just a cpl questions

Howdy all:
i currently have a 2012 Ram 1500 Outdoorsman 5.7 4x4, bought with 7 miles on her, i now have 180000, other than a new motor at 150000 she has been rock solid, but starting to show her age.

i have just retired and wife is wanting me to get my last truck, so on a 2020 or newer im wanting info on what ppl think of the crewcab 4x4 with the 3.6 as a mostly hiway truck, and on the 3.0 ecodiesel? We are not camper ppl so i doubt the truck will ever pull anything more than a 6x12 uhaul maybe a cpl times total, i do run to eastern ok once a year to pickup a load of firewood arpox 1200 pounds.

My only hesitation on the 5.7 is the cam/lifter problem i had in mine, but now im typing this if i only drive 10k a year i have 12-15 years before i worry about it

i still would like to know the gen thoughts on the 3.6 and the 3.0 diesel, "the diesel is simply a fuel milage idea"

and on the air ride is that a big step up? my 12 is still pretty comfy

thanks all
Troy

The 3.0 certainly does get impressive mpg and can tow, however it's history isn't that great - though the new generation seems to be better. Higher maintenance costs vs. gas though.

The 3.6 is not bad, slightly better mpg than the 5.7 - also has lifter issues, as does most every manufacturer that uses roller lifters.

5.7 w/8 speed trans w/3.21 gears will get just slightly less mpg than the 3.6 - lifters seem to have been improved and oil changes and higher moly or ZDDP oils seem to have helped tremendously.

The roller lifter issue also plagues other manufacturers - gm most notably.

The 8 speed trans is a vast improvement over your 6 speed.

5th generation supposedly rides much better than the 4th gen - though I would skip the first year or two.

Air ride is nice, however it has issues in very cold weather and is significantly more expensive to repair vs. standard suspension. It can in theory get better mpg than standard suspension because it lowers ride height at speed 1".
But the 5th gen has a drop down air dam that comes down at speed to help mpg on the standard suspension - some models.

Paco has stated very good info and you should heed to it. I don't think you need the diesel or the higher maintenance costs either. If it was myself, i would stick with the 5.7 and the 8 speed that comes with it. Regular suspension compared to the air is also something you do not need, the air is nice, but it comes with it's own problems at times.

troykeithjones said:

Howdy all:
i currently have a 2012 Ram 1500 Outdoorsman 5.7 4x4, bought with 7 miles on her, i now have 180000, other than a new motor at 150000 she has been rock solid, but starting to show her age.

i have just retired and wife is wanting me to get my last truck, so on a 2020 or newer im wanting info on what ppl think of the crewcab 4x4 with the 3.6 as a mostly hiway truck, and on the 3.0 ecodiesel? We are not camper ppl so i doubt the truck will ever pull anything more than a 6x12 uhaul maybe a cpl times total, i do run to eastern ok once a year to pickup a load of firewood arpox 1200 pounds.

My only hesitation on the 5.7 is the cam/lifter problem i had in mine, but now im typing this if i only drive 10k a year i have 12-15 years before i worry about it

i still would like to know the gen thoughts on the 3.6 and the 3.0 diesel, "the diesel is simply a fuel milage idea"

and on the air ride is that a big step up? my 12 is still pretty comfy

thanks all
Troy

Click to expand...

I can’t comment on ride or suspension as I have a 4th Gen BigHorn. I do however have the 3.6 in my 2018 crew cab 4X4. I currently have just shy of 60k miles and no problems with the engine or 8 speed transmission. I did have to replace the fuel tank out of warranty due to a bad tank valve that prohibits refueling and my 8.4 UAS radio delaminated but they covered it as a good faith repair. Overall I’ve been very happy with the truck. The 3.6 is easy to maintain, lots of room in the engine bay and with the 8 speed transmission has plenty of pep for a 59 year old. The payload is the same for both the 5.7 and 3.6 which is all I need as I do not tow. My mpg is 20 combined but in fairness it’s 70 percent highway and 30 percent suburban driving. Strictly in town it gets 18 mpg and on long highway trips I’ve gotten 26 mpg in the flatlands along the mid Atlantic coast. Typical highway is 22-23 mpg when I visit my sister in the mountains of PA. The 3.6 with the 8 speed does search for the best gear at highway speeds. I’ve grown accustom to the truck downshifting from 8 to 7 with even the slightest incline on the highway. Above 70mph the truck will not stay in 8th even on a flat roadway. I assume the drag of a big box at 70mph is too much for the 3.6 and a high overdrive gear. I also have the 3:21 rear end. I can’t comment on the 5th Gen 4X4 system because I think the 4th Gen is different. One other item to note is while the 5.7 has 16 spark plugs the 3.6 has only six but you must remove the intake manifold to get at the driver side bank. Many people elect to replace the oil filter housing assembly when they replace plugs as it’s notorious for leaking after 80-90k miles. That added part and the expense of removing the intake manifold makes the 100k maintenance more expensive than the 5.7 with 16 plugs.

thanks all, good points, im pretty sure im passing on the diesel, the 3.6 sounds interesting but call me old i have always leaned to a v8 in a full size truck with a cpl exceptions " ive seen a old ford with the 300 straight six geared right pull like a big dog, and a old slant 6 dodge in a old farm truck that ran forever "

i do appreciate the input, im a cpl months from doing anythign so its all reshearch time now, i need to read more on the 3.6

here are a cpl pics of my 12 with 180k she still looks good to me

one other question does anyone know if the bed dimension from the 12 to the 22 are the same, mine is a 5.7 foot and if i do trade id like to keep my headache rack, didnt know if the widith abnd length were still the same

thanks paco, appreciate it

My son has a 2019 Classic with the 5.7 and 8 speed. This truck gets the absolute minimum when it comes to maintenance. He bought it used with about 20K on it and has driving the **** out of it for a few years now, including towing his camper. He now has about 75K on it and it has never needed a single repair.

