[captainrd]

Just bought my first dodge and this is my first diesel also. 2006 dodge 3500 dually, 4x4, 4.10 gears, stock tires, 40,000 miles just filled up and drove 200 highway miles then refueled and hand calc. 14.5mpg at 70mph i hear of people getting 18-20mpg and was kinda dissapointed when i wasnt getting atleast 16 on the highway. any help on how i could improve my numbers ? any helpwould be much appreciated!! thanks im also going to do what seems to be the basics as far as upgrades air filter,intake,chip,exhaust. so if you want to throw your 2 cents in on programmers, exhaust , ect.. im all ears as far as the programmer goes keep in mind that i want to be able to make adjustments from the cab "on the fly"
thanks guys:thumbsup

 

[torquey]

4.10 gears certainly are not helping your situation.....the smarty is a great programmer...also as the triple dog bully dog is. I had it on my 06 and loved it. I guess you could always check that your air and fuel filters are clean. Cai and exhaust help but not to the numbers you might expect. Keeping your rpms down and speed would be the best solution for your gears...but just think you can pull a house down with them so life isn't all bad!

 

[dom42]

Just bought my first dodge and this is my first diesel also. 2006 dodge 3500 dually, 4x4, 4.10 gears, stock tires, 40,000 miles just filled up and drove 200 highway miles then refueled and hand calc. 14.5mpg at 70mph i hear of people getting 18-20mpg and was kinda dissapointed when i wasnt getting atleast 16 on the highway. any help on how i could improve my numbers ? any helpwould be much appreciated!! thanks im also going to do what seems to be the basics as far as upgrades air filter,intake,chip,exhaust. so if you want to throw your 2 cents in on programmers, exhaust , ect.. im all ears as far as the programmer goes keep in mind that i want to be able to make adjustments from the cab "on the fly"
thanks guys:thumbsup

doing the basic's as you 've describe will improve your mpg's drastically. well atleast 3-4mpg's. :thumbsup good luck.

 

[ynots57]

4:10's will keep rpms up and can give you a hit in the pocket book. one fillup after a 200 mile trip isnt the best mpg indicator either. its nice to calculate over a period of time especially with same pump fillups. smarty Jr. is one popular way to go as it has safeguards for a stock tranny

like torquey said insure filters are good and also low tire psi can effect mpg


cruising at 1600 - 1800 rpm is a sweet spot for mpg on my 05

 

[Cummins6speed]

I need to change my gears. I am at 1900 at 60 mph but I do get 18.3 avg hand calculated :thumbsup maybe just time for bigger tires

 

[dalton06]

it is nice changing the bullydog's level on the fly. And it makes pretty good power. I don't get much highway time to really see the good mpg but in town I can do 500+ miles per tank. That's around 15mpg. I expected more but oh well. good luck

 

[fxwannabe]

My truck is getting around 14 around town and i have 3.73's 6 speed and 35's. Highway I can see 18.5 if I am empty and keep it at 60mph.

 

[captainrd]

yea at 70mph i was turning around 2200rpm's i was wanting to put a 6 inch lift and bigger tires but i was afraid of killing my mpg and losing stock driving characteristics but it seems like bigger tires would just help my gear ratio? should i switch the gears out for 3.73's or 3.54's ?

 

[youngcummins08]

just filled my 2wd 12valve and got 20.7 hand calc with 3.54 gears

 

[fxwannabe]

If you go to a 35" or a 37" you will be glad you have the 4.10's. If your building for mileage then swap your gears and don't lift it. If not then do some research and lift away. Keep in mind its expensive to lift these things the right way.

 

[dom42]

I need to change my gears. I am at 1900 at 60 mph but I do get 18.3 avg hand calculated :thumbsup maybe just time for bigger tires

yeah that's about right. id move up to bigger size tire. i first had some 33's on with the 4.10's and was get about 14-16mpg's stop and go and about 16-18hwy....but since moving up to 35's i now see 15-17stop and go and 16-20mpg's hwy , but all depends on how i drive.

and yes you will bring the gear ratio close to stock with 4.10's and 35's but the mpg's will still kinda suffer vs stock with 3.73''s or 3.53's because of just the sheer weight of all the equipment.

 

[AH64ID]

just filled my 2wd 12valve and got 20.7 hand calc with 3.54 gears

Thats really not relevant to the post at all...



To the OP... when you change the fluids change them to a high quality synthetic, they will last longer and decrease driveline drag.

Unless your looking for lots of hp over stock, which wont help mileage, a CAI probably won't do anything. Get a good drop in filter, it will keep your intake temps lower which means the motor is more efficient.

The exhaust will sound nice, but I doubt you get a noticeable increase.

The chip may get you some mpgs, I would recommend a Smarty or Smarty Jr, but they are out since you want adjustable...

Whatever you get if you run it on settings where the timing is advanced your mileage should increase.

As far as driving try to keep boost below 10, 5 is better, while accelerating and keep rpm's down until in 6th. The 4:10's aren't the best for mpgs, but they can be had... It would take thousands and thousands of miles to pay for a gear swap. 285's are a good choice for tires, they don't weigh much more than stock but drop rpm's about 75 at 75.

Me I shift at 1500-1600 around town and accelerate easy, it gets me in the mid 19's regularly.. The 4.10's shouldn't hurt you around town if you drive smart...

It took me about 3K miles to get used to drive my CTD to the point of pulling good mileage out of it.

 

[Mopar1973Man]

Well if you want some good reading I've been working on this for awhile now and these are my results as listed in my signature! :w:

Better MPG's

Riggins, ID Trip