Learned Some Interesting Things the Last 2 Weeks

[Dean2]

I took the 2021 2500 for a long road trip, not pulling a trailer, but well loaded with gear and travel stuff, it scaled at 9,000 LBs. I already knew my 2021 2500 rode and handled better than my 1996 2500. Driving it on U.S. interstates at 85-90 mph made it clear just how much better it is than the old pickup. My 1996, I limited speed to 70-75, even on really good road. It just didn't hold the road well enough to go faster.

What was also interesting is that cruising speed had very little effect on gas mileage. Whether I was doing 65 or 85, mileage was about the same. What did have a HUGE affect is a head wind. It could easily knock off 5-7 MPG. Off road in 4 Low it got the worst mileage at 13 but one stint on the freeway, with a 60-70 mph head wind, matched that.

Gas was from 30 to 60 cents a litre cheaper in the States, after exchange. Hotels and restaurant food were about the same, once exchange was factored in. Grocery store food was about 20% cheaper, and Liquor was about 50% less, all after exchange was factored in.

Here is the fill record, and conditions for the trip. The overall roll up data for April is below that.





Here are the updated lifetime stats on the pickup. To me this clearly illustrates the futility of the "What is your gas mileage" question so often posted here. Driving conditions and driver can dramatically alter mileage from one fill to another, let along overall.

 

[Lsujker]

I attributed a lot of this to the 8 speeds efficiency. My 17 before installing 35" tires averaged 14 to 15, 90% interstate driving at an average of 75MPH.

Quite impressive and thanks for sharing.

 

[Dean2]

I attributed a lot of this to the 8 speeds efficiency. My 17 before installing 35" tires averaged 14 to 15, 90% interstate driving at an average of 75MPH.

Quite impressive and thanks for sharing.

I think the 8 speed helps quite a bit, but it also seems like the Hemis have gotten better over time. My wife's 2020 Grand Cherokee with the 5.7 averages 20 mpg city and will get as high as 34 mpg highway. It actually gets better mileage than the exact same vehicle with the 6 cylinder in it. Mind you, it is also a bunch lighter and more aerodynamic than a pickup.

That said, 30 mpg on the highway in a vehicle with a ton of power. lots of room and a very comfortable ride makes me wonder why people drive tiny crap cans to get 35 mpg.

 

[KKBB]

I think the 8 speed helps quite a bit, but it also seems like the Hemis have gotten better over time. My wife's 2020 Grand Cherokee with the 5.7 averages 20 mpg city and will get as high as 34 mpg highway. It actually gets better mileage than the exact same vehicle with the 6 cylinder in it. Mind you, it is also a bunch lighter and more aerodynamic than a pickup.

That said, 30 mpg on the highway in a vehicle with a ton of power. lots of room and a very comfortable ride makes me wonder why people drive tiny crap cans to get 35 mpg.

What are you smoking?!?! Haha. Sorry, but no way in hell do I believe a hemi gets 34 on the highway. This is based on our hemis that my wife and I own. They barely get half that...on a good day!!

 

[rule18]

What are you smoking?!?! Haha. Sorry, but no way in hell do I believe a hemi gets 34 on the highway. This is based on our hemis that my wife and I own. They barely get half that...on a good day!!

He said his Grand Cherokee, not his truck. Aerodynamics, weight, flat road.

 

[Dean2]

Grand Cherokee, burned just under 3/8ths of a tank to go 241 miles at 65 mph, elapsed running time just over 4 hours. This was travelling in the Rockies in B.C.

Nuf said KKBB?

 

[CanuckRam1313]

I think the 8 speed helps quite a bit, but it also seems like the Hemis have gotten better over time. My wife's 2020 Grand Cherokee with the 5.7 averages 20 mpg city and will get as high as 34 mpg highway. It actually gets better mileage than the exact same vehicle with the 6 cylinder in it. Mind you, it is also a bunch lighter and more aerodynamic than a pickup.

That said, 30 mpg on the highway in a vehicle with a ton of power. lots of room and a very comfortable ride makes me wonder why people drive tiny crap cans to get 35 mpg.

^^^^ THIS!
Truck is the way

 

[CanuckRam1313]

Not trying to be an a_r/...s--e on this... but we have trucks for a reason... we either need them for our requirements (albeit work and/or daily lives)... and/or... we also have them because we love trucks and fuel economy be danged....

I am part of the..in the middle.. part of this equation

Respectfully... if I had to really be concerned with fuel economy I would have never bought a HEMI Ram truck in the first place, nor fill it every dang time with premium...

That's my $0.02....

 

[Tulecreeper]

Nuf said KKBB?
View attachment 541943

My 6.4 gets 99 MPG...coasting downhill with a tailwind.

