Thinking about moving from 2500 Hemi to diesel?

[parnona]

I have a 2025 2500 Tradesman Hemi w/ 34k miles and am thinking about trading it in for a 2500 Cummins diesel with the prices and incentives dealers have now. I do a lot of highway driving and the sub 20mpg is killing me although I do get mileage reimbursement from my company. I have never owned a diesel and reading some of the diesel issues on the forum has me leery of making the move. I'm a DIY repair type if it's in my wheelhouse and I'm not sure if that's possible on the diesel side. Diesel repair cost post warranty are probably the biggest factor scaring me from making the move. Just wanting to know what your thoughts are who have a diesel.

 

[crash68]

You'll probably break even cost wise just looking at fuel mileage savings when the extra cost of the diesel is factored in.
Racking up 100' of thousands of miles is probably more likely with the Cummins vs the Hemi.
The fact you drive a lot of highway miles probably greatly reduces emissions system failures.
If towing is or could be a use of the truck then it maybe worth jumping to the Cummins

 

[Green_Manalishi]

My '17 2500 averages 20mpg when not towing. It's not great mileage, but it's a tool I use for towing and I'll never replace it with a gasser. It had 105k on the clock when I bought it, 195k now. The regular maintenance isn't a challenge, but it does cost more. I've had zero drive train/emissions issues.

If you're not concerned with towing, I'd keep the hemi.

 

[parnona]

i had a 2011 1500 Hemi 2-wheel drive with 208k miles and the biggest repair the entire life of the truck was an alternator. I did have the traditional Hemi tick but needed the 4x4 for hunting lease, sold it and got the 2500 Hemi 4x4 two years ago. I only tow a side by side on a single axle trailer and I don't think that warrants a diesel.

 

[Green_Manalishi]

Yeah... if you're not getting anywhere near the 17,980# towing limit (2017 numbers), keep whatcha got!

 

[nlambert182]

Working on a diesel for the most part isn't that difficult as long as you're mechanically inclined. The biggest expense on them is typically the emissions system when/if it fails. There are some nitnoid things to watch for with the Cummins, but not a lot and they're pretty darned reliable engines overall. I'd put them up against any other diesel offering without hesitation.

If you tow a lot, then you'll see a noticeable gain in towing mpg over the Hemi. If you don't, it's a crap shoot. I've seen as high as 22 mpg on the interstate with all emissions in tact, but I had to work to get there. Towing my 9800ish lb travel trailer I usually see around 12-15 mpg depending on time of year and terrain.

The biggest shortcoming of the 2500 Rams with the 6.7 is lack of payload. The 6.7 adds about 900 lbs to the weight of the truck, so it isn't uncommon to see payload numbers less than a 1500 series truck. If you're towing a bumper pull TT, or a flatbed where you can adjust the weight it isn't necessarily a huge deal but it can be an issue for some.

 

[Grams]

First of all: If you read the diesel forums you’ll get scared-to-death and worry …because the majority of participants at those forums are those who’ve either suffered problems **…or are dedicated worriers about suffering problems. You Will Not see the many thousands of Happy Owners in those forums.

**<edit: I notice that a preponderance of complainers are also the ones who’ve “deleted” and/or heavily modified their trucks….but who seem to blame the OEM for shoddy design or the dealers for poor service. You don’t see too many complainers there who leave their trucks “stock” and perform the recommended mx schedules. >

Secondly: I own a 2024 Ram 2500 Limited w/Cummins. I bought it under duress while out of state on vacation when my “retirement” gasser was totaled in a wreck and I had to tow my TT home. It was the only truck the Ram dealer had which met my basic needs…and in the stress of the situation…I forgot that I’d always told myself I’d never own a diesel other than my ranch equipt. (I own several.) And it cost $103K with TTL.

Stoopid. I know.

The diesel forums have troubled my life considerably with all the horror stories I read there. I have No Real Need for a diesel pickup. I do not regularly tow heavy trailers ….and I’m retired and mostly use it for a grocery-getter and once/year pull a 22-ft TT on vacation for a couple weeks.

This makes it a poor choice for me. If I could swap it for another comparable 2500 hemi-gasser I would in a heartbeat…not because it’s troublesome…but because the forums have caused me undue worry that it MAY become troublesome. (As the result….I have bought a used 5.7 hemi-powered 1500 for the grocery runs and the diesel just sits in the garage.)

After 14 mos of ownership…it just now has 12K miles on a 100K warranty and not a scratch on it, if anyone is interested.

But WOW! Pulling a trailer…if you’re not careful….passing 18 wheelers with ZERO effect from that trailer the truck doesn’t know about,… you’ll Forget it’s Badck there….. and you’ll have to listen to the wife yelling “SLOW DOWN! You’re doing EIGHTY MILES AN HOUR!”

DAMN this thing is FUN TO DRIVE!

 

[stevenP]

Well if you buy a new truck, they now have a 10 year power train warranty. If you dont modify it, keeping your warranty intact.... you shouldnt have any out of pocket repair costs. Have you looked under the hood of the current trucks, there is so much going on I dont know theres much there I personally would even attempt to fix.

 

[CanuckRam1313]

If you can't work a diesel like it needs, it's likely not worth having as it could cost you a lot more down the road.

