boocoodinkydow wrote:
"Getting 13.5 to 14 MPG out of a 3 liter motor is punishing. My crystal ball says your motor and drive train will be junk with compression problems in the cylinders, or a blown turbo, before 120 to 150k miles.
You just can't and shouldn't run a 3.0 liter motor that hard, not in southern heat, most of the time, towing. You are asking a boy to do a man sized job. Severe overload. JMHO and YMMV... but I wouldn't blame RAM for warranty denial for you, they log everything, parameter wise, in that truck."
and this rebuke coming from someone dragging a travel trailer around the country with a volkswagen!?! hilarious!!!:)
Dragging 21 feet, 7.5 feet wide and with a tow weight of 4200 pounds, about 15% or the mileage it accrues, at 16.5 to 19 MPG at 55 mph is the key. I never try to exceed burning more than 4 gallons of fuel per hour. Easy to do, as fuel creates heat. Also, the vehicle is rated for 7,700 lbs towing. I am at less that 60% of tow capacity, and I drive slow, especially up hill. Not particularly worried, the boys in Australia do the same thing with no ill effects.
The rest of the time, 85% so far, is easy highway miles at 65 MPH and incredibly good MPG at 32 to 35.5 MPG per tank, pencil and paper.
Except for climbing, I am always in 8th gear. 7th or 6th when climbing and keep the tach at 2000 rpm when climbing, with plenty more in the pedal for passing, if needed.
