Fuel Mileage

I have a 2016 6.4l 2500 RAM, I have no clue what rear end I have. I am getting 7.1 to 7.5 mpg by the dash panel. I have hooked up to the OBD and no codes are present. Is this normal for this truck? Are there ways to tune truck like a diesel?

You need to hand calculate it to be sure of the MPG. The readout is notoriously inaccurate. Any mods? Lift kits, big tires, etc? Is this towing or not?

Is that mileage City or Hwy mileage, also the control of your right foot has a lot to do with good or bad fuel mileage, like jejb said above big tires, lift kits etc. can hurt fuel mileage...

MDADDYRABBIT said:

I have a 2016 6.4l 2500 RAM, I have no clue what rear end I have. I am getting 7.1 to 7.5 mpg by the dash panel. I have hooked up to the OBD and no codes are present. Is this normal for this truck? Are there ways to tune truck like a diesel?

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That's bad.

That is towing into a headwind mpg.

Should be about
City 13 ish

Highway 17 ish

If that is just driving and not towing, that is BAD. Something is wrong.

Ive had a 16 2500 6.4 power wagon since brand new. Never once saw over 13mpg average. Usually always around 11-12. I do get into the single digits like that when towing our 8000 pound camper, but even then its usually around 8-9 mpg.

I get about 12 MPG in town and 16-16.5 highway. My truck has 4.10's. We got 8.5 towing my sons 8100lb TT so something is off with yours. Bigger tires, lift kit and heavy foot will kill MPG

I would try hand calculating it and then also resetting the fuel mileage on the dash. Have you had this truck since new and it just started or did you just get the truck recently?

if you put larger than stock tires on, make sure your speedo is calibrated to your tire size. If it is not, then both the computer and hand calculations will be wrong.

According to Fuelly with hundreds of 6.4L owners logging millions of miles, your end of tank calculation should be around 12 mpg.

My wife drives it 4 miles a day to work and back in town. It has a leveling kit on it with P305x 20 tires. I get 8.3 mpg with truck and 7mpg pulling 8500 pound RV

MDADDYRABBIT said:

My wife drives it 4 miles a day to work and back in town. It has a leveling kit on it with P305x 20 tires. I get 8.3 mpg with truck and 7mpg pulling 8500 pound RV

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For that type of driving your mpg is probably about right. I averaged around ~12 at best combined empty highway and city driving with mine. Short trips around town only would probably be around ~8.

These trucks are pretty fine tuned from the factory, there is not going to be any miracle cure to get you better mpg. Lower the truck back down and go with a small (factory size) street tire will be your best bet

.

MDADDYRABBIT said:

My wife drives it 4 miles a day to work and back in town. It has a leveling kit on it with P305x 20 tires. I get 8.3 mpg with truck and 7mpg pulling 8500 pound RV

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This is why your mileage is so low. I recommend finding a different vehicle to drive such a short distance - you aren't even heating up your catalytic converter with that short of a drive, and you'll be replacing it in short order when it clogs.

Nothing but short drives isn't good for any vehicle, really.

2003F350 said:

This is why your mileage is so low. I recommend finding a different vehicle to drive such a short distance - you aren't even heating up your catalytic converter with that short of a drive, and you'll be replacing it in short order when it clogs.

Nothing but short drives isn't good for any vehicle, really.

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Yea like a bicycle with a basket on the front. Better yet, an electric car.
When I first read your post my thought is you had a problem but that short of a distance is a killer. You Barely get to idle rpm on a cold day. Not great for any vehicle.

Lsujker said:

Yea like a bicycle with a basket on the front. Better yet, an electric car.
When I first read your post my thought is you had a problem but that short of a distance is a killer. You Barely get to idle rpm on a cold day. Not great for any vehicle.

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Actually, it sounds like his wife is EXACTLY the kind of person who could do an electric car. Short commute, so it doesn't discharge much every day, could probably go a week or more on a single charge, no emissions to screw up with short trips...It would be a good vehicle for that application.

Is the cost offset worth it? That would be for them to determine.

please no, a wife who chooses to drive a heavy duty pickup is a wonderful thing. The way things are looking with electric vehicles and the brainwashing the kids are getting, she may very well be the last of her kind. With that short tripping I’d change the oil at 60% or possible sooner, the oil never getting warm 5 days a week is taking a beating. Maybe an engine block heater to help the truck get to temp, I added mine and it wasn’t too much of a PITA.

My 2015 has 4.88 gears, 35" tires, and has a total weight in excess of 10K lbs, and she got like 6-9 mpg with my 1 mile commute over the last 3 years. Recently moved and have a 25 mile commute, and Im back to getting 13 or so. Just got back from a 525 mile road trip and I was impressed that with all that, and a bed full of tools and toolboxes, and at speeds over 75 mph, I got 14 mpg.

Anyway, all that to say this. The 6.4 takes a lot of fuel to get that big of a truck moving. Once its moving, they seem to be fairly efficient. Those short commutes are killer, especially with stop and go driving. Im pretty conservative with the throttle, but I know how my wife drives her car, and if your wife accelerates like mine, those numbers sound pretty good considering the short commute.

Take the truck on a long trip and see what she does on the highway. IF you dont see mid to high teens, then it might be worth looking into. Otherwise, you're probably right where you should be.

My 6.4L gets 16 mpg in mixed driving empty, with stock size AT tires. When loaded heavy it drops to 11 mpg.

But - I have 3.73 axle gears. I just gotta take it easy on the tranny as it's not a ZF 8 speed - I restrict to 5th gear (low OD) and take it out of MDS so it isn't slamming back and forth. Also got rid of trans oil cooler thermostat, and use Red Line ATF.