First Time Diesel Owner-Need Advice

[chrisshreves]

My father just purchased a 2013 Ram 2500 with the 6.7L Cummins. Neither of us have ever owned a Diesel, and quite frankly we don't know much about them. The only reason why we bought it was because it was such a good deal. The truck was "new" but had 3,000 miles on it because it was a dealer demo. We opted for the 2500 because of the deal he was able to get, although a 1500 would have suited us just fine.

He has two concerns with the truck, which is what led me here to this forum.

1. Can he increase the fuel economy any?
2. The sidewalls of his tires are rubbing the control arms at full lock.
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1. When he purchased the truck, he was told he would get about 16mpg city, highway, towing, etc. Dealer claimed 16mpg no matter what. He does not tow, just travels about 30 miles on highway (70mph) one way to work each day. He is currently reading 14mpg with the onboard system, and would like to see the 16mpg he planned on. The only thing I can think of is that maybe the onboard system is wrong, because the truck does not have a tuner (Stock ECM) but it has 35" tires on it (which I know aren't stock). Any ideas?

2. The dealer sold the truck with 35" Nitto Trail Grapplers mounted. The tires make the truck look and sit nicely, and the road noise really isn't all too bad, but the rubbing is a concern. I looked underneath and the dealer had cut the plastic inner finders to accommodate for the larger tires. The tires are actually rubbing on the control arms at full lock. This is annoying because the truck makes a strange noise and "hops" when they rub. I told him either the truck has to go up, or the tires have to go down. He is thinking about downsizing the tire size. What would you all recommend? He will probably be looking at either all seasons or all terrains, rather than these mudslingers that are mounted now.

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A picture of the truck is attached

 

[LETHAL GTS]

1. Mpg will improve over time once the truck is broken in.
2. Does the truck have a leveling kit on it. That could solve your rubbing issues if you add a 2 1/2" level kit.

I'm not new to diesels, but I am fairly new to these trucks.

 

[namccanna]

Most guys face tire rub with 35s. It's not the height tho that is the problem, it's the width. Wheel spacers solve this issue. I've heard of guys using as thin as 1/4" and it fixes the rub issue.

The mpgs....my best guess would be that it is the tires. Increasing tire size will affect fuel mileage.

I'd keep the tires, add spacers and find a tuner if it were mine. The tuner will allow the truck to run more efficient and increase mpgs.

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[chrisshreves]

Thanks for your reply.

I was unaware about the break-in period; will research that heavily.
In regards to leveling kit, it does have one, but we have no idea how much it is raised. I do know that the rear is stock, and the front has been lifted to match the rear perfectly unloaded, if that helps any.

 

[chrisshreves]

We also thought about a tuner, but worried about voiding the warranty. A lot of people seem to go ahead with tuners and knowingly void their warranty. It's hard to believe the advantage of a tuner is worth giving up the warranty.

 

[Hemi450hp]

The solution to the tires rubbing is to add a set of offset front control arms from Thuren Fabrication. That is what I am running on my truck, and I do not rub the control arms even with a 13" wide tire. The factory wheels have too much backspacing for a wide tire like that, so you either need to pull the wheels bout by adding spacers or going with a lower offset wheel, or add the controls arms like I did.

.: THUREN FABRICATION :. DODGE RAM CONTROL ARMS

As for the fuel mileage, the 13's get better mileage that the earlier models due to the use of DEF, but it still isn't great. It will get slightly better as the truck gets broken in, but I would jump on a DPF delete and tuner once they are released for the 13's.

 

[namccanna]

We also thought about a tuner, but worried about voiding the warranty. A lot of people seem to go ahead with tuners and knowingly void their warranty. It's hard to believe the advantage of a tuner is worth giving up the warranty.

I talked to my service guy at the dealership (who also happens to be a RAM performance junkie)... we have a mutual understanding so that none of my mods void my warranty! Get in good with the guy. Just make sure you return your truck to stock tune before service!

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[chrisshreves]

I will have to look into that. If there is a way we can add a tuner without voiding the warranty, that would be great!

 

[chrisshreves]

The solution to the tires rubbing is to add a set of offset front control arms from Thuren Fabrication. That is what I am running on my truck, and I do not rub the control arms even with a 13" wide tire. The factory wheels have too much backspacing for a wide tire like that, so you either need to pull the wheels bout by adding spacers or going with a lower offset wheel, or add the controls arms like I did.

