6.4 hemi getting 22 mpg???
I was a little hesitant to buy a 2500 Ram with the 6.4 gasser, especially after reading the low mpg drivers in this forum were getting with theirs. however, I couldn't justify the price of a diesel fo...
Forum Discussion
It’s more than “learn about diesel”. It’s having a plan to reduce ANNUAL fuel burn so that VACATION miles are a wash by years end.
First, diesel has 1/3 more “power” per gallon. So the price variation between gasoline and diesel is up against the diesel upgrade cost. These days, diesel doesn’t pay for itself until the trailer is 14K or heavier.
So buy a better trailer. As that’s the better plan.
And it’s not trailer weight that diminishes MPG. It’s the trailer shape. We can build a 3000-lb trailer that a 5500 will be unable to get above 50-mph.
I can run my 20,400-lb Peterbilt with an empty 53’ 12,000-lb trailer at just above 10-mpg at 66-mph. 13L engine. Sure, no headwind, light traffic, etc. Weight isn’t the problem. With up to 30k in the box I’ll still be pushing against 9 in favorable conditions.
If you want lower fuel cost, buy an aerodynamic trailer. There’s one brand of about five still around from the golden age. And one that’s ten years old with depreciation finished is better than these stapled boxes off the local dealers lot when brand new.
If I average 50% better tow mpg than you (while pulling a 35’ TT), maybe it’s because you’ve been looking at the wrong end of the equation.
Can a 6.4 hit 22-mpg? I can (and have) done that in city only with my CTD. On a bet from a Cummins engineer. (He’s serious, I’m not). So we know weight & shape aren’t at issue. It’s down to operator motivation.
As in my earlier post, one stacks the deck in ones favor. Tests.
But my experience on several vehicle forums is that no one has the maturity to change habits or challenge the 16-year old in the drivers seat. That’s confirmed by what I see year round and across the country out on the big road at 120k miles/year.
I’ve posted several times at length on HOW TO get free vacation towing miles. In my case, at my average MPG, it would be 5,000-miles FREE FUEL.
But every time, I hear excuses. And then back to the same echo chamber.
Retired? Reduced income? Fuel is still less than half the daily cost when it’s all toted up. But it’s the “fixed overhead” that CAN be changed.
Keep it simple: How many years will you travel? Last year, how many nights away? Vacation miles were? The total RV costs aren’t annual. They are THE NIGHTS ABOARD (only). Start there.
.
First, diesel has 1/3 more “power” per gallon. So the price variation between gasoline and diesel is up against the diesel upgrade cost. These days, diesel doesn’t pay for itself until the trailer is 14K or heavier.
So buy a better trailer. As that’s the better plan.
And it’s not trailer weight that diminishes MPG. It’s the trailer shape. We can build a 3000-lb trailer that a 5500 will be unable to get above 50-mph.
I can run my 20,400-lb Peterbilt with an empty 53’ 12,000-lb trailer at just above 10-mpg at 66-mph. 13L engine. Sure, no headwind, light traffic, etc. Weight isn’t the problem. With up to 30k in the box I’ll still be pushing against 9 in favorable conditions.
If you want lower fuel cost, buy an aerodynamic trailer. There’s one brand of about five still around from the golden age. And one that’s ten years old with depreciation finished is better than these stapled boxes off the local dealers lot when brand new.
If I average 50% better tow mpg than you (while pulling a 35’ TT), maybe it’s because you’ve been looking at the wrong end of the equation.
Can a 6.4 hit 22-mpg? I can (and have) done that in city only with my CTD. On a bet from a Cummins engineer. (He’s serious, I’m not). So we know weight & shape aren’t at issue. It’s down to operator motivation.
As in my earlier post, one stacks the deck in ones favor. Tests.
But my experience on several vehicle forums is that no one has the maturity to change habits or challenge the 16-year old in the drivers seat. That’s confirmed by what I see year round and across the country out on the big road at 120k miles/year.
I’ve posted several times at length on HOW TO get free vacation towing miles. In my case, at my average MPG, it would be 5,000-miles FREE FUEL.
But every time, I hear excuses. And then back to the same echo chamber.
Retired? Reduced income? Fuel is still less than half the daily cost when it’s all toted up. But it’s the “fixed overhead” that CAN be changed.
Keep it simple: How many years will you travel? Last year, how many nights away? Vacation miles were? The total RV costs aren’t annual. They are THE NIGHTS ABOARD (only). Start there.
.
