I have 03 Ford 6.0 --after six flashes, front springs, 4 injectors, and numerous sensors not to mention the body roll, I'm ready to switch to Dodge. How does Dodge compare
What the fuel economy like
What is the maintenance cost
Any problems with the 05 slt's

Help Confused Ford Owner

 

2huntforever, sorry the Ford didn't work out for ya. The 03's were a particularly bad year for the 6.0's. This is gonna be a tough answer to all you questions because the G56 (new 6speed in 05) is new. It replaces the NV5600. However, the new G56 is slightly lower geared than the NV5600. A rough analogy is that the G56 with 3.73 gears is similar in gearing to a NV5600 with 4.10 gear. Based on that info alone, you would expect new 05's with the G56 to have a slightly lower MPG than 04.5 with NV5600. Personally, my 04.5 with NV5600 is roughly a a 18.5 MPG 40/60 city/highway. After I put my Quad box on, I get a pretty reliable 19.3-19.5 MPG on same driving routes. On open highway I do around 21-22 mpg (These are stock numbers. I havent got a chance to do a long trip with the Quad box). I should note that I have 315/17/70 tires, so my highway RPM are a bit lower, and help on MPG. I know some will doubt my fuel numbers, but I got a father in law and brother in law, both with Ford 7.3L, that have verified them (Much to their dismay when they were getting around 15-17).

Maintenance costs should not dramatically differ from your Ford 6.0. You'll find that the Cummins is MUCH EASIER to work on thatn the 6.0. There's actually room under the hood to do things.

New problems? Well, off the top of my head, ball joints seem to be a recurring problem. Dodge went to a non greasable unit which seems to be failing. I'm starting to hear about more lift pump issues on the older 03-04.5 models. For 05, Dodge moved the lift pump to an in tank model, and all trucks with lift pump problems are being moved to the new in tank design. At one time death wobble was a problem on the 4x4, but I haven't heard much here lately on it.