Diesel truck with best MPG

[forgeblast]

Doesn't help. The stuff bubbles and holds salt and moisture against the metal. Oiling twice a year and pressure washing salt and mud out of crevices will get a chassis to 15-20 years instead of 10-15 years. This still leaves items like rotten brake and fuel lines. Rusted through rear diff coves, fuel tanks or oil pans. Any work starts to require a torch or penetrating oil to reduce the number of twisted off fasteners.

Thanks for the info, It will keep me from wasting money!

 

[dieselcrazy]

I think as far as best mpg would be the first gen. Dodge cummins '92 - '97, and some in '98, 12 valve 5.9 liter. I've owned a 93 4x4 regular cab 5 speed with wide oversized tires, ran a tank through and checked it running 65 - 70 mph and got 24 mpg. Engine was stock.. I owned a '98 4x4 automatic 24 valve quad cab that best averaged 18 mpg. Owned a '99 4x4 5 speed quad cab, 18 mpg,, put a chip, intake, exhaust on, & on hi setting, still 18 mpg (normal driving). Owned a '06 4x4 automatic mega-cab stock, and normal to easy driving saw 16 to 18 mpg.. All Dodge w/ the cummins. My grandpa had a 2 wheel drive '93 or last year of the first gen. dodge WITH the overdrive, and saw 26 mpg driving from AL. down to FL. to buy a light airplane (empty) , and towing a light trailer that came with the airplane back to AL. checked a tank of fuel at 24 mpg! - this truck had less than 20,000 miles on it. My '93 4x4 had 250,000 miles. -sold only because manual trans. needed rebuild & stiff ride, -wish now I would have kept ... '06 vw auto Jetta diesel 40 to 45 mpg... '01 vw manual 5 spd.Jetta diesel 38 to 45 mpg., -tuned up...

 

[3v0]

Obviously there are parts of the country with little rain and no salt on the roads in the winter. Older trucks from these areas do not have issues with rust esp frame rust.

I have an 78 F150 Colorado truck and the only rust is above the rear wheel arches.

 

[alaskakubota]

When people say they pull 20,000 lbs and get 15 mpg on here i discredit the whole statement. Not going to happen unless coasting. I think most people that own these beasts see 17 +/-1 most of the time. Sure you might hit 20mpg for a 5 mile staight away. I know I cant make it a whole tank without towing anything, but looking at my lie o meter on my 07 5.9 cummins, I see 18ish and I know that is off by a few. ANd it aint reading low! I have 6 speed manual and a gear vendors overdrive. My 02 got around the same, my 98 12 valve got around the same, and my 97 7.3 was real close to that as well. Pulling 24,000 lbs I see 9. I need the secret recipe of getting 15 pulling 20,000 as I will change my style. Pulling enclosed trailer I get 10 which is 27' but high. I used a buddy's 07 duramax (lost cylinder #6 on stock truck at 87,000 miles and out of warranty) and I got the same mileage as my dodge. THey all are close. I just ordered a 13 5500 and I plan on getting 13 average. Cant compare against 2500 but dont read all the hype. Some one said 74mph, and 24 or 25 mpg. WHatever!!!!!!

 

[sd455dan]

OK for sake of argument I will you the 400 =800 argument (especially since I saw the same argument stolen from another site). But while you are running twice the rpm to do the same work, I am putting less wear on my engine because it isn't turning nearly as many times.


Regardless, I like my diesel. I didn't say you had to.

There is something missing here, about how torque moves vehicles not horsepower, You can have torque without horsepower but you can't have horsepower without torque because horsepower is just a mathematical derivative of the torque and rpm


( resultant moment of Force applied at a distance ) twisting force , the ability to move heavy objects from a dead stop. Take that equalizing equation, if the object takes all of the torque to get it moving, I can hear that gas engine revving twice as high, to get the horsepower and totally smoking the clutch trying to get the weight to start moving due to lack of low rpm torque.... or an automatic equipped gas engine barely moving the load because the gas engine isn't to it's torque peak so it stalls the converter and and doesn't have the torque to pull the RPMs up to get the load moving if it is not geared low enough.
.
Now I know this is an extreme example but there are cases where this has occurred, Diesels have an advantage in this respect... I guess one of the easiest ways to understand the way the vehicles act (feel) when moving heavy loads, is to actually pull a heavy trailer with two mathematically matched by horsepower, gas and diesel trucks.

