Pentastar vs Hemi, which should you choose?

[turkeybird56]

I get it brother. Not that I'm made of money, but I really don't care about mpg's in the Ram. It's a truck. I've got other vehicles that get good mpgs on the days I do care though.

The only thing I have that MAY get good MPG is pictured below. My Hemi average 20 on hwy. My MC, under 70 mph get 28-30. SO my statement has always been: It's got a Hemi, not made for economy, but helps to drive reasonable. Further, I will own and drive the RAM till wheels fall off, get some duct tape, tape them back on and drive it some more !!!


,

 

[turkeybird56]

It's hard to compare the same engine in different platforms though, as you mentioned the weight is different but so is (possibly) the tuning and gear ratio, both of which may improve the experience in the Ram.

As for downshifting on slight inclines, this may bother some but my hemi/3.21 will do that on steeper inclines on the freeway and it never bothers me in the slightest for two reasons: 1) it means the transmission and truck are tuned perfectly so that its not revving needlessly higher than it needs to be, thereby wasting gas. I have 8 gears, so I'm happy that it uses the effectively to provide power when needed and mpg when not. And 2), the transmission is so buttery smooth that you honestly have to look for the shift in order to feel it, it's just something slight that happens in the background. It's not like the old 3 and 4 speeds where every shift was a shutter and a wail of protest.

I have the Gear Display active in my EVIC, so I may glance down and see what it is in, but I do mostly rural, rural city driving, rarely do I make it to 8th gear. Just not on the long stretches, etc. But I also manually disable MDS in town more, and leaver on when on highway type driving.

 

[Rado]

Deleted wrong thread

 

[rick1201]

I have the Gear Display active in my EVIC, so I may glance down and see what it is in, but I do mostly rural, rural city driving, rarely do I make it to 8th gear. Just not on the long stretches, etc. But I also manually disable MDS in town more, and leaver on when on highway type driving.

How do you go about activating the gear display in the EVIC ? I have a 2022 Big Horn> Thanks in advance for any info.on that.

Rick

 

[turkeybird56]

Here U go: @ RICK1201


Now I have Premium EVIC, not sure if the same on a Lower Display: (page 169 in My Manual, But I have a 2019 DT Truck) (U have a 22) (PDF too large to load in here) (The gear U R in displays in EVIC to the right of the Gear engaged--- also to the right of the gear display would be the manual mode gear if selected

In your EVIC Display go to:

Screen Setup
NOTE: The Screen Setup feature can only be used while
the vehicle is in PARK.
Push and release the up or down arrow button until the
Screen Setup Menu Icon/Title is highlighted in the instrument
cluster display. Push and release the OK button to
enter the sub-menus and follow the prompts on the screen
as needed. The Screen Setup feature allows you to change
what information is displayed in the instrument cluster as
well as the location that information is displayed.

Screen Setup Driver Selectable Items

Favorite Menus
• Speedometer
• Vehicle Info
• Driver Assist (show/hide) – If Equipped
• Fuel Economy (show/hide)
• Trip Info (show/hide)
• Stop/Start
• Trailer Tow (show/hide)
• Audio (show/hide)
• (Stored) Messages
• Screen Setup

Current Gear
• Off (Default)
• On
Odometer
• No Decimal Point (Default)
• Decimal Point
Defaults
• Cancel
• Restore

 

[turkeybird56]

Afternoon all ,A cool rainy day today !
If anyone gets board I need help cleaning up in Aisle 5 lol
Anyone want to play get rid of the popcorn ceiling paint :O

View attachment 496397

OH NO. Monster Mess unless U move all stuff out.

 

[spacex]

Good enough for me. I wasn’t trying to get good mpg, but wasn’t being an animal either. K&N and also pulsar on eco does help

 

[Docwagon1776]

Older thread, but currently have a 2022 Classic V6 quad cab as a vacation rental. It's very similar to the 2012 Express I drove for 10 years before giving my son, except mine had the Hemi / 3.92 / 6 speed and this is V6 / 8 speed. Don't know the gear ratio but whatever is standard in 4x4 would be my guess.

It's adequate around town but sucks once it's loaded with passengers and you get to any incline. My wife thought I was pushing the truck hard because of the sound, 4k rpm for 38mph on a steep incline near Laguna Beach made it sound like it wanted to explode. 3rd gear manually set on the way down, some engine braking but I was on the brakes more than I would like. Merging in Anaheim/LA traffic highlights lack of torque.

Just city driving, it's completely adequate. It is quiet and well behaved.

Reinforces my opinion I would not be happy with a V6 truck this size. It just lacks enough ass to do truck things and be enjoyable in slightly trying conditions like inclines and mildly loaded driving.