.: THUREN FABRICATION :. DODGE RAM CONTROL ARMS

As for the fuel mileage, the 13's get better mileage that the earlier models due to the use of DEF, but it still isn't great. It will get slightly better as the truck gets broken in, but I would jump on a DPF delete and tuner once they are released for the 13's.

Thanks for your reply. I found the control arms online. We were hoping for a cheaper alternative, but I am familiar with this type of suspension system and I believe to do it "right", aftermarket control arms are really the best solution. Wheel spacers would be much cheaper, but then you would have more garbage from the road being slung onto the side of the truck.

The control arms are definitely something to consider....

 

[Hemi450hp]

Thanks for your reply. I found the control arms online. We were hoping for a cheaper alternative, but I am familiar with this type of suspension system and I believe to do it "right", aftermarket control arms are really the best solution. Wheel spacers would be much cheaper, but then you would have more garbage from the road being slung onto the side of the truck.

The control arms are definitely something to consider....

Remember, you cant just run any control arm...you are going to need the offset arms from Thuren to clear that tire with the stock wheels. Most other control arms will be slightly longer to help with fender clearance, but the offset arm from Thuren is what gives you the clearance on the backside of the wheel.

 

[Stangshcky12]

You'll need the wheel to come out atleast a 1/2" to clear the control arm
Offset control arms like Matt linked work but I don't believe they are available for '13s yet as they changed to a three link suspension
An aftermarket wheel with the right offset is an option too

Not really any tuners out there for '13 Cummins yet either

Hand calculate your fuel mileage as well, the dash is typically 1-2 mpg off

 

[Hemi450hp]

Offset control arms like Matt linked work but I don't believe they are available for '13s yet as they changed to a three link suspension

Did they do this on all '13s? My dad recently bought a 2013 as well, and his front suspension is the same as what I have in my 2010. I wonder is he has a very early model that still has the 2010-2012 suspension?

 

[Stangshcky12]

I honestly couldn't tell you, I thought it was all 2500 and 3500 models
I crawled under one at the dealership when they came in to check it out
They use a wishbone control arm similar to superduty

 

[Hemi450hp]

Yeah, the radius arm setup must not be on all '13s because my Dad's truck does not have that.

OP, is there any chance you can take a pic of your suspension behind the front wheel?

 

[chrisshreves]

Offset control arms like Matt linked work but I don't believe they are available for '13s yet as they changed to a three link suspension

I believe you are correct. I visited the manufacturer's website and when selecting the year and model, the selection ends with 2012. This tells me they have not developed a control arm for the 2013 model yet.

 

[Hemi450hp]

I believe you are correct. I visited the manufacturer's website and when selecting the year and model, the selection ends with 2012. This tells me they have not developed a control arm for the 2013 model yet.

Go take a look at the control arms behind the wheel...post a picture if possible. I believe the radius arm setup is only on the 2013 3500's. I confirmed this evening that my Dad's 2013 2500 has the same suspension as the 10-12's, in which case the Thuren arms will work.

 

[Stangshcky12]

Go take a look at the control arms behind the wheel...post a picture if possible. I believe the radius arm setup is only on the 2013 3500's. I confirmed this evening that my Dad's 2013 2500 has the same suspension as the 10-12's, in which case the Thuren arms will work.

I think it is only 3500s, I just figured that's why Thuren didn't have anything listed while I was looking for my buddies '13

 

[evolau]

I believe the warranty issue should be your main concern. If you have the regen system which is in all the 2013 you'll be throwing check engine lights all the time if you chip it. I haven't seen any chips on the market to add and fool the CPU. If their is let me know. Also the big tires is your problem with fuel mileage. You're are moving much more mass and the height will also change your gear ratio. I was getting from day 1 on the highway on a 800 mile break in trip 19.9 MPG's. When I tow my 5th wheel, 33ft. trailer I get an average of 12.3 mpg and that's not in the flat that's pulling hills and flats.

 

[evolau]

All 2013 frames are completely different, they are an 1" wider on each side. the whole frame/chassis is different than the 2012's.

 

[jaredb909]

So if a 12 rubs and 13 shouldnt becuase the frame is wider?

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