2017

[PKHank]

how is the towing with a 2017 3.6 V6, will be towing 2K lb trailer and will be going up moutains

 

[diymirage]

I wouldn't

But then again, I wouldn't put anything less then a V8 in a truck

 

[mtofell]

2K is pretty light. What style trailer.. as in, how much wind does it catch? That truck won't win any races without a trailer but I can't imagine something that light will be a problem.... assuming it's not a sail.

 

[Wile E Coyote Jr]

I would imagine you'll be fine. Your modern V6 makes about the same numbers as my 30 year old V8. I tow 6k regularly. I assume the suspension and cooling systems have had advancements as well.

 

[2003F350]

how is the towing with a 2017 3.6 V6, will be towing 2K lb trailer and will be going up moutains

As long as it's not a sail, you should be just fine pulling that weight. My wife's eTorque pulls our flatbed loaded to about 6k just fine. It won't win races, as said above, but it'll do it just fine.

 

[gfh77665]

2000 lbs?

EASY!

 

[PKHank]

Thanks everyone, does anyone have an opinion about the diesel engine vs gas. I am looking at a Ram 1500 with the v6 diesel and have no experience with this type of engine.

 

[diymirage]

A diesel will out tow a gasoline engine any day of the week

A diesel engine will outweigh a gasoline engine aswell, so that is something to consider

If you don't mind the smell, and want the payload, go with the diesel

 

[Gr8bawana]

A diesel will out tow a gasoline engine any day of the week

A diesel engine will outweigh a gasoline engine aswell, so that is something to consider

If you don't mind the smell, and want the payload, go with the diesel

What smell? Those days of stinking diesel exhaust are long gone.

 

[diymirage]

What smell? Those days of stinking diesel exhaust are long gone.

If you drive a golf TDI maybe...but any diesel truck still stinks to high heaven

 

[mtofell]

A diesel engine will outweigh a gasoline engine aswell, so that is something to consider

If you don't mind the smell, and want the payload, go with the diesel

These are contradictory (and I'm not talking about smell.... I don't really think modern diesels smell that much but whatever). A diesel engine is heavier which takes away from payload. Wanting payload so go with a diesel isn't accurate.

 

[crash68]

If you drive a golf TDI maybe...but any diesel truck still stinks to high heaven

Maybe an older truck or one that's been deleted will but anything that's less than 10 years old and still stock doesn't smell at all.

 

[diymirage]

These are contradictory (and I'm not talking about smell.... I don't really think modern diesels smell that much but whatever). A diesel engine is heavier which takes away from payload. Wanting payload so go with a diesel isn't accurate.

Yup, your right
What I meant to convey is that a diesel has more torque earlier on in the powerband so it hauls stuff with less effort than a gas engine would

Maybe an older truck or one that's been deleted will but anything that's less than 10 years old and still stock doesn't smell at all.

Then there must only be decades old gutted diesels where I live, because each time I pull up next to one in traffic I can smell them

 

[huntergreen]

how is the towing with a 2017 3.6 V6, will be towing 2K lb trailer and will be going up moutains

You’ll be fine.

 

[2003F350]

Thanks everyone, does anyone have an opinion about the diesel engine vs gas. I am looking at a Ram 1500 with the v6 diesel and have no experience with this type of engine.

In a 1500 I wouldn't bother with a diesel unless you just really want one. From what I've been seeing the diesel in the 1500 doesn't get better mileage, doesn't really have any more pulling power, and has a lower payload. So you're not really gaining anything getting a diesel in a 1500.

In a 3500, get the diesel. You'll be able to pull anything you want in any configuration you want.

In a 2500 things can get dicier quicker. If you want payload get the gasser. If you want pulling power get the diesel, just know that there are some things (heavier fifth wheels and goosenecks) that you'll have to watch the tongue weights on, there's a strong chance you will be over payload and maybe over RGAWR. Would the truck blow up? No. Are you pushing into territory some people have no business being in? Yes.

 

[crash68]

From what I've been seeing the diesel in the 1500 doesn't get better mileage, doesn't really have any more pulling power, and has a lower payload. So you're not really gaining anything getting a diesel in a 1500.

