O/T 08-09 Chevy-Ford Diesel Mileage

Am looking for Honest fuel mileage that ya'll are getting on the 6.6 and 6.4 engines. With automatic transmissions and 3.73 rearends on 3/4 ton models? Thinking about trading for newer model. I know it's a shaky time with all the manufacturers having money problems! Any Honest replies driving empty and hauling mpg will be appreciated. Thanks Mike

13.4 mpg empty or loaded to the nuts, doesn't matter.

'08 Powerstroke.

Allan

08 Duramax 2000 miles so far. The computer says 15.4 avg milage (town and hwy) Havn't hooked a trailer to it yet.

My neighbor has a Chevy 2002 Duramax diesel. Truck now has over 120k miles. He says he gets 26 mpg on the highway. I dont know city mileage. His truck is the 2500----3/4 ton.

yup at work we got a 08 F450 that has a little box dump body on it, it gets just under 10 mpg, the 97 F450 we have with the identicle body gets 16 to 18 mpg depending on the driver, go figure, i guess this new emmisions that is supposed to save the planet is gona make us burn alot more oil, or maybe thats the plan burn more so folks drive less cause thats all they can afford! i have heard from alot of people the new ford diesel milages suck just as we have found with ours. also it gets about 4 percent fuel dilution in the engine oil at every oil change according to the samples we send out. for says this is perfectly normal for this engine! i dont expect it to live a long 200 thousand plus miles like all out older ones did when its getting fuel in the oil at that rate

accually now is the best time to buy. chevy offers tons of rebates. my neighbor just bought an '08 2500 duramax for $33,000 it was originaly a $45,000 truck!
DF in WI

forgot to add, this is his 3rd duramax and all 3 have gotten about 17.5 MPG pulling his approxametly 6000lb job trailer. gets about 24 mpg highway.
DF in WI

i have a 06 duramax with a utility bed on it with welder torches and full of tools it wieghs #10500. i get about 16 mpg most of the time. i have a couple buddys with just a regular bed and the best they get is around 17.5 mpg.i doubt very seriosly if there is another duramax out there that will honestly get any better than that. RICK

I have a Dodge 5.9 -5 speed 4.10 gears 12 MPG loaded or empty. Two friends have 3500 Chebys Duramax- Allisons 10-12 loaded or empty. Another friend has 08 450 Ford-twin turbo powerstroke. 8.5 Mpg empty and 6.5 loaded. We all only dream about the milage you guys are getting. You all must always have a good tailwind.

Ask him what he's smoking.

I have an 08 duramax crew cab short bed..It seems to be very fuel sensitive. ie.blended winter fuel no biodiesel 1500rpm 62mph on highway 20 to 22mpg .mix of country rds. stop signs local driving 17 to 18. Put in biodiesel and you can cut 5mpg. off each of these # Manual says max. of B5 biodiesel but there is no such available in my area all B10 or more.

Here are some verified test results from the big three. 1 ton trucks. Empty and pulling a trailer.
Empty, Chevy was the best and Ford the worst.

2008 - empty and pulling a 9120 lb. trailer 1 ton four door cabs

Dodge 3500 Cummins 350 hp/650 lb.-ft. 6.7-liter diesel inline Six, 6A. Weighs 7900
lbs. 4.10 axles. 1/4 mile empty - [email protected] mph, 1/4 mile towing - [email protected] mph
Fuel mileage empty - 13 MPG, Fuel mileage towing - 8.7 MPG

Ford 3500 - 350 hp/650 lb.-ft. 6.4-liter diesel V8, 5A, weighs 8700 lbs., 4.30 axle ratio.
1/4 mile empty - [email protected] mph 1/4 mile towing - [email protected] mph
Fuel mileage empty - 11.2 MPG, Fuel milege towing - 7.6 MPG

Chevy 3500 - Duramax 365 hp/660 lb.-ft. 6.6-liter diesel V8, 6A, weighs 7100 lbs., axle
ratio 3.73. 1/4 mile empty - [email protected] mph 1/4 mile towing - [email protected] mph
Fuel mileage empty - 18.26 MPG Fuel mileage towing - 10.5 MPG

2005 Chevy 3500, reg cab long box, 3.73, duramax with Allison--I pulled an empty 30 foot camper from north Iowa to Louisiana for FEMA. 13.5 mpg pulling the camper @ 60 to 65 mph. Drove home empty (3 people in the cab) @ 70 mph, got 19.6 mpg. Drove 2/3 the way across Iowa and back for some tractor parts, got 22.1 mpg @ 60 mph. Short trips around home, 16 to 18 mpg. Drove 50 miles @ 55 mph, computer said 25.0 mpg. Hauled a 30 foot enclosed trailer on top of my 30 foot gooseneck from southern Iowa to northern Iowa up I35. Drove 75 mph, got 8.7 mpg. This truck is stored all winter, so no winter mileage. This has been the most trouble free vehicle I've ever had; it's never been back to the dealer. I change the oil and grease it myself every 5000 miles. That's it.

