6.4 vs new chevy 6.6 gas

[*tim*]

Im in the market for a 3/4 ton gas has anyone drove the new chevy and xan compare the 2? The chevy comes with a 6 speed and 3.73s while the ram comes with an 8 speed and optional 4.10s. Is that enough to make up for the increased power of the chevy? Is ram planning on updating the 6.4 to compete with the new chevy and for gas engines?

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[*tim*]

Also the ram does have a nicer interior but the chevy has quite a bit more legroom front and back

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[NH RAM]

The Chevy crew cab is comparable in overall length to the Mega Cab Ram- not the most maneuverable rig.

I drove the Chevy 6.6 this year before opting for the Ram 6.4. The Chevy felt okay, but it wasn't as good as the Ram IMO. The overall feel of the Chevy as well as the GM was cheap, even with the mid range Sierra 2500 SLT. It screams rental car to me. The steering seemed to be a bit heavier on the GM than the Ram and the seats felt super thin and flat. I'm 6's and have plenty of room in the front of the Ram. My daughter is 5'10 and she has plenty of room in the back. While there's more room in the GM's, it just felt okay whereas the Ram was a bit smaller, however, if I wanted the extra legroom, I could opt for the mega-cab, which I don't need.

Obviously I didn't tow anything with the Chevy or Ram prior to buying it, but the 8 speed behind the 6.4 Ram is quite nice. If you were comparing the Ram with the 6.4 and 6 speed and the Chevy 6.6 it would probably be the Chevy because of the 1-2 gap in the 6 speed behind the 2018 and prior 6.4. wasn't good for towing. I can say that the 6.4 with 3.73 tows our 10k 5W quite nicely and is a pretty comfortable driver when unloaded. Personally, I'd take the ZF 8 speed over the 35lb-ft advantage that the GM has.

 

[*tim*]

The power difference isnt huge but also chevy makes morenpower with regular fuel vs premium on the hemi. The inly thing i tow is a 6k lb travel trailer but i would like to be able to take it through the mountains once a year. Also i plan on putting 35's on it an doing mild off roading. I really want the power wagon but really cant justify it

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[ramffml]

I really wanted to like the new GM 2500 gasser, but reviews are quite mixed. I think the power/torque advantage goes to the Ram due to the higher gearing available, I just can't see myself buying a 6 speed gas engine at this point, especially considering the elephant in the room (Ford 7.3 with 10 speed). They need to put the 10 speed in all GM 25/3500's.

 

[*tim*]

I think chevy makes the best engines but their styling and interior are crap and i dont understand why they wouldn't use the 10 speed on the gas engine. I feel like they purposely strip down lower trim levels to force people to spend more money on high trim levels and that makes me want to buy another ram just to spite them lol. Even small stuff like no storage in the center console and no usb ports. Couldn't cost more than $20 to add those things

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[*tim*]

Does the 6.4 have the same cam issues as the old 5.7s?

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[star_deceiver]

If there is, there’s been little noise on the forums other than fearmongering.

GM has a wonderful engine in that 6.6 but they saddled it to the lame donkey 6L90... the things seem to do fine loping around town but put a load behind it or try to drive it with a little more gusto and it falls on its face. Such a disappointment.

And if you’re looking for decent fuel economy... stop looking at this truck right now. I have squeaked out 18mpg on a tank 2 or 3 times and 19mpg once. The norm is 14.5 to 15.5 mpg on 89 or better and 7-9mpg towing. If fuel costs are going to make or break you financially then march yourself right over to the ecodiesel 1/2 ton.

To summarize: 6.4+8HP75=great, fun to drive power train with a minor drinking problem!

 

[*tim*]

Im not worried about gas mileage but having to use premium fuel in a vehicle that doesn't get good mpg does elevate it to somewhat of an issue

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[392DevilDog]

The 6.4l does not need to run on premium...actually it is advised against.

89 is recomeneded 87 is acceptable.

I tried running 89 or 87...i just put 87 in mine now and enjoy the savings at the pump.

 

[NH RAM]

I have run 87 in my truck with no issues. I tried 87 and 89 while towing 4,000+ miles and there was no noticeable difference. Ram recommends 89 but it runs happily on 87 octane.
For what it's worth, my 2016 1500 with 5.7 and 3.21 gears with a 2" level and 34" A/T tires got 17-18 on the highway empty. My 2500 got exactly 17mpg yesterday on a 3 hour trip (2" front level, A/T tires). While towing, I get about 8-9 mpg while towing my 33' 5w or the 2000# lighter travel trailer I had. Towing the travel trailer I would get 8-9 in the 1500. Both are from the oh-so-accurate dash display. I just don't care enough to manually calculate the fuel economy and all of this is based on terrain through many states although my primary towing is in New Hampshire and Maine.

