Hemi vs Cummins

[Thebuilderman]

Down right love this post!
Get a truck for you to do what you want! Let others get theirs.
America gives you THAT option, so Love America damnit!

Disagreement in 3...2...1
Wanna go fast?, get a crotch rocket. I rode trackdays and did practice/mock racing for 8 years on sport bikes. Twisty tracks, dragging knee at triple digit speeds. No other thrill like it in the world.

Let trucks be trucks.

We don’t disagree at all. Used to watch Laguna Seca and them crotch rockets are too fast! They’ll definitely get you there. For me I don’t ride on road bikes, I’d get in too much trouble. Got me a BMW M240 instead. It gets me there. I love my Beemer but I couldn’t live without my truck. For me it’s got to be a Cummins.

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

This. we aren't doing 85 mph down the road.

The best i can average is 19.5 and thats on flat road going 50….. so even then the 20+ seems like a stretch

 

[RVTRKN]

After I broke in my Cummins, it gets 50 MPG climbing at 21K GCVW, and 75 MPG running flat ground. ,

 

[Crusty old shellback]

Best I've seen in my 6.4, 4.10 gears with BFG 35's is 16 MPG. That was on a 200 mile road trip, stuck in traffic and not going over 60 MPH. Mostly doing 40 to 50.

On the highway, normal driving I see 13 to 14. That's usually 75 plus MPH.

One thing I did notice, driving the 15 to Vegas, doing 90 MPH, my mileage stayed the same at 13.5 MPG. So I guess after about 75 MPH, the MPG doesent change.

 

[CharlieL]

key word is "hear" about 20+ mog... read about it on the innerwebz? yup. seen it personally? nope.

On the trip bringing my 2500 CTD home, I saw 20.685 mpg. This was 1,117 miles, 54 gallons. Basically all interstate, Des Moines to Albuquerque, not taking 2-lane shorter route through Kansas and doing whatever the speed limit was, minimal in town of about 25 miles included.

 

[Riddick]

As others have stated if you plan on towing then I would highly consider the diesel over the gas engine. I would not base my decision off fuel mileage differences between the two engines. Many users have reported 20+ MPG from their CTD on the highway but my 2500 is not seeing that. Mine is brand new and only 500 miles, but on the highway at 70 the lye o meter is stating 18mpg. I think this will get a little better with mileage but seeing 20+ out of this at 70 is unlikely in my opinion. Once I do a long road trip I will hand calculate to see what its averaging.

 

[Brewbud]

I really miss the mileage of my 2007 Cummins. But hey, I fueled up yesterday and it dropped 14 cents a gallon. It was down to $4.66.

 

[406Linetrash]

Not sure if I’m understanding you. Are you telling me I’m full of it?
I got, in Colorado, an average of 11-12mpg with my 6.4L work truck calculated by hand at the pump. Don’t know the gearing as I didn’t own the truck. With MY 2006 CTD in Kalifornia I got 13 and here in Colorado, same truck, I get 15-17. I drive the same. Roads are much better quality here and maybe the higher elevation helps, don’t know.
But those figures are for real and done with a calculator at the pump.

No. Not you. I'm saying it's either people lying Or location. Or a combination of location and embellishment. When they report 20mpg with a 6.4. Or even a diesel.
Seems like 11-12 is what most are saying. Pretty close to mine. And about same spread between gas and diesel for me as well.

All I'm saying is. Some people reporting 20mpg. Are full of ****. Some are living in flat lands with low speed limits. Or a combo of slow and flat and rounding up.

Big part of why it's important to sometimes find location. 13 mpg at 85mph in the mountains is really nothing to bitch about. But when another guy chimes in with that's terrible, my power wheels get 2,000mpg. Maybe he's honest. Maybe we're comparing to his power wheels being driven in flat ass Texas with 55mph speed limits. Not a real fair comparison. Either gas to gas or gas to diesel.

 

[Brewbud]

I could see people getting 20+ if the truck was 100% deleted.

 

[jetrinka]

My Power Wagon gets 11.5-12.5 mixed - probably 60% city, 40% highway. On a dedicated highway trip, usually 1 mountain pass and rolling hills I'll hand calculate about 16.5 going about 65-70 MPH

 

[CharlieL]

No. Not you. I'm saying it's either people lying Or location. Or a combination of location and embellishment. When they report 20mpg with a 6.4. Or even a diesel.
Seems like 11-12 is what most are saying. Pretty close to mine. And about same spread between gas and diesel for me as well.

