Tell me about your 2015 and up 6.7 cummins

[ronheater70]

Is there much truth to the issue of many short trips hurting regen and causing emissions issues?
What would you consider a short trip? 10 Miles, 5 miles, etc..
Im not to worried about the ENGINE, just mostly the emissions stuff. Had my truck in for an oil change and they had a 2016 just like my truck with 50K on it for a pretty fair price and was just wondering. Sure would make towing that camper a bit easier but when not towing it would be going to the grocery store, wal-mart etc.. AND fuel is 45 cents more a gallon here for diesel and mostly 30-60 cents more just about everywhere our normal travels are.. This is a 2500, so it would be the 370/800 version.
Dont know I think I just talked myself out of it..L

 

[Hootbro]

That is a tough one. IMHO, you buy a diesel for a need and not a want. Even then, you need to do the math on how much that need will cost you and if it is justified.

I will say from my research, the 2015 and 2016 seem to be the most prone for teething problems with DPF and other emissions. Recall fixed and late 2017+ models seem to be less prone to it.

With my 2018 and pushing 6K miles now with about a 60% highway and 30% city driving average ratio, I have yet to have a forced Regen cycle. I think the key regardless of model year is to occasional just put about 40+ minutes of Hwy use ever so often to keep the passive Regen cycle going to avoid or minimize the forced Regen.

I had a 2015 6.4 Hemi 2500. Can tell you that owning a Cummins is a totally different maintenance regime and way more expensive than a gasser. More oil, more expensive oil filters, two fuel filters and probably a higher air filter change cycle than the gasser engines. Also, fuel treatment considerations especially for winter use is going to come into play.

Buy a new Cummins is a risk, buying used is even riskier. When I decided to make the jump into a diesel, it was going to be new or not at all as I wanted to know the cradle to grave history and make decisions based on that versus the unknown of buying a used one.

 

[SouthTexan]

I got my Cummins because I wanted one, not necessarily because I needed one. The 6.4L could have towed what I towed, but I wanted a Cummins and didn't care about the cost at the time. It wasn't until later when I did the math that I found out that the Cummins was actually cheaper for me in the long run if I account for depreciation. Here are my numbers.





Your numbers may be different depending on fuel prices in your area, the interest rate of your loan, used truck values in your area, and other variables so I would recommend doing the math yourself if cost is your concern. The PM's for the diesel do cost more, but they are at a 15k mile interval instead of a 8k mile interval so it costs about the same in the long run.

If you want to know what the cost pr miles based on price and mileage, here is a chart I made a long time ago for work. Basically, the cost difference has to be about $.70 between the two to be at the same cost per mile. DEF adds about $.001 per mile.

 

[MADDOG]

All I can say is I hated the DEF system, it gave me some trouble, now it's gone and the Cummins runs hard.

It gets better mileage than my 6.4L truck ever hoped to achieve, which got best mileage with the highest (and most expensive) octane fuel available here.

I wasn't unhappy with my 6.4L but when it got totaled, it gave me the opportunity to step up to the Cummins and allow me to tow more weight with less drama.

Bottom line is you just gotta decide what you want or need in a truck.

PS: As a daily driver my Cummins is awesome.

 

[SyN]

Not much to tell.
I felt - then researched- then knew I needed a HD2500 6.7L CTD to tow the future 5th Wheel my lovely wife was going to select.
Legally & SAFELY!

So Far she has surpassed all my expectations.
I only wish she had electronic locking Differentials.

If she ever leaves us stranded due to emissions.
She will be fully deleted & I will drive her until my old A$$ can not climb up in her anymore.
Then she will be handed over to my Son. (He fell in love with her the day I let him drive her home from the dealership -(3 hours away).

Since I have a company (WK) truck.
The JUDGE sits in the garage most of the time.

I do work 7 on and 7 off so of those 7 off days she gets driven 2 or 3 times.
I do make a point since I live about 2 miles from the highway --> Open her up for a total of 10-15 miles @ 75-80 mph. (I normally do this after I get my in town driving done).

The only thing I was told and have been told is these 6.7L CTD do not like to be lugged and it is not a good thing to putt around 3/4 of the time within stop/go driving.
Get them out on the interstate/highway and open them up!
Towing a heavy load while traveling those interstates/highways is even better exercise!
This is for a non-deleted Full Emission infested 6.7L CTD.
Just Drive Like a Civilized Human Being!

If I ever have to idle for any amount of time, I use the high idle and limit the idle time as much as I can.

