ram 1500 6 cy vs ecodiesel 6?

[Typetwelve]

The low end torque is about the same as the old 440's, 454's and the HP isn't to far off either, I believe as I recall a 72 Chevy 454 in a K series truck was just over 400 ft/lb of torque and around 250 hp, sounds quite similar to an 2015 Eco diesel to me and feels similar also

I completely agree...the ED does feel like an old big block. Low RPM, tons of torque, not a ton of horsepower.

Case in point...we have a 2002 Ford F-250 with the 6.8L V10. That truck has 310hp, 425tq. The thing drives surprisingly like my 2017 ED Ram...except that my Ram doesn get sub 10mpg...LOL.

Hell...for that matter, the 7.3L diesel that year made 275hp/520tq...that shows you how far these engines have come.

 

[Joes1500]

The low end torque is about the same as the old 440's, 454's and the HP isn't to far off either, I believe as I recall a 72 Chevy 454 in a K series truck was just over 400 ft/lb of torque and around 250 hp, sounds quite similar to an 2015 Eco diesel to me and feels similar also

Except non of those were turbo charged and had severe lag !

 

[LouM]

Except non of those were turbo charged and had severe lag !

It's a shame you didn't like yours, personally I hadn't noticed much lag. I also don't tend to bury my foot in it, I feed the throttle in smoothly. The only times I used my throttles hard and fast where back in my stock cars days, that was a few years ago.
The old carbureted engines didn't have turbo lag they woulde just bog and fall on their face if you matted them hard when loaded about the same thing just different causes and names.

 

[yohan]

I've been driving my pentastar 3.21 and I haul a camper... I'd suggest getting 3.51 (i think that's the next ratio) so you can tow more than 4200 pounds if you'd ever want to - plus will be better for resale. This thing is gutless on hills, has to shift down before it finds power but overall is a decent ride. Remember at 100thou km on any ram, 8 liters of $40/cad per litre fluid to redo the transmission plus the oil pan has the filter built in ...

Otherwise, I love it ... except for my CEL that indicates either fuel pump or a module .. grr

 

[Joes1500]

It's a shame you didn't like yours, personally I hadn't noticed much lag. I also don't tend to bury my foot in it, I feed the throttle in smoothly. The only times I used my throttles hard and fast where back in my stock cars days, that was a few years ago.
The old carbureted engines didn't have turbo lag they woulde just bog and fall on their face if you matted them hard when loaded about the same thing just different causes and names.

If your carbed engines where falling on there face when you smashed the skinny , then I would assume they were not tuned correctly for the application.

I too ran stock cars , late models, and modified 4x4 gas pulling class. Non of my engines would fall on there face or bog down.

The turbo lag I was referring to is when you would try to merge onto the highway, pass someone ,etc. As long as you were in the throttle and wanted more it was generally ok. But if you got out of the throttle and then needed it, it was to much lag. Way more then any of my Cummins had.

 

[FXCLM5]

If your carbed engines where falling on there face when you smashed the skinny , then I would assume they were not tuned correctly for the application.

I too ran stock cars , late models, and modified 4x4 gas pulling class. Non of my engines would fall on there face or bog down.

The turbo lag I was referring to is when you would try to merge onto the highway, pass someone ,etc. As long as you were in the throttle and wanted more it was generally ok. But if you got out of the throttle and then needed it, it was to much lag. Way more then any of my Cummins had.

The turbo lag is real but you shouldnt compare 2500 to 1500.

yea you musta forgot that your cummins had huuuuuuuuuuuuge pistons and almost 2x the displacement of this little 3.0L

Not to mention the truck weighs 1 ton less but only gets 1/2 the displacement to move it....

 

[BiGMERF]

Co-workers and friends of mine have various late model GM and Ford diesel 2500 sized pickups. Unless you need to pull 30ft toy haulers to crazy locations, or the truck needs to make money for you, I see zero point in the diesel for a light truck.

Nailed it !!

 

[Joes1500]

The turbo lag is real but you shouldnt compare 2500 to 1500.

yea you musta forgot that your cummins had huuuuuuuuuuuuge pistons and almost 2x the displacement of this little 3.0L

Not to mention the truck weighs 1 ton less but only gets 1/2 the displacement to move it....

Displacement you are correct on. But hp/torque numbers dont add up.

My first Cummins was a 95 ,12 valve,4x4 , auto. It had way less lag , and more get up and go , all with less hp/torque then the eco diesel. If I remember right they had about 165 hp and around 400 torque. Plus it was all mechanical no computers.

 

[Typetwelve]

I'll gladly admit that the turbo lag is the main reason why I will not buy another ED Ram...it's horrible. I've only had the truck since Jan and I can say that right off the top of my head, I can recall a good 10 or so times when the truck has put me in a dangerous situation when it decides to lag out and I'm slow rolling with traffic coming right at me.

I'm no gear head, nor am I a hard driver...my stupid State Farm ap rates my driving as an A+. I know when I have a proper traffic gap to merge, or turn a cross an intersection, or leave my neighborhood onto a busy road. I've had to completely re-think how I drive because of that stupid lag, the truck just will not move until the turbo spools and when it does, it's prone to just roast the tires. My wife called the truck "dangerous" last weekend when it lagged in an intersection and I damn near got hit.

The truck has points for and against it...and the considerably lower fuel cost is a big plus for me. I'm willing to live with it for now, but I definitely wouldn't buy it again.

 

[brentwasham]

Never noticed a lag with the 3.6L gas engine, in fact the kick in the butt usually surprises me as I don't often punch it. Having owned a diesel car (VW), and having paid the extra fuel cost and worried about the diesel repair expense, I am much happier with the simple, fuel-efficient, powerful, non-turbo, good old gas engine. Maybe if diesel and gas fuel cost the same it would be a closer decision, but I still favor cheaper and simpler when it comes to purchase cost, maintenance and repairs.