Not sure where you came up with this but I get better fuel economy towing than a Hemi does just driving down the road. Unless it's really cold outside my fuel economy average is north of 23-24 mpg. Try traveling 500 miles of which 250 is towing a 28' trailer that's over 6K lbs on less than 26 gallons of fuel, not going to happen with a Hemi. The Hemi has 410 ft/lbs of torque at 4K rpms, the EcoDiesel is 480 ft/lbs at 1600 rpms, it's torque that tows a trailer not HP.

 

[nlambert182]

I have to agree on the Ecodiesel comment that Crash made. My friend had an Ecodiesel for years and it was a pulling truck to be so small. He just traded it for a new 1500 with the 5.7 (wanted out of a diesel and to get rid of the factory air ride system) and has regretted it ever since. His fuel economy went from mid 20s empty to mid teens and he said that it doesn't move his TT like the EcoDiesel did.

As for the diesel smell comment that some made... my truck has zero diesel smell with the emissions equipment in tact. The only time I've smelled diesel is when I delete them. Other than that, the only smell is a slight chlorine type smell if it idles for very long. You can ride behind me with the windows down and you won't smell anything at all.

 

[JD Phelps]

how is the towing with a 2017 3.6 V6, will be towing 2K lb trailer and will be going up moutains

I had a 2023 ram 1500 classic on loan while my 2017 ram 1500 was in the shop. It had the v6. Not impressed with towing. I tow a 12ft enclosed tool trailer. No problem at all with my hemi. The v6 set up is geared horribly for pulling. I would take it easy through any graded roads.

 

[2003F350]

I had a 2023 ram 1500 classic on loan while my 2017 ram 1500 was in the shop. It had the v6. Not impressed with towing. I tow a 12ft enclosed tool trailer. No problem at all with my hemi. The v6 set up is geared horribly for pulling. I would take it easy through any graded roads.

If you have the 3.21 gears like many V6 trucks are ordered with, yeah, pulling is going to be terrible. My wife's has the 3.55s and it is adequate. It won't win any races but will pull smaller trailers just fine, I have used it to take our 23 ft tri-toon back and forth to storage...it knows it's back there but did just fine, though I preferred even my Wagon to hers. I certainly wouldn't want to pull that boat around regularly with hers.

It is a V6, naturally aspirated, with a small electric motor/generator on the front. It's got some grunt but it's not a V8 or even a turbo V6 - you just have to temper your expectations accordingly. If you aren't pulling much weight or frequently it'll do just fine, but if you want to pull a lot or often, it's not the right motor for the job.

 

[BossHogg]

If you have the 3.21 gears like many V6 trucks are ordered with, yeah, pulling is going to be terrible. My wife's has the 3.55s and it is adequate. It won't win any races but will pull smaller trailers just fine, I have used it to take our 23 ft tri-toon back and forth to storage...it knows it's back there but did just fine, though I preferred even my Wagon to hers. I certainly wouldn't want to pull that boat around regularly with hers.

The axel ratio comes into play in stop-and-go traffic and is more pronounced as the towing weight increases. Once moving, the transmission ratios can address the torque going to the drive line regardless of the axle ratios. With my ED and 3:21 axle ratio with 7,200 pounds of tow weight, I have no complaints. If I was a landscaper, for example, driving all day stop-and-go, I would have opted for a lower axle ratio.

I heard a lot of doom and gloom when I ordered my 2015 3500 Cummins with a 3:42 axle ratio to pull a 16 K-pound fifth wheel. I can easily achieve 65 MPH on the entry ramp to a freeway and the transmission does a fine job of keeping the Cummins in its powerband on any terrain I've driven.

Earlier you said, "From what I've been seeing the diesel in the 1500 doesn't get better mileage, doesn't really have any more pulling power, and has a lower payload."

Well, my 2022 ECODiesel Longhorn has a higher payload than my 2013 RAM 1500 Laramie with a 5.7L HEMI. The ability to pull the same trailer (7,200-pound utility trailer) with the ED is easier, with no gear hunting, no high-revving engine, and much better fuel economy (both trucks had the 3:21s and the 8-speed tranny). As far as MPGs with the ECODiesel, on a recent 2,600-mile round trip, I had a trip average of 32.6 MPG. The HEMI never delivered more than 23 MPG under the best driving conditions. This is significant and the MPGs my ED archived are in line with what others have reported.

I'm curious where you have "been seeing" the results of diesels compared to gas engines. What you are saying doesn't align with my experiences or anything I've read.