5.7 Hemi fuel mileage

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I remember a long time ago one of my teachers complained that he got 8-10mpg on his ram 1500. Are they really that bad on fuel mileage? I never asked how far away from work he lived but maybe if he only drove a few miles then that could be the cause. I would think they could atleast get 13-15 average. If not do they at least hall [censored] to make up for it? I'm talking about the 2003-1008 model era dodge ram.
 
My FIL has a 2005 4x4 Quad Cab Ram w/ the Hemi, totally stock, perfect condition (except for the cracked dash) and only 30k miles. He was nice enough to loan it to us to drive while we were looking for my new truck. After 3 weeks with it doing about a 75/25 mix of hwy/city I had a hand calculated average of 9.1 mpg through 6 tanks and I drive pretty conservatively, too. Seems pretty typical with the few owners I know with similar trucks. It was a nice truck but I was glad to give it back to him.
 
I remember when the "new" ram came out in the mid 90s, even the 5.2 (318) half ton was getting single digit mileage. A couple of reviews noted the single digit gas mileage was very low for a half ton pickup.
 
I had an 04 quad cab 4x4 last winter. I bought it with 240k and totalled it with 270k.
Highway I got from 17-22mpg depending on wind. City mileage was atrocious though.
Great truck though. I miss it.
 
I would have thought the MDS would have made a difference.Much like GMs Multiple Displacement setup.
 
I had a 2006 5.7 quad cab 1500. Average fuel economy was 14-18 MPG. It would be pretty hard for me to average single digits.
 
Originally Posted By: NHGUY
I would have thought the MDS would have made a difference.Much like GMs Multiple Displacement setup.



I don't mds got into the trucks til 2008.
My charger is an 06 and it has mds and I have gotten 30mpg on the highway. With winter fuel I'm getting from 26-28.
 
I think MDS came to the Ram in 2006 but I'm not 100% sure and don't feel like looking it up. My FIL truck also had 20" rims. Maybe different gear ratios? I do know that truck never sniffed 14 mpg even through a full tank on I-95 with the cruise control set at 65...
 
Originally Posted By: laserred96gt
A friend of mine said 12-14 city, 18-24 highway, 04 Ram pick up.


24 with what pushing him? Tropical storm winds?
 
I average just above 14 with 50/50 mix city/hwy. I get 17 on the hwy. in the 65 mph to 70 mph range, over 70 it drops way off.
Non MDS hemi 5.7. - 3.92 rear end - 20 " wheels.
 
Originally Posted By: coolbird101
I average just above 14 with 50/50 mix city/hwy. I get 17 on the hwy. in the 65 mph to 70 mph range, over 70 it drops way off.
Non MDS hemi 5.7. - 3.92 rear end - 20 " wheels.


4x4 quad cab? If so, that's weird. I work with 3 people that struggle for 12 mpg average on their non-MDS hemi 4x4s (2 quad cabs and 1 ECLB) and get nowhere close to 17 mpg hwy. We were actually discussing it yesterday since I recently purchased my Silverado and they were asking about my mileage. I wonder if regional fuel blends or some other factor could affect mileage that much? I had a lifted 200k mile 5.4 Expedition 4x4 on 35" tires and 3.73 gears that would get better gas mileage than the low mileage bone stock Ram I was driving. My wife even commented that I had better not look for a Ram unless we took out a 2nd mortgage to pay for gas. I'm not saying you guys aren't being honest, just that I've never heard of any older Dodge hemi getting 17+ mpg hwy in 4x4 form.
 
Originally Posted By: Clevy
Originally Posted By: NHGUY
I would have thought the MDS would have made a difference.Much like GMs Multiple Displacement setup.



I don't mds got into the trucks til 2008.
My charger is an 06 and it has mds and I have gotten 30mpg on the highway. With winter fuel I'm getting from 26-28.


Do you think this is because of the winter fuel, or because its just winter? Vehicles always get less mpg in the winter, regardless of fuel.

I should say vehicles are less efficient in cold temps, not that vehicles get less mpg in winter.
 
