I'd rather have tranny problems instead of engine problems. Plus they ride like cars, if I wanted a car I would have bought a Cadi

Kyle

 

I love dodges, To me I lucked out just happen to be that my favorite car company also picked the best engine! Other than that.........Also heard good things about the cummis, way before I had my ram.

 

I was more impressed with the Cummins than anything. Had heard the reliability and mileage kudos over the years, and loved the "box o rocks" rattle they used to have. The tranny is fair, mine seems to have picked up the 3rd gear grinding. Also have the 30 mph rear end howl when it's cold. Sheet metal is paper thin, and the paint is soft and chips easy. However, my '03 Chevy 1/2 ton had paper thin sheet metal, soft paint, and the Autotrac transfer case which had a habit of quitting working at most inopportune moments. That, and the most fatal flaw of all. It was a gasser.

 

Eileen, you'll notice that out of all the answers over there on the 'Max site, not one person said "I got it because I'll get 300,000 miles out of the engine." I bought my Dodge with the Cummins option because I'll get 300,000 miles out of the engine, and probably a lot more. And you'll notice that I'm already nearly 1/3 of the way there.

 

Wheres the link for the Dura-Maxi-Pad thread?

 

I worked on diesel engines from 1969 TILL 1990 trucking, construction and found the Cummins Engine to be the most reliable, average life span between overhaul was 350,000 to 500,000 miles, this pulling loads maxed at 72,800lb and 70 mph. These engines were exteremly dependable.
When Dodge first introduced the Cummins engines in their trucks I've wanted one. I finally was able to purchase a new truck this year and I'm really having a tough time removing the grin from my face.

 

How many million mile Chevy diesels are out there? I can't think of a single one...

But I know of at least 3 million mile Ram CTDs in Ohio alone.

 

It's kinda funny. The guys on the chevy site listed all the things they liked about chevy, and those are basically the same reasons I got rid of mine. One issue was the noise of the old cummins. My dad has a 04.5 dodge and the **** thing is too quiet. The noise never really bothers me. Yeah, I've got to shut it off at the drivethrough, but the way I see it is that if it's a diesel, it should make noise. That's what diesels do. I know there's people on here who bought a new dodge because they don't make as much noise as the older ones, but I like my noise.

 

I owned a 2001 Duramax 2500 4x4 w/Allison, the engine & transmission were awesome, the lowrider frame was irritating, and the suspension was junk for anything other than commuting (I called it a car with a bed).
Duramax and Powerstroke are medium duty engines also - used in medium duty trucks just like the Cummins.

 

I basically bought the dodge for 2 reasons:

1. One of my best friends works for the local Dodge dealership (one of the top 20 in the US)
this translated into a great deal on the truck, parts at cost, No warranty issues with boxes, ect.., use of the bay at night and on weekends, free oil changes, and very reduced labor rates from the cummins tech after hours.

2. I worked at FedEx for a few years and all the trucks had the 5.9. After seeing what hell they could go through, I had to have one in my personal vehicle.

I really like the D/A combo, but when it came down to it, it just made more sense to go with the Dodge. Nothing against Chevy/ GMC.

 

Looks like the GM owners bought it for the allison transmission.

 

Inline 6 versus V8. Case closed.

Certain configurations lend themselves more readily to one application over the other. Diesels like to be 'undersquare', that is, to have a longer stroke than bore. V8's do not lend themselves well to this whereas inline sixes have no problem with it.

Torque is what diesels are all about. Long stroke makes generating high torque at low rpm easy. Easy to do in an inline 6.

Inline 6 makes for a clean, simple design when turbocharging--not a basket of snakes of exhaust piping running from two banks to the turbo. More room in the engine compartment, therefore easier maintenance. Fewer parts to break--fewer gaskets to leak.

There is something to be learned from class 8 trucks-- other than the old Detroits, the V8 has never made inroads into that market.

 

I was going to buy a gm D-max/Alison combo. I did alot of research before I bought. I spoke with alot of "Chevy Men" and noticed that they were driving (hauling with) Dodge trucks. They had complaints about longgevity of the D-max, fuel delivery and oil leaks. The chevy did have (IMHO) a nicer interior and would be a nice light duty truck to drive for 100,000 miles. If your going to keep the truck for 100,000 miles I would have to say go Dodge. I love my Dodge and plan on keeping it for a long time. The Chevy guys spoke of a quieter motor but I read an article that measured the decible levels of the big three diesels and they were all very close to eachother.

 

You know y'all, I've read about all three brands at their appropriate web sites. I've seen brand loyalty (yeah, I got it too) and I've chosen to get involved in brand bashing. It got me no where. My opponents got no where. But I sure did enjoy it. I read about the good, bad and ugly, with the latter two being most prevalent on the sites. All three brands have strong and weak points. All three brands are the best truck in the world.....until one of 'em lands inside a garage. Then they're the biggest piece of dung in the world. After they get fixed, the world is happy again. You find the one that suits your needs and roll the dice. Maybe you'll get lucky. OTOH all three brands are junk. For the $$$$$.$$ they cost, they should never break down. But sooner or later they all do in some way shape, form or fashion. They are made by an imperfect man. Imperfect man produces imperfect "stuff". But we continue to try harder to perfect the imperfect. It's our calling.

My .02. Sorry if I offended anyone.

 

Six reasons, better torque, better transmission, better fuel economy, better warranty, better handling, and everyone who tows anything owns a Dodge Cummins Turbo Diesel!