I don't know why some of the 5.7s seem to get better mpg that others. If this is stop and go city driving this may be about right. I'm not sure you will benefit that much from the 4.7. I had a dakota with the 4.7 and averaged about the same mpg as I do now with the hemi. Even if you get 3 to 4 mpg better, the monthly fuel cost won't be significant. The dif will be under 30 gallons per 1000 miles. That may not be enough to recover what you might loose on a trade-in and you would have a truck with nearly 100 hp less.

 

I have the 4.7L and my MPG is as bad if not worse than anyone's Hemi.

 

Mine is off by 2mpg highway driving. For
some reason it it fairly accurate when
driving in town.

 

Driving economically is actually harder than you think... It's not all about keeping the RPM's below a certain point. When my dad drove home from the truck shop a few days ago, he managed to pull off 18.2 MPG. No, that's not a misprint, it was actually 18.2, and it wasn't cruising on the highway either. Whenever I try to baby it and drive economically, the absolute most I can get is 15mpg, and even that is extremely hard. So in other words, it has a lot to do with what speeds you're going, how much you need to slow down, wind, terrain, etc.

 

Good gas mileage isn't exactly the selling point on huge trucks with huge 5.7L engines man. If you want great fuel economy, why not switch over to a little Honda or something? :dunno:

 

i do mostly city stop and go driving in my 05 Hemi ram, and get 13.89 doin the math myself, cause i dont have the computer thing, but anyways....i had a 03' ram with 4.7 never seen 13 with it, always in the 12's.

 

soooo, in other words, IM HAPPY!!, just cause u get a 4.7, dont think you'll get better mpg, you'll regret it to, i know theres no way after driving a HEMI that i would drive anything else...

 

My hemi gets about 14.3 in the city and 18.6 on the highway. (long trips) The computer is usually 1 to 2.5 mpgs off. I taked to Dodge about it and they looked at me like I was an idiot. I traded in my 02 4.7 to get this 04 Hemi. Several reasons. 1) the 4.7 got 1 to 2 mpg less and did not get better on the highway. I always got 13.5. The hemi has more power. (Talking stock power. One guy has proven that a 4.7 could take a stock hemi.) Keep the truck and deal with the price or get a s10.

 

I know the epa has a stringent test where they DO NOT drive at highway speeds for a highway estimate. I have read in many car magazines that they have a test site where they drive certain speeds(35mph for 2 miles)ex. and then no more than 50 or 55 for a few miles. I do not know how they calculate it but I drive 22 roundtrip miles to work each day with approx. 8 miles considered city. I would figure I would at least average 14.5 or a little more. I do not want another vehicle and I know that I did not buy it expecting great mileage but It really pisses me off when the sticker says 14 city 18 highway and the best I can get is 11, babying the living shit out of it. I wish their was some way we could harrass dodge about this because it is total bs. I am not hard on my vehicle( not all the time) and I got better mileage in my 79 chrysler newport with a 318 carb. That thing was a ffing boat with a shitty transmission and I still got better mileage than my truck. :VHOT: I just do not know how these hemi's can be so poor on fuel. With 02 sensors and multiport fuel injection and these sophisticated computers, I feel the vehicle should at least live up to the sticker. I was in the dealership after I bought my truck and a customer asked why he was only getting 10 mpg. The service manager asked him how many miles he had and he said 3k. He said, don't worry, It is not even broken in yet, by 10 to 12k, you should be getting the sticker mileage. Just my .2 :help:

 

To get the sticker mileage, on the hwy, you need be doing 55. You'd be surprised at your gas mileage when you drive 55. In my truck if I'm doing 55, I'll get 19-21 mpg, If I do 75 I'll get about 13.5-15 mpg.

 

you will likely see a MPG increase if you use 89, the recomended octane

 

Lassenloop, That is a sick paintjob, is that aftermarket or factory?

 

Thanks

It's a factory color. But I put a fully painted grill and fully painted bumpers on it.

 

I want a black grille to match my truck, but don't know where to get it. Any help?

 

I got mine from slammed1 just PM him and he should be able to hook you up.

 

I've been getting middle 15's this winter. I was in the middle 16's last summer and hope I get that again once they change back to summer gas.