All I'm saying is. Some people reporting 20mpg. Are full of ****. Some are living in flat lands with low speed limits. Or a combo of slow and flat and rounding up.

Reminds me of that great line from Jack Nicholson in "A Few Good Men." You can't handle the truth! As a complete aside, in 1979 as a young Marine I had the opportunity to be in Cuba (Guantanamo Bay) as part of a President Carter show of the flag exercise. Got to be in a tower on the fence looking (through binoculars) at the Cubans on the other side looking back at me (through their binoculars), not 50 yards away. Everyone was locked and loaded...... I digress...

I do agree location has alot to do with mpg. On the trip home with my new truck, the route was Knoxville, IA to I-35, through Kansas City to Wichita, KS; I-35 to Oklahoma City; I-40 to Albuquerque. Through IA, KS and OK the terrain is fairly flat. Same through most of TX. There are some pretty decent up and down grades from NM border to ABQ, which is at 5,355 feet. My notes (attached) reflect where I fueled up & the amount pumped. I wanted to know what kind of MPG the truck was getting, so did this by hand, not relying on the EVIC - though on the trip it seemed pretty close. After correcting data entered into the RoadTrip app, I see I incorrectly reported mpg previously. It should be 20.71, not 20.685!

I very distinctly remember the overnite in Wichita. I got up quite early and went to a nearby Costco (thanks to Gas Buddy for best price.) It hadn't opened yet, so I decided to press on and see what kind of range I would get, as I was still running on what was left from the initial full tank. On that stretch the Nav was working and showing diesel prices at a pretty good distance ahead - thought that was really slick & I planned a stop based on that info in Guthrie, OK. That was at about 525 total miles driven from the dealership.

After the trip home, I did about 75/25 city/hwy before next fill up & saw 15.71. On the next calculation (including Thanksgiving trip to Tucson with about 1,000 miles of towing), got 13.52. These are actual mpg numbers that I am getting thus far. Per the RoadTrip app, current "lifetime" average mpg is 15.85. Compared to what I saw in my 2013 1500 with hemi, I'm very happy. Currently sitting just under 1/2 tank and 3,250 miles. I anticipate seeing around 15 at next fillup based on about 90/10 city/hwy and what the EVIC is at right now.

I also whole heartedly agree that the decision to invest in a 2500, and the choice of either diesel or gas, depends upon alot of factors driven by individual needs/desires/etc, which the OP has asked input about.

This is a great forum and a superb thread!

 

[Thebuilderman]

No. Not you. I'm saying it's either people lying Or location. Or a combination of location and embellishment. When they report 20mpg with a 6.4. Or even a diesel.
Seems like 11-12 is what most are saying. Pretty close to mine. And about same spread between gas and diesel for me as well.

All I'm saying is. Some people reporting 20mpg. Are full of ****. Some are living in flat lands with low speed limits. Or a combo of slow and flat and rounding up.

Big part of why it's important to sometimes find location. 13 mpg at 85mph in the mountains is really nothing to bitch about. But when another guy chimes in with that's terrible, my power wheels get 2,000mpg. Maybe he's honest. Maybe we're comparing to his power wheels being driven in flat ass Texas with 55mph speed limits. Not a real fair comparison. Either gas to gas or gas to diesel.

Yeah thanks for the clarification. I agree.
I also think to expect 20mpg with a full size truck is unrealistic gas or diesel. Maybe if you drove the whole 300+ miles down hill the whole way and with a completely stock vehicle, no wind and drove like a VERY VERY old conservative lady from Asia on cruise control the entire 300+ miles. Well maybe you’ll get 20. If you survive after pissing everybody around you off.
I think many people use their onboard computer and that, for me at least, is never close.
As a musician once stated, I can’t drive 55. I can’t.
Amazingly enough I’m getting mostly about high 14’s to 15 and even up to 17 with my existing diesel Here in Colorado and I have a lead foot. In Kalif****dupfornia I got 13.

 

[gimmie11s]

Yeah thanks for the clarification. I agree.
I also think to expect 20mpg with a full size truck is unrealistic gas or diesel. Maybe if you drove the whole 300+ miles down hill the whole way and with a completely stock vehicle, no wind and drove like a VERY VERY old conservative lady from Asia on cruise control the entire 300+ miles. Well maybe you’ll get 20. If you survive after pissing everybody around you off.
I think many people use their onboard computer and that, for me at least, is never close.
As a musician once stated, I can’t drive 55. I can’t.
Amazingly enough I’m getting mostly about high 14’s to 15 and even up to 17 with my existing diesel Here in Colorado and I have a lead foot. In Kalif****dupfornia I got 13.