 

[BTD07]

I will throw my little opinion in.. Get the v6. As others have said you dont NEED a Diesel in a light duty truck, and the v6 would suit your needs fine. Or...get the Hemi

 

[BearOnAQuad]

Wanted to give my 2 cents worth on the Eco-diesel question. I own a 2015 Eco-diesel and really like it and feel it was worth it to me to pay the extra $$.

I track mileage on EVERY tank of fuel. I am an addict about that. I average 28 MPH on the highway and have gotten 30 MPH on one tank. I get 21-24 MPH consistently in the city. I also pull a 24 ft. travel trailer with my truck and I get about 16 MPH when towing my trailer. That is also over Colorado Mountain passes! Plenty of power for towing over the high passes. I have never felt under powered. The Ford I had before wouldn't touch 16 MPH on its best day going down hill.

As far as the DEF is concerned it is not an issue at all. I only put in the 2.5 gallon each time I need some because the dealer said the DEF will age if it sits too long. I get 3000-6000 miles between DEF fill ups depending on the time of year and the temps out. The truck gives a warning message if you start to run low on DEF so I do not worry about running out. Now days you can get DEF anywhere.

I have had zero maintenance issues and I have 43k on the truck right now.

I have never had an issue with the truck starting in cold weather. But, I am not in Minnesota or Alaska cold. So take that for what it is worth.

I have done a little 4 wheeling, not much because I baby my vehicles.

Hope that helps address some of your concerns.

 

[TerraNewf]

Seems to me that most people who own ECO's really like them. Out of the 2 I would pick the Pentastar because I previously owned one.

 

[cuminslvr]

I've owned several diesels, a couple cummins in dodge trucks and a MB e300 diesel. I just purchased a 2018 ram 1500 with the ecodiesel. Its not always a matter of $$ sometimes its just personal preference. Besides I got so much off the msrp, it was a deal I couldn't turn down. Made it all the sweeter.

 

[FXCLM5]

i sometimes get 700+ outta my 26 gallon tank, you wont get that with a v6 gas, i like filling up like every 2.5 weeks instead of weekly on my 14 hemi

 

[Random_Walk]

So, late as hell to the thread...

When I went looking, and I was looking for used (1-2 years old), I couldn't find an Ecodiesel, but in retrospect I'm kinda glad I didn't.

1) Now if I were hauling stuff heavier than the ~5,000 lb limit my little V6 gives me (w/ a 3.21 axle), then the Ecodiesel would be the way to go, since max towing would shoot up to 8,000+ lbs. But, I don't, so there was no real justification in my spending the dosh to do that.

Most boats are clearly lighter than 5k (and it'd be hard to find a 17' boat that would even come close to 3,000 lbs, even fully-laden), so that's probably not going to be sufficient justification.

2) Ecodiesel gets ~28mpg, Pentastar gets around 24mpg. Four miles per gallon ain't gonna really be enough to justify the $4.5k price difference, higher maintenance costs, all that stupid DEF fluid, etc.

...however, uncertainty plus differential in gasoline vs. diesel prices may someday cover the difference, especially back in 2012 when gasoline shot up to around $4.50/gal out here in Oregon, but diesel still hovered down around $2.50/gal or so. It was a double-whammy that would have made diesel a way smarter buy, especially if the prices had stayed where they were (or gas got even worse). But... we're wandering off into gambling/prophesy territory here.


3) Finding a diesel pump in some areas is damned hard to do (at least out here), especially when most local consumer (not commercial) gas stations might have one diesel pump (if it ain't out-of-order), and it'll likely be a crap-shoot as to whether it'll be diesel type #1 or #2 going into your tank. You can get around that by hitting the truck stops and getting your fuel there... if there's one close by to home and/or work.


Overall, I decided on the V6 gasser, partly by Hobson's Choice. I'm glad I did. However, I'm not you... so you may want to take a good, hard look at what you want to do, where you think things overall are going, and whether or not one option over the other makes the most sense.

 

[Jake12213]

Hey guys, I am new to the forum but want to get your inputs on this topic. I am in the market for a Ram 1500. I am an efficiency minded guy. I want a full size truck with my tacoma gas mileage or better (if possible).

I am going to have 4x4 and I pull mostly a lawnmower, or Polaris Ranger UTV or a 17ft skiff that I fish out of.

I have heard good things about both the regular 6 cyl as well as the ecodiesel 6 cyl.

What I can't figure out is if the ecodiesel is worth the extra money as far as gas mileage? Any help any of you might can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Thabnks!

I have a 17 v6 gasser ram and love it. Has plenty of power and at 70 75 mph I’m getting 23 to 26 mpg. I couldn’t justify spending the extra money on the ed or the extra fuel cost. It’s all subjective though. I test drove the ed and it was a nice truck.

 

[indept]

There is 1 major issue with the 3.6, IT'S NAME! Who came up with Pentastar. It's a truck so it needs a manly name like The Sixshooter or the Hexi Pentastar brings a pink pony to mind ........ Just sayin.

 

[Random_Walk]

There is 1 major issue with the 3.6, IT'S NAME! Who came up with Pentastar. It's a truck so it needs a manly name like The Sixshooter or the Hexi Pentastar brings a pink pony to mind ........ Just sayin.

LOL.... true, but the name actually has a meaning. It's what the Chrysler 'star'-looking symbol is called: https://www.allpar.com/corporate/pentastar.html

 

[Hootbro]

There is 1 major issue with the 3.6, IT'S NAME! Who came up with Pentastar. It's a truck so it needs a manly name like The Sixshooter or the Hexi Pentastar brings a pink pony to mind ........ Just sayin.

You got *** on the brain then.