best mileage

T

Taran

New member
We will need to replace our tow vehicle in the near future, and would appreciate any information on which 3/4 ton 4x4 truck has the best overall mileage, both towing and non towing.
Seems like the 3 American companies have similar high quality trucks, so with high gas prices (and diesel!) would lean toward the one with best numbers.
Thanks!
 
I've got a 2001 Dodge 2500 4X4 with a gas V-10 in it. It will pass anything on the road except a gas station! :roll:

10-12MPG whether it's empty or pulling my 10-11K# TC255. OTOH, it's got plenty of power!

If I were to do it again, I'd probably get the Cummins engine or a Duramax product!

Charlie
 
Our 2006 GMC Sierra 2500 with the crew cab, duramax engine and Allison transmission is a great, comfortable vehicle for towing our 25 cruiser but difinetly not built for fuel economy. I know you can do better in the fuel department especially if you are towing the lighter 22' C-Dory. A lot of folks on the site seem to be happy with their Toyota Tundras, are you sure you want to go with a 3/4 ton?

Rich
 
Our 1998 Dodge Ram w/ Cummins diesel gets 20-21 on the highway not towing, 16 or so in town, 10-11 towing our 12,000 lb boat trailer, and 13-15 towing our 4,500 lb travel trailer. Towing the boat (with the upper helm almost 13 feet tall and quite non-aerodynamic) and travel trailer, mileage varies a good bit depending on how fast we go and how much headwind there is.

It has so much torque across a wide mid-range of RPM that it can pull our 19,000 lb rig up a long reasonably steep grade (like climbing out of the Salt Lake valley up to Park City) at 55-60 without breaking a sweat.
 
My 2003 Duramax will get 23-24 mpg on highway (60 mph), 16-17 towing a 22 at the same speed and 14-15 or so towing the 25. This is a stock truck with Allison transmission and 3.73 rear end with 135K on it. The new models suffered in mpg as they increased HP and torque.
 
My 1999 F250 Super Duty 7.3 liter diesel, auto transmission, extended cab with 8' box, 4x4, and 400 lbs shell gets 14 mpg towing my 22' at near sea level and slightly less at higher elevations. My rig w/o boat weighs 8,100 pounds with full fuel load, one dog, and me. My speed is 55-60 mph. The longer the runs the better the mileage. One trip from the Mississippi gulf coast to the Oregon Willamette valley averaged about 14. Interestingly, the best non towing mileage I get is between 15-16 mpg. There is a difference in the quality of diesel one will find on a long trip.

The 7.3 diesel is happy at around 1700 rpm.

John
 
Taran,

I'm not sure you need a Diesel for a 22 unless you have other heavier toys to tow at other times. The Diesel is about a $7000 option I believe. You can buy a bunch of unleaded for $7000! A nice F150 would tow a 22 wonderfully.

I get about the same as the others with my 4x4 F250 6.0 Powerstroke. 20-21 mpg empty on hiway, 10 mpg towing the almost 11,000lb TomCat.

I have received some inside Ford info from an ex-exec at Ford friend. They are claiming some phenomenal mileage with the new 2011 6.8L Powerstroke. There are no EPA fuel mileage ratings for 3/4 ton trucks, so you would have to verify it through owners groups online.
 
Thanks for the response. Our F-150 does great with our 22 C-Dory, but will be pulling a 5th wheel or trailer in the future, so need to power up for that.
Owner input is great!
 
We have been delighted with our GMC Sierra with the Duramax and the Allison transmission - great combination! We generally see around 18 mpg not towing, around 11 to 13 towing the CD25, and 10 to 11 towing a high profile 5th wheel. Wind affects mileage more than terrain, especially towing the 5th wheel. The truck has plenty of go power and no issue stopping. We did change the boat trailer from surge brakes to electric over hydraulic... not because of the inability to stop the load, but due to having better control of the trailer brakes on downhill situations.

That truck is a champ! :thup :thup

Good luck with your decisions.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Just a thought. The diesel engine seems to be ~$6000 more than gas, and diesel is about 15% more expensive (here in San Diego.)

If you work that out for a gas engine getting 8 mpg and a diesel getting 10 mpg (from above posts) it's a wash. Except that the gas engine is easier to maintain and quitier.

Also, if you have a good Ford 150, that'll pull a trailer up to 27' easily, as long as it has the big V-8 (and doesn't blow spark plugs.) So why change?

Boris
 
For best towing mileage per gallon, which is the original question, the model year is probably more important than which truck model you choose. I did extensive research across the internet three years ago when I was on the market and the consensus was that there was a significant decline in diesel fuel mileage in the mid 2000’s as a result of new emission control mandates. I forget which year this happened, but I think it was 2004 or 2005. I know it was after 2003, which is the model year I bought. This demarcation is of critical significance if you buy a used diesel truck. If you choose diesel, I would avoid mid-decade models, and possibly newer. Since we are now in 2011, the newest trucks might be better, or they might not be, you would have to do your own research. For certain, the new diesels are more complicated. In addition, the diesel engine price penalty becomes an issue. The penalty prominently stated here does not apply to used trucks to the extent mentioned.
 
