Dodge announces a diesel half-ton...

[Timmy!]

Would like to see that new Ram with a manual transmission like WA's truck has, would probably get deep into the 30's on the highway. You have to think that the transmission has something to do with. You don't see too many automatic's in the big rigs and they can pull down 6-8 mpg towing 80,000 lbs. My Chevy Avalanche got 6 mpg towing my RZ2.

[Wickedcummins]

Well, if the stock diesels are soooo good, why do you need to do what you do just to tow a little boat? Is the stock 850 lbs not enough, cause my 275 lb 4.2 I-6 has no trouble towing. Driver maybe?

haha Its never enough with me I have a disease lol.. I cant ever leave **** alone... hell right now I am fabin a Turbo kit for my Maverick UTV lol

[Wickedcummins]

Not to mention the heavy diesel truck tows better for the fact you wont have to worry about stopping the boat.. the weight of the truck handles this like a champ.. You forget its even back there

[barry1me]

I have built too many cummins tunes to count.. My old truck whom a friend bought from me dynoed 1,438whp and 2,366 ft lbs of torque and he is getting 16-19 mph towing his 16,000lbs trailer and skid steer. My current truck dynoed 1,055hp and 2,102 ft lbs and is getting 19-19.5 towing my boat. Unloaded is getting about 23mph and I dont turn these trucks down. They run the same tunes they where dynoed on. I can take a bone stock Diesel Write a tune and gain upwards of 300HP MORE than stock.. Can any of you Gas preachers do that ? =)

wow 16-19mpg with 1438whp and pulling a 16k trailer....thats impressive. I have owned lots of diesels and never got that good of mileage. Maybe mine only had 410-550WHP thats why they didnt get that good of mileage.

[loudelectronics]

Question since on the diesel topic...

I have always toiled with the diesel idea because I am always towing something, either a boat to texas and back or to lake, sled trailers to rockies, Atv's to races and rides. I have a 2009 Chev Silverado with 5.3 and 280,000km on it now. The truck has only cost me a new front and rear suspension and tires. It has burned oil since the day I bought it like all 5.3 do (only noticeable if you change your oil by the OLM rather then every 10,000k, Takes about a quart between changes). Truck has been overall solid. Pulls fine, but not like the ecoboost, does not get pushed around by the trailers and still has passing power even with the Z3 on tail. I would like more pulling power as anyone does but really not needed. My buddies always laugh at me cause most drive a diesel and do not haul near as much as I do.

The concept of a diesel sounds great as far as reliability and longevity and heavy duty builds. What I struggle with is that my truck is still a grocery getter, family transporter, haulier and primary transportation for the 4 hours a day I am on the road. It fits all of these well as it is easy to get in and around. Also when it is -40 to -45 outside, my truck starts with out being plugged in and does not give me flack about it. I also struggle with the diesel repair bills as a set of injectors costs as much as an entirely new motor in my gasser. Also DEF fluid I feel would be a pain. I do believe dodge does not require it but I do know that my buddies with the duramaxs and superduties get better mpg. I also like the way my truck handles, it is very nimble and does not feel as heavy on the front end. For snowy conditions, it tracks well and feels safe. I always felt that the diesels were light on the rear and wanted to skip out of road condtions got icey. Worried that the wife would have issues with that, even though she is a very talented driver.

So I often wonder if a diesel is up my alley or not when my current truck seems to fit the bill and seems to by holding up with the miles. Would a diesel be that much better??? Diesel is also more expensive than gas here so it would not pay for the price difference on fuel alone.

[JohnnieMo]

I agree with you. My Avalanche does things so much more gracefully than my dad's heavy duty diesel. I miss the torque once in a while, but I certainly don't miss the ride quality or the extra length, or the larger turning radius.

Everybody wants a different level of safety, comfort and performance while towing. I think we all are trying to find that sweet spot that works for us whilst still fitting into the rest of our lives. Some guys here can likely afford a dedicated tow vehicle, but I'm sadly not one of them.

