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Msmoto · 01-06-2015, 03:04 PM

@crispyboy

I have a 2008 Dodge/Cummins 6.7...and my towing fuel mileage expereince in 2009, 2010 was about 13-14 towing at 60-65 mph, and about 19 not towing. Then about a year ago, the dealer replaced the catalytic converter or whatever they do, and my towing dropped to 11-12 mpg....obviously burning more fuel and producing more emissions.

It has adequate power, and as you noted, very easy to spin up the wheels....driving a truck is much like riding a motorcycle..... ya' do not really want to spin anything......

I have been told there are some exhaust modifications which can improve things dramatically... to the tune of about $1200 to $1500. Do you know anything about these?

tjdonahoe · 01-06-2015, 04:03 PM

There some kits out there ,and you can remove all the emission stuff, the mileage will go up, but in some states that is illegal, you won't pass the emissions tests,also it is against the federal laws to remove it....unless you do it your self,then what if you want to trade it in ???

crisen · 01-06-2015, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveH

Rick,

If you got to the Ram truck towing spec guide here: Ram Trucks - Towing Capacity Chart

Then select your truck with the body size, bed size, engine, trim level, etc., and then click on the "OPEN TOWING & PAYLOAD CALCULATOR", and then click on the slider, you will see that as you decrease the load IN the truck, the towing capacity will increase.

The slider will not let you go below one passenger, or 150lbs, but it clearly shows with a lighter load, you can tow a heavier trailer, but it also will not let you go above the GCVW rating.

Steve, That is exactly where my numbers came from, see my original again, and look at the numbers for 2 people and 0 load and you can tow 17150, 2 people load of 2165 and towing is down to 14985. How is that more?

Also pdf says load and towing are mutually exclusive, you can not carry max load in the truck and tow max trailer at the same time and this the same thing the weight slider is doing.

slowmover · 01-06-2015, 05:07 PM

What is the FAWR and what is the RAWR?

SteveH · 01-06-2015, 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crisen

Steve, That is exactly where my numbers came from, see my original again, and look at the numbers for 2 people and 0 load and you can tow 17150, 2 people load of 2165 and towing is down to 14985. How is that more?

Also pdf says load and towing are mutually exclusive, you can not carry max load in the truck and tow max trailer at the same time and this the same thing the weight slider is doing.

I understand that, but what I originally posted that you commented on was if I reduced the load in the truck, (and I don't carry anywhere near full load) it increased the towing capacity.

"This would get my max towing capacity with the max payload we would ever carry, up to about 10,800lbs."

J. Morgan · 01-06-2015, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slowmover

Any around this forum those who slam the brakes more than once in 10k miles are not good drivers. In our part of the country those who go through brakes on these trucks in under 70k are not good drivers. It's a reality the OEMs must accommodate.

..

I still have factory brakes on my 1/2 ton,,, over 100K miles...

1/2 Ton 4WD Truck, 72 Sovereign Hensley Arrow

slowmover · 01-06-2015, 10:31 PM

And I saw 120k plus on the first set with this one. Plenty of others where this is so on the 1T. Commercial experience helps but racers sometimes learn too

SteveH · 01-07-2015, 05:20 AM

I have 52K on my original brakes, they still look like new, and I pulled my trailer back from Idaho last summer with no brakes!

(My dad would have said, "First liar doesn't stand a chance").

Steve, (making a joke, and NOT calling anyone a liar.)

Dexterpix · 01-07-2015, 06:11 AM

If power and fuel econ is what your looking for don't waste money on gearing changes. Look into the removal of the DPF, NO2/CAT, and muffler/resignators.

I have a 2009 Dodge 2500 4x4 Mega cab Cummins when we purchased in 2010 35000 miles stock set up we saw 19mpg on the high way unloaded and 12-13 in perfect condition towing a 11k horse trailer. I spent $500 on an H&S programmer and a stainless 4" exhaust. Removal of the DPF, NO2/CAT and the muffler/resignator removed about 150lbs of crap and opened the exhaust up. Reprograming the ECU to no longer look for the O2 sensors and EGR system I can select a gain of as much as 120hp. I run at a 70hp increase. The best side effect of freeing the engine is lower temps for the engine which helps engine life. Fuel MPG is now more inline with my 2001 Cummin, I see 24-26MPG on the highway at 65mph (air temp has the greatest effect as with any diesel, Cummins love the heat) and towing around New England with the horse trailer loaded to 7500k or the 25' FC is 15-17MPG at 62mph with a high of 19mpg when on a longer trip across upper state NY (long semi flat strech of road)

The 2007-2010 Cummins are choked by the rush to met new emision standards the new 2012 - pres are constantly getting better but the DPF and NO2 filters are still power/economy theives.