Note to self. Move to another state to improve MPG by 4.

Another beyond stupid claim in this thread.

Good stuff!

 

[Thebuilderman]

I really miss the mileage of my 2007 Cummins. But hey, I fueled up yesterday and it dropped 14 cents a gallon. It was down to $4.66.

I was just gonna say that sounds like California or as I call it Kalif****dupfornia. I hated that when I lived there. It was a great place when I was young. I moved to Colorado end of 2013 and love it here. Here in America I pay 3.13/gallon at a few places for diesel and $3.45 for regular unleaded. Yep you read that right. I think they add something like $1.29/gal in fuel tax.
Sorry if it sounds like I’m rubbing it in. I am! But I also understand some folks can’t move and I feel for you bro. That’s truth.
Hang in there. Hopefully it gets better there. Cali is the most beautiful fun place with so much to offer. It’s truly a shame it’s so messed up. $4.66/gal.

 

[Thebuilderman]

Note to self. Move to another state to improve MPG by 4.

Another beyond stupid claim in this thread.

Good stuff!

How is my claim stupid?
I get better mileage here in Colorado then I did in California. It is what it is. I use a calculator and fill up every time till the first click, wait about 30 seconds and hit it again till it clicks. Or I calculate till the first click. I do both. I check about 50% of the time when fuel up. How is that stupid?
If you move to another state, don’t choose Colorado. We’re pretty nice folks. Pretty sure it’s not nice to call others stupid. We’re smarter than that.

 

[406Linetrash]

Note to self. Move to another state to improve MPG by 4.

Another beyond stupid claim in this thread.

Good stuff!

Maybe note to yourself to travel outside your own little box every once in a while. He's not saying it's because of the fuel.

I experienced the same thing working there. Your dealing with tons of traffic. Lots of slow down speed up. Stop and go. And getting on it to merge, make your gap. Making overall mileage go down.

Vice versa. Vegas to la is always the best mileage I ever get in any vehicle I have as long as there is not weekend traffic

 

[Thebuilderman]

Maybe note to yourself to travel outside your own little box every once in a while. He's not saying it's because of the fuel.

I experienced the same thing working there. Your dealing with tons of traffic. Lots of slow down speed up. Stop and go. And getting on it to merge, make your gap. Making overall mileage go down.

Vice versa. Vegas to la is always the best mileage I ever get in any vehicle I have as long as there is not weekend traffic

That’s also true. I always got the best mileage from Nevada to La on the 15. Down hill without horrible traffic.

 

[Xflight29]

I'm from Colorado and have family there, and no way do you get better mileage in Colorado unless you live on the eastern slope off in the plains.

 

[@JC]

Yeah the MPG most certainly does change with mph. Interstate is 80mph up here and most are doing 85-89. At 65-70 on non-Interstate highways, I might be able to get 14 if I set the cruise and go but it's a pretty linear drop to 90mph and around 11.5mpg.

To paraphrase the quote about statistics, there's lies, damned lies and MPG claims.

One thing I did notice, driving the 15 to Vegas, doing 90 MPH, my mileage stayed the same at 13.5 MPG. So I guess after about 75 MPH, the MPG doesent change.

 

[Thebuilderman]

I'm from Colorado and have family there, and no way do you get better mileage in Colorado unless you live on the eastern slope off in the plains.

I get better mileage here. And I live in Larkspur off I25. I don’t live in the plains. But as I said before, it is what it is. I don’t know why. Probably La traffic being so stop and go, faster pace of life and living in a canyon and on a steep driveway? Don’t know but I get better mileage here. My tires also seem to last longer by a lot. In La where I lived I used to eat through them in 20k miles. Mud tires are soft. Here I got 30k miles. I’m sure that’s road conditions and my old canyon and driveway.

You know, starting to wonder why on this small thread there seem to be folks that are much more rude. The other thread with tons of posts and zero rudeness. Weird. Very friendly there.
You didn’t have to say, “ and no way do you get better mileage in Colorado.” You could have wrote that in a less insulting manner. Not terrible but not totally nice. I’m sure you didn’t mean to be rude.
The other d**khead didn’t have to call me stupid either because I wrote what I believe to be true. At least your not that rude. But I’m thinking mommy didn’t teach that other dude well. Sorry for him.