I'm new to this site....I guess I've been missing out, as I just found it 2 weeks ago.

I am most likely moving to the Minnesota area within the next 5 months or so, and with the discount at Dodge, it seems as good as time as any for a new truck. (Live in Ft Lauderdale now)

I currently have an '03 4x2 Hemi 1500 and I absolutely love it...however it's 4x2 and where I'm going I need 4x4.

I don't like the new '06, so it isn't an option for me...I'm sticking to the '05.

My dilemma is whether to buy the 1500 or the 2500, diesel or gas (FOR THE 2500). I definately want to lift it about 4 - 6 inches (suspension) and I like diesel power and sound. I don't know much about diesel, except it gets better mileage, but is it worth the extra $5500 upgrade over the HEMI? I know the superchips programmer (I have one) for the diesel adds about 46 HP to the regular gas of about 17 HP, so it seems more upgradable in the speed department, which of course is important.

In terms of the 1500 vs 2500, I've seem some problems on this forums in terms of lifting the 1500....I won't be doing any heavy duty towing..maybe some off roading every now and then.

Any help would be appreciated.......just looking for opinions.

Thanks!

 

Welcome to the dodge world. If your not going to be doing alot of heavy duty towing or long hauls i would go with the hemi. I dont care for the 06's either. If you already have a hemi id defently stick with keeping a hemi. In minnesota during winter its going to take that diesel a long time to warm up. Plus gas is more for it, and some gas stations dont even have diesel. I dont think you have any need to get a diesel, get another hemi and enjoy. As for the 1500/2500. I dont know much of the difference between the two. Guess it depends how tough you need it to be. Im sure the 2500 has heavy springs or something and it might be a little higher.

 

First modern diesels aren't that bad these days for cold weather starting. Will it be garage kept? If so dont even worry. If not there is always an Espar coolant heater which uses your onboard diesel fuel and a presettable timer to heat your truck. It uses somehting like a cup of diesel an hour? Or at the very least an extension cord would be needed. And these would be for sub 20 temps. Without any kind of preheating though, cabin heat can take a good while. Another thing with diesels is they like to be run. Short trips and stop and go are actually harder on them than long distance hauling but i suppose thats true with any engine. They liked to be worked we'll say! Although here's my personal experince with it, since i have one, i have found myself hauling lots of things now.
As far as performance, there are litterally ten + performance boxes for these 3rd gen diesels, adding anywhere from 30hp to 200 + hp (with appropriate upgrades). Mine is a virtually stock truck for now and i have a quadzilla race box on mine that really woke things up. Its got three incab selectable settings of 60 -100-130 hp. BTW do you want a stick or auto? If you upgrade and have the auto, then be aware that they will start to slip and fail with anything more than 400 horse and 800 lbs torque. The autos can cost up to $4k to upgrade but at that point they will handle almost any forseeable power. A stock trucks 325 hp and 610lbs torque equate to about 280 hp and 520ftlbs at the rear wheels. Remind me, whats that little hemi putting out? since you dont want the new truck ( i undestand although in certain trim levels its starting to looks ok) the new 6.1l hemi coming out isnt an option for you either. The cummins now has many typical upgrade parts for it too. Cams, injectors, supplemental fuels ( propane, nitrous, water methanol), to twin turbos etc.

As far as 1500 or 2500, each has their own set of complications when lifting. Generally it is easier and cheaper to lift a straight axel than to work with all that bracketry. Its also stronger and offers better clearance. However sometimes people can have problems with front end osccilations when factory settings are changed and when parts begin to wear (tie rod ends, ball joints, tracbar joints, wheel bearings, and even control arm bushings). Have you considered a power wagon to build from? they come with real 4 wheeldrive gear and a lift and tires would be a good addon to which some could say done after that.

Finally one more thing to consider is a diesel is heavy. It will give you good traction in poor weather, however, that extra weight can be a bad thing at times too.

In the end its up to your final uses in which youll be better able to weigh on. But on this last note, it cost me $500 and 20 minutes time to finish up with a truck capable of 455 hp and 870ftlbs (400 dynod by another person) and get 15-18mpg.
Well i hope i didnt make it more difficult for you and gave you some usefull information to make a more informed decision. I just hope i wasnt TO biased! good luck!

