Ram 2500 gas mileage with hemi?

How hard are you driving it?

That sounds correct. Hemi is a gas guzzling performance engine,

I knew a guy that bouhght one then a few days later took it back in exhange for a diesel

That sounds correct. Hemi is a gas guzzling performance engine

I thought of doing that but I always thought that once you bought a new truck it was YOURS. With it being "driven off the lot" and registered with my plate on it wouldn't it have to be sold back to them for like a $5000 loss ?

Yep! Some people don't care. You'll lose a bit less if you sell it on your own. I have a Hemi Durango 4x4 with 3.55 gears. When it was new I only got about 12mpg highway at 75mph. I get about 17mpg now with 16K on it. Around town I get 14.5mpg. Towing I get about 10mpg at 65mph pulling a 5000lb trailer.

Here is a repeat of my post on this subject a while ago.

I have a 2004 2500 4x4 reg cab hemi with 5sp standard. In 15K miles the best ever tank was 14.5 mpg highway with no trailer or load.

Overall average is about 13.5. Towing a 6000 lb trailer I get about 10 mpg and our friends with a Cummins diesel and a heavier trailer leave us in the dust going up hill while using less fuel.

Woody; 95FXDS

I have never talked to anyone with a Hemi in a big truck that did not get poor MPG and there is a couple of reasons for that. One is the engines power band, its rating looks impressive on paper and in ads but a engine that peaks it torque at over 4000 RPM and HP above 5000 RPM is not going to play well in a heavy RV because relative to its implied HP rating, the avalible torque at lower RPMs and engine efficency is not great. (A GM 6.0 for example while having a lower HP rating has a lower RPM HP and torque peak with better low RPM efficency and does a lot better in a heavy RV) The second problem is that Dodge in their infinate wisdom left out the ability and possibility of have a front axle disconnect or lockout hubs to cut front axle power loss when it 2WD. The front axle and diff is always turning and that will cost you at least 1 MPG or so on the average and a bit more when it is colder or speeds are very high. I am sorry to say there is not magic fix here. I will never understand why Chrysler did not spend another 100 bucks on 35K truck to enable and include the installation of lockout hubs to disengage axle in 2wd. It can only be for saving money and simpling 4wd operation but it is not MPG freindly on highway. Back 30 years ago when I first started driving 4x4?s you could tell when the hubs were not disengaged in general performace at speed and MPG too. If you plan to travel a lot, the Dodge 4x4 is not a good choice MPG wise with hemi and you would do better with a Ford or Chevy. Even the old V10 would do about the same MPG wise as the new Hemi but it would tow like crazy too and badly embrass the higher rated Hemi in towing performance. It is sad that you have two choices in your truck, a 5.7 or a Cummins and nothing in the middle.

registered

If it did not have enough miles on it and you fussed about it they might. Tell them they misrepresented the MPG to you. A friend recently bought a Dmax crew cab truck and was looking at Dodge Cummins trucks but the price (chevy was 2 grand cheaper from rebates) and the lack of disengaging front axle moved him to a chevy. Also the reason I brought it up, He was having some issues with getting few dealer installed option installed on it and he finailly got it worked out okay for all parties involved but just before they did the dealer offered to give him his money back on truck even though it had 2000 miles on it because they wanted him happy and it was a reputable dealer. You could try talking to them and see what they say but you will never be happy with that hemi towing a big trailer power of MPG and I would be ready for 8 to 9 MPG towing a big trailer at best. ALso for what it is worth my friend tried out a 6.0 gas powered crew cab for several days and he got around 15 mpg with it on the road and he is not a slow driver and the power was good too. With the Dmax he has now he is getting 18.5 mpg with same driving and in both cases the trip MPG monitor was clos to actuall MPG when it was filled up. If max MPG is your goal in a Dodge towing go for a Cummins with a 6 speed and skip the automatic.

you're getting 'average' expect much less pulling.

You bought a BIG TRUCK with a advertised hi-performance engine. What the heck did you expect??? You might pick up a couple mpg when it loosens up a bit and when you start to drive like you have a egg under the gas pedal. What you have is pretty much what you are going to get.

I still don't understand why people buy something as large as a full size truck and with such horrible aerodynamics, a big engine, 3:55 or 4:10's and then bitch about horrible mileage.

Roy

nice and easy, not out to race with it

I talked with a guy today with a 2500/Hemi and he recommended I wait it out because he got 12 HWY when new but now with 25K on it he is getting 17 HWY

What is ironic, is I have a 93 D250 Cummins 5sp, 3:55 axle and 24 MPG empty, 16 pulling an 8800 pound trailer hard! Maybe ironic is the wrong term, but I wouldn't trade mine for a new one that's for sure. Clay

Back in the late 80?s I rented a 30 foot Southwind 454 powered motor home for a bit over 3 weeks and put close to 6000 miles on it. I pushed that baby hard going cross country to the rockies and then around in them. I got between 9 and 11 MPG which was not bad for a big box that weighed about 14K and had the aero dynamics of a somewhat "steamlined" brick. It would run 75 and 80 to if you asked too. I do remember talking to guys with Winibagos that were 440 power in the

In my opinion those early Cummins Dodge were some of the most economical and reliable models ever built. When I lived in Montana in the mid 90?s those old models (though pretty new then) were very popular with the hunters and fishermman that would travel long distances on weekends with the camper AND boat in tow while still getting 14 to 15 MPG doing it.

Apparently it is.