Elvira said:

Paco has stated very good info and you should heed to it. I don't think you need the diesel or the higher maintenance costs either. If it was myself, i would stick with the 5.7 and the 8 speed that comes with it. Regular suspension compared to the air is also something you do not need, the air is nice, but it comes with it's own problems at times.

Click to expand...

Good advice here.....my 2019 is the best riding vehicle I've ever owned....the 5.7 gets great mileage....the 8 speed trans is great. If this is really your last truck....buy an extended 10 yr. warrenty.....go drive....have fun.

troykeithjones said:

thanks all, good points, im pretty sure im passing on the diesel, the 3.6 sounds interesting but call me old i have always leaned to a v8 in a full size truck with a cpl exceptions " ive seen a old ford with the 300 straight six geared right pull like a big dog, and a old slant 6 dodge in a old farm truck that ran forever "

i do appreciate the input, im a cpl months from doing anythign so its all reshearch time now, i need to read more on the 3.6

here are a cpl pics of my 12 with 180k she still looks good to me

one other question does anyone know if the bed dimension from the 12 to the 22 are the same, mine is a 5.7 foot and if i do trade id like to keep my headache rack, didnt know if the widith abnd length were still the same

Click to expand...

Your 12 is a 4th gen or DS body style. You can still buy a DS in 2022 in limited models and your rack will transfer. But, if you go with the 5th gen or DT body style, your rack probably won’t transfer. The beds are the same length but the bed sides are different and 2” taller.

Keep in mind, that this is a bad time to buy any new or used vehicle from a dealership.

As long as the dealership sales lots don't have several brand new Rams from the factory, the prices are going to stay too high.

My large dealership has no new Rams,
They have some nice looking Used Rams on the New Ram sales area & they are priced higher than
Kelly Blue Book, Edmunds, NADA, & TrueCar

Personally i would watch the dealer new vehicles sales lots for more inventory.
I don't think things will change much in the next 6 months.

I had the 5.7 in a 2004 2500 we just sold. Bulletproof.

Troy, I had many of the same questions as you when I started thinking of ordering a new Ram (my first). I have the 3.6L with the 8 speed in my Wrangler, and it has been great. But, the 3.6L does make it's power in the higher rpm's, and as stated above it does downshift a lot on the highway at the slightest incline. I've liked the engine/tranny combo in my Jeep, so I thought I would be fine with it in the new truck. I've searched a lot of threads in different forums, and it looks as if the real world difference in mpgs between the 3.6L, and the 5.7L in the Ram 1500 in very little. A back story here that I learned from is with Fords. I bought a 2011 F-150 with the 3.7L V6. The engine was fine, but the mpgs were nowhere they should have been. I grew tried of the engine not knowing which gear to be in, so I ordered a '13 with the 5.0L. The truck felt much better (and of course the sounds was sweet), and the kicker is the 5.0L got better mpgs on the highway on many occasions. The wife knows me quite well after 45 years together, and she said you need to get the 5.7L to completely happy with the truck. That's my story on choosing engines.

As far as the air ride suspension I have no experience with that. But, I test drove a 5th gen Ram Laramie with the 5.7L, and the thing was like riding in my recliner. It rode as smooth as silk, and was quiet as a church mouse. Drove great also. So, I'm sticking with the 5.7L, and the standard suspension. Good luck on your decisions.

Jim

I bought my 17 Eco thinking we would be towing my wife's car out west every winter. Then my son start his instant family in Minnesota. the EC has never towed anything. Wish I had the 6cyl now. Rented a v6 Ram once, it had more power the V8's I grew up with in the 80s.

thanks to everyone for the input, i appreciate it. i checked out a cpl lots in the area and autotrader. Then we took a cpl friends out sunday lunch for the all you can eat catfish anyway, i was standing there looking at my truck going, yes she has 180k, but the only body damage in on the tailgate, the paint is in real good shape, the interior is pretty bad, but i can do katzkin covers, i still have 70k miles on the warranty on the new hemi i put in, i need to do some front end work, but all that is still way cheaper than 75k for a new truck. She will never be a 57 chevy, cuda, or 72 long nose mustang, but i guess my retirement playtoy gonna be a 2012 ram 1500

so i guess ill head over the the 4th gen area and bother everyone there

i guess im getting old and to that point where i might be getting a bit wiser " Gawd forbid" with the economy going the way it is, i just seems smarter to have cash in the bank than the driveway.

I have a 2019 3.6 1500 crew. Very nice riding truck. Decent fuel mileage. So far 2 complaints. At 42000 miles lost reverse and wouldn't shift out of first gear. A new trans under warranty seems to have fixed that so far. My third brake light began leaking at about 40,000 miles. Soaked and stained headliner. I fixed it myself using marine weatherstripping. Otherwise truck has a lot of room and handles my family of 5 well

If I were in the market, I'd give the '23 and '24 models a good look after next year. Keep yours for a spell and revisit this after the I6 has been out for a year.