2014 RAM 1500 EcoDIESEL has arrived!

[Lance M]

Just a couple of pictures.
Arrowhead State Park in Oklahoma.

Near a lake somewhere in the Ozarks of Arkansas.


Getting 15 MPG towing is pretty easy. I've towed 5,000 miles with it in the last year. 26,000 miles on the odometer so far.
It is an amazing truck. I love it.

[slowmover]

So, Top, given the geographical range in which you've been towing, you find 15-mpg to be a "safe" number to estimate fuel burn? For purposes of trip planning, would 14-mpg be the better (conservative) number?

Or is 15-mpg really that easy to achieve, and a solid number for the fuel budget?

.

[Lance M]

Well, you can look at my Fuelly numbers and see that 15 towing is pretty average. 65MPH on the Interstate will get 16 unless it is very windy.

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by Top

Well, you can look at my Fuelly numbers and see that 15 towing is pretty average. 65MPH on the Interstate will get 16 unless it is very windy.

So it's strong number. That's what I was wondering.

[dkottum]

We're on the road, first tow of 250 miles with our new Ecodiesel. AZ to NM, mix of interstate and two-lane with many grades 5-6% near 7k ft altitude. What a great towing setup, very capable engine and a transmission that finds the right gear for holding speed up and down. Set the cruise control and enjoy the ride. ProPride hitch distributes the weight with ease and keeps everything rock solid on the highway.

Truck showed 16.7 mpg for the entire trip, with a tail wind on the interstate at 65 mph and through the mountains at 60 mph except slowing for curves. We set the Airstream tires at 65 psi and truck tires at 44 psi because we are a little heavier in the bed than normal after six months (shopping) on the road. Smooth ride, effortless driving, love it.

[Lance M]

Thanks for sharing Doug. So, would you say it tows in a much more relaxed manner than the Hemi?
I agree that effortless is a good word to describe the Ecodiesel towing experience.

[crispyboy]

Doug,
You may want to start a thread about your towing and overall experiences with the spaghetti diesel. Top has a long thread and it may be tough for others to find out what you think about the new truck. I'm certainly curious.

[Lance M]

Yeah with some pictures, Doug!

[dkottum]

We traded our 2012 Ram Hemi 6-spd 3.55 axles for 2016 Ram Ecodiesel 8-spd 3.92 axles. There is quite a difference in these engine/transmssion combos in operation. The torque is similar in each, but the diesel reaches full torque at much lower rpm than the gas Hemi. The two extra gears in the EcoD transmission means closer ratios, I think. And the lower axle ratio effectively increases power to the wheels at the same engine rpm.

The result of these mechanical differences in operation is much less downshifting, and when it does downshift, it is smoother and much less increase in rpm. The power band is there without revving the engine. I would manually select a lower transmission gear for the Hemi to prevent frequent downshifts, with the EcoD (and lower axle ratios) that is not needed.

On downhill grades the Ecodiesel is better at holding speed. You can use cruise control or touch the brake at the speed you would like to maintain, and it does an excellent job of keeping it there. On the grades we traveled in 250 miles (5-6% but not long) I never added truck/trailer braking to hold speed. Again this is at least somewhat due to the excellent 8-spd transmission and 3.92 axles.

The other great difference is fuel economy, the Ecodiesel is not nearly as thirsty even when towing through mountains. And I always considered the Hemi easy on fuel compared to our previous Tundra. It's too early to give meaningful numbers but yesterday's towing showed 16.7 mpg overall. Without the trailer on the highway it's close to 30 mpg.

I suspect a Hemi with the newer 8-spd and 3.92 axles would also make a great engine for a mid-size Airstream. The Ecodiesel is just a better performer in every category, it's relaxed delivery of power for every occasion makes for an even more relaxed, pleasant towing experience.

[dkottum]

Steve, this is a pretty good thread for Ram Ecodiesels since Lance (Top) started it with his new one. We've got some long term usage reports as well as newbie reports, like ours.

Yeah Lance, photos. We're in New Mexico at Cheryl's mom's place right now surrounded by mountains, quite beautiful and remote. We helping her with gardens, house, tree trimming. We're parked across the road in an open area, I'll see what we can do.

[KJRitchie]

Are you finding diesel #2 out there or having to use biodiesel blends. Yours is supposed to be good to up to B20.

Kelvin

[dkottum]

Kelvin, we have only refueled a couple of times, this EcoD has remarkable range on 26 gallons. We have had small diesels (TDI) for about 15 years, completely plugged the intake/turbo/intercooler up early on with one tank of very high percentage bio. I try to avoid it like the plague. We're on the road, perhaps if the pump doesn't state bio content it is all dino diesel, I don't know but that's where we're at right now.

