Disappointing MPG

Well,

If anyone claims a gasser has better fuel efficiency than a diesel just has no "real" clue... A diesel burns fuel far more efficiently than a gas engine.. Second as another poster explained, it has alot to do with what terrain your driving, the transmission, the axle gears, fuel quality, what speed and lastly what your hauling (weight) A diesel will pull and hit a plateau with wieght, in other words, load a dually with 15klbs and it will get XX for mileage, load it with 20k and the mileage will be very close. Diesels love to work HARD! gas engines do not..

My 2001 Ram 2500 5.9 got 27 Hwy, it had a 6 speed manual.. My 2008 got 24Hwy with the 68RFE, my 2019 5th Gen is no different it gets 24-25 Hwy depending.. Now what was the big difference in mileage? EPA,,, let me say it again--EPA!
The 5.9 was noisy as were the generations earlier, the emissions were not that bad--if you kept them they made the 6.7, good motor but started injecting fuel prior to the combustion process to reduce noise (waste fuel) then there is the regen process--more wasting fuel...Earlier Gen trucks we could --displace-- the emissions "ehem" and see better fuel economy. Now its not that simple.

What we can do, is look at our drivetrain, your engine has an rpm where it will get the best fuel economy and its between 1300-1500 rpm's. If your driving down the road at 80mph @ 3200 rpm, don't be "That guy" and complain your not getting good fuel economy,

Don't get me started on the Morons out there rocketing down the road with an 18000lbs trailer at 85mph. If you are that guy, yes I will call you a MORON! 1. The trailers are not made to run down the road above 65mph, most states have a law that trailers are to drive @ 55mph, actually I think that is a federal DOT law, whether or not its enforced is another story.
2. You endanger everyone else on the road
3. Every force that affects your trailer and truck is multiplied above 55 like sway etc.

I pull heavy trailers (Gooseneck) and I pull them @ 55mph and I see great mileage! When I drive the highway with no trailer I usually cruise at 65mph and I don't do it in the fast lane

I will close with this-- Freight trains use a diesel engine to run the generators that power the DC motors, they require insane torque to get it moving, those semi trucks on the road getting that I-phone and starbucks coffee to the snowflakes uses a diesel engine too--why? Because if a gas engine was as good as people say it is pulling weight (and its not) all those would have gas engines!
Any diesel mechanic knows this, steering wheel holders do not!

Oh, if you want to read about it: https://www.cummins.com/news/2012/03/29/driving-better-fuel-efficiency

I agree with another poster. It’s winter wait until summer before you get depressed. I have a baby diesel and have gone from 28 to 21 in the last couple of months.

Most 2500 class trucks towing a trailer get around 11 mpg with a diesel engine as compared to 8 mpg with a gas engine in the same truck. That means a third more miles per gallon and a third more miles before needing to make a fuel stop. Most of the engine's power is being used to overcome air drag. Ford with its current trailing guide even provides tow vehicle specs based on both the frontal area of the trailer as well as its weight.

I bought my diesel 2500 to get this gain in fuel economy and to have better acceleration to merge with freeway traffic and to have exhaust braking for the downgrades. I knew that the total cost of ownership would be double that of a truck with a gas engine.

If one is towing less than 10,000 lbs in total then a 1500 class pickup is all that is needed. Diesel is overkill as is a 2500 or 3500 class pickup.

Fuel economy makes sense for a daily commuter where one is driving 50 miles a day but not for a truck. With the diesel 2500 truck I used it for heavy towing and heavy loads. The rest of the time I use a 45 mpg Prius that over the past 13 years has only needed new tires, new auxilary battery, and oil changes.

JeffLW said:

Received my 2022 2500 with the desiel engine about a month ago. My highway mpg is running about 20,but towing my travel trailer on level highway is giving 9.9 mpg's. This is less than what I was getting with my 2015 Hem 1500. I bought the deisel with the expectation of better mileage. Considering the extra cost of deisel fuel and maintenance, I think I made a mistake.

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Give it time for a break in period!!

