Hi guys! this is my first post on the diesel thread, but I hope there will be more in the future. Right now I am 18 and purchased an 05 ram 1500 4x4 that is a 4.7L V8. It is a really nice truck and my first dodge. I like it alot more than I liked my Chevy. Anyways I was interested is learning more about the diesels because the more I read about them the more I like them. I have a few questions for all you diesel owners.

How much more/less does it cost to maintain a diesel vs. my gas engine?
What would I have to do to keep the fuel from gelling up in the winter? (I live in Chicago)
Which diesel would be better to get... 5.9 or 6.7?
What kind of mileage do you guys get? (I would probably put 35's or 37's on it)
What performance options are out there? (I looked into perfromance packs and turbo upgrades)
What would be the benefits of a diesel over a gasser? (Besides having it for 400K+ miles)

Sorry about all the questions but Ihavebecome extremelyinterested in these CTD rams and just want to know ifit's worth going with one of those (3500) or having my next truck be a Hemi? Thanks for all your help because I know alot about gassers, but I am not familiar at all with the diesels.

Thanks,
-Eric

 

Welcome to the forum. My last truck was an 03 with a Hemi and after having both I will take the cummins any day.At 75 i get between 18 and 20 mpg depending on wind, oil change costs twice as much but needed half as often, 5.9 in my opinion is the way to go (no emmisions crap on them), as far as performance options there are modules, programmers, injectors, and all kinds of others.

 

Oil changes, fuel filters, and air filters are more important and more costly with the diesel. But there are no plugs or wires or coils to worry about. Power to hual or pull heavy wieght for long periods in any weather is in favor of the diesel. Longevity is in favor of the diesel. If you only do short trips and don't ever work the truck I don't know if you could justify the diesel. But if you are going to be working the truck and have at least a 15 - 20 mile commute then it will serve you well. Performance upgrades can be made very easliy, but like any machine, the closer you run to the limits of the design, the shorter the life span.

 

RedRam2005,

Food for thought. With diesel costing over $4.00 you may be better off keeping your 1500. I use to own a 2005 QC 4x4 auto with 4.L and I know they can get 17 mpg and that is only a bit less then what my 2006 can get. Also if you plan on puting 35" or 37" tires even with a diesel engien, it will most likey lower the mpg it gets and thus cost you more to drive it.

If you were to buy one and add power you have to remeber that you may have to pay big $$$ to play when some thing breaks. To rebuild the trans from to much added power can cost $2800 and up or a Turbo at $1,000 and up, Injectors $1000 just for 6 tips not counting the cost to have them put on the injector bodys or the cost to R&R the
injector if you can't do it your self.

 

i just went from a 4.7 to a 5.9 with 35's i get around 16mpg on averagei think it worth it

 

Well I was thinking about putting a big boss bundle in a 5.9 CTD. I think that would give it more than enough power. How do you take care of a diesel during the 0 degree winters though? What additives would I need? How long would I have to let the engine warm up before I could actually drive her? I think that a CTD would be really awesome to have though. It would be something that I could have for years and years to come. My gasser has 33's on it and gets around 14 mixed with favor to the city side. I think that a ctd would make up the price difference in gas. I could probably get close to 18 or 20with a CTD that is modded a little bit and an easy foot.

 

you shouldnt need any additives at that temp IIRC, in the winter the diesel is blended with #1 which brings the useable temp down lower (how much lower I'm not clear on)

As for additives, Power Service Diesel (white bottle, 96 oz @ walmart for about $15 bux) is the way to go in the winter (IMO)

also to give you some extra info... there is a link in my sig to a mpg thread I had going on... currenlty have 91k miles on it.

 

The best way to warm up a diesel is to start it up, watch the oil press rise to normal, then take off and go real easy the first few mileskeeping the rpms down low until the water temp gets to 150 degrees... then, you're good to go. Idling is bad for any engine doesn't matter if it's fast idle or not.The engine has no load on it,the oil gets contaminated and breaks down, not to mention the expensive fuel wasted..

Even with $4 a gal diesel to $3.50 a gal gas fuel cost would be a wash withthe 5.9 if you had stock tires (265-70-17)or no bigger than 285-70-17's like on power wagons. Some guys say they do better with bigger but I'm not buying it I lost 1 mpg with just an AT285 upgrade.

37's would kill your mileage big time probably be doin good to get 15 mpg. 35's not so much but still not as good as 33's. Can expect anywhere from 16-20 with stock depending on how broken in the truck is, lots of variables, but no two trucks get the same mpg's.

I go to Chicago all the time in my big truck and never use any anti-gel additives. I've found they aren't necessary anything warmer than -10 F. You might want to get one of those radiator blockers that closes it off so it'll warm up quicker in the cold temps but other than that you should be fine.

Maintinence is a little more involved with diesels which adds cost but if you like messing around with your ride that's just part of the fun imo. If you do go diesel don't get in over your head.It's not a cheap hobby if you want more power either..If I was 18 now and making what I made then I couldn't afford a decent used 2nd gen.. I'd stay aways from the 6.7 unless you enjoy morefrequent 100$ fillups..

programmers, turbos, don;t be in a rush to spend money on that stuff. There is a wealth of infromation on performance upgrades here and elsewhere. Just absorb it over time and go from there. The first thing you would want to do to that extentthough would be extra gauges egt, boost, and trans temp (if auto).

 

I think the mileage loss has to do with the weight of the tire & the AT vs manual... some of the manual guys are still getting good mileage regardless of the tiresize (up to 35)

 

I still don't know yet, but I think I will be getting between 16-18 on mine with the 37's in town, should know soon though. Oh yeah, mine is a manual too.

Just curious, how would you be paying for this new truck Eric?... I know others were thinking it, so I had to ask.