[Ewok]

When all the truck manufacturers get onboard with SAE J2807, average consumers will have the knowledge about what their vehicles can tow safely without the "experts" claiming you need a truck that weighs more than your boat to pull it safely. I know my SUV can pull my boat safely and it's a great daily driver for the family as well, so I'm completely satisfied.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features...ined-tech-dept

[Timmy!]

I miss the ride quality and every day drive-ability of my Avalanche. What I don't miss is the lack of power up here in Colorado or the 6 mpg towing my RZ2.

[JohnnieMo]

I miss the ride quality and every day drive-ability of my Avalanche. What I don't miss is the lack of power up here in Colorado or the 6 mpg towing my RZ2.

This is why I added the magnacharger! Although 6 MPG is pretty shocking.

[Timmy!]

Seems like you guys like numbers and I like numbers too! 51 out of 511 users on the Fuelly.com site got 20 mpg or better.
http://www.fuelly.com/car/dodge/ram%202500/diesel%20l6

[Timmy!]

Then you start digging into these high mileage ones and looking at their logbooks:
http://www.fuelly.com/driver/dayid/ram-2500
And you see things like 1,454 miles on 62.94 gallons. Maybe he has some bigger tanks on the truck or maybe it's just spotty reporting? He doesn't list the big tank in his mods list.

[chpthril]

You diesel guys do realize im playing devils advocate for the hell of it, right?

[Timmy!]

Stirrin' the turd, the more you stir it, the worse it smells! WHAT?!?!?!?

[chpthril]

WA broke out the slide rule yesterday to calculate the fuel saving and Wicked got on the Dyno today, just to prove their points of view

[Wickedcummins]

Question since on the diesel topic...

I have always toiled with the diesel idea because I am always towing something, either a boat to texas and back or to lake, sled trailers to rockies, Atv's to races and rides. I have a 2009 Chev Silverado with 5.3 and 280,000km on it now. The truck has only cost me a new front and rear suspension and tires. It has burned oil since the day I bought it like all 5.3 do (only noticeable if you change your oil by the OLM rather then every 10,000k, Takes about a quart between changes). Truck has been overall solid. Pulls fine, but not like the ecoboost, does not get pushed around by the trailers and still has passing power even with the Z3 on tail. I would like more pulling power as anyone does but really not needed. My buddies always laugh at me cause most drive a diesel and do not haul near as much as I do.

The concept of a diesel sounds great as far as reliability and longevity and heavy duty builds. What I struggle with is that my truck is still a grocery getter, family transporter, haulier and primary transportation for the 4 hours a day I am on the road. It fits all of these well as it is easy to get in and around. Also when it is -40 to -45 outside, my truck starts with out being plugged in and does not give me flack about it. I also struggle with the diesel repair bills as a set of injectors costs as much as an entirely new motor in my gasser. Also DEF fluid I feel would be a pain. I do believe dodge does not require it but I do know that my buddies with the duramaxs and superduties get better mpg. I also like the way my truck handles, it is very nimble and does not feel as heavy on the front end. For snowy conditions, it tracks well and feels safe. I always felt that the diesels were light on the rear and wanted to skip out of road condtions got icey. Worried that the wife would have issues with that, even though she is a very talented driver.

So I often wonder if a diesel is up my alley or not when my current truck seems to fit the bill and seems to by holding up with the miles. Would a diesel be that much better??? Diesel is also more expensive than gas here so it would not pay for the price difference on fuel alone.

Plug it in ? ahha not a dodge.. Only reason most guys plug there trucks in because its easier on any engine rather than a cold start. not to mention you get cab heat almost right away. But all my trucks dont even have the OEM grid heaters and have fired up every winter even when we are well below 0. DEF is not a pain its actually a lot better and uses less diesel fuel. Its all up too you.. GO drive one and make up your own mind.. I personally would never drive or tow with a little truck that weights same or less than my load! Then again I like being able to blow the tires out from under my truck with a 10k+ loads hooked up if i see the need too.. Traffic is no probablem If I need over Im not on the brakes.. little skinney pedal and Im in front of just about anything