Real world gas mileage of dodge b-series vans (what about hi-top?)

[stinko]

I've been thinking about my next van, and lately I've got eyes towards a third generation 15 passenger dodge b-series. I've looked a bit on fueleconomy.gov but I would like to know if anybody drives one and what kind of mileage they really get.

Also, how much affect does a high top have on mpg? like the big 2-3 foot ones?

Any suggestions for which one of these vans gets the best gas mileage or has the most reliable engine? Am i being sucked by the smooth (in my opinion) looks of the dodge? Should I consider the ford or others?

PS - this is for two people to live in so don't start suggesting smaller vehicles

 

[66788]

Good question, as I just bought a high top 1989 Dodge B350 window van to convert. Mine has the 360 engine with 727 transmission. I expect my gas mileage to be about 10-12 mpg, which is OK as I will enjoy the extra room inside very much.

After all, the van sits in one spot a lot more than it drives... at least in my case.

 

[christine]

Not a Dodge, but I'm sort of under the impression that Dodge, Chevy, and Ford full size vans are all about the same. I have a very tall high top on my 2004 Chevy Express. And a roof rack with 6 solar panels. Before the high top I got 16-18 mpg. After adding the high top I got about 14. Now after adding the roof rack, solar panels, 300 lbs of batteries, 300 lbs of water, almost fully loaded up, I got 10.83 mpg--going 65-75 mph on the 5 in CA. I find that driving style also affects mpg quite a bit so people's answers might vary.

 

[wagoneer]

2001 ford e350xl with a med. high top I can stand and brush my hair in about 1/2 of the floor space the other half is crouch as I walk so it's my storage/work/sleep area. with the classic 7.3 diesel I am fairly light footed never exceeding 65 mph usually 55-60 and average 16MPG with a load.

 

[Zil]

1987 dodge b250, 318 v8, 2 brl carb, 10 mpg, average.

 

[Van-Tramp]

1989 Dodge B250 extended with high top (not the real tall one)
350ci 5.9l V8, EFI, 3-speed trans

I average, over a year, 12.8 MPG. I am pleased when I get 13's and above.
On highway driving at 50-55mph I can get up to 15 MPG depending on elevation (higher elevation = better MPG)
When towing my MPG drops by about 20% (into the 10-11's) depending on weight of trailer.

All my measurements are taken at each fillup of 300 miles or more.

I have written an article on my MPG challenges at http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/increasing-the-mpg-in-the-big-blue-van/

 

[user 423]

1989 Dodge B250 extended with high top (not the real tall one)
350ci 5.9l V8, EFI, 3-speed trans

The '89-'91 Dodge 5.9 engines had TBI (throttle body injection). The newer Magnum engines ('92-up) have MPFI (multi-port injection) which is a little more efficient and offers more power and (maybe) slightly higher MPG. Overdrive transmissions (4 speeds) were offered on some models for better MPG. I have a '91 TBI 5.2 (regular top) with OD and get 10 mpg city and 16 mpg highway. The OD units in the older vans often fail due to poor maintenance and those trannies are costly to overhaul. IMO the 5.9 with the 3-speed is the way to go in a loaded hightop van. The hightop will cost you 2-3 fewer mpg at least.

 

[steamjam1]

1989 b150 dodge shorty. 5.2l and 904 3-speed. 11mpg street and 15-16 on the freeway.

 

[arm]

I have a 1996 B3500 Dodge 5.2 - 318 engine with 3.92 rear axle Roadtrek 190 P. I am somewhat anal with gas mileage and track every drop of fuel, average speeds, wind etc. on my spreadsheets.

Results average over many thousands of miles:

Speed 75 MPH -13.36 mp/imp gal. 10.7 mp/US gal
Speed 65-68 MPH - 14.7 mp/Imp gal. 11.76 mp/US gal
Speed 55-60 MPH - 17.87 mp/Imp gal 14.3 mp/Us gal

Last two short trips, average driving, mostly hiway, some city.

2629 Miles 140.1 US Gal 719.9 Litres = 16.72 mp/Imp gal - 13.89 mp/US gal.

4032 miles - 289 US gal - 1093 Litres = 16.57 mp/Imp gal - 13.77 mp/US gal.

Hope this helps.

Good luck

 

[PastTense]

Another site to get some real life fuel economy numbers is:
http://www.fuelly.com/car/

 

[decodancer]

Not to sound like a complete idiot, but how can you find out your actual MPG without running the van out of gas. I (think) I have a 22 gallon tank in my hightop 6 cyl Ford 15 passenger. My gas gauge does not work. I filled up before taking a 2+ hour trip to NY last week and it took much less (at a higher price) to fill up for the trip home. Now I have no idea how much is in there. I've run out before and would love to prevent it happening again but funds are low and I hate to fill it up just for quick trips to the grocery store.

 

[steamjam1]

Fill up, mark mileage, drive for x amount, fill up again. mark mileage.
take difference in mileage and divide by gallons.

For my van, Its like I fill up, drive 73 miles, fill up again. It takes 4.615 gallons to refill.
73 / 4.615 = 15.82 mpg

 

[Zil]

fill your tank and record the odometer reading. record all the gallons of gasoline you put in the tank from that point on. When you can fill your tank again, use the miles you have drove from the first fill up to the last fill up, divided by the total gallons of gas you have put in the tank after the first fill up. Don't count the gallons from the first fill up, duh. The more times you calculate the millage, the more times you fill the tank, the more miles you drive, the more accurate will be your calculation.

---

Well, I almost beat steamjam1 to the post.

