Trying to decide whether or not to buy a CTD or a Hemi. I joined yesterday and read forums all night about the CTD. Someone wrote that you don't drive a CTD like a gas. What's the diference. I currently have a 1500 GMC Z71 that doesn't have the ***** to pull %$#@. Need to upgrade to a 2500. Wife wants to put stacks on one.And would like at least 15 mpg. I've read where some are getting 20 and some 12? Unlike gas I know there is more than just changing the oil on a CTD. Can someone educate me? How long will they last?Should I be leary about buying one with 100,000 miles on it? I need a TRUCK HEEEEEEEEELPplease e-mail me at carl00723@aol.com or work carl.wells@littlerock.af.mil gotta go to work will check back tonight.

 

As a new owner of a CTD, it's the only way to go if your pulling any thing, it going to be a little more maintenance, but it will last you a long time.

I still find it hard to believe that I get better fuel mileage than my Dakota in a 4x4 heavy weight real truck.

Pulling a 16 foot enclosed trailer with 2000 pounds in it I been getting 13.5 MPG, I haven't run it a whole week without the trailer, but one trip with about an hour of using the 4 wheel drivescouting land, I got 18 MPG figuring itby hand

 

If ur going to use it for pulling, I would DEFINATELY go with a diesel. I've only gotten to load mine down really good one time, and it pulled like there was nothing on it.

 

actualy the maintenance is easier than the hemi. . .no spark plugs or wires to go bad and change. granted you have 3 gallons of oil, but you can go nearly 15k on it.

if you feel like being a tester get one of the new trucks with the 6.7L, however if you get one with a 5.9L it will run long after the frame has run away.

 

Lets see Hemi or CTD.... Nine times out of ten the question comes down to, can you afford the initial extra cost of the Cummins. If so, then go Cummins. Do you have to drive a diesel differently than gas? Not really. There is a bit more to do when starting a diesel (waiting for the wait to start light to go out) but is really about it. Also, remeber the T in CTD stands for Turbo. You want power? The 325HP/610Torq CTD has plenty of power. When you get into the gas to pass on the freeway, the motor just makes sort of a blaaaaaaaat sound (not a sweet V8 sound) but you find yourself passing 60 - 70 - 80 - even 90 very quickly. Then if you want to mod your motor, CTDs are the way to go. With an investment of under 1000 dollars you can easily add up to 75 RWHP (not crank, but RWHP) adn 150-200+ Ft pounds of torque. Can't do that on a hemi for under 1000 bucks.

Then there is resale. Take a look at KBB for an 06 2500 Dodge Ram. Check out the value between a Hemi and CTD, comp equip'd same milage....... I spec'd my truck's private party value, excellent condition... $38,620 if it had the Hemi instead, $30,535.. So spending the extra 5K on the motor, does help the truck hold its value.

Your MPG on a diesel will vary on a couple of factors. First you need to get past the intial breakin which can be anyware from 5K to 10K depending on how you load it up. Then its your left foot that will determine your MPG. Don't think you can get heavy on the throttle and get grate MPG at the same time. However, after the breakin period, you can see 19-21 MPG running empty on the freeway at 65MPH. Not too many 5.7 hemi guys can claim this.

The 5.9L CTD is rated to last between 350,000 to 500,000 before a rebuild.

 

 

Someone wrote that you don't drive a CTD like a gas. What's the difference?

This is true you can’t mash the go pedal and expect a stock diesel to respond like a gas engine. Many people don’t understand that most diesels have turbos and it takes a few seconds for the turbo (the turbo packs air into the cylinders to help give it more power and also a higher compression ratio) to spin up to speed and people get po’ed that they don’t have the instant HP that you get from a gas engine.

A diesel has almost 2 times the torque of most gas engines and that is why it’s able to tow 2-3 times more then a gas engine can even though it may have less HP then many gas engines. Also a 6-cylinder diesel engine makes most of its power between 1500 and 2900 RPM’s and a gas engine makes most of its HP in the 3000 to 5000 RPM range.

IIRC in 2005 the Hemi had 345 HP and about 310 foot-pounds of Torque and the 2005/2007 5.9L, Cummins has 325 HP and 610 foot-pounds of torque. The new 2007.5, 6.7L engine CTD has 350 HP and 650 Torque. Torque is what makes a diesel able to tow so much weight and keep it moving not HP. Yes with a few tweaks you can make a diesel have instant HP but you can also burn the engine up if you don’t know how to use it properly.

Well I hope I worded this so that it helps you to somewhat understand how a diesel can do so much more then a gas engine can.

 

its a no-brainer. Cummins all-the-way
[ul][*]The Cummins can get 18 mpg once broken in where as a Hemi gets 13 mpg. Its towing economy will be much better when towing the same weight as the hemi.[*]Its not unusual for the cummins to last 400k miles, and I have yet to hear about a hemi that came even close to that.[*]The cummins will have much more power - 610 pounds of torque stock, and will be much more of a pleasure to drive loaded or unloaded.[*]The modibility of the cumminswill further offset its power difference. A simple $700 chip will give you 100 hp and 200 pounds of torque over stock, at the wheels,whileimproving your mileage by 2 mpg. That same $700 for thehemi will give you an Intake & Exhaust and maybe some other bolt-on andwill onlygiveyou 20 or 30 hp.[*]The two cant even be compared as far as towing goes. People on various forums tow 20k pounds or more frequently with the cummins. I know that the Ram is not rated from the factory for that much, but it is due strictly to liability, licenseingrequirements / limitations, not that the truck isnt capable of towing that weight.Many people have towed that much or more with no complaints. Try doing that with a Hemi.[*]Yes, there is an additional initial cost by going with the diesel, but the cost isnt that significant. If you are financing it, the additional 5k of the diesel is only going to increase your monthly payments by a small margin. If you have the ability to pay for the truck in cash, then you probably are well within your means to afford the extra money for the diesel. You will also recover the cost of the diesel and maybe some in the resale value. The cummins I have seen have been selling for 4-6k more then their hemi equivilents. Not to mention, the diesel ends up being cheaper to run per mile based on its significanly better fuel economy - even with the higher cost of diesel.[*]The only difference between how you drive a diesel and a gas is wating 4 seconds before you can crank it, and there is about a 1 second turbo lag compared to the instant "power" of a gas engine. Once the turbo spools up, hold on...[*]Diesels are not significanly more maintance intensive. You have 3 gallons of oil to change rather then 5 quarts, and you have to change the fuel filter every 10 or 15k miles. But, you dont have to change the ignition system - spark plugs, wires, ect...[/ul]
To me its a no brainer. Diesel all the way. The Hemi is a good engine in the half-ton truck and SUV market, but I dont even see why dodge even offers it in the 3/4 and 1 ton truck market. There are NO advantages to buying the hemi.

 

Last weekend I traded in my 2005 2500 Hemi for a 2006 2500 CTD. 700 miles later, I would never even think about going back to a gasser. The power is unbelievable, but the best part has been the MPG. My Hemi 2500 would get about 14mpg on the highway, where as my CTD gets 18 and its not even broken in yet. These trucks have the same gearing too, so thats not a factor. I dont do alot of heavy towing or heavy loading, but if I do, I know I have more than enough power on tap and will still get good MPG comparatively. The CTD also has a cooler sound, I love hearing the turbo spool up!

 

pull the cat and muffler off and realy let her roar