 

[Dean2]

My 6.4 gets 99 MPG...coasting downhill with a tailwind.

Mine does the same, even with a hell of a head wind. Always makes me smile. It is what we used to call Mexican overdrive, shift into neutral and let it freewheel downhill.

 

[Wild one]

What are you smoking?!?! Haha. Sorry, but no way in hell do I believe a hemi gets 34 on the highway. This is based on our hemis that my wife and I own. They barely get half that...on a good day!!

6.4 Challenger,lol.

 

[Lsujker]

6.4 Challenger,lol.

You can’t fool us! That’s a Camry dash. Ha.

 

[CanuckRam1313]

Mine does the same, even with a hell of a head wind. Always makes me smile. It is what we used to call Mexican overdrive, shift into neutral and let it freewheel downhill.

When I worked at Cummins back in the day..... mexican overdirve was reserved for those special ones that took it way past the rmp limits on the N14 or M11 and launched their engines to next week
I charged them the "special" price for their in-frames
My techs loved me and comped me out accordingly!
Oh... the good ole' days!

 

[Wild one]

It is what we used to call Mexican overdrive, shift into neutral and let it freewheel downhill.

I did that once with a farm tractor as a kid,at about 30 mph the chloride all went to one side of the rear tires,and probably by the time it hit 35 mph,it was leaping about 3 ft in the air,only did that once,lol

 

[dieselscout80]

I took the 2021 2500 for a long road trip, not pulling a trailer, but well loaded with gear and travel stuff, it scaled at 9,000 LBs. I already knew my 2021 2500 rode and handled better than my 1996 2500. Driving it on U.S. interstates at 85-90 mph made it clear just how much better it is than the old pickup. My 1996, I limited speed to 70-75, even on really good road. It just didn't hold the road well enough to go faster.

What was also interesting is that cruising speed had very little effect on gas mileage. Whether I was doing 65 or 85, mileage was about the same. What did have a HUGE affect is a head wind. It could easily knock off 5-7 MPG. Off road in 4 Low it got the worst mileage at 13 but one stint on the freeway, with a 60-70 mph head wind, came matched that.

Gas was from 30 to 60 cents a litre cheaper in the States, after exchange. Hotels and restaurant food were about the same, once exchange was factored in. Grocery store food was about 20% cheaper, and Liquor was about 50% less, all after exchange was factored in.

Here is the fill record, and conditions for the trip. The overall roll up data for April is below that.

View attachment 541894



Here are the updated lifetime stats on the pickup. To me this clearly illustrates the futility of the "What is your gas mileage" question so often posted here. Driving conditions and driver can dramatically alter mileage from one fill to another, let along overall.

View attachment 541895

What gear ratio do you have.

I really love my 2020 6.4 with 4.10 gears.

It always surprises me on how good it is on gas compared to the GM 6.0 I had before it and a buddy’s Chevy 2011 2500.

 

[Dean2]

I have the 3:73s in mine. I ordered it that way as I see no point in lower gear ratios unless you are building a hard core off road rig with huge tires. At 85 mph in 8th it is turning 2167 RPM. That said 410s would only add about 200 RPM as that would increase RPM to 2377 with stock 33" tires. (Final drive ratio on the 8 speed is .67)

This info below comes courtesy of a post by our own Crash68.

This is a Dyno run so these numbers are power to the ground, not what Ram publishes which is power at the crank.

Found a Dyno run done by AFE for their 4" stainless cat-back exhaust.
They have the testing specs at the bottom, the baseline numbers are in blue

 

[KKBB]

He said his Grand Cherokee, not his truck. Aerodynamics, weight, flat road.

Oh, I know what he said...

 

[KKBB]

My 6.4 gets 99 MPG...coasting downhill with a tailwind.

Mine too!!! Just can't ever find a hill long enough to average that...haha

 

[KKBB]

Nuf said KKBB? Grand Cherokee, burned just under 3/8ths of a tank to go 241 miles at 65 mph.
View attachment 541943

Not quite 34, but if you can average that I'm happy for you. Just saying that the hemis we have had...2 durangos that are similar to a grand Cherokee, and now her 2022 ram 1500 limited get nowhere close to the 21 or 22 highway MPG that it says she should get. We don't drive overly fast or anything crazy, and are lucky to see 20 MPG highway.

 

[Tulecreeper]

Mine too!!! Just can't ever find a hill long enough to average that...haha

When I let up on the gas approaching a stop sign it always runs up to 99 MPG also, for a few seconds. And when I top a hill using CC, for a few seconds it will run 99 MPG, then the transmission downshifts and it's back to 15.