Once most people have pulled the same heavy trailer with the gas verses diesel- differences become obvious... now if you only tow once in a while and only over short /medium distances, gas is the way to go....:2cents:

 

[sd455dan]

I think as far as best mpg would be the first gen. Dodge cummins '92 - '97, and some in '98, 12 valve 5.9 liter. I've owned a 93 4x4 regular cab 5 speed with wide oversized tires, ran a tank through and checked it running 65 - 70 mph and got 24 mpg. Engine was stock.. I owned a '98 4x4 automatic 24 valve quad cab that best averaged 18 mpg. Owned a '99 4x4 5 speed quad cab, 18 mpg,, put a chip, intake, exhaust on, & on hi setting, still 18 mpg (normal driving). Owned a '06 4x4 automatic mega-cab stock, and normal to easy driving saw 16 to 18 mpg.. All Dodge w/ the cummins. My grandpa had a 2 wheel drive '93 or last year of the first gen. dodge WITH the overdrive, and saw 26 mpg driving from AL. down to FL. to buy a light airplane (empty) , and towing a light trailer that came with the airplane back to AL. checked a tank of fuel at 24 mpg! - this truck had less than 20,000 miles on it. My '93 4x4 had 250,000 miles. -sold only because manual trans. needed rebuild & stiff ride, -wish now I would have kept ... '06 vw auto Jetta diesel 40 to 45 mpg... '01 vw manual 5 spd.Jetta diesel 38 to 45 mpg., -tuned up...

My 03 3500 H.O. Cummins Quad Cab short box SRW 4x4 NV5600 3.73 axles
Used to be driven 3000 miles one way, empty it could consistantly get 22 MPG hand figured on these trips...but I believe the #s are special as far as common rails are concerned because of these features of the HPCR 2003
1) Non EGR, (no in cylinder egr cam either)
2) No catalytic converter
3) No dpf-or regen
4) No extra injection events compared to later versions
5) H.O. 305 hp 555lbs. torque not sure if the high output helps mileage or not - but that is how the truck is equipped

I believe they also changed the pistons, head, turbo and made other (improvements?) the following years, would love the extra HP and torque - but not if I have to give up any mileage to get it-Have read multiple sources stating that installing hubs on the front axle that can be free wheeled is worth 1.5 mpg, and tuner maybe another 1.5mpg should be able to get 25 empty hiway at say 62 mph ... plausibly When funds permit the MPG improvers. Maybe other years are better but 22 empty at 62 mph hiway and ONLY hiway is excellent imo The lie O meter reads +- 28+ cruising on level ground at just over 60 when the hand figured mileage comes out at 22

My vote for the common rails would be the above combo, but with 2 wheel drive and 3.42 or 3.23 axle if available...?? The first gens may still be the ultimate ticket ...mileage wise

I do wonder what can be wrung out of the new Dodge 1500 that is rated at 25mpg with a few mods- as far as unloaded hiway mileage???

 

[CliffordK]

Don't forget the 80/81/82 Diesel VW Caddy Pickups.

A bit smaller than some of the others, but it is hard to beat 45 MPG or so in a pickup.

 

[newbury]

Don't forget the 80/81/82 Diesel VW Caddy Pickups.

A bit smaller than some of the others, but it is hard to beat 45 MPG or so in a pickup.

It's not hard to beat if you don't have to carry anything.

One of the problems with them, besides the incredibly small cab, was their load capability about 1,000 lbs MAX, that includes 250lbs for me.

I owned a '79 VW Rabbit diesel, on one 400 mile trip, lightly loaded, it got 65 mpg. It usually got about 50 around town. But it had half or less the carrying capacity of my '09 VW JSW TDI which has gotten 47mpg.

I like the carrying capacity of my dually (about 2 tons plus) and the MPG of my TDI, they both have their place.

 

[Raspy]

My 03 3500 H.O. Cummins Quad Cab short box SRW 4x4 NV5600 3.73 axles
Used to be driven 3000 miles one way, empty it could consistantly get 22 MPG hand figured on these trips...but I believe the #s are special as far as common rails are concerned because of these features of the HPCR 2003
1) Non EGR, (no in cylinder egr cam either)
2) No catalytic converter
3) No dpf-or regen
4) No extra injection events compared to later versions
5) H.O. 305 hp 555lbs. torque not sure if the high output helps mileage or not - but that is how the truck is equipped

I believe they also changed the pistons, head, turbo and made other (improvements?) the following years, would love the extra HP and torque - but not if I have to give up any mileage to get it-Have read multiple sources stating that installing hubs on the front axle that can be free wheeled is worth 1.5 mpg, and tuner maybe another 1.5mpg should be able to get 25 empty hiway at say 62 mph ... plausibly When funds permit the MPG improvers. Maybe other years are better but 22 empty at 62 mph hiway and ONLY hiway is excellent imo The lie O meter reads +- 28+ cruising on level ground at just over 60 when the hand figured mileage comes out at 22

My vote for the common rails would be the above combo, but with 2 wheel drive and 3.42 or 3.23 axle if available...?? The first gens may still be the ultimate ticket ...mileage wise

I do wonder what can be wrung out of the new Dodge 1500 that is rated at 25mpg with a few mods- as far as unloaded hiway mileage???

I have an '04 305/555. These seem to be the best of the common rail for mileage and better than the 04.5 and later models.
I have a Smarty on mine that allowed me to advance the timing and it did help the mileage.
I also have Dynatrac free spin hubs and have seen no mileage increase with them. The 1.5 MPG increase just isn't there.

 

[dodge man]

My truck is also a 305/555 04. They are often called an early 04 as they were made before Jan. 1, 2004. They actually do have an extra injection event, they have two. I was able to haul down 15 mpg towing a 6000 lb trailer with a car on it a couple of weeks ago. I was surprised it was that good.