Hello to all, newbie here.. Was thinking about comming over from the darkside, 2003 PSD owner, and buying a 2006 megacab with the hemi. How is the hemi compared to past ones, same specs, horsepower, reliabilty, etc. I will be towing a 27' camper from time to time and was curious to anything negitive or positive about these motors. And trucks for that matter. Like I said I have no clue about Dodge trucks and all the pros and cons. Are there good motor mods for these as well? Any info greatly appreciated. I was looking at a 2006 GMC Z71 due to the large rebates offered in my area right now but happened to look over and see this new dodge and really liked the newer look. Thanks again guys.......

 

Honest opinion, you're better off buying a diesel powered motor.

2 reasons - you can beat the crap out of a diesel unlike a gas motor and you will get better gas mileage in it overall.

Also, the Cummins is worth the extra cash.....so I'd go for it first and foremost. The Megacab would get ya done in your needs to haul stuff, but I still would go diesel in it.

 

The extra cost of a diesel pushes me over my preset spending limit. I looked though..lol.. My PSD 4x4 gets about 11-14 mpg anyway so gas savings isn't that big of a concern for me. Is the hemi not really good for towing? Thanks....

 

The Hemi is perfectly fine for towing. The average diesel owner probably gets between 16-20 mpg, depending on how/what they are doing.

The Hemi Ram's are great trucks. I would take the Ram over the Chevy anyday, but you gotta do what's affordable and makes the most sense money wise. Going with maybe a truck that's say a year old wouldnt hurt either, but I doubt that's what you are trying to do.

 

get the Cummins, you wont regret it!!!

the new PSD's are still buggy, the duramax's are pushing the upper limits of the block design and some blocks are fracturing due to this.

unloaded and with 4.10's I can stretch to nearly 20mpg. pulling a load depending on size I'll go down to 13-14. for a big load and pushing up a hill at 60 I'll hit 10. the diesels will pull 15-20K and more and ask for more, and they will last well over 300,000. a gasser will be on it's 4th engine.

 

Even with rebates and everything, your still over budget? I'd seriously look into the Cummins. While the Hemi is a good motor and can pull with the best of them, I think that you'll be dissapointed going from a PSD back to any gasser, especially if you've got some heavy loads.

The Cummins is the best light duty truck diesel bar none. It is a I-6 so it is nice and balanced, and has fewer moving parts than the PSD and Duramax, not to mention a much better track record for reliability. The diesel will only cost you a little bit more and you won't be regretting it down the road. Not to mention the power potential is phenomenal.

 

Actualy, the Cummins 5.9ISB is rated as a medium duty engine, the Ford and Chevy offerings are rated as light duty

oh, and the track record for TSB's that involve the actual workings of the engine for ford have been in the hundreds, chevy's have had quite a few, the Cummins has NOT had a single TSB reguarding the engine itself since Dodge put the first Cummins under the hood back in 89. just one more thing for you to ponder.

 

Is the megacab a necessity? You could step down to just a cummins powered Ram. I don't know what that would do to your price range (cause I think you would have to go to a 2500 to get the cummins) but that could be an option. Quad Cab Cummins.

Maybe you need the extra room, but just a thought.

 

Drew, I though the 2500 and 3500 trucks were still considered to be "light duty" as opposed to 4500+ medium and heavy duty trucks (tractor trailer rigs)? I could be wrong though.

Perhaps I should have been a little more clear with my thought process and state that the Cummins is the best diesel bar none in a light duty pickup truck.

 

Since the engine is a medium duty engine, but the frame is a light duty, it puts the truck as a whole nearer to the medium duty class.


I say this since the Ford F650's and some F750's, FL70's and some Kenworth models come with the same Cummins 5.9ISB strapped between the frame rails

only difference is the engine is rated at 285hp(I think) and 650-700tq(I think) however the Dodge offering has 325hp and 610tq.