 

[392DevilDog]

401 @ 5200
464 @ 4000
Are these the correct numbers for the 6.6?

6.4l HEMI
410 @ 5600
429 @ 4000

Nope...would not get me excited.

Believe me...the 6.4l is ready for the Cummins turn up...you know...how everytime the Cummins gets topped they just turn it up.

The 6.4l is just a fuel map away from 420 horse and 470 torque...just not worth the time at the moment.

It was still the most powerful HD gas engine when they did the last debut.

Now with the 7.3 ford and the 6.6 Chevy...well it should be soon

 

[Eng_alvarado90]

My experience is if you feel like wanting more HP and torque you can always get a tune or quick add ons to get some more. Yes I'm talking about the 6.4.
It's a tried and true engine dating back to the GC SRT8, Charger and Challenger SRT 8. No big issues that I've heard of.

But you'll never be able to get more gears out of the 6L90 in the Chevy. Yes their LS engines are pretty good but the rest of the truck feels a bit almost there in some regards.

Like someone said if I wanted a bigger bump in HP/torque I'd been heading to my nearest Ford dealer and get me some Godzilla 7.3/10spd


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[sandawilliams]

The power difference isnt huge but also chevy makes morenpower with regular fuel vs premium on the hemi. The inly thing i tow is a 6k lb travel trailer but i would like to be able to take it through the mountains once a year. Also i plan on putting 35's on it an doing mild off roading. I really want the power wagon but really cant justify it

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I tow 8800# with my 2014 ram 2500 through the mountains of Colorado often. No problems.

 

[Ed Ross]

If there is, there’s been little noise on the forums other than fearmongering.

GM has a wonderful engine in that 6.6 but they saddled it to the lame donkey 6L90... the things seem to do fine loping around town but put a load behind it or try to drive it with a little more gusto and it falls on its face. Such a disappointment.

And if you’re looking for decent fuel economy... stop looking at this truck right now. I have squeaked out 18mpg on a tank 2 or 3 times and 19mpg once. The norm is 14.5 to 15.5 mpg on 89 or better and 7-9mpg towing. If fuel costs are going to make or break you financially then march yourself right over to the ecodiesel 1/2 ton.

To summarize: 6.4+8HP75=great, fun to drive power train with a minor drinking problem!

+1 on this. I drove the GM when I was in market for a HD gasser. It is very sluggish. Felt like I was pulling a load when empty. I did buy the 6.4 Gasser. Always used midgrade and got 15.5 mpg at best. Towing 5k lb TT cross country was getting 6.6 to maybe 8mpg. VERY Disappointing. Traded it for a 6.7 Cummins! Outstanding fuel economy even in town. Averaging 20mpg on my 40mi round trip commute to work. Just got it so I expect to get better mpg. Towing 12k lb RV fifth wheel cross country I got 10mpg with the Cummins.

 

[NH RAM]

My experience is if you feel like wanting more HP and torque you can always get a tune or quick add ons to get some more. Yes I'm talking about the 6.4.
It's a tried and true engine dating back to the GC SRT8, Charger and Challenger SRT 8. No big issues that I've heard of.

But you'll never be able to get more gears out of the 6L90 in the Chevy. Yes their LS engines are pretty good but the rest of the truck feels a bit almost there in some regards.

Like someone said if I wanted a bigger bump in HP/torque I'd been heading to my nearest Ford dealer and get me some Godzilla 7.3/10spd


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Agreed. The 8HP75 is a great transmission behind the 6.4 and I'll take that over the slight bump in tq with a worse transmission in the GM gas 6.6. From what I've seen, the 7.3 smokes towing comparisons, so if you're towing heavy with a gasser, I'd opt for that over the GM 6.6 gas combo. The Ram and GM are capable of towing similar loads on paper (within 800#) but Godzilla will pull up to 21k on a gooseneck with a 2wd F350.

 

[Marley]

The big 3 all jump back and forth in competition, always have.

Ford threw an uppercut with the 7.3 pushrod engine paired with 10 spd auto but 6.4 with 8spd has been proven.

I'd take the Ram over the Chevy in many aspects with gas mileage being a non issue in a work truck.

 

[Fatbob Frank]

The biggest problem with the 6.6L is that they stuck it in a fugly Chevy!
It would have to make TRX power before I'd even consider it...

 

[tidefan1967]

The biggest problem with the 6.6L is that they stuck it in a fugly Chevy!
It would have to make TRX power before I'd even consider it...

Yes absolutely the ugliest truck GM has ever made, even uglier than their 1959-66 models.

 

[Firebird]

So far, I am thrilled with my 6.4! The 8 speed and 4.10 gears make it a dream to drive, and towing is a breeze. It pulls my travel trailer with ease. I have been a Cummins guy for years, but I no longer tow that heavy, and honestly, the 6.4 just plain drives better in town where I do 90% of my driving.