I was wondering kind of mileage everyone is getting.........I have an 06 4x4 QC with the 4.7. I only get 9 mpg in the city and 11 or 12 highway.....not a leadfoot. Is this normal or could there be a problem?

 

Well, I imagine it being a quad cab and a 4x4 has a lot to do with it. That is 2 strikes against gas mileage. I have an 05 regular cab Ram and its not a 4x4. I average between 15 and 15.5. If I have some more highway during a week, I can get into the 16's easy. I think the highest I got was around 17 one time on a very short highway trip. I have yet to take the truck on a long trip. Keep in mind, your truck is new. One of the worst tanks I had mileage wise was when mine was new and breaking in. Yours should improve some I would think. Also, it is a quad so its heavier and it is a 4x4 so you may never see what I do. Also, just so you are prepared, get ready for all the hemi guys to flame you a bit and tell you how crazy you were not to get the hemi because they get as good or better mileage than you. Ignore that stuff and try to enjoy your truck. I love the 4.7. It is a proven reliable motor that should give you a long time of service if you care for it properly.

 

I wouldn't flame him!!!!!!
MY 04 4.7 was a great truck!!!!
The gas mileage should improve. I had the quad cab without the 4x4. I was getting around 15 b4 installeng the intake and exhaust. Then i jumped to around 17, 18.

 

small engine, full size truck, extra drag from the 4x4 = don't expect a whole lot better. Break it in in 1500-2000 miles and go to synth fluids. Maybe that will help....
It will be a fine truck but learn where the fuel pumps are.
I would also very much advise you to use the search function on the forum and go through the myriad of posts on this subject. You're not alone.
Just curious, you obviously bought it new, what did the sticker say for mileage?

Cue Air Ram and/or HankL in 5......


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mgsouthwest2001 Wrote:

LOL! I certainly wouldn't flame you bohoram, but I will say that something is wrong with your truck if you are only getting 9 to 12 Mpg.

I get 9 Mpg pulling my travel trailer, and with a fair wind have gotten as high as 10.3 Mpg, so there is no way you should be getting that kind of mileage. It is possible that it will improve over time, but you are starting too far in the hole to begin with. My hemi got almost 14 Mpg from the get-go, and now my combined mileage runs around 15.2 with my road mileage between 16.5 and 17.7.

I have seen many posts on this forum about bad gas mileage, some with the same truck that I have getting only 9 to 12 Mpg., and I have never understood why the big differences. In some cases the poster admits to having a lead foot, but others swear they drive very sensibly, so the mystery continues. I drive very modestly, rarely exceeding 75 MPH on Interstates and I never make jack-rabbit starts and stops. My truck now has 29,000 miles on it and the mileage is very consistent on the above figures.

I would advise you to drive it around 500 miles, and if the mileage doesn't improve drastically, take it back to the dealer and complain, there's just no way that your Mpg. is right. I will, however, give you the same advice that I have seen on this board many times, if you want an economy vehicle, you have got the wrong one, don't forget that it is a truck.

 

Welcome to the RAM club....BWA!!!!

 

Do you have it lifted or have big tires on it? Have you added any mods or is it stock? how do you drive it? Do you jump off the line or ease off the line? do you drive over 70mph? Have you reset your overhead unit? are you getting these numbers based on your overhead unit? Is your air filter clean? What type of gas are you using? what size gears do you have? are your tires properly inflated? I dont think the 06' with the 4.7 has it but do you have the MDS System? There are numerouse things that'll help make or break your mileage and with the right combination it'll give you a few mpg difference. If I were you I would check everything you have making sure the tire pressure is good, check your air filter, and then go top off your tank (use at leat 89 octane) and reset your Overhead unit and reset your trip mileage too and then just drive with a lighter foot than what you are now and see what you get. Wait to configure it until your almost empty and record the mileage and how much gas you put in when you fill up and do the math and see what mileage your getting and check the overhead unit and compare the two and then start working on the mods to make it better. Just remeber though your starting out right now with a small engine in a big heavy 4x4 and that combination will never make that great of gas mileage to begin with.

Talk with AIRRAM and he should be able to tell you alot about what needs to be done to make the 4.7 run more efficient.

 

i have an 04 4.7 qc 4x2 i get about 11 but i have a heavy foot (16 yr old driver) but when i lay off i can see 17 even on short trips to nearby townsmy dad has the same setup and averages 15.6 with a combo of highway and town driving. even with a 4x4 it shouldnt be that low. are you really driving with as light a foot as you think because when i drive mine with a " light foot" sometimes it doesnt get anybetter and i had my dad with me the other day and i was using a "light foot" and my dad said i was still using too heavy a foot i just didnt realize it. ive noticed that as a driver i dont notice hard stops and accelerations that throws passengers around because youre expecting it and subconciously brace yourself for it. so you dont get your head thrown back and think "oh that was a smooth takeoff" but your passengers have their heads buried in the headrest so maybe your not noticing how hard youre really accelerating or maybe there really is some problem that is causing you to get worse gas mileage. i would get an exhaust system and replace the stock filter with a k&N if not get a whole Cold air intake and then see what you get and if its still lower than you think it should be go to the dealer.

 

from near the end of the long Ram Pickup MPG Improvement FAQ:
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In the Cummins White Paper they cite a study where there was a 30% variation
in MPG between professional drivers in the exact same truck over the same
route.
http://www.cummins.com/na/pdf/en/pro..._Whitepape.pdf

This is similar to GM research, such as this from from page A3 of The
Wall St Journal on 11-21-2005:
"Roger Clark, GM's senior manager of energy and drive quality in North
America, said the current test does a good job measuring average mileage but
the problem is the variation in how people drive. He cited a GM Study of 209
people driving the same midsize SUV. The fuel economy varied from about 13
miles per gallon to 23 miles per gallon, depending on the driver."

There are 'experts' at driving to get the best MPG. You can read about
John and Helen Taylor, a husband & wife couple who are sponsored by
Shell and have won many contests at this link:

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0601/S00020.htm

Note the list of good driving techniques for better MPG near the end of the
article about the Taylors.

Ford did a test of different drivers in the same vehicles and found an even
greater MPG difference of 38% between the best and worst driver habits and
conditions like low pressure tires, max AC, cargo on roof racks, etc:

http://www.gear6.net/2006/05/save_38_percent.html

 

Filled up this morning on the way to work, reset the computer, flat highway traveling 60 mph, 6th gear----18.3 mpg. Dropped to 17.1 by the time I got home from work 42 miles each way. Combined highway and city traffic.

The mileage gets better as the truck breaks in, but the biggest savings is in my right foot, gentle on the acceleration, keep the rpm below 2200 rpm for best results.