Hey, so i recently sold my 03 ram with the 5.9l magnum. Purchased my 04 ram with a 5.7 Hemi. The mileage seemed to be doing considerably better. But now it seems it really wasnt that much of a jump.

I was getting roughly 11 mpg highway/city combined in my 03. Since ive purchased my 04 the best i got was 13.8 mpg (Almost all highway) and my cheater meter says on avg im getting 12.3

I've done numerous esthetic upgrades but as far as anything related to mileage, ive installed a CAI, new spark plugs and wires, superchip 3865 (tuned to performance 87 octane settings). Also cleaned my throttle body when installing the CAI.

Im a little dissipointed in the mileage im getting, for the most part i drive it very conservatively. I can do about 118 km/h sitting at 2,000 rpm and dont really go faster than that on the highway.

Is there anything else i should be doing to get this number up? Ive heard as good as 18mpg highway in the same truck. Not sure why im having such a hard time getting even near that.

Also on a side note, the trim on the exterior passenger door is slowing starting to come off. Ive tried a few brands of two sided foam/tape to try to stick it back on but with no results. Can someone reccomend the best way to do this?

Any help appreciated thanks!

 

3M trim tape is what the factory uses. Make sure to clean both of the surfaces so it sticks and to press it down firmly for a few minutes.. 3M tape has been known to peel paint when removed it sticks that good.. Don't go with the cheap stuff on outside trim. It is not made for getting wet or heat and cold temp changes..

 

As for the mileage, get rid of the CAI they are known to kill mileage.. Replace O2 sensor in exhaust may be just dirty enough to not be reading correctly but first I would reset the computer so it relearns after changing any thing like an air intake, exhaust ect.. Just my 2 cents worth.
But I get on average 2 mpg with the stock intake over a K&N CAI. I will say the K&N CAI does make it peppier but not worth the 2 mpg. CAT back duals seemed to help about .5 mpg after 10 full tanks of comparison. e-fan was the biggest jump in mileage, full 2mpg and has stayed up 2mpg since installing it.. 17" tires and wheels aluminum (lightweight) worth .5 mpg also maybe more, went up one tire size at the same time.. Lower the truck to the ground works to lower wind resistance.. Tonuea cover is worth a full 2 mpg on my truck open it and it drops close it up and it goes back up. I have tested and tested this does make a differance. I personally get the best mileage on 91 Octane tune with my current setup.
Driving habits make the biggest differance stop dropping the hammer at the lights. Who cares if a VW passes ya in the first 50 ft. it weighs like one 3rd as much, and probably puts out almost as much HP...

 

The Dodge ram is a thirsty beast in almost any year or trim.
My 07 2500 megacab 4x4 gets around 10 US MPG around town, but I have a fairly steep mountain street to climb with multiple stop lights.... (4km long, 5 lights, 500ft climb)
Hwy, I get somewhere around the 14 mark at best. This is with a Hemi, 4.10 gears and slightly larger 33inch tires. I have an AFE CAI, and a basic performance exhaust. I run the tow tune on my Superchips 3815. That seems to net the best mpg normally. I found that any of the performance tunes seemed to be worse than stock... and I can't justify the extra $ on fuel (120L tank) just to drive to the train station and back. I use 87octane.

I can tell you this, having owned an 04 1500 with the 4.7L as well... 118km/h is a gas guzzling speed. Slow down to 95-100km/h and you will see a big improvement. If you can stand it, keep it around 90... and you'll be surprised. These big heavy bricks seem to really hit a wall after 90km/h.

You may also find that some brands of gas work better than others. Usually it has to do with the amount of ethanol and additives in it. Many find premium better, even when not required by their vehicle as many stations don't have ethanol in the premium fuel. Its getting hard to avoid though as Canada gov is mandating at least 10% "bio" fuel in all grades (I forget by what date though).

 

I agree. My truck gets about 11 mpg in town. In summer because I run the air, in winter because it takes longer to warm up. Our trucks are heavy; if you can start dropping some weight that will help. My truck with topper weighs 5400 pounds. It has already lost 50 pounds or better from the fold-flat load floor delete, the cup holder delete, and replacing the tailgate access panel with a piece of corroplast.

I run the Superchips 91 tune because I found I get another 1.5 mpg from it. The price difference here is 24 cents/gallon...which is worth it. I prefer to drive 65 mph=104 km/h. Above that and drag really takes a toll on mileage.

Definitely avoid oxygenated fuels. By far the worst for fuel economy (FE).
I typically use E10 because most gas stations here only carry that. I have yet to try E85 (I have a flex-fuel) because the EPA says I'll get a whopping 12 mpg highway. On the highway, I can get 20 mpg at 65 mph with E10=>I think that's about 8.45 km/l (if my math is right).

 

I had an interesting conversation today with a buddy who's a tech at a local shop. His own SRT8 Grand Cherokee has been gradually getting worse gas mileage since about late last fall. He figured "winter gas", but it never rebounded back to where it was this spring or summer.
He had a theory and when he got gas last time, he took a 1 gallon jug and filled it from the pump too, 93 octane and had it tested. He was suspecting that it wasn't up to the octane rating and he might have been suffering from some pre-detonation that was subtle enough not to notice.
Nope, the octane was right where it should have been, BUT what he did find out was that the "E10" gas had 17% ethanol in it!!! National chain gas station too.

His new theory is that the govt. is in cahoots with the oil companies to "sneak" more ethanol in gas...

I get my gas at an independent who has ethanol free 89 & 93 octane and my truck is getting the same fuel economy it always has but my Grand Cherokee is doing 3-4 mpg worse for a couple months now. Both are anally maintained, I'm thinkin' O2 or AIT sensor issue not severe enough to pop a CEL, but off enough to effect fuel trims. That's this coming weekend's project...

 

I think the 17% ethanol is due to our awsome government upping from 10% to 15% by the end of the year I remember reading about it some where just can't think of it right now if I find it ill post it

 

If that's the case, get used to a bunch of "my gas mileage went to hell" threads.
I'm gonna have to start paying extra for non-ethanol gas for my yard equipment too. I can't go a season without having to replace the primer bulbs and plastic fuel lines on everything. The damn ethanol just eats 'em right up...

 

Hammer, come to find out E15 isn't even legal in yard equipment. It is ONLY usable in 2001+ passenger and light trucks. Nothing else.
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/regs/fuels/additive/e15/