"jdemaris"

I am not punching holes in the results that you have posted, but it is not apples to apples. The FORD had the worse milage because it was the heaviest and has the lowest gearset. The CHEVY was the lightest and had the tallest gearset. If all three weighed the same and had comperable gearsets, they would be close to each other.

Honestly with 350 HP and 650 FT/LB, who needs deeper gears than 3.73??? I have driven many trucks and towed alot in different terrains. When towing a heavy load I can expect to climb hills slower than empty. I know a guy that recreationaly tows a 5th wheel only a few times a year. He had a Chevy 2500 with the 6.0L. He did not like loosing speed in the hills so,,,, he sold it and bought a Chevy 2500 6.6L. Only to be able to not drop 5 MPH in hills... He probably gave up some milage too...

I have a 1979 Chevy C20, 3.73, TH400, SB 350, 4BBL. It tows well, but the fuel economy sucks (old college truck). So for under 10K-12K loads I installed a B&W hitch in my 2001 K1500 4x4, 5.3L, 3.73, 4L60E. Sure it does not "JUMP" like it does empty, but it is LOADED... I can get the same milage loaded with the 2001 the 1979 gets empty.

Here is my "Tow Rig"




I guess I just won't be COOL for not buying a big Bad Azz, fire breathing diesel to tow my tractor 3-4 times a year 120 miles round trip. I just cannot justify the diesel fuel cost, and increased maintenance cost for my limited useage. Even if I burn up my transmission one day a rebuild is still cheaper in the long run than the total cost of ownership differance between gas and diesel for non-commercial use.

Charles

08 Chevy 2500HD LTZ 4X4 - On winter blend, Ive dropped 2 or 3 to 14 - 15. During the summer I was avaeraging 17 - 18, unloaded. Only had it loaded, if you want to call it that, 12 - 13 going through some hilly terrain with it. Buddy bought new 08 pretty much the same but with a 6.0, he gets 12 - 13 unloaded.

Hand calculated or computer? Reset computer latley?

Probably nothing.....I know several people getting that kind of mileage with their Duramaxes.

I know for a fact the new diesel trucks get poor mileage because of the emissions that are required on them now. A friend of mine had an 02 ford 250 with the 7.3 that he put a power chip in, and also put a 4" pipe off of the turbo to 6" stacks on it. He would get 26 mpg empty if he drove it easy. The pre-emissions trucks deffinately have more potential for mpg. I have also talked to some ppl that have the brand new Ford 450"s and have taken all the smog equipment off (which consequently voids the warrenty) and have vastly improved their mpg.

I think one of the major factors in fuel economy (other than the emissions equip and etc) is the area in which you're driving. Example: a vehicle that gets 20mpg driving in one part of the country (flat land) could get less than 15 in another (such as in the mountains). There are quite a few variables to take into account as far as fuel economy goes.

I just remembered a conversation I had with a professor friend of mine. He had a 1994 Dodge 3/4 ton 4x4, 5M and he said it got 21-22 mpg. Recently he sold it and bought a 2008 Dodge 3/4 ton, 4x4, 6M and is getting 18-20 mpg... 14 years later, engineering "improvements", and less miles to the tank. No wonder the BIG 3 IS CRUMBLING!

Charles

Looks like our old 1981 Ford F350 with a 460 that gets 8 MPG loaded or empty is still the best thing going ?

Wish I had my old 85 f250 6.9 with banks turbo. It was auto, ext.cab, 4x4 and I could get 18mpg around home and 14-15 loaded, depending on the load. It had 245000 on it when I sold it and going strong. There's a lot to be said for regular service and preventative maintainence.

Most of the replies here are for older trucks, which is not what you asked. Sure, the older trucks will get better milage- they had virtually no emission equipment on diesels then. Same thing happened to cars. The new trucks will get good numbers if they are driven carefully. I can regularly get 18-19 from my "08 F350 4x4 dually crew automatic with 4.10 gears, that"s empty at 60-62 mph. If I go fast, milage goes down. If I pull a big trailer, milage goes down depending on load. A big heavy 8-tire gooseneck pulls hard, and it takes energy, no matter what brand of truck is in front. I think the 5.9 Cummins had a slight edge, mainly because of the smaller displacement, with the 6.7 Dodge, 6.4 Ford, and 6.6 GM relatively close. I wouldn"t spend 50k plus on a truck I didn"t like, just because it gets 1 or 2 mpg better- I like Fords, so that"s what I bought, and couldn"t be happier. As they say, your results may vary.

And vastly improves their chanmces of going to jail! Thats a federal offence!!!!(SHHHHHH!!!!!!)