I am still in the pursuit of an 06 Mega Cab 2500/3500 and starting thinking this weekend that I might like to go back to a stick. Haven't had one in 10 years and never had one with a diesel. I haven't had a chance to test drive one yet, but it seems like the extra weight of the Mega might be better handled with a stick. On my 05 I really liked the auto in town, but everywhere else the loose TC drove me crazy, especially when pulling. I searched around in the forums but can't find a lot of info on 6sp Megas. Any input would be appreciated!!

 

I love mine. For towing, I would never go back to an auto.

 

Rockcrawler,

How do you like the atlantic blue? I found a truck just like yours tonight with 30,000 mi, for 29,999. I think I am going to go test drive it tomorrow. What kind of mileage do you get with the 6sp?


However, I also found an 07 6.7L Mega w/stick and the same miles for the same price as the 06 5.9L. Do the sticks have the same engine problems that I read about with all the autos?..............too much to research and not enough time!!!!

 

I dig my 6spd. Shifts like butter. With the new autos out there, the days of the manual are probably coming to an end. If I could have gotten a 6spd auto, I would have.

 

with the early g56 its like having 4:10's, thats the only problem with them,no mega but weighs a lot more i get 15 out of mine on the hwy

 

First question, how much stop and go driving? If I lived in the city, the 6sp would be cumbersome for commuting.
The late model ('07 ??) 5.9, G56's have a little higher ratio 6th gear. Mine spins about 2300rpms at 75mph. The older ones were a couple hundred rpms higher.....not a problem if you're putting big tires on it.
The trans in my truck works flawlessly, other than the oem clutch won't hold more than about 60hp extra in 6th gear, keeps me from hot rodding it too much.
If I was going to get an auto, I'd get a 6.7 and take my chances with the emissions or tear all that stuff off.

 

I absolutely LOVE my 6-speed, it does the job nicely. I do as many miles towing distances as I do in town stop and go, the in-town shifting is really not a problem for me, I'd rather shift a lot in town vrs the tranny hunting all the time towing.

If you tow heavy, plan on getting a billet upgrade to the auto. I think the billet upgrade would serve to prevent much more costly tranny repairs later on, rebuilds are very expensive.

I have 42K on my G-56 and the clutch is as good as day one. The only change I plan to make to the clutch is to upgrade to a better aftermarket clutch/hydraulics when mine gives up the ghost. The small amount of difference in upgrading the clutch over stock is well worth the investment.

I am glad I got the 2006 G-56 vrs the 2007. While the 2007 does have a slightly better ratio that ends up getting a little better fuel economy, if you were to go to larger tires you'd loose your bottom end torque some. I put 35's on my truck, got about the same ration now as the 2007 without loosing the bottom end. Also, 35's put you at 2K rpm's at 65 mph, right at the sweet spot for our engines. I am seeing 15 mpg's towing 18K loads, right at 18-19 mpg running empty. What probably might make a difference for you vrs me is that I am driving in mountaneous, twisty stuff all the time. I live at 7K ft elevation and frequently go down to 3K ft elevation and up to 10K ft elevation, so a lot of altitude variables all the time. I have only once ended up in 4th gear on steep grades, but that was pulling a 24K load. Other than that, 5th gear, which is the towing gear has done the job just fine.

I can also say that my EGT's have been good towing with the G-56 in 5th. The highest I've seen is right at 1200. I do not know what the EGT's would be with the auto tranny, but I do know that Chris Brahs EGT's do run higher with the auto running empty - he and I have had some discussions about EGT's. The only differences between us is that he is running a Smarty and I am running stock, he is running 37's and I am running 35's, my truck is a 2006 and his is a 2007.

Like Grit Dog, if I was going to get an auto, I'd be looking at a 6.7L with the 6-speed auto, not the 5.9 with the 4-speed auto.

I've driven a stick for 45 years, it just seems a natural process to shift gears to me, goes with driving. The hydraulic assisted clutches are far less tiring/fatiguing than the old style clutches in traffic. I've owned one truck throughout all those years that was equipped with an auto - I will never have another auto. The repairs are really costly as compared to the standard and replacing a clutch now and then.



CD

 

I only tow about once or twice month on average and spend about 50/50 city/hwy/backroads. The one thing I always hated about my 05 was the 48re. I swear my 06 Hemi tows better because of the difference in trannies. The 05 obviously had way more power, but several of the grades that I drive for camping/hunting are 7-8% for 5+ miles and the 48re would do nothing but generate heat the whole time. I would have to back off nearly everytime to keep from frying the tranny. And this was only pulling a 6,500lb camping trailer. I've heard from many people that the 06 models work better than the 05's due to true OD lockout, but I am just really leery of an auto again.

It sounds like I need to find an 07 though, cause I have no intention of ever putting on larger tires. Would the 07 I found with the 6.7L be a bad move? I have no problem doing a DPF delete for "off road" use.

 

Would never go back to an auto if I keep towing and go off road from time to time. Dodge Autos just don't seem to have much design margin.

As shown in my sig. I get 19/20mpg for my work commute, hand calc. and I get 11 ish when I tow a 7K toyhauler. This all takes place at 5K feet so your results might be a little different. I also am kind of cheap these days, thanks pres, and spend lots of time trying to sqeeze the best milage out of it that I can.

 

I bought my 2007 with a 6 speed to haul our travel trailer. My first car was a stick, bought a F-150 when I graduated college, it was an auto, and did not want to buy a manual until I came across the deal I got on my current Dodge. Shifting is not a big deal, MPG is great, and I like the way it handles with my trailer. The 5.9 has more than enough power for what I need.
Happy Shopping.

 

Just an FYI, I bought my '06 Megacab in Aug '08 for $23.1k + TTL from a dealer just outside Austin. Had just under 21k on it. It's an auto. Around town (15 mi RT commute to work) I get 15-16mpg, hand calc. On the hwy I get 20-22mpg keeping it under 2k rpm (~72mph). When I tow my Jeep Wrangler I get about 13mpg. The Jeep and trailer weigh approx 5500lbs. I put it in the Tow/Haul mode and have no issues with the trans shifting frequently on hills. I love it!

I was looking for an '07 with the 5.9 but couldnt get a good deal on one so I went with the '06. I would have preferred a stick for the towing side of things but knew I'd not like it during traffic and commuting which would be 90% of the truck's life.

Doug

 

Thanks for all the replies. I wish I could drive back to the central/eastern states for a truck, everything is SO much cheaper over there. I think I am convinced to go with the G56. However, I have been finding out from a lot of dealers this week that no one wants a 1500 mega cab as a trade-in. So unless I can sell it on my own I think I am going to be stuck with it. Pretty bummed right now as I was really looking forward to having a diesel again.

On a brighter note, my wife just bought a 06 Jetta TDI..... I gotta say as much as I can't stand foreign cars the little diesel motor in that thing is awesome. She drove 104 miles today and it barely came off of full!

 

Good luck on selling the 1500 Mega. Depending on miles/condition, I'd say expect $15k tops if you sell it outright.
Around here everyone drives big trucks (except for the tree huggers) and there's a guy locally trying to sell a 1500 Mega Laramie with about 40k mi for teh last year now. It's been in the paper for over a year. He's down to $16k and it's still in the classifieds every day.