New member - seriously considering a HD Hemi

[GOATram]

Hello everyone, new member here. Have been reading through the forum and it has been helping a lot. I am in the market for a truck which will mainly be my daily driver. However due to growing family, 3 kids, and also because we are looking to get a small TT for couple of trips a month, I need to get a truck that can handle the towing especially in North California. I am considering the Hemi because it has a higher payload/towing than a half ton although payload was a bigger consideration. I have had a 2007.5 Cummins 6.7L in the past and also a Ram 1500. But I haven't done any serious towing with either. I have a few questions if I can get some answers.

1) How will the Ram 2500 hemi do with a 10k trailer on the mountains? My main concern is from the Ike gauntlet video from FLT on YouTube where the Hemi was struggling. Is that the experience shared by most owners?
2) what mpg are you guys getting and what conditions? My commute to work is 80% city and 20% hwy.
3) what is the acceleration like from 0-60? Since it is mostly my DD, I am curious as to what others are seeing.
4) is the resale value good for the hemi 6.4. I am planning to keep it for 10 years, but want to get an idea of what to expect if I have to sell before then.
5) lastly, if you can share how many miles you currently have and if you are happy/unhappy that will help as well .

TIA

 

[SuperBeeMike]

GOATram,

As a recent convert from Cummins to Hemi, I'll give you my thoughts.

1) How will the Ram 2500 hemi do with a 10k trailer on the mountains? My main concern is from the Ike gauntlet video from FLT on YouTube where the Hemi was struggling. Is that the experience shared by most owners?
A) Stock, it will be disappointing, more so with the 3:73 gears. I have a 10k lbs. bumper pull toy hauler and I was not happy with my 3:73 geared truck. I watched FLT and I too had the same kind of performance pulling steep grades. I have since re-geared to 4:56's and it is a huge improvement.

2) what mpg are you guys getting and what conditions? My commute to work is 80% city and 20% hwy.
A) I was getting 13 in the city and 17 on the highway stock. Now with my gear change I am seeing 14 in the city. I haven't calculated highway with the new gears but it looks to be upper teens. you will love the drivability the Hemi gives around town vs. the Cummins.

3) what is the acceleration like from 0-60? Since it is mostly my DD, I am curious as to what others are seeing.
A) Its not like my wife's 392 Challenger, or any sports car, but it runs decent. I was hoping for tire shredding acceleration but even with the 4:56's, it still doesn't go sideways. Its a very heavy truck and it shows.

4) is the resale value good for the hemi 6.4. I am planning to keep it for 10 years, but want to get an idea of what to expect if I have to sell before then.
A) Expect the worst and you won't be disappointed. If you are hoping for Cummins type resale, it will never happen.

5) lastly, if you can share how many miles you currently have and if you are happy/unhappy that will help as well .
A) I am at 4,000 miles. I love this truck more than I ever did my Cummins trucks. It is so much more user friendly and the drivability is refreshing after having a 2015 Ram 3500 CTD. It responds and actually goes when you press the gas pedal, no delay like my CTD had. Overall, I'd buy it again. Its the best looking truck on the market, its rugged, and its a Mopar.

 

[GOATram]

GOATram,

As a recent convert from Cummins to Hemi, I'll give you my thoughts.

1) How will the Ram 2500 hemi do with a 10k trailer on the mountains? My main concern is from the Ike gauntlet video from FLT on YouTube where the Hemi was struggling. Is that the experience shared by most owners?
A) Stock, it will be disappointing, more so with the 3:73 gears. I have a 10k lbs. bumper pull toy hauler and I was not happy with my 3:73 geared truck. I watched FLT and I too had the same kind of performance pulling steep grades. I have since re-geared to 4:56's and it is a huge improvement.

2) what mpg are you guys getting and what conditions? My commute to work is 80% city and 20% hwy.
A) I was getting 13 in the city and 17 on the highway stock. Now with my gear change I am seeing 14 in the city. I haven't calculated highway with the new gears but it looks to be upper teens. you will love the drivability the Hemi gives around town vs. the Cummins.

3) what is the acceleration like from 0-60? Since it is mostly my DD, I am curious as to what others are seeing.
A) Its not like my wife's 392 Challenger, or any sports car, but it runs decent. I was hoping for tire shredding acceleration but even with the 4:56's, it still doesn't go sideways. Its a very heavy truck and it shows.

4) is the resale value good for the hemi 6.4. I am planning to keep it for 10 years, but want to get an idea of what to expect if I have to sell before then.
A) Expect the worst and you won't be disappointed. If you are hoping for Cummins type resale, it will never happen.

5) lastly, if you can share how many miles you currently have and if you are happy/unhappy that will help as well .
A) I am at 4,000 miles. I love this truck more than I ever did my Cummins trucks. It is so much more user friendly and the drivability is refreshing after having a 2015 Ram 3500 CTD. It responds and actually goes when you press the gas pedal, no delay like my CTD had. Overall, I'd buy it again. Its the best looking truck on the market, its rugged, and its a Mopar.

