Mini_Donkeys

As I say in my other thread. I really like the lloks of the Dodge compared to the Chevy's and other trucks? But, I have always been raised around Chevy's. I do not know a whole **** load about vehicles. (One's that drive down the road that is). (I know everything I need to know about my mud bogging dune buggy, my Polaris 4 wheeler, and my snow digging Polaris snowmobile). Anyways, I would like to know what is the big difference between the Chevrolet Duramax Diesel, and the Dodge Cummins Turbo Diesel. I would like to know the difference when it comes to horsepower (Oh, Oh, Oh, got to love the power). Fuel Mileage, Towing Capacity, Options, etc. I live in a very small town and the closest Dodge dealer is quite a distance away. And I do not trust the salesman, as most of them would tell you everything and anything you want to hear, to make the sale. And when they see a women coming, they automatically think that the words (STUPID, or, EASY SALE, SUCKER) suddenly appear on my forehead. Anyways, any feedback would be greatly appreciated. As I am now looking to buy a vehicle, I would like to know everything that I could learn, before I walk onto the lot. Thanks again to everyone that has helped on my journey, to finding this website, and for all the people that have given me advice.

HOHN

Dodge: workhorse. Not the most comfortable, and has a few weak points, but an all around great truck.

Chev: very comfortable, and doesn't mind work, but doesn't LOVE the work like the Dodge. Has a difference blend of strong and weak points.

I prefer the Dodge because the weak points are well known and pretty easy to fix or live with. The strong points of the Dodge are VERY strong, and I love the anvil-like toughness the truck has in a lot of areas.

jh

2whistlers

If you are buying new, I don't think you will mind the ride of the new Dodge's at all. Granted the Chevrolet's feel like 4 wheel drive cars comparitively and work just fine, there is no substitute for the inline six cylinder Cummins that resembles nearly every engine in the trucking industry. Great longevity from these engines if properly maintained. I know the Chevy's haven't been out near as long, but in a Dodge magazine I have they have a "Million-mile club" and everything else up to that as well. Just my .02.

Tiger Rag

Personally I think the Dodge rides much, much better than the GMC. My brother has an 05 GMC and he agrees as well. The new Dodges drive great. They are slightly firmer but have better handling. The GM's are too soft and parade floatish to me.....not as bad as the Fords, but that's a whole other story.
Strongest point of the Dodge is the Cummins. Strongest on the GM is the Allison transmission. D-max has aluminum heads that can warp on long pulls in the mountains and have had some injector problems. Dodge auto's in stock form can fail if you pump the horsepower to the Cummins. There are some good options in upgrading the Dodge transmissions to make them nearly bulletproof to pile the HP up. The Cummins is just a better engine to get 3-400,000+ miles out of without much trouble, plus it sounds better than a v-8 diesel in my opionion.

Don Baggett

It really comes down to what you like best. I have been a Chevrolet person for many years, but I really love my Dodge truck. I would suggest you get the best "online" price you can on whatever you buy, so that you will have an idea of whether the dealer is giving you a good price.

duratothemax

the rods, cam gear pin, and injectors are all valid "picking on" points for the duramax, anyone who says the aluminum heads are a problem is ASSUMEING. They have not proven to be one bit a problem, dont "warp" and "melt down" like everyone thinks when they hear "aluminum head". Isuzu did do their homework on the head design because they dont warp, and will hold more (aftermarket) boost without studs than the cummins. (keep in mind tho when you heavilly mod it, the dmax bottom end will fall apart way before the cummins)

the aluminum head assumptions annoye me almost as much as "ford owns cumminGs"


anyway, drive all three and drive which one "feels" right. Everyone has an underlying gut feeling which truck they want, but feel guilty straight up buying that brand without "trying all the others first". Buy which one feels right in your gut. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. Some are stronger in some areas than others; there is no perfect truck.

good luck

ben

2whistlers

But there are 6.4 Liter Fords.

zulusafari

This is an excellent post. I can't agree more! There is no perfect truck, and use determines many points of good or bad. I love my dodge for many reasons: Looks, Sound, Engine, Power, etc. On really long trips, unloaded, I wish it rode smoother. I added much heavier and stiffer wheels and tires to it, so I made it worse, but it is a rough ride empty. That smooth, car-like ride of the Chevrolet would be nice sometimes. Other times, I really appreciate the load handling ability and ride of my truck when pulling a heavy load or stacked full in the bed. I have had full pallets of patio blocks in the back, and it rode like a caddy! Leveled the truck, too!

Try them both, buy whichever one you like better, and don't sweat it. The Cummins Engine may last a lot longer than the Chevy Duramax, based solely on component size and real world numbers, but there are many D-max's out there working hard to narrow or close that gap, putting that variable to bed with the warped cyl. heads. The truck is likely to fall apart around the engine in our trucks, but I have found my Dodge trucks always performed better if I ran them regularly, and worked them hard. As soon as I let them sit for extended periods, they had problems with seals, electrical, fuel systems, etc. Get one and use it!

zulusafari

I am on the fence on this issue yet. I don't have any reason to really believe the 6.4 can be better than the 6.0, but it is too soon to really tell. There aren't enough out there yet to make me love or loathe them. I have seen a couple around my work place, and I find them "unattractive" as mildly as I can put it! I hope for the outrageous amount of money they cost, they become more reliable!