How does the eco diesel make you feel?

Immortaldaul · Apr 19, 2017

Hey, there guys I've been dreaming of a diesel ram lately doesn't help that I know the owners of a repair shop in town. it's completely unreasonable but that mileage though I've always been able to say that's more truck than I need. that is until i started seeing the eco diesel I almost feel like it's taunting me with it's smaller size and better mileage. so what are the pros and cons for buying the ecodiesel over the Cummins powered 2500?

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jasonw · Apr 19, 2017

They are two almost entirely different beasts. The EcoDiesel is an "economy" light pickup that gets great gas mileage unloaded (for a truck), and can still tow a decent load on occasion.
The Cummins engines are for when you actually are going to tow something heavy that requires a HD (3/4 ton or higher) truck, at least half way frequently. They can still get decent mileage for what they are, but their focus is primarily pulling power, not economy.

All are good engines, but built for different purposes.

zrfraser · Apr 20, 2017

I guess it would come down to how much you actually tow/haul, and if the premium of the Ecodiesel is worth it. In my quest for a truck I looked at the ED briefly, but when I factored in the cost of oil changes, fuel, DEF, etc; the savings just wasn't there, which is why I picked the 3.6. I can haul a load of lumber from HD and pull a trailer with lawn equipment and get great gas mileage while doing it. They great thing about the enitre RAM lineup is all of the engine choices are great, you just have to pick what suits you best.

mohemipar · Apr 20, 2017

One thing to remember is, right now you cannot even buy an Eco Diesel off a lot because the EPA is "investigating" FCA. No one knows when it will be available to purchase again.

You also have to remember that buying a diesel is going to require you to deal with more oil changes, fuel filter changes and the regen process. If you do a lot of city driving and or short trips, you should stay away from a diesel. Odds are you will end up having issues with the emissions equipment. I'm not saying you fall in this category, but I think a lot of people today are buying diesels for just the novelty of it. I have heard a lot of EcoDiesels end up in the dealer needing emissions equipment replaced because people are not driving them or working them like a diesel should be. I am waiting on my new 2500 to be delivered and I contemplated getting a Cummins, its tempting as hell. But the big Hemi can do everything I will need it to with power to spare. And I am forced to do a lot of city driving during the week for work. No emissions BS, no changing fuel filters every year, yada yada. But of course it's just a big old gas motor.

If it were me, and I was really interested in a diesel and needed one, without a doubt I would just pay the premium and get the HD Cummins. It is the far superior motor and you can do a lot more with it. The Cummins is the best diesel being built right now. In an ideal world you would just delete it, but if you are under warranty or if your state requires emissions testing that is probably not an option.

Immortaldaul · Apr 20, 2017

mohemipar said:
One thing to remember is, right now you cannot even buy an Eco Diesel off a lot because the EPA is "investigating" FCA. No one knows when it will be available to purchase again.

You also have to remember that buying a diesel is going to require you to deal with more oil changes, fuel filter changes and the regen process. If you do a lot of city driving and or short trips, you should stay away from a diesel. Odds are you will end up having issues with the emissions equipment. I'm not saying you fall in this category, but I think a lot of people today are buying diesels for just the novelty of it. I have heard a lot of EcoDiesels end up in the dealer needing emissions equipment replaced because people are not driving them or working them like a diesel should be. I am waiting on my new 2500 to be delivered and I contemplated getting a Cummins, its tempting as hell. But the big Hemi can do everything I will need it to with power to spare. And I am forced to do a lot of city driving during the week for work. No emissions BS, no changing fuel filters every year, yada yada. But of course it's just a big old gas motor.

If it were me, and I was really interested in a diesel and needed one, without a doubt I would just pay the premium and get the HD Cummins. It is the far superior motor and you can do a lot more with it. The Cummins is the best diesel being built right now. In an ideal world you would just delete it, but if you are under warranty or if your state requires emissions testing that is probably not an option.

Yeah I don't think I'll succumb to diesel envy anytime soon but man I would love that mileage. On average I drive 25-30 minutes to work San Antonio is pretty big. But I don't think it would be beneficial to me to own a diesel just yet.

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Defuse · Apr 20, 2017

zrfraser said:
I guess it would come down to how much you actually tow/haul, and if the premium of the Ecodiesel is worth it. In my quest for a truck I looked at the ED briefly, but when I factored in the cost of oil changes, fuel, DEF, etc; the savings just wasn't there, which is why I picked the 3.6. I can haul a load of lumber from HD and pull a trailer with lawn equipment and get great gas mileage while doing it. They great thing about the enitre RAM lineup is all of the engine choices are great, you just have to pick what suits you best.

