My New Ram 2500 6.4 MPG Update

[akronharry]

Posting this because people ask about the mileage:

First 300 miles: 12.2 mpg mixed driving. 2 days were in below zero weather and gas had 10% alcohol mixture.

[Perrysburg_Dodg]

FishOnOne wrote:

Perrysburg Dodgeboy wrote:

campingken wrote:
20- 21 mpg with an HO Dodge dually?? Wow I really need a new calculator. Our 2003 non HO SRW 5.9 will hit sometimes hit 20 mpg if it's flat and the cruise control is set at 60 mph.

Man you are not going to like this then. My HO with 2WD and 3:77 rear gears hits 26 all day long at 60 MPH, the best it's ever done was 30 running behind a big truck from Perrysburg to Dayton Ohio. Note I said tucked in behind a big truck. And yes I ask him if he was good with it via the CB.

As far as the 6.4 only getting 12.5 it's not even broke in yet. My bet is it is going to top out at 16 to 17 MPG. Not bad for a big block Hemi IMO.

Are you sure about the 6.4 being a big block! :R

Perhaps big bore would be more accurate. :W
Don

Are you sure? I do not think the 6.4 is the same block as the 5.7. There is a 6.1 super charged Hime coming soon and it uses the same block as the 6.4.

Don

[Hannibal]

jmtandem wrote:

BTW, the battery in a Prius or Ford Escape Hybrid is around $1200.

Interesting comment on battery price. A Toyota service manager that has replaced a few batteries under warranty told me the retail price and it was substantially higher than $1200 to replace the battery. But, what do I know, I don't drive a Prius.

Transmission for the truck, battery for the Prius... Dealer prices verses less expensive alternatives...

[MM49]

The 6.4L will report a wide range of MPG. The MDS activation percentage will affect the mileage. I've found that the truck will show a substantial increase in the mountains.
The MPG is the only one of the measure of the truck. Chassis performance is much more important to me. The truck will eliminate sway for most TT’s pulled. The rear coil spring suspension preforms better than the outgoing leaf suspension trucks, which were quite good in its own.
MM49

[FishOnOne]

Perrysburg Dodgeboy wrote:

campingken wrote:
20- 21 mpg with an HO Dodge dually?? Wow I really need a new calculator. Our 2003 non HO SRW 5.9 will hit sometimes hit 20 mpg if it's flat and the cruise control is set at 60 mph.

Man you are not going to like this then. My HO with 2WD and 3:77 rear gears hits 26 all day long at 60 MPH, the best it's ever done was 30 running behind a big truck from Perrysburg to Dayton Ohio. Note I said tucked in behind a big truck. And yes I ask him if he was good with it via the CB.

As far as the 6.4 only getting 12.5 it's not even broke in yet. My bet is it is going to top out at 16 to 17 MPG. Not bad for a big block Hemi IMO.

Are you sure about the 6.4 being a big block! :R

Perhaps big bore would be more accurate. :W
Don

[jmtandem]

Local dealer let me take one out for a two hour test drive. I reset the trip computer before leaving the dealership. When I returned it indicated around 14 mpg. This was a mix of freeway, city, hills. When I returned it had around 100 miles on odometer (forgot to look what it was before I left). I should be taking delivery of mine in about 8 weeks.

My guess is that after break-in the truck not towing should get around 16-17 mpg.

[jmtandem]

BTW, the battery in a Prius or Ford Escape Hybrid is around $1200.

Interesting comment on battery price. A Toyota service manager that has replaced a few batteries under warranty told me the retail price and it was substantially higher than $1200 to replace the battery. But, what do I know, I don't drive a Prius.

[Hannibal]

autorot8 wrote:
Local dealer let me take one out for a two hour test drive. I reset the trip computer before leaving the dealership. When I returned it indicated around 14 mpg. This was a mix of freeway, city, hills. When I returned it had around 100 miles on odometer (forgot to look what it was before I left). I should be taking delivery of mine in about 8 weeks.

That's not bad at all. That's a lot of truck to push around. It's gonna be a long 8 weeks!

[Hannibal]

otrfun wrote:

Hannibal wrote:
We stopped by the Toyota shop today to look at a Prius to replace our Fusion. Wife likes the Nautical Blue or Sea Glass. They're rated for 51 city, 48 hwy. Some folks report over 60mpg while some report mid 30s. Not sure what it has to do with the 6.4L Hemi in a HD pickup but, just for comparison...:B

Brother-in-law has a Prius with over 400,000 miles (purchased new) that's still going strong. Driven hard in LA rush-hour traffic all its life. I drove it a few months ago. The steering, suspension, and brakes still feel tight. Got 44 mpg when newer. Mileage has dropped to 40 lately. Original engine, tranny, hybrid batteries, etc. He's spent roughly $40,000 on gas at CA prices. If he'd been driving his 1/2 ton gasser (Chevy) his gas bill for 400,000 miles would have been over $100,000 (again, CA prices)!! BTW, they contacted Toyota when they rolled over 400,000 miles. Toyota sent them a nice, personally signed congratulatory letter and two gold keychains. Maybe a TV spot is in their future 🙂

That's not uncommon. They have a very good track record. FWIW, dropping mileage can be an indication of a bad cell in the high voltage hybrid battery or a bad 12v battery tucked in the right rear quarter panel. If he's never changed the 12v battery, I would suggest it. It's probably long overdue. It's like a regular car battery except much smaller. It runs the computers and accessories. If it's failing the engine runs more to compensate.