Diesel's need to be worked, period... my opinion only!

 

[nlambert182]

That's more fact than opinion. Most of the folks who complain about problems with diesels are those who putt around town. A diesel isn't designed to do that and it will not live a happy life otherwise.

 

[star_deceiver]

Wants and needs.

From what you’ve posted that you need out of a truck, any 4x4 truck that Ram has built in the last 20 years will fit your needs. Buy a classic 2-4 yr old low spec v6 half ton. You’ll get it for a song. It will do everything you need.

As a note: Ego, financing, and debt levels were not mentioned. If you want to add where you stand on those 3 topics, or any other wants out of your truck, please do.

 

[Docwagon1776]

If I wanted a new diesel truck for highway economy and the ability to tow a light trailer, as much as I hate to hear me say it: I'd buy a GMC 1/2 ton with the 3.0 diesel. Highway only, you can get close to 30 mpg realistically.

 

[Grams]

If I wanted a new diesel truck for highway economy and the ability to tow a light trailer, as much as I hate to hear me say it: I'd buy a GMC 1/2 ton with the 3.0 diesel. Highway only, you can get close to 30 mpg realistically.

My son has his sitting in the dealership for Three Months now….still awaiting a transmission part under warranty.

No thank you.

 

[Docwagon1776]

My son has his sitting in the dealership for Three Months now….still awaiting a transmission part under warranty.

No thank you.

You'll have the same experience with Ram. I just did earlier this year and took an email to the CEO to finally get it resolved. Plenty of other threads here with people with the same issue for everything from transmissions to etorque batteries. Ford is having similar issues.

However, currently Ram is the worst for parts backorders and supply chain interruptions. They are literally suing suppliers right now:

https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/chrysler/2025/05/20/stellantis-worst-relations-suppliers/83725811007/

Anything built after COVID is a higher risk purchase. Stellantis products are just worse odds.

 

[pschonig]

I have a 2021 Ram 2500 Longhorn Limited Edition with the Cummins 6.7 Turbo Diesel; bought it to tow a 42 ft 5th wheel which it did with no effort at all. I would forget I was towing a 17K lb 5th wheel, until my wife yelled I was doing 85mph. So if you need to tow, a diesel is the way to go. So now the down side; the damn Exhaust Regeneration. You make a couple of short trips and you and in Exhaust Regen. I made three short trips in town and was in the "red" for the particulate filter. I got the "continue to drive, see dealer" message which also said power was reduced. I had to drive 90 highway miles before the exhaust system returned to normal. I sold the 5th wheel, so this truck is useless to me unless I drive a minimum of 50 miles...putting it up for sale this week...going back to a gasser because I am third of this exhaust BS.

 

[murderman]

I love my 2500 CTD for towing, which accounts for the vast majority of the miles that I've put on it, but I definitely would not want it as my daily driver. As one of the other posters mentioned, the engine wants to be run hard, not short trips with minimal load.

 

[Riccochet]

That's more fact than opinion. Most of the folks who complain about problems with diesels are those who putt around town. A diesel isn't designed to do that and it will not live a happy life otherwise.

It's a fact if you keep the emissions garbage on them. Deleted they do just fine putting around town.

 

[nlambert182]

True.

 

[Barty88]

Prices for 2023-24 RAM 2500's are fairly close whether you are looking at the diesel or Hemi, now. If price isnt a concern (on a 2-3 year old used truck with 25k-50k miles)... whats the better option for my use? I hear alot about diesel exhaust issues if you arent running them hard. Is that true, and/or is the 'delete' I keep hearing about an easy and/ or viable option without ruining a warranty (can you just put stuff back on if you have an issue?).

I will tow, but not all the time and not very far distances. I will tow a few hundred miles a few times a year with a heavy tongue trailer and may want a slide out camper in the near future but wont be going long distances, just point A to point B once or twice a year. I'll load it up good with construction materials a few times a year and do a couple hundred highway miles each trip.

My main use will be a daily driver with family and camping gear, daily 40-50 miles roundtrip maxing out at 55 mph for less than half that time, but also will do 75mph+ longer highway trips for 200-400 miles roundtrip 1-3 times a month too.

I have a 2019 1500 Hemi, I've put 175k miles on it in 5 years and dont like the short bed and have admittedly overloaded it with payload and tows several times resulting in premature tire wear and going through even heavier duty brakes quicker, so I'd like a 2500 even though most of my driving would be fine for a 1500 and I'll be sucking up a huge MPG loss if I go Hemi, but again if the cost of used diesel is roughly the same as a Hemi, is it worth it to go diesel or are the maintenance and fuel expense and whatever the exhaust issues are worth it?

 

[nlambert182]

Yes, diesel emissions systems are finicky and subject to failure if you aren't towing hard and often. Even then, it's a WHEN they fail and not an IF. It's a pay to play game.

You "might" be able to delete one and put everything back to stock and manage to keep the warranty, but I wouldn't bet on it. It's not that easy to do and having to swap parts back and forth would likely present some tell-tale signs to a wise tech that the truck has been tampered with. If you have a warranty, leave it all alone. If something fails, let warranty fix it.

How you intend to use it determines whether or not going to a diesel is worth it. Based on what you plan to do, I'd probably stick with a hemi.