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Hey all,
I'm looking for any 6.4 owners that have or will be soon towing. Within the next 3-4 months I'll be getting a new rig and I'm trying to decide between the 6.4 Hemi or the 6.7 CTD (never owned a diesel, just gassers) in a 2500 CC Longhorn (MC too big for garage ). Doing my due diligence now to avoid regrets later.
The MAIN use of the truck will be getting me to and from work. 3-4 times per week/40 mi round trip. City driving mostly (suburbia MN).
As a secondary use, we just recently bough a 29ft travel trailer (just under 10k lbs), and my '01 Silvy 1500 just isn't cutting it. We will probably be pulling the trailer 10-12 times per season, mostly within the state with 1 or 2 big trips out west.
So, looking to get info from 6.4 guys…or CTD guys on their thoughts/advice. Do I go with the Hemi or the Cummins? I know there is A LOT of information…and bias...out there, but I thought I would start here. Any help/info/advice you can send this way is appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Hi. Reading a lot of questions about towing with 2014/ 15 2500 with 6.4 engine. Purchased one in Apr of 14. Wanted to tow 27' toy hauler, 13k. Everything on the lot, approx. 50, had the 3/73 gear. While the engine has amazing power, the transmission computer wont allow it to be used without excessive downshifting. This is something that you can't tell from a test drive unless you tow a bumper hitch type trailer. I elected to tow a 5th wheel so until the hitch was installed, had no idea. Right now I will say this, if the dealer has no 2500's with the 4.10 gears on the lot, order one. Don't care if your pulling much or not. The facts, with 3.73 gears, 6th gear, at 80 mph, your engine will tack at 1800 rpm. With the computer shift program, you will constantly be shifting just driving down the road with little grade or a slight wind. The advertised power band of the engine starts at 4000 rpm. At 3k, it will start to gain some power. Even using the "tow haul" mode, it is geared too high in my opinion. Maybe if you live and drive only at sea level, and don't tow at all, you will be happy with the 3.73. I finally went through Dodge and got a gear change. Went from 3.73 to 4.56. Cost approx. $4,000 but cheaper than trading or buying a diesel. Best money I ever spent. Now pulls like a truck. Fuel mileage is the same in town, about 2 less on hi way, and in hilly country the same or better. 400 plus miles over and back from Denver (Vail Pass) at 70 plus mph, averaged 15.5. Was also carrying the slider hitch and 250# generator, (700#). Love my truck. I can give more towing details with the std. gears if anyone is interested. Ps. have heard of those with the 6'7 Cummins with the 3.45 gears having the same towing, shifting problems that I experienced. Thanks
Hey all,
I'm looking for any 6.4 owners that have or will be soon towing. Within the next 3-4 months I'll be getting a new rig and I'm trying to decide between the 6.4 Hemi or the 6.7 CTD (never owned a diesel, just gassers) in a 2500 CC Longhorn (MC too big for garage ). Doing my due diligence now to avoid regrets later.
The MAIN use of the truck will be getting me to and from work. 3-4 times per week/40 mi round trip. City driving mostly (suburbia MN).
As a secondary use, we just recently bough a 29ft travel trailer (just under 10k lbs), and my '01 Silvy 1500 just isn't cutting it. We will probably be pulling the trailer 10-12 times per season, mostly within the state with 1 or 2 big trips out west.
So, looking to get info from 6.4 guys…or CTD guys on their thoughts/advice. Do I go with the Hemi or the Cummins? I know there is A LOT of information…and bias...out there, but I thought I would start here. Any help/info/advice you can send this way is appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Hi. Reading a lot of questions about towing with 2014/ 15 2500 with 6.4 engine. Purchased one in Apr of 14. Wanted to tow 27' toy hauler, 13k. Everything on the lot, approx. 50, had the 3/73 gear. While the engine has amazing power, the transmission computer wont allow it to be used without excessive downshifting. This is something that you can't tell from a test drive unless you tow a bumper hitch type trailer. I elected to tow a 5th wheel so until the hitch was installed, had no idea. Right now I will say this, if the dealer has no 2500's with the 4.10 gears on the lot, order one. Don't care if your pulling much or not. The facts, with 3.73 gears, 6th gear, at 80 mph, your engine will tack at 1800 rpm. With the computer shift program, you will constantly be shifting just driving down the road with little grade or a slight wind. The advertised power band of the engine starts at 4000 rpm. At 3k, it will start to gain some power. Even using the "tow haul" mode, it is geared too high in my opinion. Maybe if you live and drive only at sea level, and don't tow at all, you will be happy with the 3.73. I finally went through Dodge and got a gear change. Went from 3.73 to 4.56. Cost approx. $4,000 but cheaper than trading or buying a diesel. Best money I ever spent. Now pulls like a truck. Fuel mileage is the same in town, about 2 less on hi way, and in hilly country the same or better. 400 plus miles over and back from Denver (Vail Pass) at 70 plus mph, averaged 15.5. Was also carrying the slider hitch and 250# generator, (700#). Love my truck. I can give more towing details with the std. gears if anyone is interested. Ps. have heard of those with the 6'7 Cummins with the 3.45 gears having the same towing, shifting problems that I experienced. Thanks
Just a thought if you are considering buying a new Ram. Maybe wait till the late 2015 production is out. Hoping we may get surprised by Ram on what is standard gearing and maybe even engine and computer mods??? 2014 was the first year that Ram had this 6 speed trans and also the first year for the 6.4 hemi in the truck. As for the dealers, very few in the dealership, at least here in the Rockies, have pulled much and none with the new engine and such, hoping that Ram will listen to it's 2014 customers for what can be improved. Truly, I believe that tweeking both computers would make quite a difference. Not that I would like to have terrible milage, but on anything over 1500 series, milage isn't even calculated. Loosing 1 or 2 mpg and being able to pull as a truck should to me would be preferable.As it is, the computer wont allow anything over 1/2 throttle in any gear but first. The engine is very powerful if given a chance. ie, pulling in low where more than 1/2 throttle can be given, pulls quite good even at low rpms. With the 3.73 gear, pulling on steep grades, 8% and up, can be an experience. If you are lucky, or "unlucky" enough to get to about 50 mph (will easily go that fast in 1st without over revving) and somehow get into 3rd gear, "Watch Out"!!! If you over accell. , it will downshift and NOT into second. It will hit first at about 6k. Believe me when I tell you, it will spin the rear wheels when it hooks up and that is with 13 plus k behind it. Will make your blood run cold. It only did that once and that was with only about 6 k on the truck and not broken in. It pulled so hard that it snapped some of the front body panel screws on the 5'er. Since putting in the 4.56, I don't have to run the high rpm's or push the truck to pull. Was worth, to me, every dime. Did have a few discussions with Ram concerning that. I do know that they listened at least as far up the chain as I could get. I did appreciate that.