eco diesel

[Glenwood]

Here's my old girl...dejavu

 

[kb67mopar]

Here is my take on this...

I have owned a 2004 Ram Hemi for 4 years and put on nearly 70k on it (146k now). I love the truck but these older Rams did not get great fuel economy. If I was in need of a 1500 series pick up today and was to buy new I'd probably buy a Ram 1500 Hemi with the air suspension. If I was going to be towing a lot or put on 300k miles I would buy a 2500 series with the Cummins 6.7.

IF FCA would have stayed the course and put the 5.0 Cummins in the Ram 1500 that would be my choice. I have driven trucks with that engine in it and it is a phenominal power plant if paired to an appropriate transmission. (sad to say I don't think the Nissan's is it). I can't speak to where I did this but I test drove one paired to a ZF8 speed auto and it would have been my choice in truck.

As for modern diesels I think they are getting back to where they were for power and reliability. Yes the aftertreatment (exhaust with DEF) is going to require maintenance but it's here to stay. Europe is in the middle of re-doing their emission standards again and will actually be more stringent then our US EPA standards starting in around 2018/2019. I would expect that sometime following that the EPA will probably make another emission step (at least off highway). In the on highway segment the next step is actually 2017. These engines by the nature of the regulation will provide better fuel economy.

In all of this I would say only buy a diesel if you plan to use it. If you plan to spend 90% of the time running it down the freeway you WILL have problems with the diesel particulate filter. The way these work, you must get them hot to naturally burn out the soot. If you run low load (not towing) you will need to artificially regenerate the face of the catalyst and this is done by dumping raw fuel into the exhaust during the exhaust stroke. So, moral of the story , is if you need a 1500 series, buy a Hemi or Eco-ford (but they will wear out faster being turbocharged, more boost = more wear)

--Edit--
I forgot for you 5.9 Cummins guys, the 6.7 is the same B series engine with a larger stroke. The new fuel systems are meant to handle the low sulfur fuel so the fuel pump is more tolerant of the reduced viscosity/lubricity. I would expect similar or better longevity.

 

[monaco66coupe]

I would like to make another point regarding having a Cummins or not is greatly Influenced by how you need to use it. The Cummins was designed to work, and it likes it. Every so often you need to put a lot of weight on the truck, and hammer it. However, if that event is rare or in between, then the Hemi is a more logical choice.

 

[Glenwood]

I think you all are right, the 6.7 cummins will be under utilized in my case and not a wise choice.

 

[Budnicks]

maybe I should look for an older 5.9 cummins in good shape for the occasional tow and just buy a new shaker Challenger SRT. Probably crappy in the snow though!

Great Idea, kill two birds with 2 bullets...LOL

 

[monaco66coupe]

The biggest advantage the Cummins has to me is the exhaust brake. After driving down Raton Pass once (New mexico/ Colorado border, 11,000 elevation) With a gas truck and 10,000+ on the rear, I will never tow with anything that doesn't have the Exhaust Brake feature. I was happy to be alive at the end of that day! Another fun feature of the New Cummins is how it waxed several New Ford Diesels in the Mountains trying to keep up with me!

 

[kb67mopar]

"monaco66coupe, post: 910426062, member: 15270"]The biggest advantage the Cummins has to me is the exhaust brake. After driving down Raton Pass once (New mexico/ Colorado border, 11,000 elevation) With a gas truck and 10,000+ on the rear, I will never tow with anything that doesn't have the Exhaust Brake feature. I was happy to be alive at the end of that day! Another fun feature of the New Cummins is how it waxed several New Ford Diesels in the Mountains trying to keep up with me!

There is a reason ford put Cummins 6.7's in their f450+ size trucks until recently. ...

 

[monaco66coupe]

I picked up a 79' Chrysler 300 886 miles due west of me in southern Colorado, driving thru Rawlins Wyoming. The grade is deceiving, and easily hits 9500 ft. Coming back east a guy in a super hopped up mercedes SUV that thought he was somebody started to pass me because I was only going 75 pulling the Cordoba. He flipped me off, and started to pass around me. I couldn't have cared less, but his car started to slow down as he tried to pass me, the trailer, and the cordoba. I got tired of him next to me in the passing lane, so I stepped on it, and pulled ahead, as I did I pulled in front of him to pass another car, and kept moving. On the other side of the climb, he followed me to the Gas Station I stopped at, and said: what the Hell is in that truck that can pull that old 70's car and Trailer, and blow off my Mercedes? I said it was just an old dodge with a Cummins! (Last September 2015) By the way, that The ram was having no problem pulling at 90MPH, but I thought it was a good idea to slow down. The Truck wasn't happy that I chose that option. It is a great Truck!

 

[69clone]

I picked up a 79' Chrysler 300 886 miles due west of me in southern Colorado, driving thru Rawlins Wyoming. The grade is deceiving, and easily hits 9500 ft. Coming back east a guy in a super hopped up mercedes SUV that thought he was somebody started to pass me because I was only going 75 pulling the Cordoba. He flipped me off, and started to pass around me. I couldn't have cared less, but his car started to slow down as he tried to pass me, the trailer, and the cordoba. I got tired of him next to me in the passing lane, so I stepped on it, and pulled ahead, as I did I pulled in front of him to pass another car, and kept moving. On the other side of the climb, he followed me to the Gas Station I stopped at, and said: what the Hell is in that truck that can pull that old 70's car and Trailer, and blow off my Mercedes? I said it was just an old dodge with a Cummins! (Last September 2015) By the way, that The ram was having no problem pulling at 90MPH, but I thought it was a good idea to slow down. The Truck wasn't happy that I chose that option. It is a great Truck!

Haha that's what I love about my cummins. It doesn't care if I'm beating on it at red lights or hauling 15-20 thousand pounds. It'll pull like there's nothing behind me. It's a lot of fun beating mustangs and rice rockets too lol

 

[kb67mopar]

I've seen some experimental stuff I can't talk about...but I will say I've seen a 6.7 haul 80,000 lbs around. It wasn't a speed demon but it would still pull 50 mph on something with the worst aerodynamics ever.

There is a key distinction between the other auto makers and Cummins...and that is they make industrial engines. The 6.7 wasn't made for automotive duty cycles...it was adapted to them. It was made to run industrial equipment at or near rated horsepower for 8+ hours a day, 52 weeks a year for many many years. So hauling a loaded trailer at 60-70% load for 15 hours is just another day at the office.

Another key note, compared to industrial applications, automotive duty cycles are quite low. So these things last a long time.

Now, if only I could afford to own one!

 

[Glenwood]

Well I caved to fuel economy and went with the eco diesel after all. I've driven it for a couple of days and love it! It's a crew cab w/3.92 and should be adequate for my occasional towing needs. It's getting better mileage than the '12 AWD 3.6 Journey I traded in! Looks exactly like this one. (been too busy to take a pic yet)

thanks for all the tips and advice. I hope this doesn't turn into a horror story! I've had my share of them already...

 

[69clone]

Looks nice and you still get that beautiful diesel smell when the windows down.