eco diesel 1500 or v6 pentastar 1500

cbsmith said:

I tow a 6500lb boat with my Hemi. It would have a lot less drag than a travel trailer. I have the 8 speed and 3.92 rear end. If I want to maintain 60mph going up a decently hill the truck will gear down enough to keep the RPM in the 3500-4500 range. I have pulled a couple of 8% grades and even at WOT it won't do much more than 50mph.

I can't imagine the v6 hauling that much weight in a travel trailer with half the torque. There is no way it would even be able to maintain speed.

Just because Ram says it can haul 7300lb doesn't mean it will do it up mountains or that it won't be hard on the engine.

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the question was whether it could do it, there are obviously tons of different scenarios in which it would be better to have a diesel, and/or him. I agree with you, I've gone up 7% grade, and was stuck at just over 55MPH with my TT. Then again, I only travel in the mountains once, maybe twice a year, if that much. It heavily depends on where he is, and what he's towing in regards to what state he's in, etc. The numbers posted on dodges website are what is safe to tow, not what's optimal for every imaginable scenario, then again, that's why the forum exists, i'd consider your feedback quite valuable.

Any kind of wind and you will wish you didn't have the gas v 6. With that weight and the billboard behinde you. You will be glad when you get where your going. You might need help getting your white knuckles pried off the steering wheel.

yillbs said:

the question was whether it could do it, there are obviously tons of different scenarios in which it would be better to have a diesel, and/or him. I agree with you, I've gone up 7% grade, and was stuck at just over 55MPH with my TT. Then again, I only travel in the mountains once, maybe twice a year, if that much. It heavily depends on where he is, and what he's towing in regards to what state he's in, etc. The numbers posted on dodges website are what is safe to tow, not what's optimal for every imaginable scenario, then again, that's why the forum exists, i'd consider your feedback quite valuable.

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Again, I think yillbs is correct. The OP indicated he'd be towing a travel trailer once a year, depending on his route this could be of little consequence with the V6. Also, it sounds to me like the OP is doing his due diligence in looking for the best value for his circumstances. While I don't disagree the Hemi is a fine choice as it relates to towing, if 95% of his driving is unloaded, or without a trailer, what's the point in spending $1500 on a Hemi, or $5000 on an Ecodiesel, when he'll never see the value if he's traveling across the southern states once a year and wouldn't see many hills? Where gas mileage on the ED is spectacular, the buy in is incredibly high. While the buy in on the Hemi is lower than the ED, gas mileage is terrible in comparison to the ED and not as good as the Pentastar.

As noted in my first post, he's in a difficult situation and, in some ways, the case could be made for either the Pentastar or the Hemi. Unless the OP plans on traveling A LOT, both unloaded and loaded, the ED really isn't a good value.

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If only towing once a year cross country can you not rent a truck? I know the local family owned used car dealership carries HEMI Rams and a couple F250 diesels and you can rent them by the day with unlimited mileage for about 50.00/day. Something to look into if yo are strictly going to tow once a year. For a 2 week trip thats 700/yr in a truck rental.

I have a 2015 with the V6 and the 3.21 gears. I have put 5,000 miles in the month I have had it and have been averaging 22.5 mpg (hand calc). On straight highway runs I have been getting 24.5 mpg. I don't tow...ever and I will never own a boat or a travel trailer, so this truck made sense to me. I don't even have a hitch on the truck currently.

Just had this debate. I went in with intention to buy the v6. Drove it, liked it. Got 21.7 on the test drive. They had a Hemi for the same price with same options. Drove it got 19.7 on exact same drive. Decided 2mpg wasn't enough difference to get that much less power.

So I got the Hemi and love it. Only 600 miles so far. Only averaging 16.8 right now but that 90% city driving and most of the time its running cold as by the time I get to work it isn't even warm.

