Dodge Sprinter Gas Mileage

76 messages, Last post on Nov 10, 2007 at 9:03 AM

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Share your actual mileage numbers and questions with other Sprinter owners.

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#50 of 76 Re: speedometer error spawning phoney mpg figures??? [2000_valk] by kenbaker Nov 27, 2006 (1:56 pm)
Replying to: 2000_valk (Nov 26, 2006 1:09 pm) Tom, The dreaded Yellow Triangle supposedly comes on with 2.8 gallons left in the tank (up to about 60 miles of wiggle room for my Sprinter at 20.nuttin' MPG, no A/C). Still haven't run out at 537+ miles (should do about 528 at 26.4 Gal. and 20.0001 MPG.) I always try to get fuel by 500 miles, less in the Summer when I might use both A/C units. I am learning to just set back and let the really fast lane alone... but it is hard not to go there when the right lane is going S l O W w w w w. KenB Replies to this message: chaozz (Dec 21, 2006 12:28 pm) kenbaker (Dec 26, 2006 12:14 pm) jim314 (Jan 08, 2007 7:19 am)
#51 of 76 Re: speedometer error spawning phoney mpg figures??? [kenbaker] by chaozz Dec 21, 2006 (12:28 pm)
Replying to: kenbaker (Nov 27, 2006 1:56 pm) remember with diesl that milage gets better over time,it can take a good 20k miles for these engines to break in Replies to this message: kenbaker (Dec 26, 2006 12:14 pm) jim314 (Jan 08, 2007 7:19 am)
#52 of 76 Re: speedometer error spawning phoney mpg figures??? [2000_valk] by chaozz Dec 21, 2006 (11:10 pm)
Replying to: 2000_valk (Nov 26, 2006 1:09 pm) there is a hand pump.. if you ever run out of fuel after you fill up unscrew that pump and goto town until fuel comes out. dont even try to start before that.
#53 of 76 Re: speedometer error spawning phoney mpg figures??? [chaozz] by kenbaker Dec 26, 2006 (12:14 pm)
Replying to: chaozz (Dec 21, 2006 12:28 pm) I certainly thought about break-in... Now 22,000 miles and I just got an incredible 21.2 (up from about 20.001). What else influences that number? Cold weather, no A/C required for most of the tank, what else? I have mostly heard the the post break-in will go up about 5% at the most (2 MPG on 20 MPG base figures). If that is true, then I am half way there. quit using power service until it turned COLD again, now am using for the anti-gelling properties (white bottle, red and black lettering). KenB Replies to this message: jim314 (Jan 08, 2007 7:19 am)
#54 of 76 Re: speedometer error spawning phoney mpg figures??? [kenbaker] by jim314 Jan 08, 2007 (7:19 am)
Replying to: kenbaker (Dec 26, 2006 12:14 pm) You are there! Five percent of 20 is 1, an increase of 2 mpg on 20 mpg is 10 %.
#55 of 76 Re: Speedometer Stuff and MPG by grasspress Jan 20, 2007 (9:55 am)
Replying to: methodvan (Sep 05, 2006 8:55 am) hey, guys: quit belly achin' about the speedometers being off. i'm from the old school where all speedometers were off; this is pretty typical, and it doesn't bother me in the least. my gps shows about 56+ mph when the speedo shows 60. as for mpg, i'm getting around 24-28 in my sprinter 2500 118" wheelbase regular roof line. but i drive with fuel economy in mind. those of you who are watching your mpgs carefully, consider your speed and load (obviously) but also your roof profile. i'm still pretty happy with my sprinter and will have it for a long time (i sure hope so, anyway). the better mileage (compared to the usual gas engines available with the domestics) and better inside dimensions will convince me i made a good decision for a long time. i'm also seeing more mobil 1 0w-40 on the shelves in the local auto stores and at wal mart. Replies to this message: larryccf (Jan 21, 2007 8:33 pm)
#56 of 76 Re: Speedometer Stuff and MPG [grasspress] by larryccf Jan 21, 2007 (8:33 pm)
Replying to: grasspress (Jan 20, 2007 9:55 am) a lot of mfgrs are now making their speedos read fast intentionally VW does it but you can punch the right code into your climate control unit and it will display the accurate speed digitally reason for the fast reading speedo is litigation concerns go figure - that was from the vw na technical director
#57 of 76 Re: reRe: speedometer error spawning phoney mpg figures??? [methodvan] by kipk Jan 31, 2007 (6:39 am)
