hovisimo

lol, GM! that pretty much says it all. idk off the top of my head when the dmax makes peak torque but having driven one i know it's not at 1600rpm. no diesel i've ever driven matches the pulling power my truck has down low, period. i bet the allison doesn't stay locked up at 1200rpm.

Lrdchaos

You guys are so quick to slam the dmax and the chevys.....I would be willing to bet that most of the people talking smack about the dmax and allison combo have never rode in one. Yeah they don't sit has tall as the rams, but they weren't designed 2, and as far as that goes the people that own them love them and wouldn't want anything different. Yeah so we chose to ride in a truck that is rough as hell, that's our choice. As for durability my dad has an 02 and his has never been back to the shop, can't say that for my truck..... The dmax is a proven motor it has been around for 5 yrs and they haven't had any issues other than the injector issues when they first came out(which gm warrantied for 200k miles) I don't see dodge doing that on the new cummins they wan't to pass the blame onto the consumer. Not to mention that everyone talks like they are going to drive these trucks for 250k miles....thats bs. I bet 95% of our trucks never see 250k while we own them, so that is just a pointless statement. If it were true everyone on these boards would still have mid 90 truck. So before you start bashing the chevy dmax you might go deive one.....chances are you just might like it.

displacedtexan

That my friend is why I would never buy a GM.

I have heard so many people tell me how nice the GM trucks ride. Which is nice, but not what I look for in a truck.

The engine sounds great, but I would like to see it prove itself in the real world. Those Duramax boys are making quite a showing on the strip lately, but lets see how long this incarnation of the max is around...

grantx5

Time to sell your CTD and jump on over to the Chevy forums. If we wanted a DMAX we'd buy one.

I looked at them and drove an '04. The salesman spent the first hour telling me how great OnStar was. Who the ???? wants to talk about OnStar? The price was way too high and I didn't like the complicated interior.

My Ram is simple, to the point, and pulls like there's no tomorrow. Don't need to drive a Chevy or GMC to know I prefer the Dodge.

Good or not, its not a Cummins, never will be.

Lrdchaos

Not saying I wanted one, just saying that they are no dog like everyone is saying. Also pointing out a fact that the might cummins is not without its problems as well.

displacedtexan

Dude, not to argue, but noone is saying they are dogs... They get a lot of respect over here. Where they deserve it. The fact is this is the third design in five years. Thats a lot of change.

And they are fast trucks, the fastest 1/4 of our memberes is in a duramax. And one of the most respected first gen guys around here wants a Dmax.

They are good engines, but we like the Cummins better, that why we bought and drive Cummins.

countrycoach

The dmax was designed bye isuzu. All of you that say you want the straight axle front end why is that? For those that are off road all the time and need a lift kit I can understand. But for must of us truck owners we spend 99% of the time on the highway or on hard dirt. What is the advantage of having a straight axle? And for those that are in the mud alot the independent trucks handle mud better anyway! And if you are worried about tie rod breakage all you have to do is buy some sleves for 150.00 and problem solved. I will make a bet that all the hd trucks will be independent in 5 years. They ride better, handle better, sit lower to the ground with better groundclearnce. The only time I have seen a straight axle to be better is when in rocks... now how many of you are going to take your 50,000.00 trucks rock climbing? And when it comes to sled pulling, you can see that the independnt trucks are getting it done as good if not better than the straight axle.

displacedtexan

I like the SFA for static ground clerance, I know what it will clear, regardless of how compressed the suspension is.

I like the added ride hight they bring.

I like the simplicity and flex of the setup.

And the fact that the ride can be improved with IFS is a moot point in my world, I like the way my truck rides and handles.

infidel

And Dodge going from 1st gen to 12 valve to 24 valve in five years isn't?

To each his own, both are good trucks, it's just a matter of preference.

omaharam

About a month ago, my dad went shopping for a diesel truck - he likes mine a lot. He decided to drive the three major brands. I went with him.

