Diesel Truck MPG

Thanks.

MainerBob wrote:
Just returned from almost 8 months on the road and got11.5 mpg while towing and 14-16 when not. Hope this helps.

Can I get more information about your GMC Truck model, 5.9 L or ?long bed or short bed. Thank you.

Wow, lots of butthurt on here. lol So many comments to reply to but not going to try to get them all. I get 13 towing my 40' 12K fiver with 4 bicycles on the roof of my truck. That was my average mileage towing from Indiana to Yellowstone and back while hooked to the camper. Obviously there were some days I got better than 13 and some days I got less. Best day was almost 15, all flat terrain with no wind. Worst was 10 going through the mountains and switchbacks.

My truck is far from stock, on the dyno I'm at 595 HP. I have a full billet transmission by DTT that transfers the power to the wheels instead of slipping and losing power in the drivetrain. I still run the factory sized 265/70/17 tires that helps with MPG. I run between 60 and 65 MPH. The best thing about spending the money to make good HP #'s is that it will usually increase the MPG also. I built my truck for pulling the camper, its not a drag truck or sled puller and its not even a daily driver. It sits in the barn with the camper unless we are going camping or I need to haul something.

Some guys that build a 500+ hp truck are concerned about MPG and reliability. Not all people lie about the MPG numbers when they are better than what your truck gets. Hand cal is MPG that has been hand calculated, not taken from the truck's computer output. Not all Dodge trucks have rust in the midwest, mine is an 06 with 98,000 miles and not a spot of rust. Being sensible about your purchase and buying the best vehicle for your money is a valid concern and MPG is one of the items that should be included in that process as well as many of the other things mentioned in this thread.

Buy the truck you want to buy, asking a truck guy what the best truck is is a silly question. Most of the time the answer will be whatever they are currently driving and will get defensive if someone else things that theirs is better, it doesn't matter if you are talking about overall truck or just the floor mats the conversation will go the same way. I've had Fords and Dodges and I won't buy a GMC or Chevy because I don't like them and don't want one. I had a few Dodge 1/2 tons then went to Ford diesel then back to Dodge with a Cummins. I have had my current truck since 07 and have no plans to part with it. I found what works for me but it may be different for you or anyone else.

By the way, when I really want to feel good about my truck I look at the computer MPG, it always reads between 30 and 33 MPG!

Doug

Camper 2012 wrote:

cruz-in wrote:
Nice flat highway, no wind, cruise control at 55....I was thrilled with 13 on my 2010 F250 2WD CC towing a 5th wheel...

Is your 250 diesel truck. Thanks.

yes

Nice info on fuelly. thanks

A good source to compare mpg is fuelly.com. The data is self-reported by vehicle owners, and it typically covers hundreds of vehicles and hundreds of thousands of miles. Even accounting for some bias and inaccuracy in the numbers, the volume of reports would tend to flatten out the inconsistencies and give a reasonably accurate picture of real-world fuel efficiency.

I did a quick comparison of Chevy, Ford & Dodge diesel across all reported model years. If you look at the bar graphs at the top of each page linked below, you'll see that Dodge seems to have the edge. The average mpg "curve" is pretty flat between 15-17 mpg, whereas Ford and Chevy drop off sharply after 16 mpg (i.e. much fewer vehicles getting better than 16 mpg). A small difference, but as I said, averaged across all vehicles and all kinds of driving, it does reveal a trend.

You can also narrow down your comparison to look at specific model years.

Dodge:
http://www.fuelly.com/car/dodge/ram%202500/diesel%20l6/truck
Ford
http://www.fuelly.com/car/ford/f-250%20super%20duty/diesel%20v8/truck
Chevy
http://www.fuelly.com/car/chevrolet/silverado%202500%20hd/diesel%20v8

cruz-in wrote:
Nice flat highway, no wind, cruise control at 55....I was thrilled with 13 on my 2010 F250 2WD CC towing a 5th wheel...

Is your 250 diesel truck. Thanks.

I tow at speed limit or 5 over. Usually in NorthEast and SouthEast that would 65 to 70 MPH. In FL that would be 70. My Trailer tires are LT's. I do enjoy not being limited to 65 MPH.

I must correct my non-towing numbers. It really is 16 MPG, but that is around town, secondary road mileage. Not non-towing highway. I don't spend enough time on the highway, while not towing.

Vulcaneer wrote:
My 2012 F350 towing 14,000 gets 10.5MPG in hills and mountains of the northeast. And 11.2 MPG in less hilly terrain of the south east (I-95 in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia). And 12.0 on the flat highways in Florida.

Highway non towing averages 16MPG.

I have 25,000 miles on the truck. About 10K of that is towing.

I would say if you tow 55-60 that those are believable numbers.

I am surprised your non towing mileage is not higher.

Maybe at lower altitudes mileage might go up a little. Not a big difference I don't imagine. I get 9.5 - 10.5 mpg towing, 19 mpg empty on the interstate, and right at 16 mpg combined town and highway driving.