All possible input on this subject is greatly appreciated.
I have a 2009 Ram 1500, 4.7, and I wuld like to know what the TWO best options for fuel economy are. I am thinking tuner and cold air.
What should I buy, and where?
Thanks much.

 

If you are mostly stop and go driving vs. highway I would recommend re-gearing the rear end to a 3.92 or 4.10 for more bang for the buck. (I changed out my 3.92 to a 4.10 in a 4.7 Dakota and my "in town" mileage increased by 1.2 mpg or 7% and my highway mileage dropped about 5% unloaded but increased 5% when towing a travel trailer.)

Shorter tires by 1.5 - 2" would be cheaper still and do about the same thing.

The break even point @ current gas prices is about 24,000 to 36,000 miles for just about any add-on that actually improves mpg.

 

I would do a tuner, cai, and exhaust at the most. Most mpg "adders" cost way more than they save you. You might as well just save your money and spend it on gas.

 

smaller lighter street tires; I just bought off road tires and lost a good 3 -4 mpg, but If i was that concerned with mpg, I wouldnt have bought a truck with an 8 cylinder engine, but then again, the eight cylinder trucks are getting just as good mpg as the 6 cylinders these days.

 

I'll say it over and over again.. Trucks in the 90's had engines with about half of the power our HEMI has and they got worse gas mileage.

And comparing the HEMI to the 4.7, the HEMI is almost as efficient with it's MDS. I know GM's 5.3 gets 2 mpg better mileage than its smaller 4.8 due to the Active Fuel Management (GMs version of MDS).

 

Sell it and get a small car works everytime. How can you buy an 8 cylinder pickup and expect to get good gas mileage or make it a priority?
Drive slow, no jack rabbit starts, don't waste your money on CAI's and Tuners...JMHO.

 

Yep, NEVER buy a mod for better fuel economy, the cost of the mod will simply take way to long to make back in fuel savings. About the only mod that has a chance to make your initial cost back without waiting till you hit the 100k mile mark would be an efan, and even that will only get you a 1-1.5 mpg difference.

Blake hit the nail on the head, though. My '04 QCSB 1500 4x4 Hemi has 100 more HP than my '98 RCSB 1500 4x4 5.9V8 had and gets about 5 mpg better fuel economy. Back when I was in my teens and early 20s, people accepted that a truck got 10 mpg and bought them to be trucks, NOT daily drivers (unless your work required it to be one). Now people are buying 1/2 ton pickups for a daily driver, and yet still want the power and hauling capacity of a 3/4 ton, while expecting 20 mpg!

The reason a V6 (or even a smaller V8) doesn't get any better fuel economy than the Hemi (and often worse) is that it's just a big truck and underpowering a vehicle is worse than overpowering one. You have to give it more throttle to attain the same speed...

 

My 5.9L in my 03 Durango R/T was only 250 HP and it was so bad on gas I am actually ashamed to say what it got. Weird though at times like when I was towing it got great mileage, it was like if you loaded it up or pulled a trailer it got better mileage than when empty.? I didn't get it.

 

Bingo. If you are doing it just for the every so small mpg increase you will get keep the $$ for gas.

 

if you wanted to have good fuel mileage should have bought a car