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First diesel
- Thread starter Ejraste
- Start date
Cal3600
Member
It really depends on your planned usage and what you mean by "worth it." If you tow a lot and/or drive on the highway a lot - yes in my opinion. That's not to say you'll recoup the cost of the diesel but you'll experience better performance and fewer fill-ups. You'd have to put on some serious mileage to actually recoup the cost. This is my first diesel and I absolutely love it so far.
If you’re going to be on the highway a lot with it that would be the best way to go, those engines do not enjoy city miles. Modern diesels are horrible in the city. They will plug up with carbon and have all kinds of Emissions related issues. Test drive it and then test a hemi. Also bare in mind the expensive cost of oil changes and fuel filter services versus a relatively inexpensive hemi oil change.
bill-e
Ram Guru
If you're penny pinching don't get the diesel. Routine maintenance is more expensive even if you do it yourself. After having a Gen 2 and now a Gen 3, I like the Gen 3 better and think that the new EGR scheme in the Gen3 is going to pay off because of less soot through the engine.
If you're like most people that tow and only tow for a few hours a half dozen times a year you won't be taking full advantage of the diesel so IMO towing should not be a big consideration but if you're going to tow it's best to get the 3.92 gearing.
You hear a lot about city vs hwy driving with the EcoD and if you only drive in Boston then that's a worry but if you're like many of us who live in suburbia and rural America where everything is a drive and the engine will handle that just fine. The comparison is really city vs hwy vs non-hwy.
If you're like most people that tow and only tow for a few hours a half dozen times a year you won't be taking full advantage of the diesel so IMO towing should not be a big consideration but if you're going to tow it's best to get the 3.92 gearing.
You hear a lot about city vs hwy driving with the EcoD and if you only drive in Boston then that's a worry but if you're like many of us who live in suburbia and rural America where everything is a drive and the engine will handle that just fine. The comparison is really city vs hwy vs non-hwy.
WXman
Ram Guru
Gen 2 diesel is a big no for me. I'd go Hemi without thinking about it.
Gen 3 diesel intrigued me enough to make me try it, but depending on how things go this might be my last diesel. The $$$$ required is too rich for my blood.
Gen 3 diesel intrigued me enough to make me try it, but depending on how things go this might be my last diesel. The $$$$ required is too rich for my blood.
WXman
Ram Guru
I did, but there's very little real world difference. The $5k initial cost still bit me, the service intervals that cost 4-5X the money still bite me, and the fear of a CP4 injection pump failure still haunts me. And I still get the occasional message on the dash that my truck won't restart until I fill the DEF tank again. I still make all the same sacrifices to have this diesel in my driveway.
That Ford 7.3L gas engine is looking nicer all the time. Big power, respectable mileage, no DPF, no direct injection, no overhead cams. Just a stone age simple engine that'll go forever on very little money.
I'm curious if ram will step up their game with the gassers in the refresh of the HD trucks. The 6.4 engine is good, but it's falling behind.
IvoryHemi
Ram Guru
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Sure the 6.4 is falling a little short on power numbers compared to the new big gassers from GM (6.6) and Ford (7.3) but Keep in mind they took them over 20 years to replace their existing engines (Ford 6.8 and GM 6.0)
WXman
Ram Guru
Me too. Watching the TFL towing videos with the 6.4 Hemi makes me cringe. It can't even maintain speed. I think in both tests they fell to around 30 MPH in 2nd gear before the top of the hill. The Ford 7.3 walked up the hill like there wasn't a trailer. Ram desperately needs a new gas engine. Lots of guys are going back to gas even for fleets or personal use due to the cost of trucks in general and the cost of the diesel option these days.
I think that ford also had a 4.30 rear end or something crazy. But yeah, ram needs to step it up. The Cummins is awesome but they still need a HD gasser engine to stay in the game. The Ford/GM 10 speed is also a huge advantage.
Royalist_Ram
Ram Guru
We got a 2020 6.4L, pulls a 10k lb Horse Trailer no problem; granted we don't tow all that much, but we need the capability of a Gas to pull about 12k lbs here and there but don't need the maintenance and fuel cost of a diesel in a HD platform. Not to mention, the Over $9k option for that diesel was not worth it for our farm. On top of that, the 6.4L engine platform isn't that old and the HD setup wasn't used until 2014. That being said, I went with a EcoDiesel on my personal vehicle order because I'd love to test it out, plus being a lease I get instant fuel benefits. As a side note too, if you get a '21 Limited, the option is only $3,200, not $4,995 like the other trims or for the '20's. Follow your channel btw, love it; great work. Love seeing all the Ram haters on there who want you with that gladiator back.
Royalist_Ram
Ram Guru
Yeah you can option a 4.10 on the 6.4L HD's; pretty close to that.
RSZ
Active Member
A new, modern 440 (7.2L) would be fun.
StuartV
Ram Guru
Is the 7.3 available in a half-ton?
IvoryHemi
Ram Guru
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No, 3/4 ton is the smallest
StuartV
Ram Guru
That's what I thought. So, that post I quoted was not really comparing apples to apples.
I would love to see an option for a 6.4L Hemi (non-supercharged) in the 1500....
