Not trying to start a debate of gasoline vs. diesel powered 3/4 ton trucks. That has been covered in some of the other topics here. I'm just trying to research all aspects for my next truck purchase. I don't even NEED a 3/4 ton truck, any 1/2 ton will handle my towing needs easily. I'm only considering a 3/4 ton because of a couple reasons. First, I love the styling of the new Ford Super Duty and the Ram 2500. Plus the interior room of the Mega Cab Ram would be awesome for my needs. Even the crew cab Ram and Super Duty seem to have more interior room than the Ford SuperCrew and Ram 1500 Crewcab. Lastly, I will lift the truck and install larger wheels and tires. May be as small as a leveling kit and 35 inch tires or I may install a full suspension lift and 37 inch tires. The heavy duty suspension/steering/drivetrain will be a huge bonus with large, heavy tires and wheels. Also, lift kits for the solid axle 3/4 ton trucks is a good bit less expensive than for the IFS of the 1/2 ton trucks.
So finally, this is my question for any owners of late model 4x4 5.7 Hemi powered Ram 2500 and 6.2 liter powered Ford Super Duty trucks. What kind of gas milage are you getting? Don't forget to include your tire size and axle ratio if you can. I know the older models were terrible but I'm hoping the 2011's and 2012's are better.

Gas mileage should be the last thing on your mind when buying a 3/4 ton gasser with 35-37" tires...I highly suggest a diesel!

Yeah you went from like maybe 14 mpg on the highway to 10 with those tires and a lift. I call highway speeds 65-70 btw. I would call bull if anyone else tells you otherwise, they either don't know how to do math or they're lying. When you lift a truck your aerodynamics even suck more than before. Then you add the rolling resistance of the larger tires. But if you wanna lift a truck the 3/4 tons are they way to go. You don't really need a diesel and they aren't worth it unless your towing with it. Since your making your truck useless by lifting it I assume your not gonna be towing anything or putting anything in the bed that will be sitting even higher than it already does.

79yamdt, on 08 February 2012 - 11:06 AM, said:

Well said! It sure is nice to have 400rwhp and 800 lbft(conservative tune) of torque on tap though, even if you don't tow much. Not to mention better mileage.

I have a 2006 Dodge 2500 4x4 Hemi, extended cab long bed. 285/70R17 (33" ties) and 3.73 axle ratio. No other mods.

Average tank is around 13 MPG.
Towing is 7 - 10 MPG.
Freeway at 70 MPH is 13-14, at 65 MPH is around 15
If you go 55 or 60 on a flat highway can get into the 16-18 range. Georgia is flat right?

It's highly succeptabtle to how you drive it, if you drive with a lead foot mileage drops off quickly. So I drive like a granpa everywhere. With a lift and bigger tires it will undoubtedly get worse mileage, I would guess take 2 or 3 MPG off what I get

It's a good truck if you don't have to tow often, at the time I bought I needed a 3/4 ton for payload, but seldom towed. So I sold an old clapped out Cummins diesel and bought the Hemi. My next truck will be a diesel again as I tow more now than I did in '06.

Everyone thinks they need a diesel nowadays when they don't even tow anything with them. If you want something with 400 HP just for cruising in why not buy a muscle car instead of an 8,000 pound truck. Albeit they are cool.

titan33, on 08 February 2012 - 11:50 AM, said:

Yeah and the 80-100$ oil changes every 7500miles, 80$ fuel filters every 15k, plus the multitude of problems that will come with the new emissions equipment of a diesel. The emissions equipment is nice and all, but taking care of a modern diesel isn't cheap. If he was shopping for a 7.3 PS or 5.9 Cummins it would be a different story. You'll only be saving 1000 dollars a year if you drive the truck 15000 miles a year. This is guesstimating the diesel would get around 14 with those tires and a lift. If you left it alone 18mpg on the highway is a reasonable figure. So it would take you about 6 years to pay for the diesel upgrade option, not factoring the increased cost of maintenance that comes with owning a diesel. Like I said if you plan to tow often its not a bad idea, but i doubt you are interested in towing much since you want to put big tires and a lift on it.

Quote

You said it there. Or if they tow a dinky trailer that a tacoma wouldn't struggle with.