Thank you SuperBeeMike for the answers. There was a Mega cab in one of the dealer lots around here which I was going to go take a look at on Friday. It is a 3.73. How much did it cost to do a gear change. Was it done by the dealer?

 

[SuperBeeMike]

I spent just over $2700 for the swap, it was well worth it. I had it done by a local driveline/gear shop. I don't trust my dealership to do precision work like installing gear sets.

Here is a link to the gear swap topic on this forum. I replied in detail to my gear swap on page 21, near the bottom.

https://www.ramforum.com/threads/6-4-hemi-gear-swap.77499/page-21

 

[mohemipar]

If I were you I would just wait for new 5th gen in 2020, unless you absolutely need to start towing now. The new 5th gen will have a ZF 8 speed transmission and will put down the 6.4’s power better. When the Hemi sedans and SUV’s made the switch from the old Mercedes 5 speed to the ZF, it was virtually night and day. Performance increases were massive. I am thinking the Ram jumping from 66RFE to a ZF 8 speed will be similar. And not just for the sake of mountain towing, the 5th gen is just going to be all around a better truck and it really isn’t that far off. Fuel economy will also be better with that 8 speed.

But I will say for the 4th gen…

Re-gearing is definitely going to be a big help, but it is expensive. The dealer would maybe do Mopar 4.44's for you and keep your warranty. There are some dealers out there who suck at doing gear swaps. And if it is not a Mopar gear they would probably void your warranty. A dealer would also charge you an arm and a leg. If going that route, you may as well just find a good off road shop.

MPG can improve the more the truck breaks in. When mine was in stock form new it was doing 10-13 city without babying it. Depending on idle time and weather.

For acceleration improvement a Pedal Commander is all you need to know if you don’t want to tune it or add parts. It makes a very noticeable difference on these heavy trucks. I find it to be plenty fast enough for what it is. And I also own a 392 Charger. Flooring the Ram makes me smile. Flooring the Charger makes me shake my head and go “holy ****”.

Resale won't be as good as a Cummins but it won't be bad either. When I was in for service the dealer offered me more than I had paid for it when it was new with incentives and discounts. It was actually tempting, but I had virtually no reason to sell it and I love the truck. Trucks generally have good resale. Just maintain it and keep it stock or return it to stock when you want to sell it.

I have never towed in mountains with it but everything I have used it for it has performed perfectly and I love it. Having said that, I will be very interested in trading for the 5th gen, probably in the second model year.

 

[cyclepuck]

Interested as well in the gear change. I have a 14 2500 mega cab and love everything about it but could use more gear especially running 35's.

 

[Nickx86]

In all honestly, if your pulling steep hills, then you will need the extra gearing. I’m perfectly content w my 3.73 in my truck when I’m hauling a 12k excavation machine but I don’t have steep hills and I live at low elevation. I’m sure if I was going to more rugged terrain, I’d step up to 4.44 or 4.56.

Also a programmer I heard wakes the Hemi up, but that’s on my to do list.

Fuel economy isn’t bad 13 around town, 16-17/on the highway doing 70. Drive like mad max, then the gas gauge goes down quickly haha.

Overall compared to my old truck, it does the job much better and my mpg isn’t that far off. It’s actually better towing than my ford 5.0 and yes those weight police I was over weight hence I upgraded. Plus for a 3/4 ton it does quite nice, no half ton ride but still rides nice

 

[GOATram]

Also what kind of pricing should I expect on these trucks? Is 12k off MSRP reasonable?

 

[22hemi13]

Also what kind of pricing should I expect on these trucks? Is 12k off MSRP reasonable?

Will very much depend on the dealer. One thing with the 2500 and up is they know if you need it you’re buying it. While a 1500 is more “car like” so it’s a different market. If that makes sense lol

 

[McBroom]

Hello everyone, new member here. Have been reading through the forum and it has been helping a lot. I am in the market for a truck which will mainly be my daily driver. However due to growing family, 3 kids, and also because we are looking to get a small TT for couple of trips a month, I need to get a truck that can handle the towing especially in North California. I am considering the Hemi because it has a higher payload/towing than a half ton although payload was a bigger consideration. I have had a 2007.5 Cummins 6.7L in the past and also a Ram 1500. But I haven't done any serious towing with either. I have a few questions if I can get some answers.

