Duramax or Cummings Diesel?

[GCinSC2]

Originally Posted by gandttimes

And this is good why?



George

Agreed.

And those Fords look real good with their cab up in the air off of the frame to work on the engine.

That's almost like being told you have to lift the shell off if your AS to fix a piece of water pipe.

[Bigventure]

Originally Posted by cando

We are on our second Toyota 5.7 V8s. The 07 had 121, 000 trouble free miles and was still on the original brakes. Replaced a serpentine belt and a set of tires. Got a great deal on a new one in 2012--it now has almost 70, 000 trouble free miles and we replaced the original tires at 65, 000 miles. Some decontenting of the new ones and my hope for better pulling both uphill and better holdback going down the mts are making us look to diesel powered 2500 "big three" trucks. Unfortunately, much of what we're reading on the threads is not making any of the three look like a safe bet. We'll possibly wait for the Nissan Titan with the Cummins this December. We tried advice we were given about driving ith the trailer in the mts in fourth gear, we use fifth normally, but it raised the rps' s from roughly 2, 200 to just over 3, 000 rpm's, and the gas mileage dropped from the 10.5 to 11, to roughly 7.5, the worst either Toyota has ever gotten. so we have to agree, the 2012 seems more Impotent towing the '25 Airstream in the mts. But don't know if we can live with poor repair performance that we have lived through with all of the big three.

Why do you feel you need a big diesel to pull a 25'er ? I tow mine with a Jeep Grand Cherokee with a V M Mororti diesel. It also has an 8 speed trans. I get 30 as a daily driver and 16 towing my 2013 25' International. If I wanted a bigger heavier trailer I would consider a truck. My jeep also has air ride and lowers itself to ease getting in and out.

[KJRitchie]

Had a 2010 Tundra 5.7L. I found manual shifting helped handling hills. On my trip to Utah and back I kept it in 5th and when approaching a hill would shift down to maintain 60mph. This was on interstates and two lane winding roads. Once I crested the hill then shifted up. My Tundra had the shifter on the center console so it was easy to to shift then the buttons on the column shifter. Never had to floor the accelerator. Depressing the accelerator too much affects mileage more than higher rpms in lower gears. 55 to 60mph is what I aim to keep the speed at unless the road conditions warrant lower speeds.

I now have a Ram 2500 CTD. Time will tell on the reliability. I contacted several members on this forum for their opinions before purchasing.

Kelvin

[TheDuke]

Originally Posted by gandttimes

And this is good why?



George

If you don't want the latest technology, the most powerful diesel engine, the only engine that is designed and built by the truck manufacturer and that is sold in 75% of the number one selling HD trucks in America, then I guess, that it isn't good for "you."

[gypsydad]

This is becoming a very interesting thread....we just put 3,300 more miles on our 2012 F150 Echoboost the past 3 weeks, pulling our 25' FC around from San Diego to Montana and back...(nice time to visit the parks in southern Utah)...turned a little over 73k miles this trip and no issues. Averaged 10.1 mpg overall with average speeds 68-72. Not sure what we will do or when we will do it in regards to a new TV; for now, the EB is doing it's job well, and we love the ride....mileage not as good as some reporting with diesel, however. For those considering a new Ford, saw this link regarding Ford sales event: Ford to offer big deals on most new vehicles

[xrvr]

Originally Posted by Secguru

I did a lot of research on this before buying my truck in 2010. I was deeply enamored of the Chevy Duramax. I was ready to buy a NEW 2010 Dodge or Chevy. I ended up buying a 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 Laramie with a hard tonneau cover. The only modification I have made was to add a set of dash gauges (pyrometer, trans temp and boost), and to dump the custom wheels and go back to original wheels with Michelin low rolling resistance highway tires.

I bought a 2006 because it was the last full model year for the 5.9L Cummins diesel engine. I searched the US for a truck that had been broken in with highway miles. My lucky find ("The Tomato") was a bright red model with 75K miles. I tow a restored 1983 Avion 34V. My typical towing MPG is between 23 to 26 mpg, mostly around 24 to 25. My unloaded MPG is between 31 to a high of 37.6 mpg. That VASTLY exceeds my wildest expectations of 24 mpg unloaded and 18 towing. I tow at 60 to 65 mph, and use the pyrometer to drive for maximum mpg.