My main deciding factor though was I like lifting and putting bigger tires and that would likely kill the 6 when towing

Plus, that Hemi will always put a huge smile on your face, you would of been lucky to have got out of your own way with the V6)))))))
I don't care if the V6 would get 30MPG, there is nothin' like puttin' that go peddle to the floor and hanging on.

I currently have the Outdoorsman with a Pentastar and love it. I ordered a new truck and had to get the Hemi only because here in Canada you can't get a CC, 6.4 bed with the Pentastar.

TerraNewf said:

I currently have the Outdoorsman with a Pentastar and love it. I ordered a new truck and had to get the Hemi only because here in Canada you can't get a CC, 6.4 bed with the Pentastar.

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Well come back and let me know if you like the hemi.

clh1220 said:

Any kind of wind and you will wish you didn't have the gas v 6. With that weight and the billboard behinde you. You will be glad when you get where your going. You might need help getting your white knuckles pried off the steering wheel.

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In reality the engine doesn't make any difference in this case, once you put a sizable 5000+ lbs travel trailer behind a half ton truck it's the tail wagging the dog. The max tow numbers are only useful when towing a flatbed with lumber or a dump trailer.

The V6 has 25% more power than the Eco-diesel, in daily driving that makes for a less sedate experience. It might scream at 5k+ RPM pulling a heavy load up the hill, and for people that do that frequently the Eco-diesel is the better choice.

csuder99 said:

In reality the engine doesn't make any difference in this case, once you put a sizable 5000+ lbs travel trailer behind a half ton truck it's the tail wagging the dog. The max tow numbers are only useful when towing a flatbed with lumber or a dump trailer.

The V6 has 25% more power than the Eco-diesel, in daily driving that makes for a less sedate experience. It might scream at 5k+ RPM pulling a heavy load up the hill, and for people that do that frequently the Eco-diesel is the better choice.

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Yes the engine does make a difference. In this case it's not the HP number's. It's the torque numbers that make a difference. Your 5k lb number is a bit low for a v8 half ton with 400 lbs of torque. Once your pulling 8k or more you might should look into a 2500. But defiantly not for 5k.

V6 has 270 lb/ft torque and 300 HP, application depending. Great for a Charger or Challenger that weighs a little over 4k. But motivating a 5200ish pound vehicle that has comparably poor aerodynamics and another 6k in trailer with additional poor aerodynamics seems like a lot. The Pentastar is a great option if you load the bed up with weight, or ride empty. Otherwise Hemi or EcoD for towing. I believe the EcoD weighs more though, so you'd be reducing payload even more on already fairly low rated pickups.

Ive have the hemi and the V6 in my jeep grand Cherokee. I own a 24 ft pursuit denali boat. About 7k roughly loaded up. I would not expect the V6 to tow that boat without it getting it ass kicked a bit. Now that's just an opinion from a person who has both engines from 2017. The V6 revs quick but doesn't have the torque I FEEL needed to be applicable when towing. Horse power is only good in regards to top end speed I read at some point. However there are more informed folks on this site then I.

clh1220 said:

Any kind of wind and you will wish you didn't have the gas v 6. With that weight and the billboard behinde you. You will be glad when you get where your going. You might need help getting your white knuckles pried off the steering wheel.

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Totally false, I had a tail wind the other day and was getting 35MPG going 65MPH!!!

To the OP, go over to the z forum to the 3.6l specific section. There's a gentleman who has a good right up on 3.6 Rams and travel trailers/campers.

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SitKneelBend said:

Totally false, I had a tail wind the other day and was getting 35MPG going 65MPH!!!

To the OP, go over to the z forum to the 3.6l specific section. There's a gentleman who has a good right up on 3.6 Rams and travel trailers/campers.

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Thought most would of been able to figure out I was talking about headwinds. Wow

clh1220 said:

Thought most would of been able to figure out I was talking about headwinds. Wow

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Many would and their sarcasm detectors would be going crazy...

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I had the v6 it is gutless. Hated the truck, shifts were sketchy. Choppy acceleration too. You are better off getting the ecoD. Better mileage more torque. And should last twice as long.