which motor

[albertachevy91]

i am i a toss up for what i would like to get for my new truck. i am looking at duramax, cummins, 6.0 gasser and maybe 5.3( i would prefer 3/4 ton thou). i dont do any towing more than a 6.0 gas will pull. w/e i get will be lifted atleast 6" with 35's. i like the duramax for power and gas mileage but i will be adding a chip and power mods and the stock allison cant take allot more power, that is why i like the cummins with the 6-speed manual, but they are more of a towing grunt motor from what i hear compared to the duramax which is really quick. for the gasser, i just like the sound of gas better and way cheaper to buy the truck and the vortec's are great motors but bad gas mileage and even worse with a lift. any input on what would suit me best?

[dozerboy]

Cummins are great engines dodge trucks on the other hand suck. If you want to keep the truck a long time get a diesel if not get a gasser, but I wouldn't go near a newer 03+ ford diesel.

[justy]

I noticed alot of new dodge trucks have gone up in price. Some are more expensive then a chevy. The only thing I don't like about the 6.0 gasser is, It's mated with a 4L80E transmission. And I had nothing but bad luck with that transmission. Last truck that I had a 4L80e I went through 2 transmissions. When I traded the truck off it only had 1st and 2nd gear and no reverse. So whoever bought that truck had to get another transmission. Now if the 6.0 came with the Allison tranny then it maybe comparable with the duramax. Except your not going to have the lifespan of a diesel nor the mileage. I have yet to plug my duramax in on a cold day and she still starts good.

[albertachevy91]

what are the big problems with dodge trucks? also will a chipped cummins be as quick as a chipped duramax? i like the dodge for the solid axle and manual tranny. dont have to worry about a ford as i will never own a ford truck. i havnt heard any problems about the 4l80e other than what u just mentioned. i like the duramax allot but i will be chipping it and ive heard that a allison can only hold about 80-90 more hp, i wanna have a chip and injectors and intake and exhaust and be able to put the chip on a high mode without worrying about the tranny. i just like gas motors more because i do allot of hunting and cold early morning suck in a diesel. what would a 6.0 liter get with some mods? exhaust, intake, chip, TB spacer, maybe cam?

[heavy-chevy]

Both the cumins and the d max can be tuned to make way more power then the trans can handle. my allisons doing fine with the diablo 120hp tune with just a shift kit. I preffer the feel of v8 power, its like driving a hot rod more so than the big rig feel you get with the cummins lol. dodges arent that bad but there interior is pathetic compared to gm. there both great engines, just preference. I would go for the d max.

[justy]

I think cummins is good. But the price tag for one is wow. I think a cummins or duramax would be quick if tuned. They are both good. It's hard to find a duramax anymore that is a stick. But on the cummins you can get a stick real easy. I suppose in a quarter mile the truck with the stick would win. But if it came to heavy towing maybe the automatic would be the winner? Only thing I wish dodge had was better interior in their trucks. For what you pay for it doesn't seem like much. My nephew has a 1999 dodge pickup and I'm afraid to put my arm on the arm rest because it looks like it would snap off. I haven't looked in the new dodges. But if they fixed that. Then I guess I would have a hard time choosing between a dodge cummins and a chevy/gmc duramax.

[dozerboy]

also will a chipped cummins be as quick as a chipped duramax? i like the duramax allot but i will be chipping it and ive heard that a allison can only hold about 80-90 more hp, i wanna have a chip and injectors and intake and exhaust and be able to put the chip on a high mode without worrying about the tranny. i just like gas motors more because i do allot of hunting and cold early morning suck in a diesel. what would a 6.0 liter get with some mods? exhaust, intake, chip, TB spacer, maybe cam?

tuning only a dmax will be faster
Dodge tranny isn't any better, don't need injector with the Dmax tuner, lift pump, and trans your can lay down over 500RWHP.
Cold isn't a problem with new diesels just let it warm up a few min. which you should do with a gasser.
With those mods you might be able to keep up with a Dmax with a 60 HP tune.
06 was the last year GM had a manual and there ain't many of them.


Unless you have 3 legs or mad skills it take a bit more power for a manual to keep up with auto in any (turbo diesel) race.

[albertachevy91]

on the cold start thing, this year we were hunting in -30C and it took 10 mins of warming up and 10 mins of highway speeds to get the cab to warm up. ur saying a stock allison will hold over 500 HP with no problems? i dont know, a 6.0 liter with a few mods is still a pretty sweet motor also. is there a big difference of driving habits of a cummins and duramax?

[justy]

Actually I think that a allison would hold up to a 500 hp gas engine. Gas engines don't have the torque of a diesel. So it's hard to say. But I think it would hold up with a 500 hp gasser. Theres a few 8.1 gasser that are modified and the allison holds up to them just fine. I think the driving habits are the same either truck you buy. Just make sure which ever truck you buy that it gets a decent fuel mileage for your income. Because it looks like gas prices are either going to stay or get worse. It makes me mad though. Diesel takes less refining and yet right now it's higher then gas. For a long time last year diesel was 20-30 cents cheaper then gas. I wonder what happened there.

I talk to a guy down at work and he has a dodge pickup with the 5.7 hemi. And lightly he has been car pooling. I asked what happen to his truck and he said his fuel mileage is so poor he can no longer afford gas. He maxed out 2 credit cards trying to keep it filled each week. So sounds to me that hemi is a gas hog.

