So there was five(?) different motors available throughout the 2nd gen line up:
3.9l v6
5.2l v8 (318)
not sure if the 4.7l v8 was offered like it was in the 2nd gen dakota/1st gen durango
5.9l v8 (360)
8.0l v10 (488 monster)
5.9l I6 cummins aka the king (keep the 3rd+ gens with the common rail injected cummins out of this please)

So which is your favorite? I am partial to the 360. I love the power and most importantly torque. Even with 3.55s I pulled a 1998 ram 2500 on a trailer an didn't feel as if I didn't have the power. Having said that though my brother and I recently bought said ram 2500 and it has the v10. That thing is a beast of a motor. Other than needing its own oil well for fuel I can't find a downside. It has so much torque and hp. I can go up some fairly steep hills in O/D with out it down shifting and it has 3.55s. I have driven and ridden in many cummins both 12v and 24v but I would take the v10 over a cummins in a 2nd gen anyday. It is one of the smoothest truck motors I have ever driven. I say 360 as my favorite though because it fits my needs very well, simple to work on, is better supported by the aftermarket than the v10, and reliable. Shameless plug here, the v10 is for sale. Don't need it and we both have our own DD trucks.

 

I would have to say the V-10. If the 360 had a better intake, then maybe......

 

I'm a fan of the 360 for daily driver use, and the oil burner for heavy hauling. The V-6 was a big mistake, and as you said the V-10 never got the aftermarket support that could have made it truly great. The 5.2l is a nice engine for a lighter vehicle, but as a truck engine it's a bit of a stinker. The same effort that makes a 318 merely suck less will give a 360 legs to run on.

 

I've been more than happy with my 5.2, but would I have taken a 5.9 if you could have had it in my selected configuration, yes... back then I would have jumped at the V10 if I could have had it (option and $$).

But realistically, for how I use my truck, I don't have need for all that HP & torque... that's why I'm leaning towards a 392 stroker instead of a 408 stroker... even though it wouldn't be much of a price difference, I don't have use for the extra HP/tq.

 

Only experience with the the Dodge engines is the 360 in my Ram, so I'd have to go with that.

Ask me if I prefer my 360 or the 5.4L Triton in the wife's Expedition and you probably won't like the answer....

 

When i was looking to buy my first second gen truck it was between the 360 and the V10. After i heard about how many where complaining about the mileage on the V10 i went with the 360. The diesel truck prices back then where insane so it wasn't even an option. I had the 318 in my 1990 W150 and i wasn't going to get another truck with it.

 

Thats funny, all my ford friends can't stand the 5.4l. They would have an old 5.0 or a new 5.0 instead. One of my ford friends said he wants first dibs when/if I sell my ram. Its funny how many are saying v10 on here. Everyone around here is cummins obsessed. Sure the v10 gets worse mileage than a cummins or a 360 but it is 488ci in a 7000lb+ truck. Just from my experience working at a dealership things are slowly shifting back to the gasser side though for new truck sales. I would have to look up the actual sales for confirmation of this.

+1 the 360 needing a better intake but it did serve its purpose of low end torque. It just seems like the 360 has so much more potential chrysler ignored.

 

The 360 is an untapped gold mine as far as performance goes.






I'm pretty partial to the 360 myself. I wouldn't include the cummins in this discussion because we'll, it's a Cumming. 360 is molar through and through.


318s are great little engines that run forever. Like a 360. The ratings aren't too different but the 360 just seems to puke torque compared to a 318.

 

That's just the ongoing legacy of the LA series. Back in the day, all American V-8's were like that -- the "high output" versions were usually identical to the lower cost standards except for upgraded intake manifolds and carbs. It's only relatively recently that the factories have taken to exposing all the safe power their engines can make right from the start.

 

Funny story so me and my brother have drag raced a couple times. He has a 2003 chevy 1500 ext cab 4x4 5.3l with 3.73 and only 90k on it, while my ram is a 1998 360 ext cab 4x4 with 3.55s and 156k on it.. Well that didn't go so well for me, so he has perpetually been giving me $*** about it. But the other day he was riding with me when I passed some one on a rough county road (it kicked down to first, they were doing 30 in a 55) and I lost traction over a bump for a split second at WOT. He looked at me and asked if it had actually lost traction and I said "yes, its not that you have that much more power its cause this truck is so freaking heavy. It does lay down some power". He sat stone faced while I smirked cause I drove his truck and it doesn't produce that kind of torque. I always am reminding him torque is how much work can be done power is how fast you can do it. I didn't buy my truck to race, I did for truck things like hauling, towing, 4wheeling, and winter driving which it does very well. Which is why I love my 360, it always starts even at -40 not plugged in, and has more than enough torque for its other duties.