Chevy guy looking at RAM

[Chevy2tuff]

Long time Gm guy and thinking my next truck might be a 2500/3500 ram. How do the gas motors hold up compared to the 6.0L? I’ve always been worried about Rams sheet metal as it seems you get rock chip and next thing you know you now have a hole in the panel due to corrosion, has this changed with the 5th gen rams? Anybody on here that has made the switch and maybe could give me their experience?

 

[JimGregory]

I doubt the 5th gens will show rust issues for quite a while. My 2016 model has not a spec of rust other then the driveshaft.
North eastern winters with salted roads.
This is not to say that the 4th or 5th gens wont rust but I have not seen any bad examples. But then I am not looking.

 

[Nickx86]

My 2015 Ford F-150 showed more rust on the undercarriage when it was new than my used 2016 ram 2500 and I live in the northeast and the rust isn’t there at all. The 6.4 motor is stout, trans needs a little bit of help w programming, I’ve heard plenty of ppl who use pedal commander or tuner wakes the 6.4 up. I’ll know eventually

 

[MADDOG]

No rust issues showed up on my 2007 (140K miles) or my 2014 (2 years of ownership) or my 2017.

I think some of your concerns may be rooted in some earlier complaints regarding Dodge body panels. Haven't seen any significant rust on the third generation and up trucks. Even my second gen 1999 truck was pretty clean when I traded it in. I had no rust through issues on that truck, either. Now...my beater 1967 250 Camper Special...that was another story. LOL

I wouldn't worry about body corrosion issues in the current trucks unless you live in a salt air or salted winter road location. Then all vehicle owners will need to keep an eye out for it, not just Ram owners.

Don't have any experience with the GM 6.0L engine, only the 5.7L, 6.4L Hemi engines and the 6.7L CTD so I can't offer a comparison for you. Maybe some of our other members can.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[Chevy2tuff]

Thanks for the responses... it’s good to hear all the positives on the rust issues being resolved. I do have experience with the Gm 6.0l as I owned a 2006 hd for 6 yrs and it was flawless besides the brakes. I’m just getting sick of Gm’s ideas that everybody can afford or use a top of the line truck to get the cool features. Us working folks need to be able to get top line engines and max tow options too.

 

[Hootbro]

Honestly, the current 4th Gen RAM HD's are the best bang for the buck out there compared to Ford and GM in my opinion. I do not think that will be so much the case when the expect 2020 5th Gen RAM HD'***** the market given FCA's price increases they have shown for the recent 1500 RAM and new Wrangler redesigns.

 

[reloaderguy]

The GM 6.0 is a better engine than the Hemi 6.4. Aftermarket support is night and day different. Everything attached to the GM powertrain, on the other hand, leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[crazy jerry]

jfc. sounds like youve been reading to much internet ******** and urban legend. my 96 dakota that ive had for 7yrs gets washed once a year. previous owner probly never washed it either. very little rust all things considered. im quit suprised actually

youll find a few people here and there with a defective 6.4 and theyll talk smack because they were unlucky and got a bad apple. happens across all brands. if my fairly new 6.4 crapped out i wouldnt be happy either and hope it was replaced under warranty. but plenty of people with no trouble from the 6.4. mines never given a bit of trouble but its still fairly new. with good maintenance im sure it will last as long as anything else out there

be glad you dont have a new superduty. deathwobble seems to be epidemic. the cabs leak. drivetrain vibrations appear to be popping up more and more. reports of easily cracked windshields. dont even get me started on vacuum axle hubs

 

[GsRAM]

The 6.0 gm is a good engine no question. But the 6.4 hemi has
More hp and torque. I looked at all 3 before I bought my ram. The 17 ford was very nice but overpriced. The Ram was built the heaviest of the 3 (axles, suspension, steering components) the gm is using a rack and pinion steering and an IFS front end.....car stuff just like the 1500s..i wasn't impressed with the gm at all and it was overpriced and their 6 speed just plain sucks! You think the ram 6 speed is bad...drive a gm truck.
Lazy laggy throttle response, way too much torque management, and a clunky crappy shifting trans....i did not like my Silverado very much....lots of little typical gm junk stuff still there on my 2015 just like the ones I had from the 80s....they haven't changed...at least that's my opinioin.

 

[RandomRam]

be glad you dont have a new superduty. deathwobble seems to be epidemic. the cabs leak. drivetrain vibrations appear to be popping up more and more. reports of easily cracked windshields. dont even get me started on vacuum axle hubs

This is why I am going with a Ram 2500. My work truck is a 17 F250. It’s never been smooth from the day it was assigned to me. It also has death wobble and the dealer doesn’t know why. It’s not as bad when the tires are in good shape, but with worn tires it’s frightening. The one thing Ford has nailed is their transmission programming is awesome. Never in the wrong gear.

GM was never a consideration for me due to IFS.

