Need Advice - 18 Laramie/3.0-Liter V6 EcoDiesel Engine - Enough Power?

[PaPa_Brewskey]

The underlined, bolded sentence is why your fuel economy on that trip was so bad. We essentially have the same truck, and on a long trip like that I would easily see 19.5 - 20.5 mpg.

I second that! I have the same size tires (ProComp AT Sport) on similar ProComp wheels and and lost significant mileage from the stock tires, at least 2 MPG avg (calculated, not computer) It takes much more to get those tires spinning, in fact. I'm considering backing down to a 15 or 17 x 9 wheel, and back to a 33" sensible tire. BTW, the ProComp AT Sport tires are great in the desert, but suck on the highway. You feel every single crack in the pavement, AND, I'm constantly taking them in to be re-balanced. I'm open to suggestions on wheel/tire combos btw, if anyone cares to pipe in...

 

[69GWC]

Go sit in a hemi and an eco and pull 7k through the mountains for a couple days straight and see which you prefer listening to for hours on end, a screaming 4000 rpm hemi or a relatively quiet 2000 rpm eco?

Drove from Kansas to the east coast pulling a 6x12 tamdam axle trailer, one way empty and one way packed full.
I did this in my 07 6.7 Cummins and then 2yrs later did this in my 16 Hemi both ttrucks with aftermarket mufflers and the exact same route.
The noise level on either trucks is louder than stock and neither bothered me or the wife , even through the mountains.
So IMO for me I will take the Hemi and take my power with it.

I would also say if you have the Hemi turning 4k the Eco is going to be turning more rpms than 2k thats for sure.

 

[Joes1500]

Go sit in a hemi and an eco and pull 7k through the mountains for a couple days straight and see which you prefer listening to for hours on end, a screaming 4000 rpm hemi or a relatively quiet 2000 rpm eco?

Got some bad news for you. As soon as that ecodiesel down shifts a couple gears to pull those hills , which it will do because the programming will not let it lug, you are back to a high rpm situation. Which means noise.

I know this from experience , pulled trailers from PA to TX and back several times with mine.


After 30-40k miles , that ecodiesel isnt near as quit as it is when new.


As I stated before. I have owned them both. I got rid of my eco and got a hemi. Stock to stock the hemi will out perform the eco in every single way, except fuel economy.

 

[RangerGress]

I've had an EcoD for >4yrs. It's really a wonderful truck. But it's not a powerful truck. With only 240hp, it's just not going to accelerate hard, so if that's important to you, the engine is a bad fit.

The EcoD's mpg is amazing. I get 23-24mpg in my 50/50 city/highway commute. If I keep it below 65mph, I can sustain 30mpg.

Where diesel engines really shine tho, is in towing. Gas engines suck for towing, especially turbo gassers because the mixture goes rich to keep the turbo cool. Diesels are awesome for towing because they've got good hp at low rpm so instead of a gasser towing at 3000rpm to sustain the hp, the diesel might be doing 1700rpm. Squeezing all that fuel/air in the cylinders means the higher rpm is less efficient. I tow a 7400lb enclosed trailer on a long road trip each month. I did test tows in gasser trucks and got 6mpg. The EcoD gets 14mpg, the same as a "big diesel", as long as I keep the speed down. A big diesel would happily tow my trailer at 70mph all day long, but that's asking a lot for the little EcoD. So the EcoD would have to run at higher rpms and as a result be less efficient.

The delta in fuel price isn't much. Since I tow a lot, if I had a gasser I'd be using 91 octane fuel. Diesel prices vary all over the map. Within a mile of my daily commute there is a range in diesel prices of 70cents/gal, really crazy. The price difference between 91 octane and a "good" diesel price is 10-15cents/gal, call it 5%.

I race cars, road courses, not circle track, so the idea of driving a car just as fast as it can go is not foreign to me. But I have zero need for my truck to drive like a sports car. It's just my comfortable ride to work and my tow vehicle. The idea that my truck ought to be "powerful" is lost on me. I've gone thru lots of daily drivers over the decades, some quite sporty and powerful. But I've not actually floored the accelerator (racing excepted) on the streets since I lived in Germany in the 90's and routinely zoomed up/down the autobahns. If I've not floored the accelerator, than all those times I was trying to convince myself how cool it would be to have more engine....was just me being an idiot. Trucks aren't sports cars. They don't need 400hp. Just look in the mirror, shrug your shoulders and say "my truck is not a sports car. I'm over that".