JeffLW said:

Received my 2022 2500 with the desiel engine about a month ago. My highway mpg is running about 20,but towing my travel trailer on level highway is giving 9.9 mpg's. This is less than what I was getting with my 2015 Hem 1500. I bought the deisel with the expectation of better mileage. Considering the extra cost of deisel fuel and maintenance, I think I made a mistake.

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My 2016 2500 CTD started at 11 mpg towing a 10,000 lb Airstream. MPG has steadily improved and now at 55k miles I get 14 mpg at 65 MPH on level terrain. The 2016 1500 5.7 Hemi I traded for the diesel never got over 10 MPG towing the same trailer. There are many more reasons to tow with a diesel with the exhaust brake being a biggie. FYI a friend bought one of the Ford monsters with a 7+ liter engine and just traded for a diesel because he got only 6mpg.

Give that CTD a chance...you will be glad in the long run.

I have a 2017 2500 Longhorn Crew Cab. When I tow my fifth wheel (11,500 lbs) I average 12 - 13 MPG. I rarely exceed 65 MPH. This is an average for entire trips… mountain driving of course will be on the lower end. I’m in Ohio, so mostly small hills and flat areas. After you get a few miles on your Ram, you should easily see double digit MPG averages. If you constantly pull at 70 MPH plus, your mileage will remain lower. Good luck!

JeffLW said:

Received my 2022 2500 with the desiel engine about a month ago. My highway mpg is running about 20,but towing my travel trailer on level highway is giving 9.9 mpg's. This is less than what I was getting with my 2015 Hem 1500. I bought the deisel with the expectation of better mileage. Considering the extra cost of deisel fuel and maintenance, I think I made a mistake.

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Wait till you have to change the 2 fuel filters $$$

Dean2 said:

I showed you 6.4 hemi gas mileage numbers. Better by far than the OP is getting and not far off the best numbers being posted. Plus a lot of money I didn't pay for the Cummings or maintenance there on.

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You truly have a unicorn, there, sir. My 2015 6.4 wouldn't get that mpg downhill with a tail wind, nor does my friend's 2019 6.4 with ZF 8 speed.

Pulling our last toy hauler my 6.4 stayed in the 7.5-8.5 range. Same trailer with my 2019 Dually Cummins would just squeak 10 mpg. I hand calc every tank. The Lie-O-Meter in my '05 was absurdly inaccurate, the 2015 was consistently 1.5 to 2 off on the high side(naturally), and my 2019 is 1-1.5 optimistic.

tjfdesmo said:

You truly have a unicorn, there, sir. My 2015 6.4 wouldn't get that mpg downhill with a tail wind, nor does my friend's 2018 6.4 with ZF 8 speed.

Pulling our last toy hauler my 6.4 stayed in the 7.5-8.5 range. Same trailer with my 2019 Dually Cummins would just squeak 10 mpg. I hand calc every tank. The Lie-O-Meter in my '05 was absurdly inaccurate, the 2015 was consistently 1.5 to 2 off on the high side(naturally), and my 2019 is 1-1.5 optimistic.

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I think a real big difference is a lot of the Premium gas in Alberta, 91 Octane, has no ethanol in it. I get significantly better gas mileage on pure gas than I do on the stuff with 10% ethanol when I am on the highway, around town or hunting very little difference. Premium 91 is 40 cents a gallon more, about 8%, than 87 Octane, which has ethanol, so well worth the price difference when driving on the highway or towing.

JeffLW said:

Received my 2022 2500 with the desiel engine about a month ago. My highway mpg is running about 20,but towing my travel trailer on level highway is giving 9.9 mpg's. This is less than what I was getting with my 2015 Hem 1500. I bought the deisel with the expectation of better mileage. Considering the extra cost of deisel fuel and maintenance, I think I made a mistake.

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To me, its not so much about the MPG its more about the performance. The low end torque to accelerate solidly and effortlessly when pulling the trailer, the stability of a heavier platform, etc. I get well over 20 when in the clean configuration, and 10 when rollin' heavy tow. The extra few bucks in fuel is fine with me.

