Forum Discussion
192 Replies
Cummins12V98 wrote:
My opinion RAM has always had the best engine.
Wow, that is a shocker given your user name!4x4ord wrote:
waynec1957 wrote:
4x4ord wrote:
waynec1957 wrote:
Personally... I think this discussion proves what we all already know. Most people, with a few exceptions, drive what they like. The only Ford I've ever owned was an old Econoline van. Ford's are just not my thing. I don't like the way the new trucks look and their noisier than they have to be.
I had a 94' 1500 Dodge Ram. Bought it because (1) the GM dealer PO'ed me the day I went to buy a new truck and I liked the new Dodge body style. But it had a HUGE blind spot on the passenger side windshield post, it never rode as good as my GM trucks, and the transmission went out of it at less than 10k miles. On the new ones, the tow mirrors coming at you remind me of Bullwinkle moose. And Rams are also noisier than they have to be.
Other than those things, I wouldn't be afraid to hook up with anyone of them and do what this test did. Performance wise, there's not a nickel's difference between the three. The rest of it, IMHO, is brand loyalty and personal preference.
If you have actually came close to a new Ford that was running you likely assumed it was shut off. They are extremely quiet. While both cruising and under full acceleration the Ford interior is quieter than a Lexus sedan.
I've never been in the cab of a new Dodge or Ford, so I don't know what they're like inside. But I don't always drive with my windows rolled up and when I set next to either one at a stop light I can't hear my Duramax running over them. And if you're standing behind my Duramax, the only way you know it's running is the heat coming from the exhaust.
Again..it's a Preference thing, and maybe a perception thing. I read in another thread where someone said the Ram is the only truck left that sounds like a truck. But as far as performance, I don't think there's a nickel's difference between any of them.
Your likely pulling along side older trucks. The Duramax is quiet, it might even be a little quieter than the new Cummins but when I pull the Ford up along side my brothers Duramax so we can talk through the windows I am only half joking when I tell him to "shut that rattle can off so we can hear each other." :)
I commute on a bicycle several days a week, and I like to play a game at stoplights called "guess which brand diesel truck is behind me." I don't ride w/ headphones and it gets boring sometimes. In suburban Utah where I live, there is no shortage of diesel pickups, so I get to play it several times each time I ride.
Anyway, for pre-2011 trucks or so, I'm pretty good, well above 75% accuracy, I'd say. After 2011 or so, I usually can't even tell there was a diesel behind me until it the light turns green and we start moving. They have gotten real quiet.bobx2 wrote:
Cummins12V98 wrote:
4x4ord wrote:
So we all agree that the three are now pretty close to equal. It took GM and Ram 15 years to get their truck to a level that is able to compete with what Ford basically brought out almost 10 years ago and it took Ford and Ram nearly 15 years to come up with an engine and transmission that would compete with the Duramax/Allison.
My opinion RAM has always had the best engine. 07.5 when they came out with the 68RFE that left the bad transmission problem behind them.
Now RAM has the best engine and transmission with the Aisin now.
In these initial tests they will all vary in performance. If someone wants a truck for the long haul they most likely buy the RAM/Aisin.
So the fan is louder than the other two when pulling a grade who cares it's pulling a lot of air thru the two radiators.
I would bet if you took a vote among the guys test driving all the trucks they would have picked the RAM.
Yes I will agree that they all are very close in performance.
Dodge $69,000
Ford $67,000
GMC $65,000
Guy in denial that another brand topped his beloved Dodge in a test - Priceless!!!
That just tells me that the Ram they tested had more options on it. I just went through this at work when I ordered a truck two weeks ago for our fleet. The only two trucks I was looking at was a F350 and Ram 3500. Two trucks optioned the same Fords MSRP was $3000 more. For ever our Prez wouldn't let me price him two different brands , only Ford but this time he was actually driving through a Ram lot and stop to look at a couple truck they had on the lot and after me getting them priced out we now have a new Ram in our fleet again.
Guy in denial that other brands are catching up on sales and people are starting to look through the beloved Blue Oval and seeing what's really not there- PRICELESS!
ON EDIT. He would not let me price a GM and he drives one for his personal truck. Go figure.Cummins12V98 wrote:
4x4ord wrote:
So we all agree that the three are now pretty close to equal. It took GM and Ram 15 years to get their truck to a level that is able to compete with what Ford basically brought out almost 10 years ago and it took Ford and Ram nearly 15 years to come up with an engine and transmission that would compete with the Duramax/Allison.
My opinion RAM has always had the best engine. 07.5 when they came out with the 68RFE that left the bad transmission problem behind them.
Now RAM has the best engine and transmission with the Aisin now.
In these initial tests they will all vary in performance. If someone wants a truck for the long haul they most likely buy the RAM/Aisin.
So the fan is louder than the other two when pulling a grade who cares it's pulling a lot of air thru the two radiators.
I would bet if you took a vote among the guys test driving all the trucks they would have picked the RAM.
Yes I will agree that they all are very close in performance.
Dodge $69,000
Ford $67,000
GMC $65,000
Guy in denial that another brand topped his beloved Dodge in a test - Priceless!!!- The Class 5's actually have three ratios to choose from. I would be looking at the middle selection of a 4.30 or 4.44. I tow often and am used to keeping it under 65 mph, so this should be a good balance.
Bedlam wrote:
In my case, I currently haul 2 tons of camper and have half a ton of hitch weight on an extension with my F250. Loaded, I am at 6 tons and towing 4 tons behind me. It does this surprising well, but we plan to go to a bigger truck camper that will approach 3 tons and requires twice the hitch extension length I now run. When I ran the numbers I was getting close to the 16K lb GVWR of Class 4 chassis cabs. The excess capacity of 19k lb GVWR Class 5's can used to haul a large battery bank or extra water while staying within all of the weight police real or imaged ratings.
Skim over some of the thread in the TC section to get an idea of typical weights we carry. The GVWR is almost always over while the GCWR is usually still within published ratings.
The bad thing about your situation is that you need heavy springs for your carrying capacity but along with those heavy springs comes a low speed axle ratio which you might be happier without. I see how in order to stay within all your ratings you need that class 5 truck, otherwise you probably would be real happy with a 3500 GMC with a little heavier spring under it.IdaD wrote:
Ric Flair wrote:
4x4ord wrote:
So we all agree that the three are now pretty close to equal.....
No we don't
Yeah, I'm not a fan of IFS on a heavy duty truck either.
And I don't like my connecting rods swinging both ways....Ric Flair wrote:
4x4ord wrote:
So we all agree that the three are now pretty close to equal.....
No we don't
Yeah, I'm not a fan of IFS on a heavy duty truck either.4x4ord wrote:
So we all agree that the three are now pretty close to equal.....
No we don't- In my case, I currently haul 2 tons of camper and have half a ton of hitch weight on an extension with my F250. Loaded, I am at 6 tons and towing 4 tons behind me. It does this surprising well, but we plan to go to a bigger truck camper that will approach 3 tons and requires twice the hitch extension length I now run. When I ran the numbers I was getting close to the 16K lb GVWR of Class 4 chassis cabs. The excess capacity of 19k lb GVWR Class 5's can used to haul a large battery bank or extra water while staying within all of the weight police real or imaged ratings.
Skim over some of the thread in the TC section to get an idea of typical weights we carry. The GVWR is almost always over while the GCWR is usually still within published ratings.