1) How will the Ram 2500 hemi do with a 10k trailer on the mountains? My main concern is from the Ike gauntlet video from FLT on YouTube where the Hemi was struggling. Is that the experience shared by most owners?
2) what mpg are you guys getting and what conditions? My commute to work is 80% city and 20% hwy.
3) what is the acceleration like from 0-60? Since it is mostly my DD, I am curious as to what others are seeing.
4) is the resale value good for the hemi 6.4. I am planning to keep it for 10 years, but want to get an idea of what to expect if I have to sell before then.
5) lastly, if you can share how many miles you currently have and if you are happy/unhappy that will help as well .

TIA

1- awesome 10K you won’t even know its there with a good WDH
2-14 city 16.5 highway averages
3-throttle is ok but, make your first mod a Pedal Commander
4-keeping it 10years I wouldn’t worry about resale. 5 Year’s resale is great. All depends on the miles and overall looks.
5-I’m seriously happy with my truck. It’s got 8100 miles and will never have another owner!
My recommendation is get the 2500 it’ll do more than you could ever want from it. The 6.4 is a workhorse
Lastly def get 4x4!!!


I Love my 18 Ram 2500HD 4x4 CC
Blue Streak Pearl off-road package

 

[SuperBeeMike]

When I bought mine, the rebates weren't as strong as they are at the end of the model year. The sticker price was just under $51k and I picked it up for $43k. I bought mine in Idaho at Dave Smith Motors. I will buy from them again.

 

[NewBlackDak]

Mine has 4.10s which I would call adequate, but not ideal. I live in Utah, and have to pull a pass no matter which direction I go. Our passes are higher than your peaks, so not really apples to apples. I’m trying to decide on a 2019 Cummins or keeping this one and re-gearing. I hate the look of the 5th gen, and will be in a Ford if I need a new truck while RAM is in that era.
I’m at 72K miles, and the only trouble I’ve had was the flickering overhead console lights(warrantied), and the transmission solenoid(was warranty for me and then later covered by a recall).
Mileage is in my fuelly link, but…
Drive like an old lady, and I can squeeze 13.5 city. Like I want it’s 12.5 in the summer and 11.5 on winter blend. Highway with cruise set at 65 I get 18-18.5. As the speed increases it goes down quickly. 15-ish at 75. I don’t know what flat tow mileage is, because we don’t have any. I’ve seen as low as 7.5 towing my travel trailer with a scaled combined weight of 17,372 and over the Ike. I’ve also seen as high as 12 with my wife’s car on a trailer and a weight of 18,496.


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[AFMoulton]

GOATram,

I love my Hemi 6.4, and wouldn’t go for a Cummins at all. Here are my reasons and I will answer your questions as well. I have a family of 7, 5 kids ranging from 13-4. We bought a 38’ TT that GVWR at 11,500. I needed a truck to pull it as my 1500 wasn’t going to do it. I tow maybe 25% of the time. The 6.4 Hemi with the 4.10 gears from the factory is a beast. Could I hear it lower, absolutely, will I? I’m not sure I need to, it plants the power just fine, if I want to go crazy the wife’s Durango is a lot of fun.

Now to your questions.
(I’m stealing the format because it was well done!)

1) How will the Ram 2500 hemi do with a 10k trailer on the mountains? My main concern is from the Ike gauntlet video from FLT on YouTube where the Hemi was struggling. Is that the experience shared by most owners?

A) I pull my 10.7 loaded camper through the mountains of New Mexico, ele. 4000-10000, with no problems. It works going up the grades but I didn’t expect it to run 70 mph like a Cummins would. I anticipate the grade and manual select a lower gear to keep my ROM in the power band and she runs up the mountains just fine. I’m not in a race at all.

2) what mpg are you guys getting and what conditions? My commute to work is 80% city and 20% hwy.

A) I have the same sort of commute and I’m averaging 14.2. That’s with adding errands in and running kids around town. If I stick to the highway, even with NM mountains in the way, I get 17-18.

3) what is the acceleration like from 0-60? Since it is mostly my DD, I am curious as to what others are seeing.

A) with 4.10 from the factory, it’s a lot of fun, but it is a 7000lb truck so, I’m not expecting it to win any races, but if you are worried about getting up to speed, don’t.

4) is the resale value good for the hemi 6.4. I am planning to keep it for 10 years, but want to get an idea of what to expect if I have to sell before then.

A) Its a gas Heavy Duty, it will lose value much like a 1500 will. It won’t hold value like a Cummins, but I don’t plan to sell it till its long paid off, so I’m not as worried.

5) lastly, if you can share how many miles you currently have and if you are happy/unhappy that will help as well .

A) I’m at 5700 and counting and I absolutely love this truck.


One of my major reasons for buying a 6.4 Hemi instead of the Cummins was money. $9200 in my area for the diesel option. Well, I can buy a lot of gas. At my average of 2.99 for mid grade I can buy 3076.93 gallons of gas. At my MPG avg that’s 43,692.3 miles. Will that change, probably but still a major decision for me. That’s not even factoring in Cummins Maintenance. I say that because my brother-in-law formed out $7000+ in maintenance items during the first 3 years of owning his Cummins, he’s back in a gasser now.

