First decent road trip for my Cummins.

[dodge man]

I've had a 89 Chevy with the 350 and 4.56 gears and it would pull 20,000lbs and get 23 mpg:laughing: Not really.

Don't worry about what other people get for mpg. Looking at what your were pulling, it catch a lot of wind. That trailer catches more wind than your truck, so at highway speeds, you have the wind drag of your truck, and then you have the wind drag of the trailer, that adds up to a lot of wind resistance.

Nice truck. I'm not a big fan of graphics, but I like the graphics on yours, and it seems to look just right on that color. Your driving my dream truck, enjoy.

 

[Rancher Ed]

Travel trailers are very bad for mileage (so are tall enclosed trailers). Being as tall and wide as they are they have a lot of wind resistance and then the flat back of the trailer creates a lot of drag. Unless you are pulling some steep mountain the weight an enclosed trailer will not make a big difference. More than likely you would get the same mileage even if your trailer was 2000 or 3000 pounds heavier.

If you were pulling a flatbed trailer with a tractor that was the same weight as your travel trailer you most likely would get 12 mpg or ever better like your brother said. Flatbeds and boats seem to get much better mileage vs a camper or enclosed trailer of the same weight. Just the way it is due to the wind resistance.

I'd say you have a nice truck and it should serve you well for a long time.

Ed

 

[rswyan]

The K&N filter will make a lot of difference - in the amount of dirt that gets into your engine. ..... Do some research on K&N and you will see they make a very good addition to any trash can. Dodge will void a warranty if a Cummins powered pickup comes in with oil consumption problems and a K&N filter.

What he said ..... :thumbsup:

 

[LD1]

I definatally think you should be getting better mileage.

The truck I just got friday is a 2005 3500 quad cab long bed DRW 4x4 Auto. So about the worst possible combination for mileage as far as the 5.9L is concerned. And over about 120 miles (70 miles freeway to work and back and the other 50 miles were a bunch of sub-5 mile trips to friends and relatives showing off) And according to the trip computer I am averaging 19.6 MPG.

It was at 17.5 with the 50 miles of short trips. Then the 70 mile round-trip to work and back jumped it up to 19.6. And that was doing about 75MPH both ways too:thumbsup:

 

[Marveltone]

LD1, don't trust the trip computer. They are almost always very optimistic. Re-figure your mileage by hand when you fill up, then tell me what you're getting. I'm not doubting you, but I don't believe any of the trip-meters.

Even so, if I'm not getting the mileage I should be, I'm not sure what to do about it, if anything. It seems to run real smooth and strong, and I hate drumming up expensive shop bills for wild goose chases that may end up amounting to nothing. I'm inclined to agree with Chris on this one and say it's probably just my particular engine. For whatever reason, it's just going to be on the low end of the mpg scale.

Joe

 

[JB4310]

I'm going on 17 years between 2 Cummins powered trucks but I almost never get to take them on any real long hauls, since these are service trucks and I work a small geographical area.

I always thought they would make the ultimate RV motor, just purring down the highway mile after mile. Can't imagine a better long haul, light/medium duty diesel. I guess that's why a very high percentage of the hot shot truckers prefer Cummins power.

JB.

 

[JB4310]

LD1, don't trust the trip computer. They are almost always very optimistic. Re-figure your mileage by hand when you fill up, then tell me what you're getting. I'm not doubting you, but I don't believe any of the trip-meters.

Even so, if I'm not getting the mileage I should be, I'm not sure what to do about it, if anything. It seems to run real smooth and strong, and I hate drumming up expensive shop bills for wild goose chases that may end up amounting to nothing. I'm inclined to agree with Chris on this one and say it's probably just my particular engine. For whatever reason, it's just going to be on the low end of the mpg scale.

Joe

I don't think it's your engine, I think it's your rear end, well, your trucks rear end. Probably have the low gear ratio, 4:10's or what ever they were then.

But that was an ugly load as far as aerodynamics go, look what it did to your gasser. So I would not be to upset with the MPG's

JB.

JB.

 

[Marveltone]

I always thought they would make the ultimate RV motor, just purring down the highway mile after mile. Can't imagine a better long haul, light/medium duty diesel. I guess that's why a very high percentage of the hot shot truckers prefer Cummins power.

JB.

I'll have to agree with you on that. The trip was very relaxing with the Cummins "just purring down the highway mile after mile," instead of my old gasser, grunting and screaming and hoping to make it in one piece. It was more than willing to do anything I would dare ask of it, which is why I bought it in the first place.

Joe

 

[Dmace]

My immediate thoughts on my current mileage tend to be that most people exaggerate, or inflate their economy a bit, or they go by the rather optimistic computer generated figures on the overhead console.

Believe what you want but I hand calculate every single tank using the same pump at the same gas station. Also, it's usually within 0.5 mpg of what the "optimistic" computer says.

The K&N filter will make a lot of difference - in the amount of dirt that gets into your engine. Do some research on K&N and you will see they make a very good addition to any trash can. Dodge will void a warranty if a Cummins powered pickup comes in with oil consumption problems and a K&N filter.

:laughing: Someone's drinking the Kool-aid today! :laughing:

I did change the air filter (NAPA Gold) before the trip and noticed that a previous owner had carved a big 6"X6" hole in the bottom of the air box (I'm guessing to help it breath more?)

Block the hole and get rid of that throw away Napa filter. If you seriously think a K&N filter will not work better than those cheap paper filters then go ahead and keep handing over money to the gas station. You WILL get better performance and better fuel mileage with a K&N.
I put my K&N filter in my truck at 25k miles when I bought it and now have over 110k miles. Every year I take it out, clean it and "recharge it". Amazingly, still no dirt in my engine. :laughing:

 

[PoorMansCat]

I did change the air filter (NAPA Gold) before the trip and noticed that a previous owner had carved a big 6"X6" hole in the bottom of the air box (I'm guessing to help it breath more?), so it shouldn't be starving at that end too much, but the exhaust is totally stock, as is the rest of the truck. I don't feel the need for any more power or added expenses on something I already paid $20,000 for. Would a K&N filter really make that much of a difference? Would the considerable cost of a new exhaust really pay? I'm a blue-collar wage earner who has to justify every dollar.

For what it's worth, I'm running Mobil Delvac 15-40 oil, tires are Michelin M+S rated highway tread, and we had about 1000lbs of people and gear added to the weight of the camper, but that's still only a combined payload of 7000 lbs.
. :confused2:

As others have said, Do NOT put a K&N or ANYTHING other than a stock air filter in your Cummins.... its makes absolutely ZERO hp/MPG/ Torque...
Only thing it will do is lighten your wallet more than necessary, and in some cases like the K&N, can potentially damage your engine.
Exhaust pays zero dividends as well, unless you have a plugged muffler or making over about 425hp, the stock 4" system is more than adequate. If you want more sound, add a Donaldson muffler, but remeber, it nets zero power or mileage.
The hole in the air box may have been the start of what is known as the"Home Depot CAI" while not adding power or MPG, there have been some that feel that it helps lower exhaust gas temps. when pulling hard in the heat..
The MPG computer is "consistiently inconsistent" as it was on my Chevy and my Ford... Pencil to paper is always the correct way to see what you are getting.
Mine is 3:73 geared and 4x4 and can consistently get about 19 running on cruise down the highway unloaded. I have stock tires and for what its worth, we do not see much in the way of winter blended diesel around here... I hear its a solid 1 to 1.5 MPG penalty for winter blended diesel in the Cummins...
If you would like a little more power and possibly some net MPG gains, look into a Smarty Jr. , set it on SW1 and forget about it..