[Hannibal]

jmtandem wrote:

We stopped by the Toyota shop today to look at a Prius to replace our Fusion. Wife likes the Nautical Blue or Sea Glass. They're rated for 51 city, 48 hwy. Some folks report over 60mpg while some report mid 30s. Not sure what it has to do with the 6.4L Hemi in a HD pickup but, just for comparison...

The OP is planning to tow a 30 foot fifth wheel around the nation. I am not sure the Prius can do that no matter how great the gas mileage. The truck's battery is around $100, the battery in the Prius is in the thousands if not under warranty. Save gas, spend on a very expensive battery some day. It is all trade-offs. A VW Jetta TDI is probably a better product --at least as good a product for mileage and way less expensive as batteries go.

I guess it depends on what you tow and what you plan to use it for. The OP didn't ask about a Prius or a diesel. BTW, the battery in a Prius or Ford Escape Hybrid is around $1200. It weighs right at 100 lbs and can be changed at home with hand tools. The rumors are false. The Prius has proven to be very reliable for hundreds of thousands of miles on the original battery. I owned a VW diesel years ago. Great mileage but the car had a few repairs along the way. I replaced the head at 180k miles and sold it to a college student.

[autorot8]

Local dealer let me take one out for a two hour test drive. I reset the trip computer before leaving the dealership. When I returned it indicated around 14 mpg. This was a mix of freeway, city, hills. When I returned it had around 100 miles on odometer (forgot to look what it was before I left). I should be taking delivery of mine in about 8 weeks.

[otrfun]

Double Post.

[otrfun]

Hannibal wrote:
We stopped by the Toyota shop today to look at a Prius to replace our Fusion. Wife likes the Nautical Blue or Sea Glass. They're rated for 51 city, 48 hwy. Some folks report over 60mpg while some report mid 30s. Not sure what it has to do with the 6.4L Hemi in a HD pickup but, just for comparison...:B

Brother-in-law has a Prius with over 400,000 miles (purchased new) that's still going strong. Driven hard in LA rush-hour traffic all its life. I drove it a few months ago. The steering, suspension, and brakes still feel tight. Got 44 mpg when newer. Mileage has dropped to 40 lately. Original engine, tranny, hybrid batteries, etc. He's spent roughly $40,000 on gas at CA prices. If he'd been driving his 1/2 ton gasser (Chevy) his gas bill for 400,000 miles would have been over $100,000 (again, CA prices)!! BTW, they contacted Toyota when they rolled over 400,000 miles. Toyota sent them a nice, personally signed congratulatory letter and two gold keychains. Maybe a TV spot is in their future 🙂

[jmtandem]

We stopped by the Toyota shop today to look at a Prius to replace our Fusion. Wife likes the Nautical Blue or Sea Glass. They're rated for 51 city, 48 hwy. Some folks report over 60mpg while some report mid 30s. Not sure what it has to do with the 6.4L Hemi in a HD pickup but, just for comparison...

The OP is planning to tow a 30 foot fifth wheel around the nation. I am not sure the Prius can do that no matter how great the gas mileage. The truck's battery is around $100, the battery in the Prius is in the thousands if not under warranty. Save gas, spend on a very expensive battery some day. It is all trade-offs. A VW Jetta TDI is probably a better product --at least as good a product for mileage and way less expensive as batteries go.

[ksss]

Hannibal wrote:
We stopped by the Toyota shop today to look at a Prius to replace our Fusion. Wife likes the Nautical Blue or Sea Glass. They're rated for 51 city, 48 hwy. Some folks report over 60mpg while some report mid 30s. Not sure what it has to do with the 6.4L Hemi in a HD pickup but, just for comparison...:B

Drive a Prius or pay more for gas? Yea that's easy, serve up some more dino's.

[Hannibal]

We stopped by the Toyota shop today to look at a Prius to replace our Fusion. Wife likes the Nautical Blue or Sea Glass. They're rated for 51 city, 48 hwy. Some folks report over 60mpg while some report mid 30s. Not sure what it has to do with the 6.4L Hemi in a HD pickup but, just for comparison...:B