It's comical that people list DEF cost as a barrier of entry for a diesel. It cost me around $18-20 every 9,000-10,000 miles to fill up my DEF tank. If someone can't afford that then they should be looking at their life choices and not a diesel vs gas truck.

Also, my oil changes cost $75-90 depending on current oil prices. Again, not something to be concerned with.

mohemipar said:
You also have to remember that buying a diesel is going to require you to deal with more oil changes, fuel filter changes and the regen process.

Oil Change interval is 10,000 miles. Isn't that the same as the gas?
Fuel filter change is every 30,000 miles and costs $25.00
Regen process is automatic and you don't even notice it is occurring unless the DPF gets too full which will then display an EVIC notification. In 50,000 miles I have seen it once....

To the OP: I have a 55 mile drive to work and I average 25-28MPG in my ED with 3.92 gears. If you are someone that will maintain your vehicle then it does not matter if you get a gas or diesel as both will last a long time with an owner that takes care of it.

Mechanical failures happen with anything so all you can really do is stay on top of your maintenance and do your research. Also keep in mind that the vast majority of people that you read about complaining about the ED's are the ones that are having problems. The thousands of others that are not having any problems are just going about their day without an issue.

Immortaldaul · Apr 20, 2017

Defuse said:
It's comical that people list DEF cost as a barrier of entry for a diesel. It cost me around $18-20 every 9,000-10,000 miles to fill up my DEF tank. If someone can't afford that then they should be looking at their life choices and not a diesel vs gas truck.

Also, my oil changes cost $75-90 depending on current oil prices. Again, not something to be concerned with.

Oil Change interval is 10,000 miles. Isn't that the same as the gas?
Fuel filter change is every 30,000 miles and costs $25.00
Regen process is automatic and you don't even notice it is occurring unless the DPF gets too full which will then display an EVIC notification. In 50,000 miles I have seen it once....

To the OP: I have a 55 mile drive to work and I average 25-28MPG in my ED with 3.92 gears. If you are someone that will maintain your vehicle then it does not matter if you get a gas or diesel as both will last a long time with an owner that takes care of it.

Mechanical failures happen with anything so all you can really do is stay on top of your maintenance and do your research. Also keep in mind that the vast majority of people that you read about complaining about the ED's are the ones that are having problems. The thousands of others that are not having any problems are just going about their day without an issue.

Oil changes every 10k miles? I wish that were the same as gas try every 3-4k for conventional motor oil.

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Defuse · Apr 20, 2017

Immortaldaul said:
Oil changes every 10k miles? I wish that were the same as gas try every 3-4k for conventional motor oil.

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Join the rest of the population that uses synthetic oil and enjoy a better product with longer life.

Immortaldaul · Apr 20, 2017

Defuse said:
Join the rest of the population that uses synthetic oil and enjoy a better product with longer life.

Problem is my truck is old as hell. I'VE no idea of the previous owner used synthetic and it's been know to cause leaks switching from conventional to synthetic

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Defuse · Apr 20, 2017

Immortaldaul said:
Problem is my truck is old as hell. I'VE no idea of the previous owner used synthetic and it's been know to cause leaks switching from conventional to synthetic

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That would be a good consideration for you then regardless of the fuel type you end up with. There will be a definite cost savings to more than doubling your oil change interval.

The 3.0 ED uses 10.5 quarts of oil so that is more than the gas I believe.

mohemipar · Apr 20, 2017

Defuse said:
It's comical that people list DEF cost as a barrier of entry for a diesel. It cost me around $18-20 every 9,000-10,000 miles to fill up my DEF tank. If someone can't afford that then they should be looking at their life choices and not a diesel vs gas truck.

Also, my oil changes cost $75-90 depending on current oil prices. Again, not something to be concerned with.

Oil Change interval is 10,000 miles. Isn't that the same as the gas?
Fuel filter change is every 30,000 miles and costs $25.00
Regen process is automatic and you don't even notice it is occurring unless the DPF gets too full which will then display an EVIC notification. In 50,000 miles I have seen it once....

To the OP: I have a 55 mile drive to work and I average 25-28MPG in my ED with 3.92 gears. If you are someone that will maintain your vehicle then it does not matter if you get a gas or diesel as both will last a long time with an owner that takes care of it.

Mechanical failures happen with anything so all you can really do is stay on top of your maintenance and do your research. Also keep in mind that the vast majority of people that you read about complaining about the ED's are the ones that are having problems. The thousands of others that are not having any problems are just going about their day without an issue.

