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[steelpony5555]

..3500 miles
..one flat tire(plugged and kept on truckin)--$15
..2 lost hub cab on trailer--$79
..1 lost shut off valve on sewer line--$40
..one broken antenna (won't spin) and coax connector came off(no wonder I got terrible over the air TV)--$ who knows
..Oh and fuel $1000 +
..But enjoyment of traveling the hwys--priceless

Oh well gives me an opportunity to contemplate a new Jack antenna,,,lol lol

All in all not a bad trip even though on the rough roads the frig did pop open once but the eggs survived lol lol

New to me truck is the most comfortable ride I have had yet. It did fantastic except for fuel mileage. Got an average of 9.5 mpg. Really thinking hard on deleting it. Towed most of the trip in 5th gear to keep RPM's up. Could only tow in 6th on really flat ground. I figured out that in 6th at 65 mph my rpm's were around 16k, not good since the power band is up around 18k. That little difference made a big difference. Any little grade at 16k rpm it would bog down and hunt gears. In 5th it would stay up around 21k rpms and would take a fairly steep grade for it to bog or shift. Just got to remember and do it old school diesel, keep your RPM's up....

[Tom S.]

I hope you meant 1.6K and 2.1K. 16,000 and 21,000 rpm is a bit too high!

9.5 mpg isn't bad considering the amount of weight you are pulling. I don't know what the 'sweet spot' is for the Cummins engine, but the Duramax is around 1800 to 1900. It would make sense for the truck to be in it's 'sweet spot' around 65 mph. Does the trans have a tow mode?

[jlb27537]

Dave, your fuel mileage is what I am getting on my '12. What it costs to delete, you will not recover in fuel savings. Finding a delete tuner is getting tough and expensive.

When I got my state inspection, they looked under it to see if all the stuff was there. (Harris county) Bought new in Missouri, tagged in Tx.

I run 1,600 @ 60 mph with my 3.73 and yes it will downshift on some grades, but it gets better fuel economy in 6th. We have tow/haul options. It keeps it in a lower gear longer when accelerating and down shifts earlier on hills to keep the speed up to prevent lugging.

Need to remember the 2010 had 650ft/tq @ 1500 and the 11/12 had 800 ft/tq @ 1600 so that will make a bit of difference. Both are 350hp @ 3013 rpm's

http://www.cumminsdieselspecs.com/67.html

Jim

[woodtic]

You got the 3.43's in that??

An EGR delete would be real good for the engine. I would want the full delete if it's a daily driver. Just for towing, don't know if it's worth it.

[jlb27537]

If you are asking Dave, need to re-read his sig.

quote:Originally posted by woodtic

You got the 3.43's in that??

An EGR delete would be real good for the engine. I would want the full delete if it's a daily driver. Just for towing, don't know if it's worth it.

[DQDick]

On our 2011 I just use the cruise and tow/haul. It gets about 9.5 and I get to enjoy the scenery. When I get in I punch the tow/haul button and the exhaust brake button and let the truck figure it out.

[woodtic]

Don't I feel stupid now....
Thanks.

Reason I was wanting to know is, my new truck has 3.43 gears. Wondering if I can expect about the same from the transmision with my truck. First test is tommorrow towing the Montana 30+ miles to a local dealer for more (warranty)suspension work/inspection. That's been a headache for almost 2 years now.

quote:Originally posted by jlb27537

If you are asking Dave, need to re-read his sig.

[steelpony5555]

No I got the 3.73's but I do have over size tires on it so that will knock it down some. If I keep it in 5th the sweet spot is still around 65 mph. If I run it in 6th then the sweet spot seems to want to be up around 75 mph, just a lil too fast even for me towing. Now empty I run 75 or even 80 mph....yes we have those speed limits here in Texas lol lol. Just running it in 6th and at 65-70 towing it wants to bog down some on the grades before it shifts. I figure the tires have something to do with that too. So my Dodge mechanic told me run it in 5th and keep the rpm's up. I did alternate back and forth from 5th to 6th and did not see much of a fuel mileage change. The one thing that did change it in a hurry was it got windy one day, we dropped into the 8's lol lol...I also automatically push tow-haul and exhaust brake as soon as the truck is started even to the grocery store. My Dodge mech said to do it all the time so the rpm's stay up around 1.8k to 2.0k....says when the rpm's drop below 1.5k then you are clogging up your filters, turbo, Cat and the truck will be sluggish. Told me to even use the shifter when in town to hold it in 3rd or 4th in traffic. Makes sense to me since I do know that when these trucks lug they will clog stuff up, at least the Dodges. Mine was already clogged when I got it and they had to replace the NOS Catalytic converter. I think a lot of other stuff was clogged to but this long haul towing the trailer really blew things out and she runs a whole lot better then before. They told me the worst thing you can do to a Dodge is drive it around town all the time. Just wish it got the same mpg my 07 6.7 did. With it I averaged 11 mpg but it was only 2wd. I guess if you want the bigger toys you got to pay..lol lol.....Can't get the wife to OK a Volvo so this one is gonna have to do...lol lol lol

OH and I remembered my dot for the Rpm's lol lol lol

[Artemus Gordon]

Glad your home safely! Thanks for the wheel caps !

[Tom S.]

The mechanic gave you sound advice. You are also correct, comparing a 2wd to a 4wd will result in differences. The 2wd has a lot less weight and drivetrain drag. Even when you are in 2wd with the 4wd truck, things are still turning, creating drag.