HOWEVER, if I was towing super heavy all the time, I would have bought a 3509 Dually Cummins with Aisin trans and 4.10 gears. But I’m not, so I couldn’t justify the cost. Plus the payload capacity on a 2500 Hemi vs a 2500 Cummins is about 2500-3000 difference, equally equipped. So consider the weight of your trailer and how much of that will be tongue weight which will limit what you can put in your truck.

Hopefully this helps, and I wasn’t just rambling, sometimes I do that.



Hwy, no camper:

Hwy with camper and lots of mountains:



2018 2500 6.4 4x4 4.10 Amsoil SS 0w-40, Softopper, Black Rhino Armory 18x9 +12mm Cooper Stt MAXX LT295/70R18
2016 Durango 5.7 AWD 3.07 Amsoil SS 5W-30
1996 Nissan Altima 2.4 Amsoil SS 5W-30

 

[AFMoulton]

@SuperBeeMike well said!


2018 2500 6.4 4x4 4.10 Amsoil SS 0w-40
2016 Durango 5.7 AWD 3.07 Amsoil SS 5W-30
1996 Nissan Altima 2.4 Amsoil SS 5W-30

 

[AFMoulton]

Also what kind of pricing should I expect on these trucks? Is 12k off MSRP reasonable?

Sticker on mine was $45,650, I paid out the door TT&L plus eating some on my trade, $31,847.36. (Now mine was a Snow Plow Prep Package in South Texas, so I used that to my advantage of it sitting on the lot for the previous 8 months.)


2018 2500 6.4 4x4 4.10 Amsoil SS 0w-40
2016 Durango 5.7 AWD 3.07 Amsoil SS 5W-30
1996 Nissan Altima 2.4 Amsoil SS 5W-30

 

[22hemi13]

Sticker on mine was $45,650, I paid out the door TT&L plus eating some on my trade, $31,847.36. (Now mine was a Snow Plow Prep Package in South Texas, so I used that to my advantage of it sitting on the lot for the previous 8 months.)


2018 2500 6.4 4x4 4.10 Amsoil SS 0w-40
2016 Durango 5.7 AWD 3.07 Amsoil SS 5W-30
1996 Nissan Altima 2.4 Amsoil SS 5W-30

A snow plow prep in Texas. Now that’s funny. Maybe somebody thought they could push dirt on their road

 

[AFMoulton]

A snow plow prep in Texas. Now that’s funny. Maybe somebody thought they could push dirt on their road

Well you know, some people man. Had those elusive 4.10 gears I was after, so I wasn’t too mad! Bluebonnet Ram in New Braunfels, great guys and the sales manager started at 35,000 out the door with me, so they wanted to sell it as much as I wanted to buy it.


2018 2500 6.4 4x4 4.10 Amsoil SS 0w-40, Softopper
Black Rhino Armory 18x9 +12mm
Cooper Stt MAXX LT295/70R18

2016 Durango 5.7 AWD 3.07 Amsoil SS 5W-30
1996 Nissan Altima 2.4 Amsoil SS 5W-30

 

[NewBlackDak]

A snow plow prep in Texas. Now that’s funny. Maybe somebody thought they could push dirt on their road

I think the snow plow prep would be fine for anyone trying to off road. It’s just skid plates and higher output alternator(lights/*****/etc)


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[AFMoulton]

I think the snow plow prep would be fine for anyone trying to off road. It’s just skid plates and higher output alternator(lights/*****/etc)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

And 4.10s!!!!


2018 2500 6.4 4x4 4.10 Amsoil SS 0w-40, Softopper
Black Rhino Armory 18x9 +12mm
Cooper Stt MAXX LT295/70R18

2016 Durango 5.7 AWD 3.07 Amsoil SS 5W-30
1996 Nissan Altima 2.4 Amsoil SS 5W-30

 

[mohemipar]

if you are worried about getting up to speed, don’t.

Good point. I was a bit surprised by how fast the truck is given its weight and even with 35s. Only mods are a Pedal Commander and an S&B intake. Fastest I have ever let this rig get to before letting off the gas was 97 MPH and it was still pulling really hard. I did not want to go over 100 given the 35's speed rating (not even sure where the limiter is on these trucks) but I have no doubts it would have done 100+ easy. I have no doubt with a tune this truck would be an absolute monster for 8,000 frickin pounds. Don’t think you would be slugging along unable to pass or move quickly when you need to. I came from a 1500 and was not disappointed at all with the acceleration.

Chrysler also tends to under rate the Hemis. The 392 SRT’s seem to make more like around 500 at the engine. The 5.7’s, Hellcats also tend to make a bit more than advertised. Wouldn’t be surprised if the 6.4 HD was the same deal.