 

[Kap1]

Older thread, but currently have a 2022 Classic V6 quad cab as a vacation rental. It's very similar to the 2012 Express I drove for 10 years before giving my son, except mine had the Hemi / 3.92 / 6 speed and this is V6 / 8 speed. Don't know the gear ratio but whatever is standard in 4x4 would be my guess.

It's adequate around town but sucks once it's loaded with passengers and you get to any incline. My wife thought I was pushing the truck hard because of the sound, 4k rpm for 38mph on a steep incline near Laguna Beach made it sound like it wanted to explode. 3rd gear manually set on the way down, some engine braking but I was on the brakes more than I would like. Merging in Anaheim/LA traffic highlights lack of torque.

Just city driving, it's completely adequate. It is quiet and well behaved.

Reinforces my opinion I would not be happy with a V6 truck this size. It just lacks enough ass to do truck things and be enjoyable in slightly trying conditions like inclines and mildly loaded driving.

I was heavily considering buying a v6 ram 1500 after owning a hemi for 9 years. I do 90% city driving anyway.

My Hemi was relatively powerful, but I found that I didn't really drive fast anymore and didn't really need all that power (or maybe I took it for granted after having it for so long).

And I was looking forward to better fuel economy and no lifter/manifold issues of hemi.

But there were no classic crew 6.5 bed available anywhere near me. Only 2 units within 250 miles range from me, and only a tradesman or express, which is a big step down from my Big Horn... And most importantly no rear sliding window... Which I love.

 

[stenerson]

I'm at 113K miles on my 2018 v6. Been very happy so far. My previous Ram had a hemi. It just my daily driver though, not worked except to go to the dump a couple times a month.

 

[Rado]

I have the Pentastar .A 2015 SLT I purchased used 2016, It has the 8 speed and 3 21 gears
I do not tow or off road so works good for me,
And I am happy with my V6.

Not a speedster for sure ,, but OK
21/23 mpg I am happy with
Now compared to the Hemi's I drove from the Auctions BIG difference lol
SO IMO all depends what you want and what you need !
If I was going to haul a TT the a Hemi is the only way to go

 

[fireflymedic]

I have the v6 and everytime I read a post about the hemi tick I think to myself glad I have the 6. It has so much more power than the 318 I use to have in a 77 power wagon which I was satisfied with at the time see no reason to complain now with 300hp.

 

[Docwagon1776]

My Hemi was relatively powerful, but I found that I didn't really drive fast anymore and didn't really need all that power...

For me it isn't about fast. None of the trucks are fast. I want quick, powerful acceleration when needed and the ability to do moderate tasks without sounding like an angry sewing machine.

 

[jws123]

I have the v6 and everytime I read a post about the hemi tick I think to myself glad I have the 6. It has so much more power than the 318 I use to have in a 77 power wagon which I was satisfied with at the time see no reason to complain now with 300hp.

The penstar has its issues to lol.

 

[Docwagon1776]

The penstar has its issues to lol.

No, no, St. Pentastar blessed each one at it rolled down the assembly line. They are prefect, each and every one.

 

[Rlaf75]

The pentastar v6 actually isn't a bad engine for what it is. It's a 3.6 v6 with about 300 hp and is still good for regular to mild use. It gets better mpg's than the hemi does

 

[fireflymedic]

No, no, St. Pentastar blessed each one at it rolled down the assembly line. They are prefect, each and every one.

Trust me I read e every post about the pentastar. It just seems more posts complaining about the hemi than v6. I especially liked reading about the guy who supercharged his v6 to get more hp

 

[Rayzaa]

Never had a full size truck with a V6. However, my first Ram (1998) had the 318 V8 so it was smaller but still pretty good. But the Hemi is much stronger when i traded it in. Will always go V8 in a fullsize truck.

 

[turkeybird56]

Never had a full size truck with a V6. However, my first Ram (1998) had the 318 V8 so it was smaller but still pretty good. But the Hemi is much stronger when i traded it in. Will always go V8 in a fullsize truck.

If U want new, better hurry up, RAM hinting at Hemi going away and an inline 6 (Hurricane engine) going in to 1500's.

 

[Jeepwalker]

Will always go V8 in a fullsize truck.

If U want new, better hurry up, RAM hinting at Hemi going away and an inline 6 (Hurricane engine) going in to 1500's.

Yep ....probably only a couple more years for the 5.7 in a 1500, like one or two posssibly. -- Seriously. But the I-6 if it doesn't do MDS could be a real nice engine. Not sure about long-haul towing though.

But I hear Cybertrucks are going to be real strong!