Post your MPG in Diesels.

[countrycampers3]

Hi everyone,
Looking at getting a diesel truck. Would appreciate your feedback on what you have, and what you get.
Please give me a Truck year, make, model, transmission, rear end ratio.

Empty MPG, City/Hwy.
Loaded MPG City/Hwy.

Plus were your at, Mountains, flatland, rolling hills.

Thanks Doug:C

Well thanks for all the info everyone. I see this post is not dead and it keeps on giving.
Update. I ended up getting a 2008 Ford F-350 dually Flatbed. And a New 2013 NorthStar Arrow 8.5 Love them both expecially the extra storage compartments on the outside of the camper.
Now these numbers are winter diesel and that tends to be a little less economy I would assume.
Empty 55mph - 15-19
Empty interstate 75mph - 12
T/C loaded - 9.5 any speed
Heres a photo.

[mooring_product]

Just came back from a small trip. Average 70mph and got 11.6mpg.

[crossroad]

Here are my guestimates..
Loaded 11.5 ~ 16 hwy
Un-Loaded 12.5 ~ 16 hwy

Loaded __ not sure city
un-loaded 12 ~ 15 city

Avg loaded > I'm happy to see 13+ > more then likely 12.
Avg un-loaded > I'm lucky to see anything more then above.

Cold weather is rough on all these estimates!
Getting stuck in heavy traffic.. ditto.

Vermont hills don't help the numbers.
Duals in summer hurt the numbers. Heavy sneakers?
Duals in winter are worse. Heavy boots?

Tranny lockup mechanism would help. This is where manual trannies work well.
Finals and terrain dictate engine torque and fuel numbers among other things.

Best deal you can look foward too > an engine/tranny combo that never breaks down!! Needless to say > Buy an extended warranty..

Happy Campin'
Norm G.

[countrycampers3]

Thanks for all the numbers guys I appreciate it.

[17oaks]

on a trip, camper, loaded, I run cruise control set at 62-65mph, '11 F 350 CC, LWB, Dually



I get 13.1 - 13.9 in and around town unloaded

I did notice there are some folks on here that are getting AMAZING MPG unloaded and EVEN MORE AMAZING MPG loaded...yea!

[fk172]

14 around town 20 mpg at 60, 17-18 at 70 mph .15 to 16 pulling my pup




2006 psd 3.73 re

[bcbigfoot]

Truck is a 2002 Dodge 3500 dually 2wd, 4:10 gears with auto trans.
Camper is a 2005 Bigfoot 9.6 2500 series.
Combined wieght is 11300 lbs.

I have taken 3 very long trips around North America loaded with the camper totaling 27200 miles and used 1822 us gals of fuel. This works out to slightly under 15 mpg (US gal).

I drive 58 to 60 mph (1800 rpm)average. If I try to drive 70mph my average drops to somewhere in the 12.5 mpg range. Anyone that says driving slower doesn't help mpg is not properly checking thier milage numbers, it goes against the laws of physics and aerodynamics.

Unloaded highway at 65mph truck gets 19 mpg.

[surveyorbob]

2011 Ford Lariat F350 Diesel Dually, 6 speed automatic (Ford doesn't make a standard any more) with 3.73 rear end.
Averaged 10.9 mp US gallon from Dallas to Toronto through the Ozarks pulling 16000 # 5th wheel
The truck is not broken in yet, just has 22,000 miles on it.
Have not taken long trip with it empty on highway, but for short stretches as high as 22 mpg until "Cleaning Exhaust Filter" message comes on then for the next 10 miles it will only get about 10 mpg no matter what I try. Mixed city/rural driving around San Antonio, Texas 17 mpg. City driving in Brampton, Ontario with stop lights every 500 feet about 13 - 14.
Sorry I cant be more specific.
Lovely truck. I would at this point, highly recommend this truck.