Replying to: methodvan (Sep 05, 2006 8:55 am) MPG ratings are averages. With economy in mind, a given vehicle, with the same driver will not deliver the same mileage when driven under different conditions. Hilly conditions will result in lower figures than relatively flat roads. Adding or subtracting weight will affect mileage. If your truck is carrying around a lot of cargo weight, it will not deliver the "AVERAGE" mpg. One that is near empty may deliver better than average. A GPS will most likely reveal your speedometer is reading a bit higher than actual speed, but your odometer will be pretty much dead on.! I can't explain it, it is just the way things are sometimes. Anytime anyone contemplates paying extra to get a few more miles per gallon, they need to do the calculation before the fact, rather than after the fact! To drive 100,00 miles: Consider 15mpg with gas $2.50 gal.. It would cost $16,667 for fuel. Now 22mpg with diesel at $2.70 a gal would cost $12,272. Diesel will save about $4400 in fuel. I used a 20 cent higher price for diesel because of prices in my ares. Yours may vary. My understanding is that there is a slightly higher maintaince cost associated with diesel and possibly additional additives that gas engines don't require. That would make the above $4400 figure lower. Even if the savings were the $4400, it would take over 200K miles to break even for an extra $9000 purchase price. Keeping in mind that higher or lower fuel cost will affect numbers. Kip Replies to this message: jim314 (Jan 31, 2007 8:18 am) kipk (Feb 01, 2007 6:32 am) jim314 (Feb 03, 2007 5:44 pm) kipk (Feb 04, 2007 7:08 am) and 2 more...
#58 of 76 Re: reRe: speedometer error spawning phoney mpg figures??? [kipk] by jim314 Jan 31, 2007 (8:18 am)
Replying to: kipk (Jan 31, 2007 6:39 am) And really you must consider that the extra $9000 purchase price for a diesel Sprinter is an upfront cost and that the $4400 fuel savings are received over the 8 or 10 years it would take to drive the 100,000 mi. This is a "time value of money" calculation, which I can't do without some investigation, but it can be approximated as an interest calculation. If you buy the 15 mpg gasoline Ford or Chevy van and put $9000 in savings at 5% interest compounded anually for 9 years, it would turn into $9000(1.05)^9 = $9000(1.55) = $14,000. Of course, a Sprinter has features that the Ford and Chevy vans do not. When the gasoline Sprinters become available you will be able to separate the premium for a diesel from the premium for a gasoline Sprinter. Very possibly it will turn out that a gasoline Sprinter may make more financial sense than a diesel one for many who want a Sprinter. Also it may be an important value to you to save fuel whether it makes economic sense or not. Note however that in doing fuel use comparisons between gasoline and diesel you should really use the weights of fuels and not the volumes. Diesel fuel is 15% denser than gasoline, (and gasoline has 87% of the density of diesel fuel). So to correct the mpg of a gasoline engine for the difference in density you'd multiply the gasoline mpg value by 1.15 to get a corrected mpg value equivalent to that of a diesel. Therefore, the 15 mpg of the Chevy is corrected to 17 mpg for comparison to the diesel value of 22 mpg for true amount (that is weight) of fuel used for environmental purposes. You do not make this correction for cost because motor fuel is sold by the gallon and not by the weight. Replies to this message: kipk (Feb 01, 2007 6:32 am) jim314 (Feb 03, 2007 5:44 pm) kipk (Feb 04, 2007 7:08 am) jim314 (Feb 04, 2007 10:16 am) jim314 (Feb 05, 2007 3:43 pm)
#59 of 76 Re: reRe: speedometer error spawning phoney mpg figures??? [jim314] by kipk Feb 01, 2007 (6:32 am)
Replying to: jim314 (Jan 31, 2007 8:18 am) Yep! To be fair, if fuel should go considerably higher and the vehicle was to be driven for several hundred thousand miles during that 9 years, the savings of a diesel would become apparent. Of course there may become an even greater cost difference at the pump between diesel and gas, if/when Bio-diesels are forced upon us and higher cost plus poorer mileage kick in.