Anyone come from a 2014-2018 Silverado/Sierra

[Bpebler]

I’ve had many GM vehicles, 2 of which were Silverado’s - a 91 single cab short bed RWD & 13 crew cab with 5.3 4x4. I much prefer the Ram overall although my experience is limited to the last 3 years owning 2 different ones (details in signature). Ram also had the best pricing & availability both in early 2020 & earlier this year. Personally I wasn’t interested in GM until the overhauled the interior & improved suspension which they finally did this year. Ford dealers p*ssed me & other users off on here due to their price hikes, lack of availability, & long lead times. Many of us could finally afford a Raptor for the first time in our lives but the dealer markups made quick work of us to head back to Ram. Personally I still can’t get used to the new Silverado body style - very ugly to me. Sierra Denali looks pretty nice but obviously a subjective topic. Ram dealer discounted me around $7500 off new build plus any incentives available at the time & gave me best trade in value. Other dealers both near me & ones that I called in various states didn’t come close so until that changes I’ll be staying with Ram. My plan is to literally replace the engine/trans when needed & keep going.

Etorque if you tow often/heavy enough might be good, if you don’t I wouldn’t consider it or I’d go HD.

The Ram 6.4 doesn’t have that much more hp/tq than the 5.7. There’s threads on here that explain the differences in detail but really not worth it. 5.7 is a good platform to build on. I used to think I wanted the same thing but I’ll probably just supercharge or rear mount turbo when warranty gives.

6.2 GM vs 5.7 Ram - I can’t agree with “blow the doors off”. Stock recorded 0-60 times are not that far apart from each other. Ford Powerboost engine has the best times at around 5.5 seconds. Probably the closest to be able to describe as “blow the doors off”.

There’s a lot of factors to consider - test drive them both & contact various dealers to make the best decision. I went about 6 months of asking around before settling.

 

[SkittleRam]

Traded in my 2018 Sierra with the 6.2 for a 22 Laramie GT. I actually loved the GMC except for the transmission, which was the reason I traded it. The Ram's interior and 8 speed blows away the GM, but I think the Sierra looked better, better quality paint, and towed much better. The 6.2 is definitely the more powerful engine and would blow the doors off my ram, even with 3.92 gears. The 6.2 actually got much better mpgs than my ram. I have no regrets though, love my ram! Wish they would give us the 6.4 as an option. I will test drive the new 500 hp 6 cylinder when it comes out!

I feel ya on the transmission, had it been better I might have kept the truck but I just could not stand how it shifted. The Ram 8spd is way way better and consistent.

 

[850rider]

My truck before my 2020 Ram was a 2016 GMC Sierra SLT with 5.3 and 8spd.

Overall the truck was very nice, here are the pros n cons:

Pros
1. Build quality was very good, especially for an American manufacturer, Panel gaps were so straight and consistent, really was satisfying for my OCD
2. Paint job was so smooth and consistent, unlike my previous 2014 Ram
3. Ride was very smooth for a basic setup, the 2019+ GM's got much harsher
4. 5.3 MPG was amazing for a V8

Cons
1. By far the biggest annoyance, the 8spd trans was horrible and I mean the worst transmission ever conceived by a manufacturer. It jerked, slammed gear changes, refused downshifts, sever delayed engagement, and shuddered when cruising at slow speeds. The transmission only worked decently under two conditions: the slightest throttle input or WOT, otherwise, it was completely confused about what it should be doing.
2. While the interior was built very nicely, the material choices where somewhat cheap
3. No rear seat A/C vents, like really this was very substandard as both Ram and Ford had rear A/C vents.
4. The exterior styling/looks, I really feel the 2016-2018 GMC Sierra was one of the best-looking trucks and for the most part it still is the best overall styling, classic and modern at the same time. that is just my opinion, so for whatever that is worth.

Hope that helps.

My 2020 Ram has been pretty good with only a few little issues, but the cabin space is so much better than Ford or GM. Where it could use some improvement is the overall build quality and assembly. I had to adjust my doors and hood.....

Why is number 4 a con haha ?

 

[Stinger19]

My truck before my 2020 Ram was a 2016 GMC Sierra SLT with 5.3 and 8spd.

Overall the truck was very nice, here are the pros n cons:

Pros
1. Build quality was very good, especially for an American manufacturer, Panel gaps were so straight and consistent, really was satisfying for my OCD
2. Paint job was so smooth and consistent, unlike my previous 2014 Ram
3. Ride was very smooth for a basic setup, the 2019+ GM's got much harsher
4. 5.3 MPG was amazing for a V8

Cons
1. By far the biggest annoyance, the 8spd trans was horrible and I mean the worst transmission ever conceived by a manufacturer. It jerked, slammed gear changes, refused downshifts, sever delayed engagement, and shuddered when cruising at slow speeds. The transmission only worked decently under two conditions: the slightest throttle input or WOT, otherwise, it was completely confused about what it should be doing.
2. While the interior was built very nicely, the material choices where somewhat cheap
3. No rear seat A/C vents, like really this was very substandard as both Ram and Ford had rear A/C vents.
4. The exterior styling/looks, I really feel the 2016-2018 GMC Sierra was one of the best-looking trucks and for the most part it still is the best overall styling, classic and modern at the same time. that is just my opinion, so for whatever that is worth.

Hope that helps.

My 2020 Ram has been pretty good with only a few little issues, but the cabin space is so much better than Ford or GM. Where it could use some improvement is the overall build quality and assembly. I had to adjust my doors and hood.....

Agreed, the GM 8-speed is horrible. When I drove my Ram for the first time with the 8-speed, all I kept thinking was how did GM screw it up so bad?! I’m not sure if the newer GM models are any better.

