mr. frugal-mpg

greetings fellas,

i've been lurking here for 4+ months, and i'm ready to put some $ into the truck and i need some good advice...

i know that most of you are into power, but not necessarily fuel efficiency. well, i am looking for serious fuel efficiency. my truck is currently all stock, no mods, and i get 21 mpg around town & 25 mpg highway (empty, not towing). i am thrilled with the great fuel economy but i'm looking to improve the mpg by 4-5 mpg all around.

i know little/nothing of the mods i read about here, so i'm looking for sound advice... what 3-4 projects/mods would yield the greatest efficiency gains in mpg without messing-up the basic drivetrain?

i've heard that upgrading the air-intake + exhaust capacity is a good basic place to start and it yields better mileage. i've also heard that these fuel injection/timing computer mods can really boost mileage, but i need to hear more about these units and how they work...

mr. frugal (mike)

2005 2500 BHE, 4x4, auto, sb, all stock... LOVE THIS TRUCK.

soulezoo

If your claim of 25 is accurate-- you are already getting better than 98% of the people here and I honestly can't see where you will ever see another 4-5. Laws of Physics sasy no way you can see 30 mpg. But if you can do it, lemme know 'cause I want it too. Anything you do at this point would probably hurt milaeage. That said, things that would help you would be better Air intake and lose the kitty and muffler and get a flow through muffler or straight pipe. Then there are a couple of downloaders/modules that could help-- quad has a couple of things-- I got another 1 mpg with smarty. I can see this stuff giving you another 1-- perhaps-- from where you are at now. Most '05's struggle to get 19-20. Consider yourself lucky.

walker

no kidding, I have gotten 21 mpg's before but that was taking it real easy cruising 65.

2003Ram

So, you're getting 700+ miles to a tank?

Rollin' Smoke

I wish I could do that!!!

Hippie816

I couldn't get 20 with somebody pulling me

dodgezilla04

you want economy? buy a toyota corrolla. you've got a 7000# truck that can pull 20k. economy is nice, but not the highest priority when designing that truck. the best you can probably get is 23 when seriously behaving without hauling anything.

N.Johnson

Get a smarty and load the SW "O"....half power. I couldn't stand the lack of power myself, but you might get your results. Intake/exhaust, empty bed and cab will help. Best I got was 21.3 hand calculated stock before mods. Overhead is not accurate, can't argue when filling to the neck since first fill on new truck. Only time overhead is accurate on my rig is highway running fuel stop to fuel stop. Can't complain that I drive a 3/4 ton 4x4 that scales empty at 7200 lbs and regular get 18-20 mpg with power and smoke

HarleyHauler

I saw a dramatic change (using the overhead as a reference only - before and after mods) when I added the Smarty #3, Qzilla, exhaust and intake. Mine jumped from a standard 16.5-17 highway @ 75mph to 21.5 - - not bad IMO.

mr. frugal-mpg

Useful comments all - thanks!

My gut feel about my good/great mileage is 1) empty truck, 2) lightfoot on the pedal, and 3) the tires. Having driven some friend's trucks last year (before buying the 2500), i am convinced that wide, heavily treaded tires KILLS their mpg. I am on the stock Michelins (slightly over-inflated), and this truck just rolls down the road with very little effort/resistence...

For starters, I like the idea of a installing a better air intake assembly and straight pipe exhaust - this can only help both efficiency and power, imo. It sounds like most of you guys agree...

I do haul/tow regularly (short, local trips mostly), and the 4x4 is a must around here. This Dodge 2500 suits our needs perfectly. I guess I'm just one of those people who craves efficiency... i love this truck getting better mileage than most passenger cars.

Last question today: Does anyone know a solid diesel/CTD mechanic in the springfield/eugene, OR area? The guy who occasionally works on our VW TDI wants nothing to do with this Dodge truck... his loss!

Mike

mr. frugal-mpg

one last note...

as much as i love this CTD, if a smaller diesel PU were available i would have gotten one (25 yr. old luvs/rabbits don't count). the automaker that comes out with a light-duty 4 cyl. turbo diesel pick-up that can tow and get 30+ mpg on the road will DOMINATE the truck market...!

how/why this hasn't happened yet is beyond me...

chrysler/cummins... are you listening?

Mike

steelblitzkrieg

Somebody's pulling my Dorsal fin, me thinks...

N.Johnson

ARRRR........Me timbers feeling a troll

Cowboy 6

If you have the money and are serious, buy an overdrive unit. It will pay for itself in 100K +/-. The only way to get the mileage you want is to get your highway RPM down into the 1400 - 1500 range. You can keep the boost to a minimum thus reducing the "added" fuel.

When it comes time (old parts wear out) replace your front end with a hub kit that will allow you to disengage your front axle. Not having to turn all those parts including the freaking ring-gear (what the hell is the matter with Dodge on this anyway ) will save you a good bit also.

duallydave

if you do alot of hiway driving a 5th wheel tailgate will help.also some guys say the clutchfan will rob some mpg,there are electric fan kits available,i dont know about the od kit,i know if i drive at 1400rpms i get worse milage than at 16-1700.also if your into gadgets like i am get a scan gauge from scangauge.com i have one and it monitors load,throttle position and engine temp and lots of milage parameters,its very cool and pretty cheap.you also can see the maximum rpms and speed for the previuous day,if the wife drove it you could see how high she reved it hahahaha,also like you stated skinny tires at high presure helps.some guys say aditives help but i think its all in thier head.do some reading on acetone in fuel,some guys swear by it.i tried and didnt notice anything,it seems to work in the wifes car and my lawntractor though. dave