1st - The Ford has a better (smoother) ride than the Dodge or Chevy.

2nd - We drove an 06 Max with the old engine and not the new one but it did have the 6 speed tranny. Of course we didn't hook up a load, but empty, the "unimproved" Max (with the Ally) felt stronger than the Ford or Dodge stock vs stock. I have no reason to doubt that the new engine is very impressive and comes on hard at the low rpm.

3rd - Yes, there are good and bad points about both the Max and the Cummins.

4th - yes, it's a matter of opinion/preference/etc.

5th - If the second overdrive results in better fuel economy along with the proven Allison tranny, I might convert. I'll never put 250k on a vehicle, and I'm sure the Max would last me 100 - 150k.

Got Juice?

If I was to buy a new truck it would be between the CTD and the DMX

Probably the nod would go to the CTD just because there is more aftermarket support for them and they ARE SIMPLER to work on.

That said, my DMX has been a very good truck for me.... 100,000++ miles and my spreadsheet shows lest cost of ownership for repairs, than my old dodge.

So far it is a wash. Though easier to service, less labor $$$$ the SFA in the Dodge cost more to service. DSS helped, Luke's link etc, but between ball joints, u joints, and that lovely 350$$$ trackbar the front end loved to EAT 200.00 tires.

If I could get a CTD with the Allison in my GM, that would be a perfect combination IMHO.

I like to keep my options open at this point. The new HO CTD's are getting no better mileage than my DMX, and in most cases... worse. Power costs in fuel economy... no suprise there. I'll wait and see what the LBZ brings to the table.

For now, my DMX is doing the job fine.

Looking at the HP list, It looks like the low end torque is not an issue either

displacedtexan

I thought the 12v stayed basicly the same in 94? Am I wrong?

I like the Dmax. Just not the rest of the truck. (I don't want an auto so the Allison is a non issue to me.)

FAY

I agree with you MCummings, the Allison automatic is the best truck transmission if you like an automatic. The Dodge automatic has going through a few years of updates, but it is no Allison equal yet. I am not an automatic adherant.

In 2003 the CTD had its peak torque set at 1400 rpm. I do not know why it now is set at 1600 rpm. Without knowing the torque curve for an engine the peak torque figure alone does not give the full story about performance. I just wounder how the new 2006 late fall Duramax updated diesel engine components will stand up when full torque is often applied at 1400 rpm. V engine configuration is not as robust as the inline configuration. When the drag racing and pulling crowd starts pouring the fuel to the new Duramax we will see what its durability happens to be at maximum stress. If some CTD blocks suffer under severe stress then many more beefed up Duramax blocks with also go down.

FAY

I agree with you MCummings, the Allison automatic is the best truck transmission if you like an automatic. The Dodge automatic has going through a few years of updates, but it is no Allison equal yet. I am not an automatic adherant.

In 2003 the CTD had its peak torque set at 1400 rpm. I do not know why it now is set at 1600 rpm. Without knowing the torque curve for an engine the peak torque figure alone does not give the full story about performance. I just wounder how the new 2006 late fall Duramax updated diesel engine components will stand up when full torque is often applied at 1400 rpm. V engine configuration is not as robust as the inline configuration. When the drag racing and pulling crowd starts pouring the fuel to the new Duramax we will see what its durability happens to be at maximum stress. If some CTD blocks suffer under severe stress then many more beefed up Duramax blocks with also go down.

countrycoach

I understand that having tq down low is a good thing... but how low is good? When I am cruising at 60 with a load, that is when I want my tq which happens to be around 17-1800 rpms. that 1400 rpm max tq does you no good if you want to sustain 60 up a long hill. To me anyway I would prefer a tq reading just below 2000 rpms. I might have the concept all wrong but how many of us pull a hill at 1400 rpms? I know if I get that low in o.d. that I will downshift to maintain a resonable pace up a hill so I don't get blown by. Correct me if my asumption is all wrong.

Thanks John Kruckeberg