Towing and MPG with a Ram 2500 Hemi?

Posted By: Eric

Towing and MPG with a Ram 2500 Hemi? - 06/22/11 04:41 AM

I'm thinking of ditching my GMC and Explorer for one truck. How do you guys like the Hemi for towing?...what kind of mpg could I expect both towing and not?....Thanks folks

Posted By: TheBlueBeast

Re: Towing and MPG with a Ram 2500 Hemi? - 06/22/11 04:50 AM

Get an older cummins. My buddy marty (440nuts if still registered) has an 04 with the 5.9 5 speed full 4 door cab K&N filter charger, quadzilla power adder, synthetic oils everywhere and he knocks down 26 in the summer and 32 in the winter. The motor likes cold air a lot. Flat land at 55mph I have seen it make 36mpg with 40 degree air. Pulling a goose neck trailer rated at 16K loaded with TBB he knocked dowwn 17mpg in the summertime (95+F) he can pull my bumper pull trailer (about 1600lbs) and not change his milage. We went to get the 1980 dodge stepside truck from member showtime in North Carolina something like 800 miles adn I bought three tanks of fuel (one there, one back and one to replenish for his time). I would stay away from the newer ones with 6.7s because a friend that works (parts manager) at the nearest dealership told me they soot up turbos for excessive idling (cure is brake fluid into the intake stream cost 300 after first time) and the motors do not get the milage the 5.9s do.

Posted By: SeventyGTX

Re: Towing and MPG with a Ram 2500 Hemi? - 06/22/11 05:04 AM

Quote:

Get an older cummins........

I will never go back to gas for towing anything. I love my 04 CTD, it's a brute even bone stock. Nothing better than towing 6k lbs and never go over 2k RPM while passing cars going uphill.

Posted By: nutso suave

Re: Towing and MPG with a Ram 2500 Hemi? - 06/22/11 05:13 AM

i have an 05 2500 ram with the hemi. i get 15-17 mpg average and about 8-10 mpg when towing something heavy.

Posted By: Old_Moparz

Re: Towing and MPG with a Ram 2500 Hemi? - 06/22/11 05:17 AM

There's a 5.7 in my '04 Ram 1500 & I've never gotten better than 10 or 11 mpg while towing either an open 16' car trailer with a car, or a 24' camping trailer at 6500 lb.

I've gotten 17 mpg hwy by itself at 65 to 70 mph, & less than 10 mpg city.

I think the newer Hemis will be a little better, but I doubt it'll be drastic enough to matter much.

Posted By: oldyellerrt

Re: Towing and MPG with a Ram 2500 Hemi? - 06/22/11 12:33 PM

My father in law got 6mpg with his 98 V10 with a loaded 4 horse trailer in tow. He said he didn't think the cummins was woth the extra $5000. He bought a cummins the next year!

Posted By: 6pkaar

Re: Towing and MPG with a Ram 2500 Hemi? - 06/22/11 05:12 PM

I've for a 2003 1500 5.7 Hemi and pulled a trailer full of "free" bricks for my son....I got 8.7 MPG. His free bricks cost dad about $150.00 round trip for gas!

Posted By: A12

Re: Towing and MPG with a Ram 2500 Hemi? - 06/22/11 05:32 PM

Quote:

i have an 05 2500 ram with the hemi. i get 15-17 mpg average and about 8-10 mpg when towing something heavy.

8-10 average is what we did on a trip last October to Texas and back...we had a MPG game going and the driver got a severe verbal beating if it dropped below 8 MPG

two of us saw 13 MPG for a few miles but that was with a tail wind and downhill

This was with the MPG gauge but we would check consumption and milage after each fill up and that darn gauge was alway pretty darn spot on

That Hemi is not bad and everybike as fuel efficent as lots of diesels I've towed with or even not towed with

It was an open trailer with a GTX and two dirt bikes and riding gear, travel stuff and....well you know.

