What MPG should a 2013 Ram Owner with a Cummins 6.7 expect?
 

do the new 13 cummins trucks get a 11mpg like people are telling us and 13 mpg when they hit 30k miles?

I'll split this question off to a new thread and post it in the Dodge Sales sub-forum.

For the sake of Ram Truck sales, I hope the Cummins 6.7 is getting better fuel economy than that.... :confused:

What MPG should a 2013 Ram Owner with a Cummins 6.7 expect?
 

Can anyone answer lsxonly's question?

What MPG should a 2013 Ram Owner with a Cummins 6.7 expect?

Are there any reasons why a 2013 Ram might get lower MPG than an earlier truck equipped with the 6.7 Cummins?

I have a few customers who switched to a Ram after GM stole our dealership from us, and wanted local service. The biggest complaint I have heard on the new Cummins is fuel mileage. While I personally don't own one and know customers can exaggerate mileage claims either way, every single one has complained about the mileage. Most are reporting 9-11 mpg unloaded. Keep in mind these pickups are nearly new with less than 20k on them so far, so not broke in yet.

At the same time my personal 2010 Duramax gets 18 highway at 75-80mph.

Reports from customers who have switched to the 2011 and newer Fords are in the 18-19mpg range.

Thanks for the information - that's interesting.

I wonder if the MPG issue is due to the new emissions standards the OEMs had to meet a couple of years ago? As I recall, the Ram trucks had the advantage that there was no need to add "Emission Fluid" (I think it's urea) that the Fords and GM's required? Maybe the Ford and GM solution is less convenient but more efficient. :confused:

To be clear, diesel engines are not my area of expertise - maybe someone has a better/more accurate explanation.

Nope. I was wrong.....

I just did a quick Google search and determined that Dodge/Ram uses the same Diesel Emission Fluid approach that Ford and GM do. It appears the use of DEF started in 2012.

Use of DEF started for MY2013 on the Ram side. Only 35/45/5500 chassis previously used DEF. I don't see how this could contribute that much to MPG numbers for the new truck, but I haven't a lot of a data to go off of either. We have yet to sell one...

Thanks for the update. :)

I was checking out a Dodge/Cummins forum and noticed a lot of members were referring to DEF on the 2012 C&Cs - now it all makes sense.

There were also a number of threads from 2012 and prior 6.7 Cummins owners who were removing their Particulate Filter to increase fuel economy. This wouldn't answer lsxonly's question since he was referring to 2013 trucks but it does add to the theory that the new emissions requirements have impacted fuel economy.

I thought the DEF was a good addition when it came out. On the GM and Ford trucks the horsepower & torque ratings increased, as well as real world mileage. If I understand correctly the hydrocarbons are being killed in the exhaust instead of choking down the motor with emission components; essentially freeing up the engine for increased power & mileage. Seemed like a no brainer to me, then again I'm not a diesel expert either and may not fully understand the concept.

A few items of interest from my experience with the Cummins diesel. In 1988 I sold one of the first diesel equipped Dodge trucks in New England, and we have sold many, many of them since. The main advantages of the Cummins in a truck are still valid. You get ability, longevity, reliability, and resale value. Fuel economy was never really intended to be a big part of it, it's just something that happened as a side benefit. EPA ratings for heavy trucks are still not made. There are so many ways a heavy truck can be used that it's hard to predict economy. Also, ordering any truck with a lower axle ratio will drop 10% of fuel economy. It's still a great engine and has a huge following.

thanks guys!!!

I get the impression that DEF is actually the best solution to the diesel emissions standards too.

As I understand it, the Cummins engines that used particulate traps had to burn off the soot by adding extra fuel to the engine to generate more heat in the exhaust. Trucks that were used for heavy hauling/towing didn't require the "burn off" because they generated enough exhaust heat to keep the particulate traps from getting plugged with soot.

Apparently there are a fair number of Cummins owners who remove the particulate trap in an effort to improve fuel economy - something to think about when you take a Ram Truck in trade.

On a different note, one of the last times I was in the Automotive Section of a Walmart store I noticed they were selling two-gallon containers of DEF so there must be a lot of vehicles out there that require DEF.

Thanks for the information. :)

I agree that the Cummins is a great engine and when I did some searching with Google it appears MPG reports are across the board - some people reporting poor fuel economy and other reporting great fuel economy.