 

these two guys hit it right on the head.

but a little to add.

the Cummins can start under it's own heater grid to -40F. anything below that and your gunna have to hook up a block heater. the block heater is built into every engine, only the pigtail with A/C cord needs to be added. But one thing you have to look out for is the gelling of the fuel. there are addatives that will prevent this.

If your not afraid of the initial purchace price of the Cummins, it is a wonderfull engine and you will make the money back in resale value, if you ever do sell it.

but I will say this. the 2500 with the hemi in it is still a very good truck. you just cannot beat a solid front axel but if you want the Diesel, you will not be dissapointed

 

If it's -40F outside, i'm not getting out of bed let alone getting into my truck to go anywhere.

 

I think if you plan on towing or doing heavy hauling, the CTD will have the advantage. Otherwise, I would get the 1500 hemi.

The 1500 will probably get a little better fuel economy over the 2500 hemi.

Also, the $5500 option price for the CTD is misleading in what it really costs you. Your cost for a CTD will be closer to $8000-$9000 by the time you pay the extra sales tax, interest on the additional cost, and the required $1500 upgrade to a 2500. Fuel wise, it costs more to run a CTD where I live since diesel is 30 -50 cents higher per gallon. Also, the 2 I know who own 04 CTDs do not get any better mpg than I do.

This is not a slam on the diesel Rams. I think they are great trucks if you have a need. If you search the various forums you'll find a few who went that route without a real need and regretted their decision.

 

Thanks to everyone for their imput.....I learned quite a bit and am probably even more unsure now!

 

Owned gas trucks all my life until my current ride. I'll never own anything but a diesel again. I pull between 8-10K (my RV) several times a year which is what prompted me to go diesel in the first place. I could have done it with a gas truck, but didn't want to see my towing MPG in the single digits. I'm not disappointed.

Performance modifications on a turbo diesel are much cheaper than anything you'll find for that HEMI when you measure $ per HP/TQ gained. Spend a grand and you'll be able to pull your house.

Diesel and premium fuel (91/93 octane - the only thing I would run in a high performance motor like the HEMI) are about the same, and my unloaded mileage is between 20 - 22 MPG. I don't know a HEMI that can touch that. The difference in mileage will compensate for the slight bump in cost per gallon.

Nothing beats the diesel rumble. Is it worth the extra 5K? Yes. No doubt about it. Not a question in my mind. For the record, I traded into this truck from a 1999 RAM 1500 with the 5.9L. It's night and day.

True, the Cummins is heavier, and the 2500 is heavier, but between 50 and 80 MPH little cars better not be in the way LOL..

 

Larry. . .you could always go to a dealership and test drive a 2500 w/cummins just so you can get a feel for the beast. I will tell you that you WILL fall in love with the power of the engine. if you think your hemi is a bad@55, just wait[8D] I knew I wanted a Cummins back in 94 when I drove a 93 reg cab 2500 4x4. Back then the engines had about half the hp as the one I have, 160hp I think compared to my 325, but you could just feel the torque twisting the frame back then just as you do today

hey GeeWillikers, I have no mods on my truck, idle 4L and reverse will pull a 30 foot maple out of the ground by the roots, never touched the throttle, I have the 6spd (NV5600), I did have some rear wheel spin, but that thing just came right on up

 

I agree, if you need to pull a maple tree or a house the CTD is probably the best choise. However, you have been given some misleading information. First there is no reason to run high cost premium fuel in the hemi. As a matter of fact, the owners manual specifically recommends against running premium stating it could hurt performance. Also, as I indicated earler, the cost is considerably higher than 5K.

$5500 for CTD option
$1500 for upgrade from 1500 to 2500 (unless they start making a 1500 diesel)
$1000 interest over 5yrs paid, or lost if you paid cash, on the extra $7K
$500 additional sales tax on $7k
---- $8500 ---- Approximate cost difference between 1500 Hemi and 2500 CTD.