As you can imagine, I LOVE this truck. I would have rather had a new one, but that giant sucking sound you hear from new Dodge 6.7L engines is fuel being used at an alarming rate! Either way, the Cummins 350K mile life expectancy vs 250K for the Chevy is always good. And you can't beat any Inline 6 for fuel economy. My only wish is that it had an Alison 1000 transmission, like I used to have on my old Freightliner FL60 (used to tow a 18K lb high-line 5th wheel).

I couldn't be happier than with Stella (the Avion) and the Tomato.

Livin' in Aluminum!!!

Wow, those mpg figures are about ten mpg better than I get. Towing or not. Wish I could get that.

[mefly2]

Originally Posted by Rocinante

The October issue of Consumer Reports has a reliability analysis for cars & trucks. The trucks table has some interesting data, though it does not separate the vehicles out by engine type or anything else. There's just one bucket for each model of truck.

For the 1/2 ton category, the Tundra is ~45% more reliable than average. The F-150 is ~25% better than average for reliability, Ram 1500 is ~25% worse than average, while the Chevy & GMC 1500 are both 45% worse than average.

For the 3/4 ton category, the Chevy Silverado is ~25% more reliable than average, the F-250 is about 10% more reliable than average, and the Ram 2500 is 153% less reliable than average. Yes, you read that right. One hundred fifty three percent less reliable than average. Seems kinda high, but that's what it says here.

So, if we were to upgrade from our 1/2 ton to a 3/4 ton, we'd probably start by looking at the Silverado 2500.

BTW, thus far our RAM 1500 has been great (knocking wood). Perhaps, like all the children in Lake Woebegone, our truck came out above average.

Mirrors our experience ...

[GCinSC2]

Originally Posted by TheDuke

If you don't want the latest technology, the most powerful diesel engine, the only engine that is designed and built by the truck manufacturer and that is sold in 75% of the number one selling HD trucks in America, then I guess, that it isn't good for "you."

First I'm not on the market for a new TV. But I do almost all of my fleets maintenance and repairs including keeping a VW Beetle TDI running. My 5'er camping buddy bought a nice 2011 F350 6.7L. As a purely personal observation way too crowded under that hood to do anything even slightly major on it. And his was in a ford dealers over a month with the cab off for valve guide TSB repairs on a cyl head.

The Cummins has been refined and refined. I'm keeping my '05 Dodge Cummins.

And if we follow the logic that several have expressed about sales numbers proving superiority why do we have Airstreams? Obviously we should be towing a Montana 5'er with several slides.

To the OP best wishes sorting out what works for you.

[RamblinManGa]

Hi from AZ. . . interesting thread indeed ! Looks like we're getting more & more choices out there (Colorado w/diesel, Nissan with Cummins diesel). I too have had excellent service out of my Ecoboost pulling my FC28. I was interested in the Ram 1500 diesel early on, but wanted to see how it actually performed. I've never had a diesel, so it would be a totally new experience to me. Seems like they are fairly expensive to maintain/service, but that's just heresay on my part. . . And as long as this Ford continues to perform, I'm happy.. . .travel safe out there, Craig

[crispyboy]

Consumer reports is a great place to get information on toasters, vacuum's and foreign cars..............

[tjdonahoe]

Small trailer the 1500 ram with the Italian diesel might be a good choice, good mileage...

[BAB]

Except for a bunch of recalls, my "153% less reliable" '14 Ram 2500 (35,100 on the ODO), has only been in the shop for filter and oil changes. Somebody else must be having all the trouble I'm not having....I'm right at 14 MPG overall....and that includes plenty of mountains. Just put on brand new 20" Michelin Defender tires....and WOW! are they awesome....much better ride than the stock Firestone's.

[Wingeezer]

I'm sure you will be completely happy with either!

Ours is the Duramax, our first diesel. We have had it for 7 years and only one issue - which was probably my fault.

A fuel filter plugged when on the road and we had to "limp" to a dealer to have it changed.

I'm almost sure that got a load of bad fuel at some out of the way gas station earlier the same day.

