I just drive my hemi, no racing or foolish farting around and average 15.2 mpg on regular gas.
The 4.7 uses premium. That's like $ .20 per gallon more. Spark plugs are what ? ? ? Two bucks.
I din't choose the hemi, the truck I liked had it. I had been interested in the 4.7 until I found out
about the HI-test gas.
If I was a getting an 04, farmer or not, I'd go for the new diesel.

 

Sorry to contridict, but the dealer sold you a bill of goods on the gas requirements...

The 4.7 does not require premium gas per my owners manual the recommended octane is 87. The engine was specifically designed for 87 and the owners manual does not recommend running more than 89 octane.

 

Hey Jgralka,

What CAI and chip are you using? Any other mods...exhaust?

 

Yep, the 4.7L does not require higher octane gas, the HEMI does. I have to agree with everyone else who has the 4.7. I have the 4.7 and wish I had the HEMI just because I am horsepower crazy. But, I don't race my truck, haven't really towed anything (although I have the tow package), and I have heard horror stories about the HEMI gas mileage. And right now, with the outrageous gas prices, I'm glad I didn't get a HEMI. It already costs enough to fill up a 4.7 with regular.

 

The HEMI does not require higher octane! Dodge recommends 89 octane for optimum performance but the engine will perform just fine with 87-89. Dodge DOES NOT recommend using premium fuel.

As for gas mileage, I just completed a 1,000 mile trip towing a loaded car trailer and averaged 13.8 mpg overall. That included both interstate and back roads driving at speeds of 50-75 mph.

 

You're right. The manual recommends 89 octane. Where I live, 89 is plus and 87 is regular. On average, that is .10 cents more. I didn't say everyone got bad gas mileage, I was just saying that I have seen a lot of complaints on here about the HEMI getting bad gas mileage. I haven't been a member since the beginning of the website, but I have not seen many complaints about the gas mileage of the 4.7.

 

I use a homemade unit from an ebay vendor. I can't remember whom, cause it was two years ago. It's just pvc wrapped in an insulater. And jet chip. Its okay I didn't see to many others out there. The bad part is running prem in it. The hemi suggest 89 but will run on 87 true, but how much do you lose. I know in the 4.7HO, which is where I think the confusion came from if you don't use prem you lose about 20 horse. But you can't get the HO in the ram. Which I think is rather stupid, but hey I just work for them, I don't call the shots.

 

The 4.7L uses "semi-hermispherical" heads also. -1 plug per cylinder and of couse smaller chambers. I guess the 4.7L is a baby hemi hahaha. The 4.7L that I am running does the job and keeps me from a lead foot.

 

Bullitt,
I didn't mean for my response to sound like a flame but now that I've read it again I can see how it would seem like it. Sorry! I was just posting my experiences.

 

I didn't take it as a flame, and I hope you didn't take mine as a flame. I was just stating what I had read in my owners manual. I was just under the impression that you HAD to run 89 octane in the HEMI. The 4.7 is recommended to run 87 octane, which is regular in Houston.