Silverado for ram 2500 6.4 need opinions

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Slow3r

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Iv been a GM truck man since before I could drive. It has been all I have owned.

I bought a brand new 2014 Silverado 1500 5.3 4x4 3.42 gears at the end of 14. It has been by far the biggest POS I have ever owned. Countless dealer visits, countless hours in waiting rooms, im sick of it. I like the looks and mylink with my truck, but thats it. It has zero throttle response, feels gutless. 6sp never shifts right, drive line clunk is crazy, among other issues. I just cant do it anymore. My nephews 20 year old ford F150 is a pleasure to drive compared to mine. Im just really really gonna miss the mylink and phone app.


With that said I need the good and bad on the 2017 Ram 2500 with the 6.4 Hemi. Im looking for all experiences with these trucks. Great to terrible I want to hear them. Thanks!
 

Gump

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Why go to a 3/4 ton? The 1500 Hemi will run circles around that 5.3.
 

yillbs

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Iv been a GM truck man since before I could drive. It has been all I have owned.

I bought a brand new 2014 Silverado 1500 5.3 4x4 3.42 gears at the end of 14. It has been by far the biggest POS I have ever owned. Countless dealer visits, countless hours in waiting rooms, im sick of it. I like the looks and mylink with my truck, but thats it. It has zero throttle response, feels gutless. 6sp never shifts right, drive line clunk is crazy, among other issues. I just cant do it anymore. My nephews 20 year old ford F150 is a pleasure to drive compared to mine. Im just really really gonna miss the link and phone app.


With that said I need the good and bad on the 2017 Ram 2500 with the 6.4 Hemi. I'm looking for all experiences with these trucks. Great to terrible I want to hear them. Thanks!

Oh.. you poor thing. Uconnect when properly equipped blows my link out the water lol. Remote start from the phone, live tracking, vehicle health reports, locks, unlocks phone texting from the screen, auto replies, etc. It's just a better system. So is the 8-speed tranny on the dodge line, it'll make your chevy feel naughty.

Let's talk about 2500 though... unless you strictly need it for towing, I'd suggest you get a better equipped 1500 with the cash you'll save from 2500. Firstly, the 6.4 is not really that much more powerful than the 5.7, we're talking about, what, 15 HP, maybe 25 pounds or torque? It's a good motor, but it's by no means considerably better than the 5.7. In fact.. when you factor in weight, etc, it's more of a lateral move, rather than an upgrade. So, if you don't need it for towing, please look at the 1500's, it's going to have more room than the chevy, it'll have more power ( by a lot ) than the chevy, and it'll look better than the chevy.

That said... if you want 2500, it's a solid truck, the motor is solid, and it has excellent towing capabilities.

Good luck!
 
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Slow3r

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I bought a big enclosed trailer recently. I honestly miss bigger trucks. I miss my 1 ton on 40's. If I get the new one, it will just be a level and 35's

There is no way I could get past the dial shifter in the half tons, thats just not right lol. I did drive one 8sp hemi when mine was in the shop, it was a smooth shifting, truck with good power I must say. I squealed the tires pulling out of the lot because im so use to mashing the gas on the silverado to get it to move.
 
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Slow3r

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I also need a full crew with a 6 1/2 bed. I can't get that with ram half tons.
 

Dmopar74

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The tranny in the 6.4 is also somewhat of a pain in my ass, under a load it's great. Unloaded it like to lug around. It's a beast though
 

clh1220

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I also need a full crew with a 6 1/2 bed. I can't get that with ram half tons.

I've got a crew cab 1500 laramie with the 6.4 bed. And the dial shifter is basically a silly reason not to get the best half ton transmission out there. When you start it you turn the dial to the right to go ,then to the left when you put it in park. What makes a column shifter any different really. It's just a gear selector. I had a 08 Z71 5.3 373 gears,and both of my rams 8 gear 3.21 ran circles around it.
 
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yillbs

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I've got a crew cab 1500 laramie with the 6.4 bed. And the dial shifter is basically a silly reason not to get the best half ton transmission out there. When you start it you turn the dial to the right to go ,then to the left when you put it in park. What makes a column shifter any different really. It's just a gear selector. I had a 08 Z71 5.3 373 gears,and both of my rams 8 gear 3.21 ran circles around it.

Yup, the 8 speed has an effective gear ratio that is better than most if not all other other half tons. The 8 speed makes other trucks look like pansies.
 
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Slow3r

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I've got a crew cab 1500 laramie with the 6.4 bed. And the dial shifter is basically a silly reason not to get the best half ton transmission out there. When you start it you turn the dial to the right to go ,then to the left when you put it in park. What makes a column shifter any different really. It's just a gear selector. I had a 08 Z71 5.3 373 gears,and both of my rams 8 gear 3.21 ran circles around it.

Did you order your truck? We have a huge ram dealer here. I didn't see any crews that weren't short beds.
 

yillbs

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Did you order your truck? We have a huge ram dealer here. I didn't see any crews that weren't short beds.

Right now, with inventory the way it is, you're going to need to order it. :(

How much does your trailer weigh? The larger bed is nice, I have a crew + short bed ( preference ), but i guess based on your needs, the 2500 might be best for you, it's just a shame, because you get so much more truck for your money if you go half ton.
 

clh1220

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Did you order your truck? We have a huge ram dealer here. I didn't see any crews that weren't short beds.
No i didnt but I did search for it. I had to go 325 miles to get it. Made the deal on the phone. They are there but you have to look. I looked for days online to find it. Some of the listing don't say 6.4 bed crew. When you see a picture of one the bed is bigger from.the cab to wheel well. Then under specs wheelbase is 149in.
 