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Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
I remember a long time ago one of my teachers complained that he got 8-10mpg on his ram 1500. Are they really that bad on fuel mileage? I never asked how far away from work he lived but maybe if he only drove a few miles then that could be the cause. I would think they could atleast get 13-15 average. If not do they at least hall [censored] to make up for it? I'm talking about the 2003-1008 model era dodge ram.


8-10 MPG is definitely on the low side. Even the previous generation Ram's with the 318's and 360's did a little better than that. A HEMI Ram should do better than that even all city unless it is 100% stop and go with tons of idling.

FWIW I have owned 2 Ram 1500's with the 5.7L HEMI from the time frame you are asking about...

2004 Ram 1500 Quad Cab 4WD SLT w/ 5.7L HEMI( no MDS ). It had 3.55's and 17" tires. It averaged around 14-15 MPG with a mix of city and highway. I could get up to 20-21 all highway in optimal conditions.

NOTE - when I has this truck we did not have ethanol blended fuels. It was regular gas w/ MTBE so no ethanol penalty.



2008 Ram 1500 Quad Cab 4WD SLT w/ 5.7L HEMI( with MDS ). It had 3.92's and 20" tires.It averaged around 12-14 MPG with a mix of city and highway. I could get up to 18-19 all highway in optimal conditions.

NOTE - when I has this truck all gas here was E10 so there was an ethanol penalty on the MPG. Probably would have been closer to the 04's MPG if regular gas was available.



Both trucks had duals, CAI, hard tonneau covers, and Royal Purple synthetics all around for the most part( never got the 08's trans swapped to MaxATF ). MDS IMO is useless in the Ram. It works well in the 300 and smaller vehicles but in the Ram there really is no MPG gain.

The 03-08 5.7L used in the Ram had 345HP and 375 FTLBS so yes it hauls arse. IMO you would be better off with an 04+ model. 03 used different programming and doesn't offer up the same aftermarket support( tuners )as 04+ models do( if that matters to you ).

The Ram 1500's from that time frame are good vehicles. They have their unique issues as all vehicles do but overall good truck. 03-05 look for cracked dash pads. 06-08 look for problems with the recirculating doors( heat & AC ).
 
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Originally Posted By: Clevy
Originally Posted By: NHGUY
I would have thought the MDS would have made a difference.Much like GMs Multiple Displacement setup.



I don't mds got into the trucks til 2008.
My charger is an 06 and it has mds and I have gotten 30mpg on the highway. With winter fuel I'm getting from 26-28.


MDS was 1st used in the Ram 1500 in 2006.
 
Originally Posted By: NHGUY
I would have thought the MDS would have made a difference.Much like GMs Multiple Displacement setup.


I actually have had 2 HEMI Ram's. One w/ MDS and one w/o MDS( see above ). The truck w/o MDS got better MPG. Axle ratio, tire size, and ethanol fuel may be behind the lower MPG for the MDS equipped model. However, it seems to be accepted on the Dodge truck forums that the trucks w/ 3.92's actually get better MPG as it puts the engine into the sweet spot better. I never agreed with this but many people posted that...?

I also have had 2 5.3L Silverado's too. Both 1500 Ext Cab SB's 4WD models. The 2005 had the aluminum block HO 5.3L, 3.42's, 17" tires, and no AFM. The 2007 had 3.73's, 17" tires, and had AFM. The 05 got significantly better MPG. It actually got the best MPG of any truck I have ever owned( even better than 05 Tacoma ). I averaged 18 MPG for mixed driving and could see as high as 24-25 MPG highway although 22+ was the norm. LOVED that truck( ruined by hail storm ). The 07 w/ AFM got MPG barely above the HEMI Ram trucks I owned.

I am not impressed with MDS or AFM in the big trucks frankly. Neither has given better MPG than previous models without it that were pretty much identical. Both have given worse actually. To be fair however I did have to run ethanol blended fuels in the 07 GM and 08 Dodge. Never had to run it in the 04 Ram and only ran it for like a month in the 05 GM( it dropped MPG down a bit but not too bad ).

MDS and AFM are all hype and no substance IMO. All they do is make your exhaust sound bad.
 
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12-14 in City, and 18 Highway for me. That's 4x4, with 3.92 gears, and heavy LT a/t tires with very high rolling resistance. The 3rd gens you are looking a may be slightly worse. Some didn't have MDS.
 
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