If you want better mileage, slow down. 80-100km/h, towing or unloaded.

Remember: Hills, altitude, winds, traffic, outside temperature, tire pressure and type, the lie-o-meter, speed, and the nut behind the wheel. They all have an effect of fuel consumption and everybody’s is different.

If it’s not hand calculated over full tanks many times over time, I disregard what anyone say ‘they get’ mpg wise.

Lifetime fuel ups of my former 6.7 vs. the 6.4.

My son has a 2021 2500 Cummins Night Edition CC 4x4 and his dash is reading about 16 with about 6000 miles on it. He has never towed with it and most of the driving is shorter rural driving. He has never hand calculated.

JeffLW said:

Received my 2022 2500 with the desiel engine about a month ago. My highway mpg is running about 20,but towing my travel trailer on level highway is giving 9.9 mpg's. This is less than what I was getting with my 2015 Hem 1500. I bought the deisel with the expectation of better mileage. Considering the extra cost of deisel fuel and maintenance, I think I made a mistake.

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That’s what I get in my 2015 2500 gas powered power wagon.

Cummins diesel said:

I have a2015 2500 Longhorn with the Cummins and 3.21 gears. Easily get 19-22 Highway and around 9-10 towing 15-20,000 pounds.

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I'm more curious how you are towing 15-20k lbs with a 2500 diesel that only has around 2000 lbs of payload.

You're WAY over loaded for that truck.

dhay13 said:

My son has a 2021 2500 Cummins Night Edition CC 4x4 and his dash is reading about 16 with about 6000 miles on it. He has never towed with it and most of the driving is shorter rural driving. He has never hand calculated.

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Dash evic is just a feel good reading. Often hand calculating will bring a tear to your eye for the low reading. The real give away to me is the reported mileage in tenths. Hand calculation would show a reading in hundredths. 10.4 even 9.52 hand.

sandawilliams said:

Dash evic is just a feel good reading. Often hand calculating will bring a tear to your eye for the low reading. The real give away to me is the reported mileage in tenths. Hand calculation would show a reading in hundredths. 10.4 even 9.52 hand.

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Not always. Everyone should hand calculate once in a while to check accuracy but I hand calculate every fill and it is within .1 accurate. I usually fill up below 1/4 tank plus the reserve tank so that's usually about 115 gallons of fuel. Even when I fill the main with 20ish gallons to fill it, it is accurate.
Now my old Ford, yes no doubt was a lie-o-meter usually being off close to .75 mpg to the negative.
Currently this time of year depending on how long the trips are and speeds it will be 13.5 - 14.8 mpg at time of fill-up. My truck unloaded is 9850#s. Considering it is a heavy duty truck with extraordinary capabilities, there is no comparison to a gasser hemi so I find those comments on this thread comical. It's like comparing a VW Beetle to a Porsche 911.
2 different machines with different capabilities and longevity doing it.

sandawilliams said:

Dash evic is just a feel good reading. Often hand calculating will bring a tear to your eye for the low reading. The real give away to me is the reported mileage in tenths. Hand calculation would show a reading in hundredths. 10.4 even 9.52 hand.

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yeah but his company pays for his fuel so he doesn't care what the mileage is and why he has never hand calculated but yeah it is likely lower than the 16 it is reading. My 6.4 isn't too far off from the EVIC reading. In fact a few times hand calculated was higher than the EVIC read. 2 fill-ups ago was higher than the EVIC so it wasn't because of the winter blend either...lol. But usually it's about .5 to .8 lower than the dash readout

I was pulling grades against a headwind in Arizona last winter. 8800# TT with the truck loaded heavy. Ran 80 miles like this and the evic read 6.5 mpg. I wasn't happy but then when I hand calculated I almost s***. Actual mileage was 5.5 Thats off by about 15%.

Riccochet said:

I'm more curious how you are towing 15-20k lbs with a 2500 diesel that only has around 2000 lbs of payload.

You're WAY over loaded for that

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