 

[SkittleRam]

Why is number 4 a con haha ?

You know, i need to fix that....my hands type faster than my brain

 

[Idahoktm]

You know, i need to fix that....my hands type faster than my brain

It was a Freudian Slip with your subconscious knowing that the square fendered GMC is ugly compared to a Ram.

 

[SkittleRam]

Agreed, the GM 8-speed is horrible. When I drove my Ram for the first time with the 8-speed, all I kept thinking was how did GM screw it up so bad?! I’m not sure if the newer GM models are any better.

The crazy part is, that 8sp is used in the C7 Corvette and its shifts fantastic in that application, so it would seem it's all in the programming.

 

[SkittleRam]

It was a Freudian Slip with your subconscious knowing that the square fendered GMC is ugly compared to a Ram.

 

[850rider]

It was a Freudian Slip with your subconscious knowing that the square fendered GMC is ugly compared to a Ram.

I am a fan of the looks of the 5th gen rams, I’ve actually liked the way all the Rams have looked over the years honestly. But IMO my truck is probably the best looking truck GM has made in a long time

 

[Idahoktm]

I am a fan of the looks of the 5th gen rams, I’ve actually liked the way all the Rams have looked over the years honestly. But IMO my truck is probably the best looking truck GM has made in a long time

I agree, they are good looking trucks, but I absolutely hate the square fender wells.

 

[Hydroblueguy]

Hey everyone always been more of a Chevy / GMC truck guy but I’ve liked these new rams since they came out. My 2016 Sierra all terrain is starting to get up there in miles and I’ve been considering a new ram. Wondering if anyone has direct experience here

That would be me. I had a 2015 crew cab Silverado! Had a 19 and now a 21 ram! Send me a message and we can talk

 

[2021QCBH]

I came indirectly from a 2016 LT 5.3 4x4. Was the beautiful brown color and had every option I wanted. Diehard Chrysler family but my 2010 Ram was such a dumpster fire I switched to these for their high initial reliability rating. First 10k miles were pretty good. Quiet nice power and ok ride. After that literally every issue those trucks are known for started to show.

-steering column boot failure.
-unfixable shakes on the highway
-confused transmission
-battery died less than 2 years old
-would almost die after stopping on the highway sometimes
-front suspension was super harsh and had a tendency to bounce a lot over bumps when loaded with a trailer
-shaky idle fixed by motor mount replacement and came back shortly after
-front brakes were almost gone at 50k miles.
-interior was extremely squeaky and rattly(typical of GM and could have been lived with if the truck was otherwise trouble free)
-4x4 module screeched when shifting or continually when in 4x4 auto.
-probably forgetting other issues.

Luckily, my 2021 bighorn has been an absolute dream.

 

[850rider]

It was a Freudian Slip with your subconscious knowing that the square fendered GMC is ugly compared to a Ram.

I agree, they are good looking trucks, but I absolutely hate the square fender wells.

It is odd when you think about it. But I think it works with the rest of the body lines. I think the truck wouldn’t look right if they were round

 

[850rider]

I agree, they are good looking trucks, but I absolutely hate the square fender wells.

I see your truck is the night edition. If I do wind up getting one I definitely want either a night edition or a truck with body color bumpers. I’m not a fan of Chrome bumpers. I think super duty’s look alright with them. And they look good on a lot of old trucks. But the paint match looks so much nicer on the rams and gmcs

 

[Idahoktm]

It is odd when you think about it. But I think it works with the rest of the body lines. I think the truck wouldn’t look right if they were round

I always thought the GM engineers were absent on the day they were teaching square peg, round hole exercises in preschool.

It's possible that round fender wells wouldn't work with the GMC, but I can't help but think that the GMC front end would look awesome on the new Silverado.

 

[magnetized]

The crazy part is, that 8sp is used in the C7 Corvette and its shifts fantastic in that application, so it would seem it's all in the programming.

The 8 speed in the vette is also causing a lot of headaches.

A8 Transmission failure tracking - CorvetteForum - Chevrolet Corvette Forum Discussion

C7 General Discussion - A8 Transmission failure tracking - There have been a lot of threads around the A8 failures. There was also a Poll. Thought it might be good to create a Google Sheet (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1oT4yjBQDFXnQetoySb2wHY25E4U-wg-8Ku-ntLi6JX8/edit?usp=sharing) to...

www.corvetteforum.com

 

[jmt8706]

That would help cruising on the highway but what about off throttle / low throttle cruising around town at lower speeds ?

Still runs through all the gears, just locks out MDS.

 

[PaGregSS]

My 2019 Ram is my first ever Ram. Before that, been through 4 generations of GM half tons. I was apprehensive at first, but by the time I made the drive home from the dealer with the Ram, I knew I made a good decision. The interior is what got me. I was not expecting how awesome the ride is compared to the GMs. While my 2014 Silverado with the 5.3L was more than capable of towing my bass boat, the Ram is just a way better towing machine with the Hemi and 3.92s and 8 speed.

Unlike the GMs, I didn't have to replace brakes after 20K miles. I'm approaching 60K on the Ram and brakes are still looking decent. Every GM truck I had warped the OE rotors in the first 20K. Only thing I'm not happy about with the Ram is the stupid cracking exhaust manifolds. I've had both replaced under warranty. This issue alone makes me leery of keeping this truck past 60K.

 

[CalvinC]

Every vehicle/ truck has some Achilles heel.

I would 100% prefer the Rams exhaust manifold issue (or any external part failure) over GM lifter failures that or Fords timing / phaser failures. Early ford EcoBoosts like my 2015 also had manifold failures, but replacing was 10x harder and 4x more expensive with turbos, coolant and oil lines involved. And it wasn’t permanent either.