I'm currently in an 06 Duramax and it's been a great truck but as the miles tick upward I'm thinking of something new.So, I just drove both the Ram 2500 6.4 and the 2500 Cummins back to back, same road/route.Overall, both are great trucks. In the end I actually like the 6.4 better as a daily driver and am hopeful it will do okay towing my 8500lb TT. If I towed more I'd probably go for the Cummins.The 6.4 was more "snappy" off the line and had good strong acceleration right up to 60. IMO that 6.4 is a really nice engine. The Cummins of course is no slouch but it just has more of a diesel feel to it. Up the hills of course the Cummins had way more punch. The new rear coil springs are nice but the ride is still stiff and shaky at times as with any 3/4 ton truck. The ride was definitely better than my current Duramax but I'm trying to figure how much of that is just because my truck is 8 years old and has 140K on the clock??I made it out without buying (salesman holding me at the ankles as I tried to walk away :) ). I'm pretty strongly considering it. I may make a run at selling my Duramax private party rather than taking the bath at trade in. LOL.... they offered me $14,500 for my trade then quickly upped it to 20K when I laughed at them. From checking local prices I'm thinking I can get close to 25KAnyhow, I'm not much of a brand loyalist but can tell you Ram is turning out some nice trucks. I think I test drove one probably 10 years ago but have otherwise never been too much of a fan. I've previously owned Ford, Toyota, Nissan and my current Chevy. I guess it's time to complete the circuit :)

The 6.4 should have zero problems towing 8500 lbs. As far as 3/4 ton truck ride I hoped that the coil spring + air bag would have helped alot.Where I used to work had a 2006 or so 2500hd duramax crew cab 4x4 that was the best riding 3/4 ton I have ever been in. My 2012 2500hd rides pretty rough, wish it was smoother.

If I was towing 8500 pounds I would go gas. They both are nice trucks.

Thanks for the post. I've been wondering how those two engines compare.As for your truck. I'd be really disappointed if you could get an other 140,000 miles of it. My '05 has almost 180,000 trouble free miles and I hope to see at least 300,000 before I get rid of it.

Taco wrote:The 6.4 should have zero problems towing 8500 lbs. As far as 3/4 ton truck ride I hoped that the coil spring + air bag would have helped alot.Are air bags a standard feature?

spoon059 wrote:Taco wrote:The 6.4 should have zero problems towing 8500 lbs. As far as 3/4 ton truck ride I hoped that the coil spring + air bag would have helped alot.Are air bags a standard feature?No, the air suspension is an option, I believe about $1500-2000.

Ram 6.4 Hemi & Cummins Test Drive | Good Sam Community

ChiefCook
Explorer
Mar 16, 2014
Received call from Chrysler rep Thursday. He told me my Truck left factory and crossed into US that day. Said all shipments were delayed due to weather in north and north east which caused shortage of railcars at factory. I wouldn't be upset if I hadn't been told by dealer that it shipped a month ago. The Ram vehicle order tracking system is a good idea up to production completion but once it goes to shipping status you are in the dark. My truck entered shipping status around January 27th. It will work out though as we just bought a new house and finished moving yesterday. No scratches or damage to new truck.
sky_free
Explorer
Mar 12, 2014
A 2010+ Prius requires somewhere around 25HP (but probably less with low rolling resistance tires) to run at 75MPH on the flat with no wind, so it's far from wide-open.
Hannibal
Explorer
Mar 12, 2014
It's a bit peppier than I thought it would be. It tops out at 111mph and will get there quick enough.
transamz9
Explorer
Mar 12, 2014
Hannibal wrote:
I gave up and bought a Prius to use for work. You guys were right. Up to 75.5mpg city and 46~mpg interstate running 75~mph. At 2500~ miles a month, we're already seeing significant savings. Wife's using the truck now for her short commute and loves it. I should have done that years ago the first time some sarcastic SA said "if you want good mileage, buy a Prius". :B

WOW! 46 MPG running wide open? HAHA!! JK. If I didn't have my vehicle furnish to me with fuel I would also have a fuel effient car to rip and run in. My wife has a Bettle and it only does 23 mixed driving. She bought an 08 diesel beetle in 08 and loved the mileage (45-48) but got tired of shifting the gears in town. We drive the trucks on the weekend and towing only.
mtofell1
Explorer
Mar 12, 2014
Hannibal wrote:
I wish HD pickups were EPA rated for fuel mileage. It's hard to get a real comparison as Ford guys say Rams get lousy mileage and Ram guys say Fords get lousy mileage. Too many variables too.

And that's the nicest thing they will say about each other :)

I am still comparing the Hemi 6.4 to the Ford 6.2 and leaning very heavily to the Hemi. From what I've been able to find online and in various pro road tests the Hemi gets a couple mpgs better. That, a couple more HP/Torque and the rear coils are what puts me towards the HEMI. I like the shoulder belt in the middle front seat position on the Ford as I sometimes have the wife and all 4 kids with me (we take the minivan if not towing since it can't pull the TT over a speed bump :) )

Interior wise both are nice... for the models I'm looking at the Dodge is a bit nicer but is also about $1500 more.
Hannibal
Explorer
Mar 11, 2014
I gave up and bought a Prius to use for work. You guys were right. Up to 75.5mpg city and 46~mpg interstate running 75~mph. At 2500~ miles a month, we're already seeing significant savings. Wife's using the truck now for her short commute and loves it. I should have done that years ago the first time some sarcastic SA said "if you want good mileage, buy a Prius". :B
transamz9
Explorer
Mar 11, 2014
My first two tanks in my 13 Cummins have yielded 16.7 and 16.9 hand calc and that has been about 50/50 interstate and local stop and go. The wife has also been playing with the U-Connect remote start and stop from her phone too. LOL! Resetting the computer on straight highway trips it is showing right at 20. The computer has been dead on both times I have checked it by hand.
mowin
Explorer
Mar 11, 2014
Hannibal wrote:
I wish HD pickups were EPA rated for fuel mileage. It's hard to get a real comparison as Ford guys say Rams get lousy mileage and Ram guys say Fords get lousy mileage. Too many variables too.

I agree way too many variables. I drive different than the next guy. My area is different than tbe next guys. I have no clue what a ford gets for mpg's, but my 2011 gmc 3500 drw with the 6.0 and 3:73 gears was lucky to get 10 empty on the hiway.

My 6.4 3500 ram is doing much better. I filled up and had a 45 mile stretch of hiway in front of me. Computer read 15.8 for the 90 mi round trip. Averaging 13.6 around the house, short trips with lots of hills.
Hannibal
Explorer
Mar 11, 2014
I wish HD pickups were EPA rated for fuel mileage. It's hard to get a real comparison as Ford guys say Rams get lousy mileage and Ram guys say Fords get lousy mileage. Too many variables too.
mtofell1
Explorer
Mar 11, 2014
Uh Oh..... you guys are scaring me.... I just sold my truck tonight and was going to go to the dealer to sign on one that was supposed to be on a railcar last week and at the dealer by the end of this week.

I can rent a vehicle for a week or so but that's about it. These 6.4 Hemi trucks seem to be catching on.

I briefly was on the fence about an F250 until I read some post about the low fuel mileage. Real world mixed driving people are getting 12ish. From what I read of the Hemi it's closer to 15 for the same type of driving.

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