Originally Posted by SeaRay201

IMO, you're talking about the differences in a Bull and a kitty cat. No offense but, the Pilot being the kat. If your boat isn't big like you said... you're not even going to know it's behind you. Mine is a 19'6" Triton that weighs in around 3K. ( very small for my truck ) I forget I'm towing sometimes.........


All - I need some honest advice. I am looking for a tow vehicle that will pull my boat at 70-80mph pretty effortlessly. The hills are rolling within a 150 mile radius of Nashville. My current rig is a 2005 Honda Pilot & yes I know that it is over the tow rating. Here are my questions:

Is the 2500 5.9L Cummins:

1) A good reliable vehicle with no maintenance cost for at least 100K miles?

yes, it's a very good and reliable vehicle but you won't find any vehile that doesn't need some sort of maintenance. The Cummins engine is warrantied for 100K though.


2) Will it go down the freeway at less than 2500RPM @ 80mph?

Yep, my auto seems to effortlessly.


3) The manual 6 speed I am test driving seems to run high RPMs even with the 3.73 rear end. Is the automatic run any less RPMs?

it red lines at 3000rpm so, if you are up around there you must be on the peddle. I think the difference would be, you're able to hold the gear longer with the manual.


4) Will I have tie rod issues on the front end? It seems a popular thread I keep reading about?


Rams are known for the death wobble. It's something seen more on lifted trucks. I haven't seen much about tie-rods but, the OEM stuff is crap so, I wouldn't doubt it. If you're staying stock, you shouldn't have a problem.


5) It shows I'm are getting about 14mpg towing my boat at 45-55mph. Why does it drop to 11.5mpg at 70mph? Is this normal, because I see a lot of people getting 13 on the forums pulling larger boats than mine. Is this b/c of the manual tranmission? Realistically I'd like to tow at 80mph if I am going to get that mileage.


This is counteractive The faster you go, the more fuel you use hence worse mpg's. There's not a whole lot you can do about that. You will have to use some sort of electronics to get the most out of your mileage and performance. Even on it's own though..... you'll do better than a gasser.

I can average 17 to 19mpg @ 70mph using the Smarty. That with a 6" lift on 37's. I haven't checked that pulling my boat but, there's different softwares that can get me pretty close I bet.


Should I keep my Pilot which still have 50K left on the warranty or trade it in? As much as people tell me I'll need a new transmission some day it seems like many poeple on this forum don't have much better luck. Am I really going to happy? I will tell you that I will not be buying the Duramax. The mileage and feel of their trucks is not to my liking and the power band is only above 2500RPM in my opinion.

Yes, I would trade in a heart beat.