[tdeal823]

Just came back from a 486 mile round trip. From south/east of toledo Ohio to south haven Michigan and back. Truck trailer loaded to camp is 20-21.5k total weight. Averaged 11.2 MPG hand calculated running 68-78 MPH.
Info on dmax and trailer are in sig.
Just thought I would add my current experience.

My trucks empty numbers are......
Normal mixed daily driving is 15-17
All highway at 68 or slower is 20-27
All highway at 70+ is 18-22

[nstate]

JumboJet wrote:

skipbee wrote:
WCruise control does not help, it hinders, I have found.

I have an EGT and Boost gauges and watching them while on cruise vs. foot, I prefer the foot. Saves fuel.

X2. I have always driven diesels by monitoring the pyrometer and tachometer. The pyro(pre-exhaust temps preferably) tells you all you need to know about how your fuel is behaving. Your right foot should be in tune with that gauge, then proper gearing for the load.

Example: Your starting up a grade in high gear(say 4th), your speed starts decreasing,as your foot begins to compensate by pouring more fuel to compensate, note the egt's(exhaust gas temperatures)viewed on your pyrometer start rising. This is a measure of unburned fuel(poor mileage). You downshift into 3rd gear,rpm,s increase causing both the egt's and engine temps to decrease(best economy- most use of btu's from fuel).

Semis use these gauges. Never understood why the auto manu's never put them in as standard. The heartbeat of the engine can be monitored from these gauges.

[av8rds]

"rushing' isnt part of the equation, if I was rushing I wouldnt be even trying to play with the numbers. I can handle coffee and tunes at 70 as well as I can 55.

My max tq is at 2000rpm which is why I used that number.

I have tried down to the low 60's with no appreciable effect in MY truck. I tend to travel the same routes so I should have a more effective comparison too.

To each his own, my real world results are not the same as others. Just pointing that out to the OP.

billtex wrote:
Accelerator Depression Device (aka "right foot")

Most reports of good mileage in this thread are Folks driving < 65 mph.
The sweet spot for a diesel is either side of max tq (~1800 RPM).

Even with my 6 spd Alli...I am over that when I go faster than 70 mph.

You can drive that fast if you want (and I have myself, when trying to make time)...but don't question the mpg if you do...

I find the trip more relaxing, and I have more range...if I set the cruise at 63 mph, have a coffee, listen to some blues...at today's fuel prices, I try not to rush.

B

[JumboJet]

skipbee wrote:
WCruise control does not help, it hinders, I have found.

I have an EGT and Boost gauges and watching them while on cruise vs. foot, I prefer the foot. Saves fuel.

[skipbee]

With our rig the mileage peaks at 62 MPH and thereafter falls off rapidly. Cruise control does not help, it hinders, I have found. Feathering the pedal mit dem foot seems to do best. Head winds will quickly raise the fuel consumption. Keeping the tach at or below 2000 RPM has been the most productive feature for us. I have used both the computer and the pencil to calulate and they are very close. I don't bother with short trip calculations.

[1stgenfarmboy]

I don't have a lie-o-meter so all mine is hand calculated.
unloaded the best i have ever got was 18.7 525 mile @ 65.
loaded as low as 10 but a high of 14.8.

as mentioned it all depends on your right foot and head wind.

[billtex]

Accelerator Depression Device (aka "right foot")

Most reports of good mileage in this thread are Folks driving < 65 mph.
The sweet spot for a diesel is either side of max tq (~1800 RPM).

Even with my 6 spd Alli...I am over that when I go faster than 70 mph.

You can drive that fast if you want (and I have myself, when trying to make time)...but don't question the mpg if you do...

I find the trip more relaxing, and I have more range...if I set the cruise at 63 mph, have a coffee, listen to some blues...at today's fuel prices, I try not to rush.

B

[av8rds]

Super_Dave wrote:
Wish I knew how those getting 50% more are doing it.

yeah you and me both. Even on my best day I havent ever touched any of what most people have posted.