 

Yeah, no offense, but fuel economy isn't really the biggest selling point for full size trucks. Wanting good gas mileage in a full size Dodge is like wanting good towing capacity from a Geo Tracker....neither is likely to happen.

DON'T trade in for the 4.7L....you'll have no better mileage and less horses to show for it.

I went from factory 17" wheels/tires to factory 20" wheels/tires to aftermarket 20" wheels/factory 20" tires to aftermarket 20" wheels/aftermarket 20" AT Tires. With each change, my mileage has gotten worse...but at least I look good. LOL.

I just try to keep it remotely acceptable...and roll on.

 

To get the sticker mileage, on the hwy, you need be doing 55. You'd be surprised at your gas mileage when you drive 55. In my truck if I'm doing 55, I'll get 19-21 mpg, If I do 75 I'll get about 13.5-15 mpg.

I allways wondered what speed sticker MPG
ratings were based on. Some have told
me 60 but I think 55 is correct.

 

Listen to this S%$#, I filled my truck up with 87 octane and babied it for a full 9 days. I kept the rpms at 2200 or lower for at least 95 percent of the time, and maybe hit 3k once or twice. I only got 295.7 miles out of 24.97 gallons. The overhead console said 13.0 mpg, I calculated it on my own and it said I was getting 11.84 mpg. This is absolutely FFing rediculous if you ask me. I am considering trading it in for a 4.7 ram with the six speed. Any comments? I am telling you that my 61 year old father could not have been easier on this truck for 9 days! I wanted to punch it like I always do, but I figure I would just try this for the first time. It will be the last too. I am F&^%$#@ PISSED!

Extreme cold found wher you live kills
fuel economy. Why don't you wait for
warmer weather before getting rid
of the truck.

 

I allways wondered what speed sticker MPG
ratings were based on. Some have told
me 60 but I think 55 is correct.

I've heard 60 too, so it probably is. Either way, 55 isn't far off. In fact based on the fact that my 55 is better than the sticker I would say that it probably is 60. I know I have a few mods which help my hwy mpg but I shouldn't be that much better.

On the news this morning they were talking about how much more hp it takes for every 5mph over 65 you go. That for every 5mph you drive over 65, it's the equivelant to gas prices being $.10 a gallon higher. I would say that it's probably more dramatic on our full-size non-aerodynamic trucks. Probably, something in the ballpark of $.15 per gallon.

 

Good gas mileage isn't exactly the selling point on huge trucks with huge 5.7L engines man. If you want great fuel economy, why not switch over to a little Honda or something? :dunno:

You can have your cake, ice cream, and eat it, too.....all you need to do is bump up to a 2500 or 3500 and get yourself six-in-a-row.
Greg

 

I'm blaming the current batch of gasoline and the wierd weather. Today it was 69 F, by Wed they're predicting snow here! Filled up the 02 5.9L today....DTE by the computer was 20 miles. Took 20.64 Gallons to fill it (obviously it's a little off!), and I got 298 miles on the tankfull....or 14.4398 MPG. Now, the computer average (over about 1000 miles) is reading 15.3 Avg MPG. So, it's been pretty accurage over the three years I've owned the truck (+/- .3), so what's the diff? Weird Weather....or crappy Gas? I'm guessing a little of both. Funny thing about gas. Bought "Hucks" gas (a chain around here, which is basically "anybody's pipeline gas" and got 15.6 MPG on the previous tankfull....this last tank was QuickTrip gas "Gourmet Gas??????" and it only got 14.43....and yes, both are midgrades. The Hucks gas is 10% ethanol, too!

Go Figure.

 

I also had a Dodge Dakota Quad Cab (4.7 engine) before I bought my RAM 1500 Hemi. I NEVER got better than 14 MPG once. It had the trailer towing pkg (3.92 gears) so I figered that was most of it. I even complained to the dealer about it, but was told that was about average for that moter. Anyway, I put over 100,000 trouble free miles on that truck so other than its inability to pass a gas station, it was a great ride. I have been presently supprised with my new Ram Hemi (Quadcab 1500 SWB 2X2). This truck also has towing pkg (3.92 gears) and 20 inch factory wheels / tires. I get better than 16 mpg around town and 17.5 on highway if I stay around 65 mph. I think the Hemi engine has much better fuel specifics than the 4.7 liter engine. Also, at 65 MPH, it is turning less than 1900 RPM......