Buying DEF itself would not be concern for me and I never said that. The only issue I have heard about DEF is some people have it freeze on them. Cummins schedule says change the oil every 15k miles/ 6 months / 500 engine hours. Whichever comes first. Gas engine Mopar says go 8k miles or twelve months. You get more mileage out of the Cummins between changes but the time interval is less. I would let a gas engine slide at a year on synthetic before a Cummins. Cummins I would follow the 6 month recommendation. The fuel filter(s) are every 15k miles on the Cummins. And I understand the regen process is automatic. The point is, if you do short trip city driving, the regen will not complete fully and temps will not get high enough. There are all kinds of issues that can pop up with the emissions system if the regen isn’t completed properly on a regular basis. Just because yours has been fine it doesn’t mean other people aren’t having issues. Ask any tech at a Mopar dealership, by far the only reason they see Cummins trucks in the shop is because of emissions equipment BS. Its not even just Rams, same with GM. Don’t know much about Ford but I’d assume them as well.

Defuse · Apr 20, 2017

mohemipar said:
Buying DEF itself would not be concern for me and I never said that. The only issue I have heard about DEF is some people have it freeze on them. Cummins schedule says change the oil every 15k miles/ 6 months / 500 engine hours. Whichever comes first. Gas engine Mopar says go 8k miles or twelve months. You get more mileage out of the Cummins between changes but the time interval is less. I would let a gas engine slide at a year on synthetic before a Cummins. Cummins I would follow the 6 month recommendation. The fuel filter(s) are every 15k miles on the Cummins. And I understand the regen process is automatic. The point is, if you do short trip city driving, the regen will not complete fully and temps will not get high enough. There are all kinds of issues that can pop up with the emissions system if the regen isn’t completed properly on a regular basis. Just because yours has been fine it doesn’t mean other people aren’t having issues. Ask any tech at a Mopar dealership, by far the only reason they see Cummins trucks in the shop is because of emissions equipment BS. Its not even just Rams, same with GM. Don’t know much about Ford but I’d assume them as well.

If your DEF freezes on you then you are not maintaining the vehicle properly. That is something that is 100% avoidable.

I never said that people were not having issues. I said that those that are having issues are the ones talking about it on the internet. People that are not having issues are not talking about it simply because the truck is operating as it should and it's a non issue.

A tech will talk about what they have worked on which will be vehicles that have had problems. I don't think anyone here is stating that any vehicle regardless of it's fuel type does not have problems.

xrsman · Apr 21, 2017

I love my ecodiesel! It gets amazing fuel mileage, it's fun to drive, and had tons of torque for pulling trailers.

Oil changes cost me the same as they did with my Hemi, but the ED requires less frequent oil changes.

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Immortaldaul · Apr 21, 2017

xrsman said:
I love my ecodiesel! It gets amazing fuel mileage, it's fun to drive, and had tons of torque for pulling trailers.

Oil changes cost me the same as they did with my Hemi, but the ED requires less frequent oil changes.

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Gonna have to talk with my diesel shop owning buddies and see what the heck is have to say. Can you upgrade it in a small box similar fashion you would a Cummins?

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xrsman · Apr 21, 2017

Immortaldaul said:
Gonna have to talk with my diesel shop owning buddies and see what the heck is have to say. Can you upgrade it in a small box similar fashion you would a Cummins?

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There are tunes out there for it.

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Immortaldaul · Apr 21, 2017

xrsman said:
There are tunes out there for it.

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Yeah I just saw that on YouTube lol. Can't help but wonder if you could put a bigger turbo though. Not that I would that's a lot of money to blow up lol

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xrsman · Apr 21, 2017

Immortaldaul said:
Yeah I just saw that on YouTube lol. Can't help but wonder if you could put a bigger turbo though. Not that I would that's a lot of money to blow up lol

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Yes there are a few companies making compound turbo kits, and larger turbo for them

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Immortaldaul · Apr 21, 2017

xrsman said:
Yes there are a few companies making compound turbo kits, and larger turbo for them

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Have you seen this? https://youtu.be/-lgyPaOpnr4

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xrsman · Apr 21, 2017

Immortaldaul said:
Have you seen this? https://youtu.be/-lgyPaOpnr4

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Yeah those guys do some pretty sweet builds!

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Immortaldaul · Apr 21, 2017

xrsman said:
Yeah those guys do some pretty sweet builds!

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I'd like two see someone make a badass off road machine out of an ecodiesel

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How does the eco diesel make you feel?

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