 

[user 423]

I've run out before and would love to prevent it happening again but funds are low and I hate to fill it up just for quick trips to the grocery store.

Keep tabs by your odometer. If you get 10 mpg, then add gas every 100-120 miles so you always have at least 1/2 tank. Running it completely out (or even less than 1/4 tank or so) will burn up your fuel pump! That will cost you plenty. Also,ethanol degrades fairly quickly so adding fresh gas often is a good idea.

 

[decodancer]

You guys are the greatest. I felt silly asking such a simple question but math never was my strong suit. Thank you

 

[SoulRaven]

I've been thinking about my next van, and lately I've got eyes towards a third generation 15 passenger dodge b-series. I've looked a bit on fueleconomy.gov but I would like to know if anybody drives one and what kind of mileage they really get.

Also, how much affect does a high top have on mpg? like the big 2-3 foot ones?

Any suggestions for which one of these vans gets the best gas mileage or has the most reliable engine? Am i being sucked by the smooth (in my opinion) looks of the dodge? Should I consider the ford or others?

PS - this is for two people to live in so don't start suggesting smaller vehicles

Greetings!

1982 Dodge 15 passenger window van, with very high top:
13+mpg City, 15+mpg Highway
318 Automatic

Personal experience: Pre 1975 = best mpg, Mid 70's-Mid 80's best driving, and second best mpg. Newer than mid 80's = more smog control = worse mpg = less reliable = higher repair costs. Next newer body style from mid 80's = higher center of gravity, doesn't feel as sure footed while driving, rear end skips on tight corners(hairpin curves @ >5-10mph), noticeable roll feeling on curves at highway speeds.

All that being said, I still think the mid 80's Dodges are the best full size vans ever built. Their reliability is second to none, and their MPG's are right up there.

Cheers!

The CamperVan_Man

---

You guys are the greatest. I felt silly asking such a simple question but math never was my strong suit. Thank you

Greetings!

If you figure that your full tank size is the top half of your tank, and try to never let it go below that half way mark, you will have plenty of buffer to keep you out of trouble.

With a broken gauge, it is always easier to just fill it up more often, because then you know exactly where you're at. It doesn't cost any more to put that $20 worth of gas in the top of the tank than it does to put it into the bottom, and sometimes you may even get a pleasant surprise and it will be full at only $10.

When I've had broken gauges, I just made a habit of filling up between 100-150 miles, and I never ran out. An ounce of prevention sure beats running out of gas.

If money is tight, many churches will give travelers a tank of gas too. If you're really needy, I have even seen some churches do special collections to help folks out.

(I'm not suggesting that YOU are really needy, but thought that info may be helpful to anyone in need who may read this post.)

Cheers!

The CamperVan_Man

 

[frankieC55]

Sorry to wake the dead,

I just wanted to chime in after finally getting my '85 B150 Shorty van out on a good long trip. It has the 225 slant six and a 4 speed manual 833OD tranny with a 3.90 axle ratio. A previous owner junked all the lean burn equipment, and after I swapped the plugs and timing set, the old slant really woke up. I have been getting 19-21mpg when I take it easy at 50-60mph. The van has plenty of power loaded up driving around town, but with that numerically high axle ratio, the Slant tends to run out of power and really struggles to keep left lane speeds most of the time. I tow with the van from time to time, and think I could improve my highway mileage without significantly hampering my towing prowess if I swapped out the 3.90 gears for some 3.55's.

 

[66788]

1989 Dodge B250 extended with high top (not the real tall one)
350ci 5.9l V8, EFI, 3-speed trans

I average, over a year, 12.8 MPG. I am pleased when I get 13's and above.
On highway driving at 50-55mph I can get up to 15 MPG depending on elevation (higher elevation = better MPG)
When towing my MPG drops by about 20% (into the 10-11's) depending on weight of trailer.

All my measurements are taken at each fillup of 300 miles or more.

I have written an article on my MPG challenges at http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/increasing-the-mpg-in-the-big-blue-van/

My 1989 Dodge high top is the same as yours.   I have recorded actual mileage in the same fashion and at 55 mph I get 12.8 mpg, but at 70 mph I get 11 mpg.

I can't take driving at 55 mph so I pay a bit extra and go 70 mph most of the time.

If money ever becomes an issue, then I might reconsider, but the difference now is minimal, since I spend most of my time not driving.   I know that there are vans with better mileage out there, but I have built mine exactly the way I like and enjoy the room afforded me by the high top and extended length.

AKRVBOB gets 18 mpg on the highway, I get 11 mpg.   His van is right for him, mine is right for me.

Ain't life grand?

 

[skyl4rk]

The '89-'91 Dodge 5.9 engines had TBI (throttle body injection). The newer Magnum engines ('92-up) have MPFI (multi-port injection) which is a little more efficient and offers more power and (maybe) slightly higher MPG. Overdrive transmissions (4 speeds) were offered on some models for better MPG. I have a '91 TBI 5.2 (regular top) with OD and get 10 mpg city and 16 mpg highway. The OD units in the older vans often fail due to poor maintenance and those trannies are costly to overhaul.  IMO the 5.9 with the 3-speed is the way to go in a loaded hightop van. The hightop will cost you 2-3 fewer mpg at least.

What is the appropriate maintenance for the OD transmission?   Fluid changes and a transmission cooler?

 

[akrvbob]

My Chevy 5.7/350 only gets 13 MPG. My girlfriend averages 17 with her Chevy 5.3 and can pretty easily get 20 MPG on the highway if she is at all careful.

Everyone I know who has one says the same thing, the 5.3 gets exceptional gas mileage.
Bob