[dkottum]

Originally Posted by Top

Yeah with some pictures, Doug!

I walked over from her Mom's and took a quick photo. Color is new I think, Pearl White, Cheryl chose it and I like it. Milenco mirrors work very well, I'm looking for aftermarket power folding towing mirrors. Ram factory option power mirrors are manual fold, so we got the standard mirror with power fold.

We put a Trifecta tonneau (soft vinyl tri-fold) on this time, very simple on/off and looks great. Factory tires are GY Wrangler, they're okay and lasted 40K on our last Ram before we replaced them with Michelin. I believe the Michelin are quieter and smoother riding.

We are really impressed with the comfort, towing ease, and economy of this Ecodiesel/ProPride/Airstream combination.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, Doug; Nice looking truck. I like your wheels and really like the Ram dual exhaust through/under the rear bumper. Nice touch.

[dkottum]

Thanks Bob, appreciate the comments. The trucks are a huge market for all the automakers, so we are all benefitting from the improvements in a highly competitive segment. The price incentives are great and they hold good value; you can't go wrong on any of the newer trucks. Any brand, any size, people love them.

[Moflash]

Doug let us know how the longer wheelbase crew cab that you have chosen handles compared to your old short box regular cab Ram.


Sent from my iPhone using Airstream Forums

[dkottum]

Moflash, no difference in towing stability, both equally rock solid any roadway, any traffic, any weather. This is because the ProPride/Hensley hitch design does not allow any trailer yaw to be leveraged to the steering axle. Without this hitch design, the longer wheelbase provides a little more stability in theory, but not much in reality. We have had both with a conventional hitch.

There is no doubt the 140" wheelbase Ram is less maneuverable than the 120" wheelbase Ram with or without the Airstream, however. A price to pay for two more passengers or interior cargo space. The Ecodiesel engine is not available in the reg cab 120" wheelbase truck.

[Lance M]

Originally Posted by KJRitchie

Are you finding diesel #2 out there or having to use biodiesel blends. Yours is supposed to be good to up to B20.

Kelvin

Originally Posted by dkottum

Kelvin, we have only refueled a couple of times, this EcoD has remarkable range on 26 gallons. We have had small diesels (TDI) for about 15 years, completely plugged the intake/turbo/intercooler up early on with one tank of very high percentage bio. I try to avoid it like the plague. We're on the road, perhaps if the pump doesn't state bio content it is all dino diesel, I don't know but that's where we're at right now.

There are thousands of posts on biodiesel on all the diesel truck forums. Some good information and a whole lot of old wives tales.

I prefer B5 or above. The reason is that the higher the biodiesel concentration (FAME=Fatty Acid Methyl Esters), the lower the HFFR wear scar, or the fuel's lubricity. In modern HPCR diesel engines using ULSD, the lower the HFFR the better. Most states require some biodiesel/biomass based blend. The Federal law does not require retailers to label biodiesel blends lower than 5%.

Fuel Quality Winter 2014

If you look at the report I posted, there is a direct correlation with higher FAME (fatty acid methyl ester) % and a low HFFR score. FAME=biodiesel blend

Take a look at the scores on page 139-143 (USA Midwest) of the survey. Those samples with 9-11% FAME had HFFR scores +/-180 and the samples with 0% FAME had HFFR scores of 450 up to 560.

That is why I feed my truck B5-20 when I can. I'll report back here in 10 years or 200,000 miles to let y'all know how it goes.

[crispyboy]

Doug and Top,
A forum that I visit for my Dodge diesel truck is the Turbo Diesel Register. A while back they have started a new section in their forum and magazine for the Ecodiesel engines. May be a good place to go for future reference.

[Lance M]

Originally Posted by crispyboy

Doug and Top,
A forum that I visit for my Dodge diesel truck is the Turbo Diesel Register. A while back they have started a new section in their forum and magazine for the Ecodiesel engines. May be a good place to go for future reference.

Thanks Crispy. I've been on the TDR for quite a while. Very limited numbers of EcoDiesel owners there. It is overwhelmingly populated with the Cummins crowd. After a few days of reading about how most Cummins owners think of the little 3l, it was enough. There is enough "You have to have a 3/4Ton!" right here on Airforums Great place for the Cummins crowd though.
A much more active forum for Ecodiesel owners if www.ram1500diesel.com
It is a truck forum, so there is always that inherent tone.