FWIW I tow my '25 Cruiseship with a '10 Ram Laramie (full towing package, big gas Hemi) with no problem. Besides I can get up to 11 miles a gallon going down hill with a tail wind.
 
A requirement for ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD)was started in 2006 (Calif) and 2007 (USA).

ULSD does 2 things for a diesel engine. First, ULSD reduces the fuel’s lubricity and tends to harm injectors. Second, the fuel burns faster without sulfur and reduces mileage 5-10%.

Also, there has been a change in injectors going to common rail as opposed to pressure directly from a pump to each injector, sequentially. The newer injectors started out being a solenoid valve, and now are piezo-electric (ref. Ford.)

What does all this mean? Well, only ultra low sulfur diesel is available, so fuel mileage will be reduced in any diesel, no matter what the year. Also, buying a newer model provides some security against the mechanical effects of ULSD through design changes. And finally, there have been some problems with common rail injectors though they are all worked out now. The Chevrolet/GMC diesel is designed by Isuzu, so it probably has a longer design history behind it. I believe Ford gets International diesels (and they were in a legal fight over warranty service,) and of course Chrysler Corp is Cummins.

I understand that a diesel truck is a pearl beyond price, but I'll stick with gas for the nonce.

Boris
 
Socrateur":1d7vnahs said:
For best towing mileage per gallon, which is the original question, the model year is probably more important than which truck model you choose.
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What Jay said. My unloaded mileage on my 2008 GMC Duramax is not as good as that reported by owners of older trucks. Pulling a load, it is comparable.

The factors that made the choice of the GMC a no-brainer for me was the Allison transmission and the good reliability Duramax owners have reported. I have read too many complaints about Ford reliability and I had a bad experience with my 2002 Dodge Cummins, plus I did not like the local Dodge dealer. Sure, I would like better mileage but overall I am extremely satisfied with my truck. Be sure to compare transmissions, especially for towing, and also consider the dealer service department if you plan to take your truck there.

Warren
 
2007 Chevvy with Duramax and Allison transmission. Love it.

Apart from all the things already mentioned the biggest effect on milage (ignoring leadfootitis) is putting a cap on the bed. This is even more noticeable when towing the camper which is less aerodynamic than the boat. Improves from 8-9 mpg to 11-12mpg going through the cascades and into the Rockies.

M
 
Grumpy":1ya2fdip said:
2007 Chevvy with Duramax and Allison transmission. Love it.

Apart from all the things already mentioned the biggest effect on milage (ignoring leadfootitis) is putting a cap on the bed. This is even more noticeable when towing the camper which is less aerodynamic than the boat. Improves from 8-9 mpg to 11-12mpg going through the cascades and into the Rockies.
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Merv, that is very interesting, thanks for posting. I installed a cap on my 2008 right after I bought it so I did not have any numbers to compare.

Warren
 
Doryman":2qozl1zg said:
I had a bad experience with my 2002 Dodge Cummins Warren
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Hi Warren. Would you please share since that is our tow vehicle and so far we've experienced no problems.
Thanks.
 
DaveS":1tbq31bc said:
Hi Warren. Would you please share since that is our tow vehicle and so far we've experienced no problems.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
I am sure this is atypical, but I had the APS (accelerator position sensor) fail twice. When it fails the truck goes into limp-home mode. Costs multiple hundreds of bucks to fix, too. I had a 2500 with a 6-speed manual. Loved the truck but when it failed the 2nd time I threw in the towel. The GMC does not have as much personality but I have great confidence in it.

Warren
 
For me it depends how far you are towing. If it's local and flat gas is great. If your are towing farther and hills are involved how well the transmission is going to hold up is a consideration. The newer six speeds are better than the older 4 speeds. Diesels usually go about 10k on oil changes and get better mileage towing. They do take more oil for the oil change 7 for gas to 10 quarts for the diesel. I'd say on the average the diesel gets about 5 miles per gallon better than gas towing. But diesel is about forty cents a gallon more than gas. I just got back from Florida 3000k trip averaged between 14.5 to 11 miles per gallon towing a 5500 pound boat and trailer. Gas was selling for 3.49 diesel was 3.89 at most places. On the newer trucks the diesel engine noise much quieter than the older trucks if it does not bother my wife it's not a problem. I had a 2001 gas 1/2 ton Chevy 4x4 and the transmission was what worried me. I had bought it new and it had a 100k on it. a couple years ago I went with a new 2009 Chevy 2500 with a Duramax diesel with the Allison Transmission. Now I just set the cruise control at either 64 or 74 depending on the speed limit. It just hums along. Having had both I'd most assurdly stay with the diesel. I mean if you were really trying to save money would you have bought a boat? Long term the diesel is cheaper to maintain unless the railroads and trucking companies have it all wrong. To each there own, for me this truck makes towing the boat pretty effortless. The 100k Five year warranty doesn't hurt the equation either.

D.D.
D.D.
 
2005 F-250 Super Duty, crew cab, short bed w/ the 6.0 liter V8 turbo-diesel

~19 mpg's on the freeway if I drive "conservatively" keeping it controlled/consistently around 70 mph

~15-17 daily (thank God I have a "work" car)

~11-12 when towing the 25

I try to keep the truck in GOOD running order; tire pressure etc
 
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