Joe

crispyboy · 01-07-2015, 07:58 AM

To MSMOTO,

Quote:

Originally Posted by Msmoto

@crispyboy

I have been told there are some exhaust modifications which can improve things dramatically... to the tune of about $1200 to $1500. Do you know anything about these?

It's a bit more than an exhaust modification but can be done for less than $1200. You must change the programming to bypass the restrictive emission equipment. This will rid the vehicle of the EGR, DPF and NOX filters. The remainder of the exhaust can stay and "test pipe" will be installed in lieu of those fore mentioned components. NOTE: The feds won't like you doing this. Things would have to be reinstalled periodically if you have local emission testing.
I have checked into this but haven't pulled the trigger yet as my truck is currently running fine, well at least after the big fix in 2013. Long story made short - the soot from the EGR on my truck took out a turbo and a DPF filter to the tune of $3500..........

EFI Live is on my wishlist........ It is about all that is left for "retuning" your diesel truck. The feds put the kabosh on the US retailers selling tunes.

Anarchy Autocal Lite

SteveH · 01-07-2015, 08:16 AM

Yes, and if you put to high of a "tune" in the computer, you will start having engine failures. The first thing to go seems to be the head gasket, and the hot rodders all replace the head bolts with high tensile strength studs. After that, the torque converter and transmission seem to be the weak links. Like most all high performance mods, one thing leads to another, but most tuners have an "economy/towing" tune also. Most times this requires nothing else to be done.

Also most dealers will no longer honor your warranty if a aftermarket tuner is installed.

All this I have learned from reading the Ram Diesel forum.

crispyboy · 01-07-2015, 08:37 AM

SteveH,
You do not have to put in a " hot performance tune" for getting rid of the emission equipment. I checked into this and EFI Live can do any type of program you want.
If I was going to do this I was just going to keep it stock but delete the problem causing equipment.
Most rational people go for a few extra HP and efficiency with NO Smoke. Nobody writes "smoke" tunes anymore.

Yes - if you turn up the HP with a "hot performance tune" or a poorly written tune it can put extra stress on the head gasket or driveline components. There are considerations........

SteveH · 01-07-2015, 08:46 AM

Sounds like you said the exact same message I did, but in an argumentative way. Did you mean that?

crispyboy · 01-07-2015, 10:07 AM

No intentions of being argumentative just trying to convey that a diesel tune doesn't have to be "hot" to make the truck run better. I wasn't sure if you knew about all the options out there. To me it can be very confusing.

SteveH · 01-07-2015, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crispyboy

No intentions of being argumentative just trying to convey that a diesel tune doesn't have to be "hot" to make the truck run better. I wasn't sure if you knew about all the options out there. To me it can be very confusing.

Yes, I have studied it, and even done a couple of them in the past. I've never gotten the mileage or power improvements that many claim, and you have to drive them over another 100,000 miles for it to pay in dollars, but the performance is a little better.

tjdonahoe · 01-07-2015, 10:52 AM

The engineers at cummins spent millions of dollars designing an engine for all around use and meeting the emissions .Spending 2500 more isn't going to make it much better,fact is it could cost you a lot more in the long haul and more problems.. My opinion ....?And experience... If it ain't broke leave it alone...

crispyboy · 01-07-2015, 11:23 AM

tjdonahoe,
Yep the engine is just fine by itself, it's the gov't add-ons that gives everyone the expensive check engine light headaches. The system used from 2007.5 thru 2012 has a few issues. It works fine if your out working the engine but can be troublesome when used as a casual driver. I am very diligent in how I use this truck (very minimal idling and no grocery getting) and I still got burned...

SteveH · 01-07-2015, 11:43 AM

Maybe my 11,500lb load is good for this truck, but I actually drive it like a grampaw because I normally get 10-11 mpg towing. I got better towing the 31' before I traded, so the 34 is definitely more load.

J. Morgan · 01-07-2015, 04:58 PM

Frankly Steve I think you are worrying too much about the numbers. If it works and works well just enjoy the ride. Life is too short to worry about arbitrary numbers in a sales pitch!

1/2 Ton 4WD Truck, 72 Sovereign Hensley Arrow

SteveH · 01-07-2015, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J. Morgan

Frankly Steve I think you are worrying too much about the numbers. If it works and works well just enjoy the ride. Life is too short to worry about arbitrary numbers in a sales pitch!

1/2 Ton 4WD Truck, 72 Sovereign Hensley Arrow

J., I'm beginning to think you are right. Not one thing the dealer told me the other day convinced me the new truck's weight and towing numbers should be so radically different than mine.

I'm far from being an automotive engineer, but I've been towing travel trailers with various vehicles since the 70's and the rig I have today does much better than some I had in the past that were well within the manufacturer's limits.

I've actually been told by a manufacturer's rep that they typically raise the numbers from the first versions of a "family" of vehicles to improve the sales and compete with other manufacturers.