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Slow3r

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Right now, with inventory the way it is, you're going to need to order it. :(

How much does your trailer weigh? The larger bed is nice, I have a crew + short bed ( preference ), but i guess based on your needs, the 2500 might be best for you, it's just a shame, because you get so much more truck for your money if you go half ton.

It's only 6k -7k loaded. But I feel way more comfortable pulling it with a family members 3/4 ton.
 

Hootbro

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It's only 6k -7k loaded. But I feel way more comfortable pulling it with a family members 3/4 ton.

Yeah, for that, stick to getting a 2500. I had 2014 Silverado also and my experience with it echo yours.
 

2015HD

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x3 on the 2014 Silverado disappointment. The issues I had were with AFM, once I bought a device to disable it I was MUCH happier with the truck. That said, I still traded it for my RAM because I needed the 2500 towing capabilities.
 

Andrew09HEMI

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I love my 2500 6.4 and Im more than happy with the 6 speed. I often feel people find any way to complain about their cars/trucks, but all modern cars transmissions will shift to the highest gear quickly for fuel conservation when not under heavy load. As far as the power goes, its a different beast than the 5.7, having forged internals and a design that'll handle heat and heavy loads. I drove a 5.7 2500 before and that "little" amount of power difference is significant.

As far as issues go, you're going to have people that have had nothing but issues with it and some that have none at all. Being on its 3rd year most of the issues with the motor themselves seemed to have been fixed, wrist pin failures specifically. The 6.4 is a thirsty motor, I avg 12 mpg around town 13-16 highway depending on fuel, winter blend sucks! For a 2500 it drive extremely well, the wife and I were both really impressed with the trip to Pittsburgh couple weeks ago. Going through the mountains, 3.73s held it back some, get 4.10s if you can. But even still it was a dream to drive as a big ass truck. Mileage loaded is 8-10 depending on where you're at location wise.
 

huntergreen

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also used to be a GMC guy. last one was a 91 gmc reg cab 8 ft bed. SLT model with a 350 engine. drove it for 140000 + miles. came to ram in 03 for the cummins and quad cab after the kids were born. i have had 3 rams and 0 issues.
 

Devin1349

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Have you looked at the Power Wagon??? just an idea
 

clh1220

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I love my 2500 6.4 and Im more than happy with the 6 speed. I often feel people find any way to complain about their cars/trucks, but all modern cars transmissions will shift to the highest gear quickly for fuel conservation when not under heavy load. As far as the power goes, its a different beast than the 5.7, having forged internals and a design that'll handle heat and heavy loads. I drove a 5.7 2500 before and that "little" amount of power difference is significant.

As far as issues go, you're going to have people that have had nothing but issues with it and some that have none at all. Being on its 3rd year most of the issues with the motor themselves seemed to have been fixed, wrist pin failures specifically. The 6.4 is a thirsty motor, I avg 12 mpg around town 13-16 highway depending on fuel, winter blend sucks! For a 2500 it drive extremely well, the wife and I were both really impressed with the trip to Pittsburgh couple weeks ago. Going through the mountains, 3.73s held it back some, get 4.10s if you can. But even still it was a dream to drive as a big ass truck. Mileage loaded is 8-10 depending on where you're at location wise.

If he is going to tow the trailer allot ,he might as well get the 2500. You compared 6.4 and 5.7 in a 2500. That does make a bigger difference. But a 5.7 in a 1500 8 speed compared to a 6.4 in a 2500 doesn't make a real difference. The salesman was pushing a 2500 6.4 and to be honest with you it didn't feel near as powerful as my 5.7. He will pick up some fuel milage and better ride with a 1500. And his trailer is not to big for a 1500
 

yillbs

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If he is going to tow the trailer allot ,he might as well get the 2500. You compared 6.4 and 5.7 in a 2500. That does make a bigger difference. But a 5.7 in a 1500 8 speed compared to a 6.4 in a 2500 doesn't make a real difference. The salesman was pushing a 2500 6.4 and to be honest with you it didn't feel near as powerful as my 5.7. He will pick up some fuel milage and better ride with a 1500. And his trailer is not to big for a 1500

Agreed, In fact, it's a little strange the number of people that think the 6.4 is such a more powerful motor. Like I said previously, IMO it's just a lateral move, the 5.7 has less weight to move, and only has like 15HP less... and TQ isn't far behind that. why the 5.7 is even offered in the 2500 is beyond me .
 

Andrew09HEMI

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Apparently you guys can't read he wants a 2500 so comparing a 6.4 to a 5.7 1500 with 8 speed is worthless. The guy said he doesn't want a 1500 cause he feels more comfortable with a 2500 given the weight. Not everyone buys a truck to race stop light to stop light. Of course a 1500 will be quicker is significantly lighter. What makes the 6.4 appealing is it bridges the gap between a gas and diesel, where the 5.7 doesn't. Many people, myself included, don't want to pay 10k more for a diesel when the 6.4 will do everything we need. You're pushing a man into a 1500 cause it better suits you. We get it, the 5.7 with the 8 speed is nice, quick and can tow/haul a decent amount but that doesn't mean **** when to someone WANTING a 2500.
 
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