MikeR

Attached picture 6695156-DSC02533ars.jpg

Posted By: A12

Re: Towing and MPG with a Ram 2500 Hemi? - 06/22/11 06:22 PM

Have to say; for lots of towing there is only way to go and that's a DIESEL.....but other than that it's a pain finding diesel or getting to the stations that have diesel if you use it as a daily driver. I know, yeah there's lots of diesel available out there on the highway but in the past 20 years of owning a diesel truck my route back and forth to work does not have a diesel available station without going out of my way a minimum of five miles and five miles back and that's if they are open when you need it or have the time to get there. Plus the price of diesel vs gas....etc. Great to own a diesel for serious towing or serious work but a gas Hemi and a Ram truck are not a bad choice either IMO

MikeR

Posted By: Eric

Re: Towing and MPG with a Ram 2500 Hemi? - 06/22/11 06:33 PM

Quote:

Have to say; for lots of towing there is only way to go and that's a DIESEL.....but other than that it's a pain finding diesel or getting to the stations that have diesel if you use it as a daily driver. I know, yeah there's lots of diesel available out there on the highway but in the past 20 years of owning a diesel truck my route back and forth to work does not have a diesel available station without going out of my way a minimum of five miles and five miles back and that's if they are open when you need it or have the time to get there. Plus the price of diesel vs gas....etc. Great to own a diesel for serious towing or serious work but a gas Hemi and a Ram truck are not a bad choice either IMO

MikeR

Thanks guys...Mike..thats kinda where I am at...I tow...but am looking to thin the herd down to one vehicle and I'm not sure if I want it to be a diesel. Right now I would be towing approx #6000..but I could see it getting as high as #10000. Most of the time less than an hour away..but on occasion more.

Posted By: pittsburghracer

Re: Towing and MPG with a Ram 2500 Hemi? - 06/22/11 06:55 PM

Eric talk to Kyle Reasbeck at Bud's Auto Sales. He found me a 2006 Dodge diesel and I love it. Tell him what you are looking to spend and he will look for one. Bud also races at PRP. Great people to deal with.

If you need a phone number let me know.

Posted By: KillerBee

Re: Towing and MPG with a Ram 2500 Hemi? - 06/22/11 07:54 PM

Are you looking for a 4x4?
Quad cab?
Long or short bed?
Options?
What price range are you thinking?
If your considering a brand new 2500 Hemi in like a 4x4 quadcab SLT package you could find a similar equipped diesel truck that's a few years older with a few more miles in the same price range.

I get 17-18 mpg around town in my daily driver 2004 diesel Ram and 15-16 towing my enclosed trailer and car.
I had a Hemi powered Ram previously and it was a decent truck but it struggled to tow heavier loads. After selling it and buying my diesel Ram I would never go back to a gas powered truck again.

Posted By: Prostock

Re: Towing and MPG with a Ram 2500 Hemi? - 06/22/11 08:05 PM

I love my diesel truck, but there's no way I would want to drive it on a daily basis.

Posted By: KillerBee

Re: Towing and MPG with a Ram 2500 Hemi? - 06/22/11 08:49 PM

Quote:

I love my diesel truck, but there's no way I would want to drive it on a daily basis.

I think the OP is trying to thin the herd and eliminate multiple vehicles.
If he is wanting a 3/4 ton truck as a daily driver why not get one with the best possible drivetrain.

I really enjoy driving my diesel Ram.
After owning/driving full sized trucks and SUV's most of my life I don't enjoy sitting down low in a car as a everyday driver.
I walk past the wifegod's BMW 550I parked in the garage everyday(and a few other cool drivers I could take) to get into my diesel Ram.

Posted By: MrFoFody

Re: Towing and MPG with a Ram 2500 Hemi? - 06/22/11 09:28 PM

I have a 92 CTD 5spd and I'l get about 20mpg while towing a car.

Posted By: dannysbee

Re: Towing and MPG with a Ram 2500 Hemi? - 06/22/11 09:41 PM

The difference between a 2001 and a 2006 Diesel is huge in the daily driver role. I have owned both and the 2006 is much more comfortable and fun to drive. Pretty peppy with the auto and HO diesel.

