ATV Florida Forum

I just bought a brand new 2007 Dodge Ram Thunder Road 4.7 Liter V8 and it just seems like its using more gas then I think it should use. It says that it is rated to get 14 MPG in the city and 19 MPG on the highway. I filled up this morning and drove from St. Petersburg to North Port and back and have just over a half of tank left. I really didn't put my foot into it either all I did was cruise @ 70MPH. I have also heard that with a new vehicle that you need to put a 1,000 or 2,000 miles on it to break it in so it gets the mileage that it says its going to get. I thought I would just put this out there to see what everyone thinks.

putting some miles on it should not make much of a differance im a 18 year tech for chrysler is your check engine light on? if not then all obd system's are ok. the window sticker epa mpg is just an est. on fuel economy also what brand of gas are you running and what octane? my mustang will fly through a tank of 87-89 octane in less then 100 miles thats 15 gallons gone like nothing but on 93-94 octane I can double that

steve

p.s chrysler dose not and will not guarantee fuel mileage but you are more then welcome to bring it to the dealer i'm at suncoast jeep chrysler on park blvd. and we can verify that there is nothing going on 

I only run 87 in my truck. It just seems to fly through gas. It has less than 1,100 miles on it and I have the 20 inch wheels which shouldn't make much of a difference. My check engine light isn't on at all. I really like the truck, but if it is gonna fly through gas like that I'm gonna have to get something else. My dad has an 05 Dodge ram with the 4.7 and he gets better mileage than I do. Thanks alot for the offer to bring it to your work.

are the wheels stock? if not and you haven't geared down the rear-end that would account for some bad mileage, but yeah as far as that windows sticker and the gas mileage,,,,that's just a guess and is usually inflated quite a bit,,,,,I think Consumer Reports has an annual report about gas mileage in new vehicles and Dodge trucks almost always come out on the bottom of the list.

and also the octane matters QUITE a bit,,,,,I will get about 12-14mpg on the highway with regular gas, but if I put the good stuff in it,,,,well I'll give you an example, I went to see a buddy of mine in PSL a couple weeks ago and got 21.5mpg with my 5.4L v-8 F150.

Id@

For every mile per hour faster than 55 mph, fuel economy drops by about 1 percent. The drop-off increases at a greater rate after 65 mph. The faster you go, the faster the fuel goes.

So your loosing 10% of your fuel economy plus probably another 10% for the 5 miles over 65 MPH = 20% total so now your looking at something like 10.5 city 14.5 hwy...

RE: Miles per gallon- What are you getting? CLICK THE FORUM BELOW
http://www.dodgeforum.com/m_181078/mpage_16/tm.htm (http://www.dodgeforum.com/m_181078/mpage_16/tm.htm)

I was running through gas like mad when I bought my new Jeep. Turns out that my Air Conditioning was staying on even in the off position, only I couldn't feel it because my fan wasn't on, and I had the top off. It took about 3 weeks for me to figure it out.  That's one thing you might check based on my experience, only I assume you would notice that it's staying cold in the cab of your truck with the A.C. off.

What he said plus all the way through 2007 models the fuel milage was based on 55mph. On the 2008 models you will see a lower fuel milage on the sticker because they are based on 70mph. If you read the fine print on the bottom of the window sticker it will tell you the lowest possible and the highest possible. Also driving habits has a lot to do with fuel milage. Also when you get a wider or taller tire it will effect it.

I have a 98 ram1500 4x4 sport with the 5.2 and i get better milage than that.

How big is the tank? That distance on less than 1/2 tank sounds pretty good. We need some facts. How many gallons to fill up after that trip? How many round trip miles?
Get those answers & divide the gallons into the miles for the exact answer.

ex: 200 miles used 10 g. of fuel. = 20mpg

you didn't accidently turn off the overdrive did you?mine is a button on the end of the gear shifter.

I have a 26 gallon tank. I have the stock 20 inch wheels. I didn't have the over drive off either.

you also say half a tank,,,,but did you measure how many gallons that was actually instead of just looking at the gauge?

half a tank by looking at the gauge on my truck is actually about 2/3 of a tank used already,,,,that last half goes quickly on the gauge.

Id@

On my over head console it says that I have about 196 miles left. Just over a half a tank. Ida, you are correct about the last half of a tank going quick.

If it's a Hemi then don't expect good milage. My friend has one on 35"s(no lift and 35" are a whole lot bigger than stock) and he gets 10mpg. Granted, he does drive like an idiot, but even when he babies it he still pulls off about 12mpg.

And the estimated mpg on the sticker are from testing in a labratory in perfect conditions with a fan infront of the truck. They are nowhere near real-life conditions.

No Hemi here. I opted to get the 4.7 V8.

Still, I've never seen a dodge get great milage. Not sure why, it just how they're made.

Chevy's are the way to go for milage. From the 4.8L to the 6.0L your looking at 300hp and still 15-16mpg in town.

I have a 97 chevy Silverado and it gets decent mileage.

I was able to get almost 22mpg on the highway with my 400EX in the back with my 5.4L v-8 in my F150 ;-)

Id@