Diesels (all) are sensitive to good fuel. Diesel fuel can grow algae, and it is best to always fill up at stations that have high turnover.

That day, I did not - but had no choice in the mountains of Pennsylvania!

My screw up!

Never happened again since!


Brian.

[Larry C]

Originally Posted by Secguru

I did a lot of research on this before buying my truck in 2010. I was deeply enamored of the Chevy Duramax. I was ready to buy a NEW 2010 Dodge or Chevy. I ended up buying a 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 Laramie with a hard tonneau cover. The only modification I have made was to add a set of dash gauges (pyrometer, trans temp and boost), and to dump the custom wheels and go back to original wheels with Michelin low rolling resistance highway tires.

I bought a 2006 because it was the last full model year for the 5.9L Cummins diesel engine. I searched the US for a truck that had been broken in with highway miles. My lucky find ("The Tomato") was a bright red model with 75K miles. I tow a restored 1983 Avion 34V. My typical towing MPG is between 23 to 26 mpg, mostly around 24 to 25. My unloaded MPG is between 31 to a high of 37.6 mpg. That VASTLY exceeds my wildest expectations of 24 mpg unloaded and 18 towing. I tow at 60 to 65 mph, and use the pyrometer to drive for maximum mpg.

As you can imagine, I LOVE this truck. I would have rather had a new one, but that giant sucking sound you hear from new Dodge 6.7L engines is fuel being used at an alarming rate! Either way, the Cummins 350K mile life expectancy vs 250K for the Chevy is always good. And you can't beat any Inline 6 for fuel economy. My only wish is that it had an Alison 1000 transmission, like I used to have on my old Freightliner FL60 (used to tow a 18K lb high-line 5th wheel).

I couldn't be happier than with Stella (the Avion) and the Tomato.

Livin' in Aluminum!!!

I can't blame you, I'd also love that truck! I think one of the first things I'd do is to put fresh batteries in my calculator, and make sure the decimal points are in the right place.

My 2003 5.9 Dodge/Cummins has 112,000 miles, with over 105,000 of those miles pulling either a 30' AS, or our current 34' AS. Actually towing, I get 13 mpg, thats an average, it could be a bit more or less, depending on wind and terrain. When I calculate over all mileage for each trip, including towing and local driving without the AS, it invariably ends up at 14 to 15 mpg. This is with a 3:73, and the 6 speed manual tranny.

Out of curiousity, I wonder what your rear axle ratio, and what transmission is in yours?

Larry C

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by tjdonahoe

Small trailer the 1500 ram with the Italian diesel might be a good choice, good mileage...

I just saw a new copy of Trailer Life, which has an overview of the 2016 TV Sweet 16s: 2016 pick up round up

Not a lot of details obviously in Trailer Life, but interesting overview including the new Nissan Cummins turbo-diesel. Enjoy.

[Xicaque]

Originally Posted by BAB

Except for a bunch of recalls, my "153% less reliable" '14 Ram 2500 (35,100 on the ODO), has only been in the shop for filter and oil changes. Somebody else must be having all the trouble I'm not having....I'm right at 14 MPG overall....and that includes plenty of mountains. Just put on brand new 20" Michelin Defender tires....and WOW! are they awesome....much better ride than the stock Firestone's.

How "difficult" is the maintenance on a diesel? I do all my maintenance in my current truck, suv, and motorcycles.

[tjdonahoe]

Change oil ,filter, and fuel filter same as anything else...

[Rossco57]

Ditto oil change, fuel filter chg. Keep it all Mopar. And ditto fuel stops anywhere big trucks fill up. They don't like old fuel.

[GCinSC2]

Originally Posted by Xicaque

How "difficult" is the maintenance on a diesel? I do all my maintenance in my current truck, suv, and motorcycles.

I setup a technique to do oil changes on my Cummins, 3 gallons. So far not a drop of oil on my driveway. The only other suggestion, keep it stock, save the money for camping.

[TheDuke]

Here is the latest sales ticker for the big three in truck sales for the month of October. GMC up 18%. Chevy up 17.6%. Ford up 14.3%. Ram up 3%. Just thought some might like to know. A good month for GM and Ford, not so much for Ram.