Posted By: chargervert

Re: Towing and MPG with a Ram 2500 Hemi? - 06/22/11 09:43 PM

I drive my 2005 Ram 2500 quadcab 4x4 diesel daily with no issues. It averages 18 MPG using it for both city and highway driving. I have gone 400 miles on this tank of fuel,and the guage reads above a quarter tank full. It tows effortlessly,like there is nothing hooked to it,when there is! I will never buy another gas powered truck to tow with.

Posted By: Eric

Re: Towing and MPG with a Ram 2500 Hemi? - 06/22/11 11:13 PM

Guys....I've been looking at diesel's....but a 10-14k max budget does not buy much...and I want 03' and up. I drove a 7.3 Ford F250 that I could'nt see driving as my only vehicle and haven't tried a Cummin's yet but they are more pricey. I'm patient and there are deals out there if you look.

Getting back to the Hemi...

....any info would be appreciated on results towing and everyday mpg...thanks again..

Posted By: dart4forte

Re: Towing and MPG with a Ram 2500 Hemi? - 06/22/11 11:59 PM

Quote:

Guys....I've been looking at diesel's....but a 10-14k max budget does not buy much...and I want 03' and up. I drove a 7.3 Ford F250 that I could'nt see driving as my only vehicle and haven't tried a Cummin's yet but they are more pricey. I'm patient and there are deals out there if you look.

Getting back to the Hemi... ....any info would be appreciated on results towing and everyday mpg...thanks again..

My vote is the diesel. You'll buy the gas truck and end up wishing you had bought a diesel.

Posted By: DPelletier

Re: Towing and MPG with a Ram 2500 Hemi? - 06/23/11 01:03 AM

Well, I don't have a Hemi powered Ram (they're all diesels) but the '06 Durango with the MDS Hemi, weighing in at 6300 lbs gets an average combined mileage of 12.7 mpg........no idea what it would get towing, maybe 8-10?

Dave

Posted By: J_BODY

Re: Towing and MPG with a Ram 2500 Hemi? - 06/23/11 01:19 AM

cheap high mile 2wd diesel for the tow.... cheap rusty pos commuter car for work/winter duty.

Option?

Posted By: max_maniac

Re: Towing and MPG with a Ram 2500 Hemi? - 06/23/11 02:21 AM

Eric, my 04 QC 4 wh drive Hemi gets me 9-10 MPG pulling my 28ft trailer with my 3400lb car and thats taking it easy. For every day use without a trailer I get 12/13 city and 16/17 hwy

I think the Hemi has no problem pulling the trailer but I should be doing it with at least a 2500 truck. I have pulled to BG KY and to St. Louis from North East Ohio and no issues at all.

Russ

Posted By: ahy

Re: Towing and MPG with a Ram 2500 Hemi? - 06/23/11 03:32 AM

Quote:

Guys....I've been looking at diesel's....but a 10-14k max budget does not buy much...and I want 03' and up. I drove a 7.3 Ford F250 that I could'nt see driving as my only vehicle and haven't tried a Cummin's yet but they are more pricey. I'm patient and there are deals out there if you look.

Getting back to the Hemi... ....any info would be appreciated on results towing and everyday mpg...thanks again..

I've towed a fair amount with Hemi Durango's (3 of them). I usually get 12-13 MPG towing. The same with 5-6000 lb at 75 MPH and 8000 Lb at 60-65 MPH. Slower speeds with the heavier load due to straight tag hitch and surge brakes... not power. The newest 2011 Durango seems to get 1-2 MPG better but maxes out at 7500 lb. I'm sure a 2500 with its heavier powertrain and probably worse aerodynamics wouldn't do as well but could tow more. I would have no problem with a hemi engine in a 3/4 ton towing 10,000 lb from time to time. If I had to do it every day and long distance, yes the diesel would be better. For occasional use the gas may be better & more cost effective.