The maintenance is not that expensive on a diesel. I can do an oil change for $50 and fuel filters are $40. Assuming I drive 15k a yr and change oil every 5k and fuel filter every 10k, thats $210 a year in maintenance...not bad in my book.

with 33" tires i get...
16mgp avg(work and back)
20mpg @ 72mph on the highway
11mpg towing a 9k loaded toyhauler

and can still run mid 13's in the 1/4 mile in a 7000lb+ 4wd truck

Something to consider before lifting....On some of the Ford Powerstroke forums, that have an 08 super duty put on the larger front valence off an 09-10 and saw an increase in mileage of somewhere around 1-2 mpg....pretty impressive for just an aerodynamics change. But, that will go to waste with a lift.

titan33, on 08 February 2012 - 03:21 PM, said:

Don't forget the initial investment. A diesel is going to add $8-10K onto the purchase price on a new vehicle. Assuming 10mpg gas and 20mpg diesel the break even point is going to be over 5 years unless you are driving 20K miles a month!

urlosin, on 08 February 2012 - 04:01 PM, said:

You mean 10 mpg diesel and 10 mpg gas (with the new emissions motors).

OK guys. Like I origionally posted, I'm not interested in a gas vs. diesel debate. I've researched that and am familar with the pros/cons of the diesels. I will not be purchasing a diesel unless I hit lotto! LOL
Some of you brought up good points with reguards to lifted trucks. I've driven lifted trucks for about 15 years. And yes, a lot of people forget about the role of aerodynamics and the rolling resistance of lifted trucks/large tires. A lot of people also simply install taller tires on their truck and freak out at their immediate loss of MPG's, never realizing that their figures are incorrect because they never corrected their speedometer/odometer. Also, it's tiring to listen to every Z71 owner with larger tires brag that they get 20 MPG. I mean do all GM owners lie or is that just a south GA thing? I've never owned a GM truck that came close to 20 MPG!
I posted this here looking for real world feedback because the govt doesn't require that average MPG's be reported for 3/4 ton trucks. I posted this on a Ford forum also, but apparantly not a lot of Super Duty owners have the 6.2 liter engine. I havn't found a good Dodge forum to get feedback on the Ram 2500's, but I'm very interested in them. We have a very good local Dodge dealership, which is a bonus. And belive me, I'm not unrealisticly hoping that people start posting that their Ram 2500's and SD's get 17 MPG. It would be great if they would get 14 MPG though! LOL

If you're set on gas, then go test drive both and pick whichever you like better. It's not like one is going to get 12mpg and the other will get 17mpg...more likely they will both be in the 10-13avg mpg range with the tire sizes you listed.

79yamdt, on 08 February 2012 - 02:01 PM, said:

Enless you live in Montana and there isnt such thing as emission control.

2006250X, on 09 February 2012 - 01:21 PM, said:

Then what are urea injectors and dpf's etc. Or do new engines only come with that in montana? That's not something that has been forced to be put on by the EPA on a nationwide level is it? (sarcasm)

New diesels need some sort of emission control equipment on them to meet the epa regulations. Most need urea injectors/def to meet these requirements in addition to the multitude of other things on the truck to help reduce emissions.

Yeah I doubt there will be a major advantage between mpg of manufacturers as long as you are comparing like engine sizes, transmissions, and axle ratios. The new trucks are much more areodynamic than before with lower bumpers and airdams to go with. Look at any new SUV or truck and compare it to models from 10 yrs ago, the front ground clearance is significantly less than what it used to be. I would just get the truck that you like most. MPG is only one part of owning a truck. Whats the use of buying a truck to gain one or two mpg if your not impressed with it in every other aspect?

79yamdt, on 09 February 2012 - 01:47 PM, said:

Well since there is no inspection you simply replace the injectors and chip it up and you got power!!! And Economy!

At my old company they ran a lot of the '08 to '10 F-250's with the 6.2 liter gas. I don't think they ever got more than 10 or 11 MPG, but they are all loaded down with fuel tanks, tools, etc. They all probably roll over the scales close to 10k pounds. They also get a lot of idle time out on jobsites. Sort of apples to oranges to compare to my 2500 hemi.

I will say that the Ford is a little stronger motor, better for towing. It makes more power down low, where as my Hemi makes most of its power above 3,000 RPM. But mine works fine for light towing and gets the best mileage of any 3/4 ton gasser I've seen, which isn't saying much

What does late model mean???

Wandell, on 09 February 2012 - 09:56 AM, said:

My GM will get 20 mpg if I'm driving strictly freeway with no wind.

But, it's a 2wd half ton with a topper and 3.08 gears.

And I really don't classify it as a "truck", it's more like a station wagon with a compartmentalized, really large cargo area.

2006250X, on 09 February 2012 - 05:59 PM, said:

Coming soon to a licensing station near you- http://www.trucktren...ting/index.html

2006250X, on 09 February 2012 - 07:39 PM, said:

I've always defined it as the most recent version/powertrain available. Example-a 6.4L Ford SD is no longer "late model" or "latest model".