). Both of those stats I'm very happy with.

 

[catskinner]

04 6.0 F250, I get 15.5 avg per tank, mix of highway/town no towing. Stock truck. Can get better if I can stick 55 mph.

 

[brain55]

But truthfully, if your gauging getting a 3/4-ton truck because you hope to get 23 mpg or more with it, than I wouldn't buy it. It's a complete misuse of the vehicle. If mileage is what your after than get a cheap commuter car. If you only want 1 vehicle then live with the 18 - 20 mpg figure and be ecstatic that an 8500lb+ brick can even achieve that.

I completely agree with this statement. I'm probably buying a new truck next year. It will be a 2011 GMC/Chevy K3500 dually with the Duramax and Allison. If I could be convinced that it could get 12 mpg towing 14K+ everyday I'd be buying one right now. I have 2001 GMC K3500 with the 8.1 and the Allison and get 5 mpg towing, so even if the reality is that I get 8-9 mpg towing with a new diesel truck it would be a huge improvement. Considering I spent $1000 on gas in July, nearly doubling my mileage would put a big dent in a payment.

Brian

 

[Storm56]

I have a 2003 Duramax standard cab, not a dually. Hypertech programmer running the lowest HP-torq increase, there are 3 stages but I have never needed more than the first, 265 tires now instead of the 245's. Running 70-75 will net an honest 21-22 on the highway and if I keep it around 65 I can add 1-2. Local driving is usually about 17-18. Towing averages between 11-14 depending on what I am hauling.

 

[kenmac]

If I stay under the 2000 RPM mark. I can get 21-22 mpg with my 5.9 cummings ( no towing).. I know guys with v 8 diesels that don't get this kind of mpg. My opinion is the cummins inline 6 gets better mpg's than the v 8's

 

[Diamondpilot]

Well to add to this thread some what do you call daily driving? If you live in Houston your daily habits are different than a guy who lives in a small town like I do 45 miles away from any other towns of any size. I can drive to work, 17 miles one way with only 4 stop signs and 3 stop lights. This is my normal route. I can take a slightly longer route that has 3 stop signs and 1 stop light. If I time the lights right I can usually go though 3 without stopping.

Now like mentioned before I average 17ish in both our 04 F-250 and our 06 F-350 SRW. Both 4x4 with chips, intake and exhaust. It will do 23 on the highway between my home and the in-laws (about 260 miles round trip verified over 10 times). My 05 Dmax 3500 SRW 4x4 averaged 14.5 when it ran and 21ish on the highway with no mods. My 08 Nissan Titan gets 14 doing the same route. It will only do 15 on the highway.

Chris