Posted By: MuuMuu101

Re: Towing and MPG with a Ram 2500 Hemi? - 06/23/11 07:11 AM

Quote:

Get an older cummins. My buddy marty (440nuts if still registered) has an 04 with the 5.9 5 speed full 4 door cab K&N filter charger, quadzilla power adder, synthetic oils everywhere and he knocks down 26 in the summer and 32 in the winter. The motor likes cold air a lot. Flat land at 55mph I have seen it make 36mpg with 40 degree air. Pulling a goose neck trailer rated at 16K loaded with TBB he knocked dowwn 17mpg in the summertime (95+F) he can pull my bumper pull trailer (about 1600lbs) and not change his milage. We went to get the 1980 dodge stepside truck from member showtime in North Carolina something like 800 miles adn I bought three tanks of fuel (one there, one back and one to replenish for his time). I would stay away from the newer ones with 6.7s because a friend that works (parts manager) at the nearest dealership told me they soot up turbos for excessive idling (cure is brake fluid into the intake stream cost 300 after first time) and the motors do not get the milage the 5.9s do.

If he is making that high of mileage on a cummins, hey, I should trade my daily driver for one. But then again, it is never that cold over here.

Posted By: furious70

Re: Towing and MPG with a Ram 2500 Hemi? - 06/23/11 04:28 PM

Quote:

Guys....I've been looking at diesel's....but a 10-14k max budget does not buy much...and I want 03' and up. I drove a 7.3 Ford F250 that I could'nt see driving as my only vehicle and haven't tried a Cummin's yet but they are more pricey. I'm patient and there are deals out there if you look.

Getting back to the Hemi... ....any info would be appreciated on results towing and everyday mpg...thanks again..

I'm right with you. I have a 91 CTD that is starting to require more constant work to keep reliable, and it is not fun to drive daily. I have a 99 intrepid that I commute with (and a bike), but both will probably completely wear out in the next 2-3yrs and I probably won't be in a position to replace both, will need to either live without a truck and borrow from my dad when I need to tow or live with a truck as my only driver. My budget would most likely mean older diesel or hemi.
From the diesels I've driven, I can't really see daily driving anything older than 04, just too much bouncing around. But dropping from 22-25mpg in the intrepid and 20mpg in the CTD in mixed commuting to 12-14 with a hemi sure would suck, and cost about $1500/yr in gas vs my intrepid.
Make it even more complicated with the 2010+ Rams being really cool looking trucks and having a suspension that is much more friendly.

Tough decisions!

Posted By: Tom_440

Re: Towing and MPG with a Ram 2500 Hemi? - 06/23/11 05:33 PM

I had a 2007 Hemi QCab and I averaged about 15 mpg empty. I would get around 8 mpg towing. I bought a '04 CTD Qcab 2wd and it is my only running vehicle and my daily driver. 6 spd manual with no mods. I average realistically 21-22 mpg empty and have not towed with it. No issues using it as a daily driver at all. I paid $18K last year from a dealer. It had 68K on the clock. I bet with some shopping you could find a 5.9 CTD 24V pretty close to your budget with under 100K on it.

Posted By: big-block-dave

Re: Towing and MPG with a Ram 2500 Hemi? - 06/23/11 05:48 PM

I have a '04 1/2 2500 CTD, 4x4, 4door, lareme, long bed with 34k miles and i never drive it cause the mileage sucks. I check mileage by topping the tank to the rim for accuracy in calculation. The best i ever got is 13.5 mpg, down to 10mpg towing a flat front enclosed 8'x 20' at about 6700lbs loaded with car. My daily driver is a '06 Honda civic(yes i admit it and love it) 30mpg city, close to 40mpg highway!!......I need to talk to a guy about such bad mileage with the CTD. I was expecting minimum 18mpg unloaded and better on the highway. I know someone with a '06 3500 dually CTD and gets 18mpg all day long................My '98 1500 Dodge 2wd, 318/auto, short box, with 50k miles on it got 9.5mpg towing the same exact trailer! So what the heck did i gain with the '04.5 CTD???????????????

Posted By: DPelletier

Re: Towing and MPG with a Ram 2500 Hemi? - 06/23/11 07:01 PM

Quote:

I've towed a fair amount with Hemi Durango's (3 of them). I usually get 12-13 MPG towing.

