keep it a 2000 RPM if possible

 

Guys these are all really great ideas and I thank you all for your time in helping me.
I am very glad I found this forum. This is my 3rd Ram, had a 94 sport, 97 sport, and now the 2006.
The 06 is my first diesel so I have no idea what to expect.

Thanks again, and keep the help coming I need it.

 

maybe a little late but i can relate to your "[:@]"...... i got an 05 5.9 and its got 21k on it, i bought it w/ 12k and i have not seen a reading over 13.5 hand calculated since.... i do not pull anything but the guy b4 me had a 5th wheel hitch mounted in the back so i know he pulled something. i get 12.5 in the city, and 13 on the free way all unloaded. i just got back today from a weekend on some northern michigan trails on my quad which was about a 450 mile round trip. i had 2 quads and gear that was maybe around 3000 lbs. total w/ trailer and i got 12.9 going 70 mph on freeway. i have made posts simular to this and alls i hear is the same thing... "break in" and "filter changes", well ive changed all the filters and in past 20k which is supose to be around the miles your truck is broken in at and im still at nasty mph's... maybe our trucks are just "diffrent" than everyone elses[:-] also i forgot to add that i have the 4:10 gear in my truck which explains some but from the looks of everyone else's MPH's, i still feel a little behind in the figures

 

Hello,

I have an 07 Ram 5.9L, 4x4, Quad cab, short bed, auto and Edge EZ. I just went over 12,000 miles yesterday.

My meter shows better, but when I calculate it I get 14 or 15 babying it around town and up to 18 on longer drives on the highway letting everyone pass me at 60. (Edge EZ switched to 2)

On a recent trip to and from Laredo, about 370 miles, my meter showed 22; but actually I got a little over 19mpg. (Going 70mph.) That was with the EZ set to 3.

 

i would be HAPPY to see 14.5 on an unloaded highway long trip[>:] because even that would be an increase! but those are nice figures solarwrap!

 

I have heard the it all of the trucks do not run the same. some run low and some run high. theymay be made in the same plant, but each has its own "personality" of how it runs.

have ya ran it loaded yet for break in?

 

the worst empty mpg's i've gotten yet has been 16.7 .. that was straight off the lot.. last 'all highway' driving i got 19.9.. (just under 5000 mi on truck) .. pulled the 9000lb5'r 200 miles after driving the same 200 miles empty.. and averaged 11.5 .. but it was very windy while i was pulling (all hand calced)

i can't understand the huge differences in mileage people are getting.. unless location/temperature/terrain/driving styleare all to blame.. granted i've got a 2wd and 4wd's are the majority here.. but i would still think someone concerned with fuel mileage would make an attempt at driving moderately and be able to squeak out 18mpg highway sometimes... the difference between 12mpg and 18mpg is 33%.. thats a BIG difference.. so what mechanically could cause this big of a difference?

btw.. i just watched the episode of mythbusters where they tested the 'tailgate up vs tailgate down' myth.. turned out the tailgate down got worse mileage!.. it actually created more drag.. that one surprised me!

 

I get @ 15 hand calculated. With 37"smostly highway going @ 80 and the city portion is stop and gooooooo(I like to race punks)

 

I bought my 04 used with ~50K on the clock. I bought it in Dallas and drive it home totaly unloaded to Ogden UT the next day. The first full tank I got 16.5 MPG at a steady 70 MPH (2000 RPM) with the cc on. The second tank I used 16oz Power Service and 8 oz MMO, and that tank netted 19.5 MPG, still at 70 MPH with the cc on. The third tank still using the PS/MMO got 22.8 MPG still at 70 MPH using the cc. Now keep in mind that this a broken in truck (PO used it to tow a gooseneck) and it is a 2WD DRW quad cab with an NV5600 trans (3.73 rear end). All the mileages were hand calculated. It has consistently netted me 20-23 MPG on the highway and 17-19 around town.

I firmly believe that it is imperative to not only change the filters regularly, but to run a cleaner/lubricant like Power Service to help clean and keep the injectors clean to give the best mileage. Keeping the RPMs at or under 2000 is also critical to getting good mileage.
Another thing I have learned is that these engines really never break in if they aren't worked hard. Everybody I've talked to that hasn't ever towed at least 8K lbs, gripes about their mileage. On another forum I frequent, a guy was having the same "problem" and it was also using a little oil. The diesel techs couldn't figure it out. When they talked to Cummins, the rep asked what color the exhaust spacers were (the ones that are about 1" long and are between the exhaust manifold bolt heads and the manifold). When they replied that they were a silver color, the rep told them that the engine wasn't broken it. They told the rep that it did have ~20K miles on it, but he said it didn't matter. If the engine hasn't gotten hot enough to turn those spacers a bronze color, then it isn't broken in. For you guys that have mileage troubles, post up some pics of your exhaust manifold bolts/spacers and compare them to the ones on my truck in the "valve adjustment DIY" thread. I'd be interested to see the differences.

Basically, if you never tow a heavy load and work the engine like it was meant to, you will never see the full benifits of owning a CTD

 

I didn't realize that SRW's mileage was that far off from DRW's. either way, I thought it would have been the other way around with the SRW's getting better mileage.

rian, check / replace your fuel filter and check your mileage before doing / adding anything else.