What are you getting for MPG?

I have had a 97 Ram Van 2500 with the 5.9L engine for a couple of weeks now. The previous owner told me that he got 17-18 MPG on the highway. I know now that this was a complete fabrication. I can only get about 13 on the highway and 10.8 in the city.

Are my numbers average, or should I be getting better MPG?


Thanks,

Wayne

 

With my 90 B250 with the 360 (5.9) I"m getting 20-21 mpg, but I do almost no city driving.

 

My 97 with the 5.2L and 36RH tranny (3 speed) gets about 11 city and 14 highway or 12.2 overall.

 

I averaged about 12.5 in my '90 B250 with the 360.

 

I recently got an engine code for one of the o2 sensors. I think I am going to replace both of them this weekend. I am also going to clean the IAC as mentioned in another post on this forum. Hopefully I will see some improvement.

Are there any other maintenance items I can check?

 

I seem to be getting about 10mpg (mainly city) in my '73 360 w/ 3 speed auto. It might be a little more because my speedo seems inconsistent. I'm hoping that gets a little better as I continue to perform much-neglected maintenance.

Anyone know how much worse the older engines (from the 70s) are in comparison to the later ones (all you guys with the 90s engines)?

 

I wouldn't really know what kind of MPG from carburated Van, but the city MPG ratings can vary widely, as some people thing city driving is stopping at redlights every block and Idleing for 2 minutes, and others traffic lights are much farther apart and of shorter duration.

I have a lot of hills, lights and moronic, narcissistic drivers in my area. My city driving will vary between 8 and 12, depending on luck. My highway will vary from 14.5 to 17.5 depending on winds and terrain.

This is with a TBI 318 with 3.55s. I also have a real hard time believing any claims of 21 MPG from a 360 on a van chassis, unless it is driven at 50 mph with a tailwind and a 2.73 rear.

 

^ me, too. That's why I posted my mileage with a '90 B250 with 360. And that's with the A518 OD tranny...

It did have the heavy-duty tow option, though.

 

You may think I'm full of crap, but I find it hard to believe you are getting less than 15mpg unless you are doing alot of city driving. My brothers worn out and mistuned 86 B250 with a 360 4v gets about 15-16mpg. I just checked my mileage today when I filled up again and got 19.87mpg.

 

How much weight do you carry in your van? It is estimated that every 100 lbs. of weight reduces gas mileage by 2%. Climates also have an effect on MPG. You can expect up to 20% less MPG in cold weather than warm. Combine that with highway versus city driving and you might be able to explain the difference in MPG between two similar vehicles.