Absolutely terrible gas mileage.

[WVRigRat05]

i wish i could really give a shit what my truck got for milage,you have to buy the fuel or gas anyway so the way i see it drive what you like and how you like. my old company man has an 05' dogde with a 6 speed if you get an auto in a dodge ur crazy but his truck got 18-20 unloaded and it ran good but it hasnt handled the beating my chevy has.

[tallone66]

Not certain what the issue is. There is no gaspot around that would pull those numbers.
First time I pulled my trailer 9k+ my milage was around 9.5 mpg. Eie a few small changes and got it up to an average of 12mpg hand calculated.
Just for comparason, my buddy in his 05 cummins with edge J/A pulling my trailer on the same haul with his 6sp manual got no better than 11.5 mpg and he was shifting gears like a bugger when pulling decent hills.
I think if anyone claims 16 mpg pulling 10k better double check their math, Not gonna happen unless downhill both ways.
You milage will get better as your truck gets some miles on it, and with some good tunes and minor mods, they will pay for themselfs in no time.
Enjoy your truck for what it is, and when you blow by the gas pots on a long hill, remember that thet are probobly only getting around 5mpg pulling anything bugger than a utility trailer

[DaleDMax]

Originally Posted by WigDiesel

My 2008 is all stock, I pulled a 6700 pound trailer from Calgary to Banff and got about 10.5 mpg at 110 km/hr. That's not drivin it like I stole it either, but I'm not backing up traffic.

I'm pretty happy with that.

Unloaded I drive about 80% highway miles and I'm getting 20-21MPG in the summer. My brother just suggested to try some Husky High test Diesel, he got a better tow milage with his but I wasn't there to witness the increase. And I don't trust anyone's judgement but my own when they state the MPG thier truck gets.

To get the best milage, you need to run the synthetic oils, you needs to check your tire pressure on the truck and trailer and you need to not drive at 80mph.

I haven't hit that magic number for converting to synthetic yet.

well since you're Canadian as I am(no conversion to US), my 08 LMM with 23000kms on it is now getting better mpg's I averaged on a trip to and from Brooks-Med hat @120km/hr 23mpg.after which i had towed my trailer, that is a combined mileage tow/unloaded. tires inflated to 70 rear, so mileage goes up as you put miles on her. just hand calc,Hat-Calgary,Hat with city driving in Calgary 560kms avg 21.2mpg@120kms/hr hwy and what ever needed in city. Not too shabby I thinks.

[tallone66]

Yes I hear ya. Figure i used were converted. Using the EDGE EVO non race ( DPF Intact) level 1 or 2 Van to Kamloops on the coquihalla I used 32L. Convert to imperial that was 24 mpg. Cruise set at 108 k truck was empty. Best seen towing 22L/100K, converted by hand came in at 13mpg. Found that the edge evo did not like level2 for towing out here, but worked fairly well on level one, much better than stock. Will be going to EFI live most likely, seems to be the best way to delete the dpf and keep egt's under control.
Plus it does give the flexibility of fine tuning your truck to what you want. Talked with several Vendors on this site, they were all fantastic and more than willing to support the product and hekp out with tuning. If interested, EDGE is for sale.
Cheers

[dmax65]

I don't know what the D-max should get towing but, I just got back from vacation from Michigan to Yellowstone and back. I don't have the fuel consumption estimator on my truck so, everything is hand calculated. Round trip I logged 3740 miles pulling around an 11,000 lb 5er. I used 17 fill-ups or 361 gals of fuel for a trip average of 10.36 mpg. I had the Quad set on the 40hp economy tune and the air was on all the time since it was 85-90 deg. all the time. I had the unusual East wind coming home so, I had a headwind both ways. I also tried cruise control and manually feathering the pedal. Didn't matter, I never saw more than 11mpg. My Dad had the 6.0 gasser before he went D-max and he pulls roughly the same weight as me and he got 6-8 mpg towing with the gasser. Like I said, I don't know what mpg I should be getting but, when climbing hills and towing I love my D-max.

[lostscout]

towed a 23.5 ft tt at 72 mph, avg 14mpg--first time towing with the truck--shocked surprised and definitely pleased avg 19.6 mpg unloaded<minus trailer>

[Killerbee]

I frequently toss pens into the waste basket...don't even think about it any more. I will not let a pen occupy more than 10 seconds of my life. My brother will try for 10 minutes to get it to work, then moan all day about the world we live in, pen still on the desk.

Might be a good idea to sell it, it does not sound like you are going to be happy. Though there are lots of things to do to an LLY that improve mileage, there are few things that can be done to change a "glass-half-empty" point of view.

FWIW, nobody will blame you. Dodge is as good as any.

[Savington]

Originally Posted by Killerbee

Might be a good idea to sell it, it does not sound like you are going to be happy. Though there are lots of things to do to an LLY that improve mileage, there are few things that can be done to change a "glass-half-empty" point of view.

The only reason I haven't sold it is that other than the mileage, I absolutely love the truck - the seats, the ride, the power, the tranny. Since doing the LBZ mouthpiece, the mileage has improved a lot. Before the mouthpiece, I was getting 13mpg towing a 2-ton flatbed/car combo, 15 unloaded doing 70mph. After the mouthpiece, I haven't towed (but I will be doing about a thousand miles in the next 2 weeks with that same 2-ton load behind me), but the unloaded mileage has improved to about 17mpg doing 70. At 13-15, I was looking for a Dodge dealership; at 15-17, I'm looking for ways to further improve the truck I have (and love).

What are the other things you can do? The next things on my list are a factory LBZ intake, MAF recalibration, and EFILive with a tow/economy tune. I've considered doing an exhaust, but I haven't done a lot of looking for one.

[Killerbee]

You do need a "cold" air intake, and the LBZ intake is decent, but not justified if you have to spend months learning EFIlive.

I would suggest custom tuning, with MAF voltage rescaling...but I am very concerned about your expectations.

[catpower400]

Originally Posted by Savington

The only reason I haven't sold it is that other than the mileage, I absolutely love the truck - the seats, the ride, the power, the tranny. Since doing the LBZ mouthpiece, the mileage has improved a lot. Before the mouthpiece, I was getting 13mpg towing a 2-ton flatbed/car combo, 15 unloaded doing 70mph. After the mouthpiece, I haven't towed (but I will be doing about a thousand miles in the next 2 weeks with that same 2-ton load behind me), but the unloaded mileage has improved to about 17mpg doing 70. At 13-15, I was looking for a Dodge dealership; at 15-17, I'm looking for ways to further improve the truck I have (and love).

What are the other things you can do? The next things on my list are a factory LBZ intake, MAF recalibration, and EFILive with a tow/economy tune. I've considered doing an exhaust, but I haven't done a lot of looking for one.

Dude your mileage doesn't sound that bad to me. Just to put some things in perspective here. Improving mileage from 17 to 19 driving 15,000 miles/year will save about 95 gal of fuel per year. At 2.50 fuel that saves about 235.00 per year. Not that much compared to the cost of alot of other things or the cost of our trucks if you ask me. Don't get me wrong I like to improve mileage as much as the next guy, but really mileage is just kinda another form of compitition. Also don't believe everything you hear about mileage from others, they can be selective in what they tell you. If you love your truck that's GREAT. Just throw your calculator in the glove box and leave it there! Anyway just my 2 cents worth.