So after seeing a zillion duramaxes around me I finally got to drive one. My neighbor threw me the keys to his 06' Chev 2500 crew cab 4x4 Dmax. Its lifted 6", on 35s and has a bullydog powerpup with the outlook monitor.

So I went out, first trying the stock power level, impressive I thought, pulls nice and hard. Compared the the 6.7 I drove last week, it was very close. Then I started playing with the performance and extreme levels. Holy heck these new computerfangled diesels move! Definately put me in my seat and then some. Being a Cummins diehard, I'll come right out and say it, the Dmax impressed me. Nice and smooth, don't really care for the V8 diesel sound, turbo spoolup was fairly quick and it whistled pretty good. If I had a choice I think I'd still choose a new CTD over the Dmax, but the Dmax would be very close second.

Besides it being a V8 diesel, I see nothing wrong with a duramax. IMO they are really starting to prove themselves, even if they are a light duty motor.

Needless to say, when I can comfortably afford a new truck (in a few years) I'm definately going to join up with you computer geeks . But the 12V still has a place in my heart, it just needs some more attention in the power department

 

The Dmax is no joke in the speed department...

I love the simplicity of my 12v, but would love to plug something in and give it a go...

 

The dmax has definitely proven itself to be a good motor. Glad to see someone actually giving credit where credit is due. Sometimes i just roll my eyes at some of the posts on here and the mentality that some members have ---> "cummins is the best and everything else is junk, and no other motor can possibly compete with it!" The cummins is a great motor, but there are other good ones out there too.

 

A good friend of mine traded his '05 CTD Dodge (that was getting 9-10 MPG, it's a really long story) for a new '05 Chevy Duramax/Allison 4X4 Quad Cab Long Bed. I was very impressed with how it ran in stock condition. Shortly after it was new I installed an Edge Juice Attitude on it for him. Wow! The thing would fly! I keep telling him that a better exhaust system would do wonders for it and get the EGTs down. The Allison tranny really complements a nice package. I remember working at the dealer when we first found out about the Duramax and laughed at the fact that they were putting aluminum heads on a diesel....

 

I love how well they respond to simple mods. Plug in a tuner in 5 minutes, and it's a different truck. Granted, it's not free like grinding a plate for a 12V, but easy enough. My mother's 02 is getting new injectors courtesy of GM, and there is talk of throwing some stuff at it to make it 'more fun to drive', as she says.

 

Someone posted in a different thread about Ford discontinuing their I-6 becaue of the low HP. I think the Cummins is in the same boat. In my opinion, large inline motors don't produce as much HP because of their ability to rev up to higher RPM's. The V configuration, as on the Duras and Strokes, have better HP ratings but I don't think they will last as long. I think the V configuration is more prone to cylinder wall wear on the ground side because of gravity. It might be minimal, but over the course of several hundred thousand miles, I think it takes its toll. Heck, why do you think almost every engine that is designed to run for a long time is an inline configuration.

If I'm looking for a vehicle to go fast and beat everything on the road, I'm not going to build a Cummins to do that. If I want a engine that will have piles of low end torque and last a half a million miles, I'm going to get a Cummins.

So it all comes down to what you want. Speed and HP or torque and long life.

 

well theres lots of very very fast cummins with loads of hp and trq. good luck with which ever one you choose. since its not a cummins apparently, i hope its atleast a duramax

brett

 

that makes pretty good sense, but the cummins can be very fast pretty easily. I mean there's a 12v ram that runs in the 9.7 second quarter mile.

Definently cummins for low end pulling power though, my truck holds speed on hills like nothing i've ever drivin. But mines definently not a stoplight racer with the 5spd, but doing roll-ons it's fast and I don't really have any mods done yet. I'd get smoked by anything with a auto, lol.

 

Thats whats really makes them good, I've seen them in truck pulls around my area and there is one Dmax with a manual trans, can't even come close to what the auto guys can do distance wise.

 

My dad has an 05 duramax, and I like it. It will definitely scoot on down the road pretty good, and real quiet at that. Its a great highway truck, and it puts my 12v to shame. It can accelerate up the hill leaving my driveway as fast with a jd 4320 and 24' gn as my dodge can empty. Yes I would trade my truck for it, but before yall flame...my $6k truck for a $47k-sticker truck. I wouldnt pay for one.

 

I am fairly impressed with the duramax , I have driven them all , and if it wasn't for cost , who knows I might even own a duramax.

I drove PSD's all last summer for work , and now i drive a Duramax , the 6L PSD doesn't hold a candle to the duramax...

As far as comparing my lightly bombed 12v to a stock duramax , it's not a really fair comparison , the D max is 10 years newer , but i'm sure ( going by SOTP meter) that it is faster. I like the cockpit of my dodge more , the chevy seems to sit you down too low in the cab.

 

Oh I've got a Cummins already. I wanted an engine that was virtually unstoppable so that's what I went with. During my diesel research I found several trucks posting HP and Torque ratings and the V-8's seemed to produce much more HP than the Cummins' did. There is no doubt they are able to stand up to the competition, but I just think the Cummins is better suited to last long and tow big.

 

there is more duramax's winning around here than dodges thats for sure, and there is alot more dodges, we pull just as heavy loads with duramax's on and off the track as a dodge and will run right with or leave them, i dont care what people say, i see duramax's take the top 5 positions ALOT week in and week out anymore in the 2.5 charger class, you know the class that takes a AFTERMARKET charger on a cummins to compete against a STOCK charger duramax. dont mean to make anybody mad or start a war, just stating facts.

 

Logan, what are you even talking about? Please use proper grammar so the rest of us can understand your babbling.

I agree that the D-Max is a nice motor, but I have yet to see a comparable D-Max beat a Cummins truck at any of the pulls I have been too. They will take them on the track most of the time, but the pulls are owned by Dodge's, and anything else with a Cummins. I do not believe the Cummins is the say all, end all of diesel pickups, but for pulling, a 12V motor will pull well beyond any D-Max for the amount of money required to get into it. Also, in the 2.8 class who is cleaning up? The D-max has proven it will outpull any Ford, or even a good number of Dodge's, but its only if they have the money to spend, not only is the initial investment considerably higher, but modifications are more expensive as well.

Try comparing apples to apples, not apples to watermelons.

 

Your dreaming, Logan is right. There are some GOOD running Dmax's around here and most of them dominate the work stock, and street class and most haven't done many mods. Except for tie rod sleves/centerlink, and some transmission upgrades most of the mods are programming. Believe what you wish but your not going to put a programmer/box on a dodge and keep up using the stock charger.