I am a Marine currently on deployment. Before deployment i drove my truck from San Deigo, Ca to Ohio and averaged 9.1 mpg on the highway. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas what upgrades to do while I am on this six month deployment to help save some gas. I want 5in straight duals and i want to get a chip. I was thinking the Hypertech Max Energy Programer which says up to 176hp increase but I am guessing that is only for diesel that you get that much HP. I do not know much about trucks but am working on getting to.
it is a
2002 Dodge Ram 1500
V8 5.9 gas and not the Hemi
9in lift and 35in tires
It has 67,000 miles
If anyone has ANY suggestions please let me know! Thank You!

 

Just save all your per diem and use that money for gas.

That engine was one of the biggest gas hogs the ram has had.

point2point auto transport would prolly be cheaper than driving it.

do you live near a big city in Ohio? Its cheaper when its from 1 large city to another.

Hey how the hell does a small state like Ohio have 2 football teams?

 

Yes I know but i failed to mention that i had a 9inch lift and 35in tires so i added that to the post. I am new to this site that was a pretty fast reply you said something before these crappy computers on the ship even opened my post back up!
so lets see how does Ohio get two football teams! haha well you must not be from anywhere around Ohio! There is nothing to do out in the middle of the country so we make up for it with football teams. Since ohio is flat and probably one of the most boring states there is I would guess that is why we have two football teams and the best damn college football team there is but i dont know! thats just me thinking!

 

holy hell, 9 inch lift and 35" tires with a 5.9. you have just about the worst possible setup for gas mileage. a chip will probably help a bit, but i wouldn't expect miracles, you might get 10 on a good day. yes the high hp jump is only for diesels.

the best thing for you would be to put it in neutral and kill the motor, let the wind carry you.

 

ya id say your problem is the 9" lift with 35's. haha. id love to see pics, because 9" lift is huge and for that much lift, i would imagine 35's look kinda small. sounds like a bad *** truck though, just very bad on gas mileage

 

seriously your best bet is an auto transport company. I got a quote for my truck from San antonio to Jacksonville for right around 500 bucks.
There's nothing you can do about your mpg with that setup. Is it a 6" susp and 3" body?
How long have the spark plugs been in? Clean your throttle body.

 

That is a very impressive sounding truck. I just got back from a deployment with naval sealift command, my cousin is being re deployed in the middle of june, to the desert. Cant wait to see pictures when you return!

 

save the money and get a beater honda that gets good gas. not really any way to get decent mileage out of that machine. but i bet it's fun to drive

 

There is no reason to have 5" exhaust on that truck, for a gas vehicle id say no bigger than 3". Yea, the 176 HP with the hypertech is for diesel, when you order stuff for your truck you have to be sure you are getting it for the 5.9 gas engine; and not the 5.9 diesel..I would suggest having a TQ cam installed, a CAI, headers, true dual exhaust, and getting a tuner if one is avalible. You should get a little better MPG and the added power will help turn the big tires

 

it's because even though texas is way bigger than ohio, ohio has just about as high a population as texas with just as many electoral votes. cause knowing is half the battle....... G.I. Joe!! lol. oh smooth, if you want to increase fuel consumption in that 5.9 this is what you have to do. yeah, the programmer, exhaust, and cai will help but not as much as some needed maintenance. i used to get about 1.5 miles to the gallon more with all the upgrades i did. those engines were notorious for having timing chains that would stretch and the gears would wear out. so, i would look into getting a quality double roller timing chain and take a look down your throttle body. if there is oil settled on the bottom (which there will be) you need to replace a plate under the intake manifold. i forget what it's called. if you go on the second gen forum they have a plethora of info on these engines. also, i would look into regearing your truck to get it closer to stock. hope this helps. hey, good luck on your deployment. i've been iraq for the past twelve months today actually. i should be home in a couple of months.