If someone is telling you that their truck is cooler than yours because it has much more hp, just look at them as if they were 14yrs old.

Re. turbo lag. This is actually a throttle "tip in" issue. You want it to dart forward, just give it more initial throttle. It'll get up and go, then the turbo will spool up and you'll prob have to immediately back off the throttle.

 

[Schultzestrength]

People talking about sound and MPGs... Are we on the Toyota Corolla board? Really? We are talking about trucks here.

 

[Mopar man]

I am proud of the fact I drive a truck that has over 400 horsepower. It is quick in traffic and still out accelerates most vehicles on the road. That is a feature I like and require. On my 6 mile commute per day, the ecoD would get crap for mpg just like my ram does. Our Ford Fusion 185 horse 4 cylinder gets 16 mpg. My crew cab hemi Ram is getting 12 while turning 35 inch tires and 20x9 rims

 

[69GWC]

Pulling 6,500lbs. Dont seem to be screaming to get it done by any means.
No reason to use 91 octane 89 is just fine and is cheaper.
My evac stated 10.7 for what thats worth rolling on 35s with a incorrect speedo.

 

[Shawn226]

This thread has derailed into a fiery Amtrak-like crash.

The OP asked if the ecodiesel engine has enough power, which the short of it is yes it has enough power. Is it a race engine? No. But it gets the job done while taking other things in to consideration that some consumers may desire. If your hemi makes your **** hard, then cool, mine did too when I owned it. But I also got rid of it. No one cares though! Hence the title isn’t “tell me why your hemi is better than the engine platform I asked about”

 

[KDunivanHomes]

I have the exact truck you are looking at. I test drove three different 3.0L ones with three different rear end gears. If my memory is correct, the 3.92 was the lowest gear ratio. It had considerably more power off the line than the 3.21, again, If my memory is correct. I liked the 3.92 the best. Huge difference. I pull a single axle trailer with a cubic yard of topsoil and the torque handled it easily. The dirt and trailer is heavier than the camper you wish to purchase. Comparatively speaking, IMO, the 3.0L pulls as nice as my wifes 2012 Hemi due to similar torque produced. If you want spunky throttle response from a stop light, get the Hemi. I calculated the difference in cost to drive my Ecodiesel compared to the wifes Hemi. For the miles I drive, it will take me roughly 3 years to start saving money when comparing gas, diesel, DEF fluid, more quarts or oil and the initial cost of diesel vs gas. However, due monster dealer rebates on Memorial Day, factory rebates, military rebate, USAA discount, self employed discount, National Association of Realtors discount and a little haggling on top, I got my 2018 1500 Laramie 4x4,no trade in, for $44,100 and the sticker price was a hair under $58,000.With that said, its cheaper for me to have the EcoD. I get 25 MPG Average as a Realtor and 30 MPG on highway trips. Hope this helps. Drive all three Rear gear ratios.

 

[crash68]

I test drove three different 3.0L ones with three different rear end gears. If my memory is correct, the 3.92 was the lowest gear ratio. It had considerably more power off the line than the 3.21

The EcoD has only been offered with 2 gearing options, 3.55 and 3.92. It has not been offered with 3.21

 

[Black W900]

But the diesel makes more usable TORQUE.

High horsepower is great for high speeds, but torque is what gets you moving when you hit the gas at a stoplight.

As Carroll Shelby famously said, "Horsepower sells cars, torque wins races."

But the eco diesel is a slug from a dead stop and it sure as hell aint winning any races...So,what's your point?

 

[indept]

I haven't driven the eco-d but from what I see it is slow merging into traffic especially from a stop and maintenence is more expensive. If you intend to tow occasionally I would go with a gas engine. Even the 3.6 v6 is pretty strong and great reliability. As you metioned, the hemi is a good motor, no problem merging with that and I wouldn't be comfortable with my family in an eco-d after reading about close calls merging into traffic.

Here's a good resource to see what you need as far as towing / hauling with different configurations:
https://www.ramtrucks.com/towing-guide.html

 

[MajMike]

This thread has derailed into a fiery Amtrak-like crash.

The OP asked if the ecodiesel engine has enough power, which the short of it is yes it has enough power. Is it a race engine? No. But it gets the job done while taking other things in to consideration that some consumers may desire. If your hemi makes your **** hard, then cool, mine did too when I owned it. But I also got rid of it. No one cares though! Hence the title isn’t “tell me why your hemi is better than the engine platform I asked about”

Nicely put.