BuggyMasters
Member
I hope this thread makes it to someone else who is considering going from a 1500 to a 2500. I go through a lot of vehicles. I rarely honestly need to tow anything heavy duty. Only reason I wanted a 2500 is because I was on my 4th 1500 and just wanted something different so I didn’t feel like I was driving the same thing but more expensive. I trade when the warranty is up. I do tow up to about 7-8k lbs on occasion and maybe 3000 lbs once or twice a month. With the price of diesel fuel, and the lack of real need for having a diesel powered truck, the 6.4 was the direction I went.
I have had my loaded up 2018 Laramie for about 6 months now and here are my observations:
1.) This ain’t no 1500! The truck drives like a truck! The 1500 is so comfortable you sometimes forget it’s a truck! In comparison, the 2500 rides stiffer, has a slight sway to it, has VERY different and noticeable braking as examples.
2.) You might miss the 8 speed trans. The 2500, while not really a slouch, is definitely slower performance wise than the 1500. I liked the fact that the 1500 was actually faster than a lot of the cars on the road. The 2500 is not “peppy” like the 1500 is but because of the driving characteristics noted in number 1 above, you don’t expect it to be. Point is, if you love how fast the 1500 is, be prepared to give that up. You are in a truck now! I should also note how glad I am that I got one with the 4.10’s!
3.) Even with 8k lbs behind it, the truck is unphased. This is certainly where the 2500 shines...as designed. You can hardly tell you are pulling anything. Maybe this would change if I pulled more but with the 1500, you knew when you had 3k lbs on it. This truck practically laughs in the face of an 8k lb payload.
4.) You feel like you are driving a truck at all times. This is important for some people and this truck has you covered, it sits high and feels like a solid piece of work machinery while still having street manners at the same time.
5.) Be prepared to feed it...a lot. If I had one complaint, it’s the fact that this thing is thirsty. Frequent trips to the gas station are coming your way if you get in a 2500. Granted, I try to make it drive like my 1500. I just came back from a 1000 mile road trip and got 15.2 MPG. I average about 13 otherwise. But I am well aware that no one should get into a 2500 with expectations of good gas mileage but it is certainly noticeable vs the 1500.
6.) Everything about a 2500 is more expensive. For example, just to pull my two Utility style trailers required me to buy a $300 drop hitch just to accommodate the height difference between my old 1500 and my 2500. Today I got an oil change. It cost $87. I can only imagine if I kept it long enough to need brakes, they are going to be very expensive. Point being....once you go HD, be prepared to pay for it.
7.) Just because it’s a 2500 doesn’t mean it’s got the posi rear end! I demand that any truck I have has this. Why Dodge makes ANY 2500 without the LSD is beyond me. I almost bought one prior to this truck until I discovered that it did not have an LSD. Glad that happened because I love the truck I wound up with that just so happens to have the LSD. Get it together Dodge/Ram! NO 2500 should come without an LSD!
I’ll add other stuff as I think of it. Overall: no regrets. This is a fantastic machine. I understand the next gen coming is going to get a ZF 8-speed. Might upgrade! Hope this helps someone!
I have had my loaded up 2018 Laramie for about 6 months now and here are my observations:
1.) This ain’t no 1500! The truck drives like a truck! The 1500 is so comfortable you sometimes forget it’s a truck! In comparison, the 2500 rides stiffer, has a slight sway to it, has VERY different and noticeable braking as examples.
2.) You might miss the 8 speed trans. The 2500, while not really a slouch, is definitely slower performance wise than the 1500. I liked the fact that the 1500 was actually faster than a lot of the cars on the road. The 2500 is not “peppy” like the 1500 is but because of the driving characteristics noted in number 1 above, you don’t expect it to be. Point is, if you love how fast the 1500 is, be prepared to give that up. You are in a truck now! I should also note how glad I am that I got one with the 4.10’s!
3.) Even with 8k lbs behind it, the truck is unphased. This is certainly where the 2500 shines...as designed. You can hardly tell you are pulling anything. Maybe this would change if I pulled more but with the 1500, you knew when you had 3k lbs on it. This truck practically laughs in the face of an 8k lb payload.
4.) You feel like you are driving a truck at all times. This is important for some people and this truck has you covered, it sits high and feels like a solid piece of work machinery while still having street manners at the same time.
5.) Be prepared to feed it...a lot. If I had one complaint, it’s the fact that this thing is thirsty. Frequent trips to the gas station are coming your way if you get in a 2500. Granted, I try to make it drive like my 1500. I just came back from a 1000 mile road trip and got 15.2 MPG. I average about 13 otherwise. But I am well aware that no one should get into a 2500 with expectations of good gas mileage but it is certainly noticeable vs the 1500.
6.) Everything about a 2500 is more expensive. For example, just to pull my two Utility style trailers required me to buy a $300 drop hitch just to accommodate the height difference between my old 1500 and my 2500. Today I got an oil change. It cost $87. I can only imagine if I kept it long enough to need brakes, they are going to be very expensive. Point being....once you go HD, be prepared to pay for it.
7.) Just because it’s a 2500 doesn’t mean it’s got the posi rear end! I demand that any truck I have has this. Why Dodge makes ANY 2500 without the LSD is beyond me. I almost bought one prior to this truck until I discovered that it did not have an LSD. Glad that happened because I love the truck I wound up with that just so happens to have the LSD. Get it together Dodge/Ram! NO 2500 should come without an LSD!
I’ll add other stuff as I think of it. Overall: no regrets. This is a fantastic machine. I understand the next gen coming is going to get a ZF 8-speed. Might upgrade! Hope this helps someone!
