Cummins MPG

[Kickstarts-suck]

Dad is wanting to get a cummins.

He drives 80 miles a day to work and back(highway) and is wanted better gas mileage. He currently drives an 07 F150 5.4 lariat. He gets 20mpg but wants more.

He is wanting to get a cummins and a 6 speed to get good mileage on highway and still have a full size truck.

Please don't say "Just get a car" or get a ranger. He did have a mazda 4cly 5 speed to drive to work everyday but he wants a full size truck.

So what exactly can a cummins get for MPG?

2WD,6 speed, extended cab. shortbed.

Any bad things to look out for?

[extremeblastr]

depending on the year i would expect 20-24 highway and with some simple mods it could 24-26 highway and as far as what to look out for it really depends on the year again haha but we are talking dodge so first thing to look for is rust on rockers and bumper, the 6 speed manuals are pretty solid so you shouldn't run into any issues but of course test drive it to make sure it shifts well and tight you don't want slop while its in gear and obviously pay attention to the clutch. electrical issues also seem to be common in the dodges so play with all the lights and switches and if available plug it into a trailer, i know a few people who had issues with their harness after towing because something in the trailer wiring shorted the truck. listen for anything off in the turbo while it spools you don't want to eat the cost of replacing those either, check the oil and try to let it idle for a while to check for headgasket issues. oh and keep an eye out for smoke on startup usually a sign of a need for injector o-rings but could be a sign of bad injectors or rings. i think that about covers it if you can find a good one they are nice solid trucks so good luck with your search.

[BlaineKaiser450]

Yeah you should get 24-26+ with some good tuning. The 6 speed with definatly help thought, I would strongly reccomend not getting an auto, so youre on the right track

[250x_kyle]

and dont forget whiteish smoke when cruzing is a sign the turbos out or going out. thats is if its not running like a dog or shutting off.

[smr]

my 5.9 cummins gets about 20MPG. There are people that get better but to get over the 22mpg you will spend more money than you will ever recoup.

Don't trust the computer for average MPG. Mine says I get about 24 and it's not correct....many people will tell you the same thing.

20 MPG with a 5.4 is pretty good, your dad should consider sticking to that...look at the over all picture. He will gain about 2MPG and spend $$$$$ just for the truck. Not to mention the extra money on Up keep.

The only way I would sugest for someone to switch from gas to diesel is if they are towing a heavy load for long distance.

[400exrider707]

Keep the 5.4. My buddy has an 06 Dodge quad cab short bed, 6spd with the 5.9 obv. He has the big horn edition so it does have the 4:10 gears which kills it, but he's getting like 13 hwy. He gets far better than that cruising around town with a huge trailer behind it. Don't let everyone fool you into think you're going to get close to 30mpg. It's not happening. Join a respectable forum for Dodges (that means staying away from cumminsforum) and ask around. Some are over 20 yes, but a lot are not.

My dad got 20mph with his 04 F150 with the 3v 5.4 as well, but he had an intake/exhaust and drove like a putz. He gets the same mileage with his 09 F150 with the 3v 4.6 and 6spd auto. It's pretty good considering what it is.

I'd keep the 5.4

[3400ben]

Originally posted by 400exrider707
Don't let everyone fool you into think you're going to get close to 30mpg.

No one has said close To 30


I have two 00 dodges both are stock and automatics with no chips 290,00 the other 235,000 miles.
highway driving 22mpg to 23mpg
Driving around town 18mpg
Towing 8.5x24 trailer 14mpg at 65 mph
Towing 8.5x24 trailer 12mpg at 75 mph

[Kickstarts-suck]

Thanks for all the help guys. Sounds like he would be much better staying with his truck. Maybe now I can talk him into some mods for it. Or maybe he will have to look into the 2011 ecoboost F150.

Thats too bad. I love his F150 but a cummins would be sweeeet. :p

[PaRedneckRiders]

Originally posted by Kickstarts-suck
Thanks for all the help guys. Sounds like he would be much better staying with his truck. Maybe now I can talk him into some mods for it. Or maybe he will have to look into the 2011 ecoboost F150.

Thats too bad. I love his F150 but a cummins would be sweeeet. :p
How bout switch it up a little and find an f150 with a cummins

[400exrider707]

Originally posted by 3400ben
No one has said close To 30


I have two 00 dodges both are stock and automatics with no chips 290,00 the other 235,000 miles.
highway driving 22mpg to 23mpg
Driving around town 18mpg
Towing 8.5x24 trailer 14mpg at 65 mph
Towing 8.5x24 trailer 12mpg at 75 mph

26+ sounds close to 30 to me. It's posted right above me....

I've heard others mention it too, not here, but elsewhere. I believe pappy claims he gets 25mpg with his dually with no mods at all. He may very well, but lets face it, 95% of the people claiming these numbers are pulling them from somewhere between their back and their legs.

[extremeblastr]

Originally posted by 400exrider707
26+ sounds close to 30 to me. It's posted right above me....

I've heard others mention it too, not here, but elsewhere. I believe pappy claims he gets 25mpg with his dually with no mods at all. He may very well, but lets face it, 95% of the people claiming these numbers are pulling them from somewhere between their back and their legs.

how about a 1200+ hp twin turbo duramax with spray that when driven right can get 38mpgs? its been done, now anything over 26 is out of reach for average guy but 24-26 is achievable with simple mods, when it comes to the diesels the tuning is everything.

[smr]

Originally posted by 400exrider707
26+ sounds close to 30 to me. It's posted right above me....

I've heard others mention it too, not here, but elsewhere. I believe pappy claims he gets 25mpg with his dually with no mods at all. He may very well, but lets face it, 95% of the people claiming these numbers are pulling them from somewhere between their back and their legs.

I agree with you 100%. I have owned all three and never got that kind of millage even with mods. (dodge, chevy and ford)

I have had some buddies make that claim but none have been able to prove it to me.

Like I said, My computer says as high as 26mpg but I check it and it's more like 20 to 22.

I think most of the people that make these claims are trusting their computer and not checking it manually.

[extremeblastr]

you guys are talking average mpg for a whole tank doing whatever you decide to do the numbers we're talking are strictly highway mileage i wouldn't expect to do any better then 20 around town ever without dropping some real cash and having a great tuning guy.