Unfortunately: We (The Wife) has not selected our EXPENSIVE/Long/Heavy 5th Wheel yet -->That will take US into retirement so I figure I need to do the next best thing as often as possible.
I'm also Hoping to have Her Paid Off by the time the 5th Wheel Shopping begins. My goal is to have The Judge paid off with not even 35K miles on her.

 

[ronheater70]

I see some of you use the truck as a daily driver, what does your daily commute consist of in driving conditions?
Seems from what Im understanding and have read, most of the time, if the emissions becomes an issue its in the 40K+ range, but with power train warranty covered to 100K miles that wouldnt be an issue typically, but the emissions is probably not considered power train.

 

[SouthTexan]

For the 30k miles mine had its emissions system, most of my driving was longer than 15 minutes and mostly highway. My idle ratio has always been around 9.5%.

 

[mtnrider]

I see some of you use the truck as a daily driver, what does your daily commute consist of in driving conditions?
Seems from what Im understanding and have read, most of the time, if the emissions becomes an issue its in the 40K+ range, but with power train warranty covered to 100K miles that wouldnt be an issue typically, but the emissions is probably not considered power train.

Some of the emission stuff falls under a 5/50 warranty and some under the 8/80 (like the DPF). Emissions is not part of the power train warranty.

I have about 32K on mine stock vehicle with zero emission issues. As with many forums you usually only here about the trucks with issues and not the thousands that are working just fine so I wouldn't worry too much about it personally.

Mine is a daily driver right now with minimal towing. I drive mostly country back roads and 15-20 minute minimum for me to get anywhere. But I also drop and pick up my kids from school every day now so I am sitting in the soccer mom line. I don't leave it idle the whole time but it does get some idle.

With that said I now have gauges set up to monitor the frequency at which the truck regens so I can tell how different types of driving affect the rate at which it does a regen.
What I have found is there is almost Zero difference in the rate or frequency of regens from stop and go, idling, highway, country roads etc. In fact running it "hard" on the highway (which has always been the standard recommendation) with no load actually will cause it to regen more frequently. You are dumping more fuel in the system but still not getting the EGT's hot enough to do any good.
The only real thing that will extend the frequency of regens or "clean out" the system is to tow a heavy load for a bit. No other type of driving gets the EGT's hot enough to passively burn off any soot.



.

 

[MADDOG]

DD in my case meant a 20 mile commute (one way) to work in the morning with the most of it suburban freeway, then a little urban side street traversing. Taking the on-ramp on to US Route 26 afforded me an opportunity to make a little smoke early in the morning.

In the evening, more often than not it was a 25 mile commute home as I tried to avoid my morning route due to lethargic traffic. That route wound along the river, then up and over a mildly steep grade on a two lane road, then across the valley back to the house.

Taking the left hand turn on to US Route 30, then going up and over Cornelius Pass was an awesome way to open up the Cummins to build some boost and enjoy a little speed.

 

[nukegm]

i had a 16 2500 6.4 for exactly a year. it was a nice test drive at sea level. it sucked at 6000 - 9500 feet in elevation. also, it got 11 mpg on a good day. the automatic trans drove me insane. never happy in the hills. i traded it for a 18 2500 cummins with manual transmission. LOVE the truck. and im not spending 320.00 per month in gasoline. cheers comrades!

 

[ronheater70]

Well, have an appt and going to check out a new 2018 in about 30 minutes.. Still have mixed feelings but we shall see.. This truck WILL have some short trips on it, meaning 10 minutes to the store and 10 minutes home etc.. Which concerns me.. But maybe just hopping on the highway a few times a month will offset that.

 

[MADDOG]

The occasional short trip here and there should not be something to be concerned about.

 

[SouthTexan]

Make sure you go through the gauge menu and check the idle ratio. Preferably around 10%, 15% is still okay, and stay away from anything above 20% .

10 minute trips are not too concerning if there are highway runs on a regular basis like once a week. To me, short trips are those that only live 2-4 miles from work.

 

[ronheater70]

Well I test drove a 2018 2500 and just wasn't wowed.. they Also had a 2018 3500 with the 6 speed manual.. I had test drove a 2500 Manual (used) a week ago when getting oil changed in my truck. I REALLY like it, and this one has the snow chief group or something.. Guy ordered it special and it took several months to get in because of the manual.
Got money worked out and pick it up tomorrow if test drive doesn't reveal any annoyances. For what its worth the 2018 2500 with 24 miles on it had more gear whine in the rear diff than mine, and I had been complaining about mine for a year now!