 

[reloaderguy]

jfc. sounds like youve been reading to much internet ******** and urban legend. my 96 dakota that ive had for 7yrs gets washed once a year. previous owner probly never washed it either. very little rust all things considered. im quit suprised actually

youll find a few people here and there with a defective 6.4 and theyll talk smack because they were unlucky and got a bad apple. happens across all brands. if my fairly new 6.4 crapped out i wouldnt be happy either and hope it was replaced under warranty. but plenty of people with no trouble from the 6.4. mines never given a bit of trouble but its still fairly new. with good maintenance im sure it will last as long as anything else out there

be glad you dont have a new superduty. deathwobble seems to be epidemic. the cabs leak. drivetrain vibrations appear to be popping up more and more. reports of easily cracked windshields. dont even get me started on vacuum axle hubs

MDS lifters aren't on national backorder because they're reliable. The 6.4 has a lot of potential but in its current iteration it has some reoccurring issues. Also, the LS/LT is the standard all gas engines are judged against. Is the rest of the GM 2500HD worth owning? No but that doesn't mean the Ram 2500 doesn't have issues either.

 

[crazy jerry]

some parts for the fords are back ordered but it has nothing to do with high failure rates. problems in the supply chain can sometimes cause backorders

once in a while i browse through the two main ram forums and havent noticed much chatter about bad lifters but that doesnt meen there isnt a problem. alot of people dont air out there vehicle woes online and i realize that. so far my 6.4 has been great and ill still take the 6.4 2500 over any other truck out thete right now

fords have never wowed me and i dont like the IFS of gm

 

[Fearfact]

My 16 3500 with the 6.4 has been awesome for 80k. It gets worked pretty hard often pulling small excavators or similar equipment (around 15k on pintle trailers) with the 373 gears and 35s with thuren suspension, it’s off road exploring work sites on unmaintained power line right of ways and it runs the highway daily. Very happy overall with it but I will agree the transmission needs some help in the programming departmentit seems confused at times! I also plan on a pedal commander and maybe 456-488 gears but not much else performance wise as the truck has the unlimited warranty.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Slick61]

I had always been a Ford guy, but when it came time to replace my 2000 SuperDuty, I looked at my options. I had found a leftover '15 SuperDuty, but they just wouldn't deal on it. I bought a '16 Ram 2500 crew cab 4x4 with the 6.4L Hemi & 4.10 gears. I've been pretty happy with it. The 4.10s really work great with the 6.4L hemi, and no apparent penalty in fuel economy. Complaints are few... as others have said, the transmission programming could be better... the brake pedal is too high off of the floor... and the "hemi tick" sounds awful to me... first world problems...

 

[22hemi13]

I had always been a Ford guy, but when it came time to replace my 2000 SuperDuty, I looked at my options. I had found a leftover '15 SuperDuty, but they just wouldn't deal on it. I bought a '16 Ram 2500 crew cab 4x4 with the 6.4L Hemi & 4.10 gears. I've been pretty happy with it. The 4.10s really work great with the 6.4L hemi, and no apparent penalty in fuel economy. Complaints are few... as others have said, the transmission programming could be better... the brake pedal is too high off of the floor... and the "hemi tick" sounds awful to me... first world problems...

Have you as the manifolds checked?

 

[crazy jerry]

not sure but i think the tick is from the backflow valve in the filter not working. my 6.4 only has 5k miles but it only made the tick 2 times when i first bought it. never did it again after that

 

[Aelwulf]

My '99 only got rust on the panels right behind the wheels because I didn't have flaps, and that was very minor for 12+ years old. I took a wire brush and applied some sealant, no problem. My aftermarket side steps had more issues I had to clean up than the truck. A bit under the hood where an old battery leaked acid and ate through the paint, gave it the same treatment.

Not expecting much in way of issues on this one. Only 'issue' on body so far is since the appearance package has painted bumpers I have a few VERY tiny chip marks, and one on the hood. Shouldn't have to be worrying about that a year in IMO.

 

[bullinthehouse]

I’ve been a Chevrolet guy all my life till about 5 years ago and I always drove a Truck or a Fast car well I thought I was going to buy a new Chevrolet or GMC Truck in 2014 and I drove a extended cab Silverado for a week with a v6 no power or a great interior so my banker of all people “ he’s also a great friend “ said go check out the Dodge place and see what they have BEST DECISION EVER !!! I got a V8 , stereo, great interior, better warranty more than I ever thought and 10K cheaper than the Chevy ! I’ve had 3 now I’m on my 2nd and my wife is on her 1st I love em I get 15 to 18 mpg my wife gets 20 to 22 and 395 hp 410 tq I was raised to think that I’d rather walk in the rain with a Chevy hubcap than drive a Dodge but now I’m a Dodge man for life !!!!!

 

[Soto3389]

The 6.0 gm is a good engine no question. But the 6.4 hemi has
More hp and torque. I looked at all 3 before I bought my ram. The 17 ford was very nice but overpriced. The Ram was built the heaviest of the 3 (axles, suspension, steering components) the gm is using a rack and pinion steering and an IFS front end.....car stuff just like the 1500s..i wasn't impressed with the gm at all and it was overpriced and their 6 speed just plain sucks! You think the ram 6 speed is bad...drive a gm truck.
Lazy laggy throttle response, way too much torque management, and a clunky crappy shifting trans....i did not like my Silverado very much....lots of little typical gm junk stuff still there on my 2015 just like the ones I had from the 80s....they haven't changed...at least that's my opinioin.

This^^^^^^^^ All the exact reasons why i got rid of my 2016 2500HD 6.0. The Ram's shifts and overall power is a night and day difference.

 

[Firebird]

As a former LS owner also, the 6.0 and 6.2 are great engines! I just happen to like the Ram better.