I put this here and not in the performance section because I am mainly after fuel economy. MY 06 4wd automatic trans is getting around 15mpg empty. I am pleased with how the truck tows and dont care about racing or drastic changes in performance. My main goal is to increase the mpg especially empty. Wondered what programmers or modification are suggested. Sure everyone has their own opinions and I would like to hear them.

 

I have a similar truck with the Smarty Jr. installed. While it has helped a bit on gas mileage, the best enhancement I've experienced has been going to 285s and slowing down.

I would also recommend that you do a search on here for mpg, etc., and you'll find a lot of information to read up on regarding tuners, mods and other methods to improve your mpg.

Finally, several members have changed over to the "newest" tuner known as EFI Live. It's suppose to be a leap forward over the Smarty, but I haven't really read much about how it affects fuel mileage. Just something else to research and consider.

Good luck.

 

Thanks, I have 285s they came on the truck. What kind of mileage are you getting?

 

I have a SmartyJr on my '06 and I leave it on the fuel economy tune. The economy tune really wakes the engine up and it's a lot more fun to drive. If I go easy I can getl 18-19 mpg.

 

2wd or 4?

 

4wd. On average I get combined 17 mpg

 

I have my Smarty set on SW#2 (70hp - mid level performance) and I average between 15-17 mostly commuting @ 40-65 mph with 1 or 2 longer highway trips on a tank.

I rarely ever mash the throttle and tend to drive conservatively.

 

I have a 325 hp 04 Cummings 2500, stock,,411 gears, and just purchased the smarty jr,, I am currently running the economy setting and don't know ,much more about setting anything else,, can anyone tell me what's the best settings for hp and mpg? I am a rookie at this so, be specific on settings,,,,

 

Your mileage sounds a bit low, but may not be if your driving habits are not optimum. First, you have a cat and the 3 injector event software (pre, main & post). The earlier engine 2003 2004 only used 2 events (pre & main), so you are at a bit of a disadvantage in terms of mileage. This will cost you about 1 mpg. The trucks best mileage occurs at 50 mph. Speeds above that have a huge impact on economy. You are about as aerodynamic as an outhouse! Try driving behind a big rig and see for yourself. Another reason for poor mileage is tire pressure. Run 55 psi, not less. A tuner will help because it advances the injector events, even at the lower performance settings. This generates a bit more heat from the fuel charge. The use of a tuner is worth about another 1 mpg. Please note that these trucks are built about 2" down in front. Raising the front may look nicer, but it will cost you about .5 mpg if you do, as it comes with added wind resistance underneath. Often misunderstood is that the Cummins engines will take 25 to 30K miles to break in, so don't expect your best mileage until then.
Steve

 

Hello,

I have a Smarty Jr. and currenty run SW2, TM-default, TQ-default on a 2004.5 Ram 2500 with 305/55/20 wheels and I get 15.5 to 16 mpg in the city. On the highway I get 22.5 to 23 mpg if I set the cruise control at 60 mph.

 

I have a similar issue, bought a 2007 Ram, Big Horn 2500, with the Cummins 6.7L from an estate sale the son said his dad had put some sort of chip modifier in it but we could not find the unit he did it with. A 4x4 off road mechanic said he could not touch it because we don't know what kind of programer was used on it. He said the only option was to take it back to the Dodge dealer & pay about $700 to replace/reset what ever mods were made to it. Anybody know of any other options?? I would like to see if I can get better mileage also right now it indicates 16-17 without big loads. Thanks

 

gcliburn
Other item to think about is the tire diameter. If you have not adjusted your tire height the mileage will be wrong and throw your calculations off.

 

As far as I know it has the stock aluminum 17" rims with michilen LT265/70 tires. Where are you putting this info, into the programer chip?

 

Hello Flomerdr,

With my Smarty Jr. programmer I can adjust for larger tire sizes so that my speedometer will read correctly and also the mpg overhead display will be giving accurate mpg readings. Being that I'm running 305/55/20 Nitto tires I had to adjust mine for 32.5" tire height.