[foreman00081]

tuning only a dmax will be faster
Dodge tranny isn't any better, don't need injector with the Dmax tuner, lift pump, and trans your can lay down over 500RWHP.
Cold isn't a problem with new diesels just let it warm up a few min. which you should do with a gasser.
With those mods you might be able to keep up with a Dmax with a 60 HP tune.
06 was the last year GM had a manual and there ain't many of them.


Unless you have 3 legs or mad skills it take a bit more power for a manual to keep up with auto in any (turbo diesel) race.

good points there. i dont get why the allison gets a bad rap about only being able to hold 100 extra horse cause as far as i knew the dodge trannies werent any better, he!!, from what ive seen with guys i know that have dodges, you couldnt pay me to drive something with a dodge tranny. must just be those insecure dodge guys spreading their propaganda.

as far as cold starting, they start fine in the cold, a little slow to crank but she always fires up if the batteries are good. and i plug mine in at night when its cold just because i like having heat by the end of my road instead of half way to work like if i dont plug it in.

and i also agree that the auto is gonna be faster in the 1/4, especially now that i had my tranny built that thing shifts sooo fast its incredible when i really step on it, theres no way in he!! that i could ever row gears anywhere near as fast.

and alberta, he wasnt saying a stock allison could handle 500HP, the ally does need to be built for that but with a tuner, intake exhaust, built trans and a lift pump 500RWHP is easially achived. heck, mines putting down 375RWHP with only a 100HP hypertech tuner, intake and built trans, not too shabby in my opinion.

[dozerboy]

I meant a built trans I wouldn't run over 400 flywheel HP if I didn't want to rebuild it. Oops I didn't see where you lived IIRC -27C is the coldest I remember of anyone starting a Dmax in not plugged in, but I think you would be wise to get a Espar heater or something similar. Like I said I wouldn't go near a 6.0 or 6.4 ford. A GM should ride smoother with its IFS over a dodge other then that I can't say

[albertachevy91]

i kno i do not want a dodge auto, i want a dodge 6-speed manual. i am really liking the dodge trucks, solid front axle i like for for offroad and toughness. the cummins is so reliable and long lasting and they make good power to, but a manual would just be fun to drive with a high HP cummins. i hear allot about dodge trucks being bad, what are some of the problems cuz i have not heard of many.

['96 Z-71]

Diesel takes less refining and yet right now it's higher then gas. For a long time last year diesel was 20-30 cents cheaper then gas. I wonder what happened there.

I talk to a guy down at work and he has a dodge pickup with the 5.7 hemi. And lightly he has been car pooling. I asked what happen to his truck and he said his fuel mileage is so poor he can no longer afford gas. He maxed out 2 credit cards trying to keep it filled each week. So sounds to me that hemi is a gas hog.

Diesel usually always goes up in price in the winter months because of the additives used for anti-jelling and also people use it for heating.

As for the guy with the Dodge... :wtf: is he thinkin'? Sell the truck if you can't afford even the gas! My buddy has a hemi and they get around the same mileage of a 6.0 Chevy.

[D_Theater]

Diesel usually always goes up in price in the winter months because of the additives used for anti-jelling and also people use it for heating.


That was true. Unfortunately, it seems like we diesel owners have been getting gouged year-round now...

It's no longer just the increased demand over the winter months (home heating fuel == diesel), but in the move to make diesel "cleaner", read ULSD (ultra-low sulfur diesel), the additional cost was passed along to the consumer. Which is probably why diesel is $0.40 - $0.50 cents more per gallon these days than regular unleaded gas. And it's year-round now.

If you really need the power of a diesel engine, great. Get one. The diesel option cost in a newer truck keeps going up because of the EPA and Kalifornia, because you can't afford not to sell vehicles in that market. Big premium for the engine, and now the added cost of the fuel over gas.

Do you really need a diesel?

By the way... EPA = Exxon Protection Agency. The excessive costs imposed on manufacturers to clean up the engines could quite well kill the diesel revolution, and turn everyone back to the less efficient gasoline. We'll have to wait and see what happens by 2012... after a few more diesel emissions mandates take effect.

Andy

[albertachevy91]

i would like to kno about all these dodge truck problems? i have heard that the cummins is really good but the truck to go with it is not? what are some of the problems?

[young blood]

one of the biggest problems is there auto trannys. but if ur gonna get the manual then it should be fine. i have heard that there rear ends arent the greatest out there either.

[Pete-FWA]

i would like to kno about all these dodge truck problems? i have heard that the cummins is really good but the truck to go with it is not? what are some of the problems?

Are you concerned with anything older than 2000? Those are the ones I have personal experience on.

Auto transmissions mated to the Cummins and the various gas engines have a tendency to go bad prematurely, towing or not.

Dodge trucks tend to show much more rust problems and sooner than GM or Ford counterparts. Chrysler in general had a lot of problems with clear coat failure on all their vehicles.

Interior materials tend to break down faster: most older Dodges have huge splits and cracks in their dashboards. The door panels tend to rattle and crack more readily than others.

[dozerboy]

The newer cummins have the same rear diff as GM and its fine.

I agree with interior and rust problems. Dodge seem to have worse brakes, more front suspension/driveline problems, and electrical problems too. I'm not a dodge expert so take this with that in mind.

[idriveanxj]

i would like to kno about all these dodge truck problems? i have heard that the cummins is really good but the truck to go with it is not? what are some of the problems?

Well the biggest problem I have come across in the parts field is the need to rebuild the front suspension components on the diesels. They just eat up track bars, tie rods, ball-joints, u-joints, etc, etc. They seem to go every couple of years, at least for the guys up here on the logging roads. And it's about $1000 in parts (not to mention labour if you don't do it yourself).