Wow, that's MUCH better than our '06 MDS Hemi Durango which averages 12.7mpg combined city/hwy....no towing. I have towed a 6500 lb trailer with our Durango (It's rated at 9000; has the tow package, 3.73's, tranny cooler, etc) but I was too scared to check mileage!

If I had to bet, I'd say it was around 6mpg

but it's quite hilly here. Power isn't a problem, brakes are iffy.

Dave

Posted By: Silver70

Re: Towing and MPG with a Ram 2500 Hemi? - 06/23/11 08:47 PM

My next truck will be a cummins. My friend is into them and I drove his 05 and '10, both 6 speeds and I loved them! I did recently tow an open trailer and then haul back about 5000lbs total with a 95 2wd 318 ram and it suprising average 11.8mpg a mile on a 600 plus mile trip. It was 90% highway and was a little underpowered up some hills, but I couldn't complain. A modified cummins not only hauls good, but they are a lot more fun to drive.

Posted By: 70440+6bbl

Re: Towing and MPG with a Ram 2500 Hemi? - 06/23/11 09:38 PM

Quote:

I have a '04 1/2 2500 CTD, 4x4, 4door, lareme, long bed with 34k miles and i never drive it cause the mileage sucks. I check mileage by topping the tank to the rim for accuracy in calculation. The best i ever got is 13.5 mpg, down to 10mpg towing a flat front enclosed 8'x 20' at about 6700lbs loaded with car. My daily driver is a '06 Honda civic(yes i admit it and love it) 30mpg city, close to 40mpg highway!!......I need to talk to a guy about such bad mileage with the CTD. I was expecting minimum 18mpg unloaded and better on the highway. I know someone with a '06 3500 dually CTD and gets 18mpg all day long................My '98 1500 Dodge 2wd, 318/auto, short box, with 50k miles on it got 9.5mpg towing the same exact trailer! So what the heck did i gain with the '04.5 CTD???????????????

I have the same truck as you with the 4.10 diffs and average 18MPG (my only daily driver). I bought the truck new with 17 miles on the odometer and I can tell you this, these trucks get better fuel economy with more mileage on them. The Ram now has 122,000 on the clock and I can pull 635 miles out of the 35 gallon tank. Not too shabby for 7,100 lbs

Posted By: J_BODY

Re: Towing and MPG with a Ram 2500 Hemi? - 06/23/11 09:57 PM

Quote:

Quote:

I have a '04 1/2 2500 CTD, 4x4, 4door, lareme, long bed with 34k miles and i never drive it cause the mileage sucks. I check mileage by topping the tank to the rim for accuracy in calculation. The best i ever got is 13.5 mpg, down to 10mpg towing a flat front enclosed 8'x 20' at about 6700lbs loaded with car. My daily driver is a '06 Honda civic(yes i admit it and love it) 30mpg city, close to 40mpg highway!!......I need to talk to a guy about such bad mileage with the CTD. I was expecting minimum 18mpg unloaded and better on the highway. I know someone with a '06 3500 dually CTD and gets 18mpg all day long................My '98 1500 Dodge 2wd, 318/auto, short box, with 50k miles on it got 9.5mpg towing the same exact trailer! So what the heck did i gain with the '04.5 CTD???????????????

I have the same truck as you with the 4.10 diffs and average 18MPG (my only daily driver). I bought the truck new with 17 miles on the odometer and I can tell you this, these trucks get better fuel economy with more mileage on them. The Ram now has 122,000 on the clock and I can pull 635 miles out of the 35 gallon tank. Not too shabby for 7,100 lbs

Also depends on how they're used. My truck was purchased new where I work and had a 12,500 fifth wheel behind it from day one. I bought it with 26K miles on it when the owner traded it in on a quieter 03. Only has 126k on it now and you can run the oil 7k miles and it's still clean. It's only been used to tow, and long road trips since I've owned it. Unfortunately it just sits since I quit racing. It's paid for so I hate to part with it.