I like the fact that these PPE pans can hold more oil and help lower temps. But do you guys think that besides looking great are they worth the $300 price tag (or what ever the price).
Everyone has a different use and opinion on the PPR pan. I could definitely see the value in the metal pan if you do any sort of off road driving as it should hold up much better than a plastic pan. As far as a straight replacement for the OEM pan, it depends how frequently you plan to change the fluid and how long you plan to keep the truck. Following ZF's recommendation of 60k mile fluid changes, I would imagine most people would only do 2 or 3 fluid changes in the time they own the truck. I just checked Rock Auto, and the Mopar pan is $190 and the Dorman pan is $125. I think the dorman pan has a replaceable filter so it would accomplish the same thing as the PPE pan as far as a replaceable filter. I got a bunch of grief last time I posted this, but if you are super cheap like me, I found some forum members recommend that you can get a V6 pan on ebay for about $30. The pans for the V6 and V8 are different part numbers but fit the same and I think the only difference is the alignment pin location on the gasket.
It all comes down to what you are comfortable with as far as OEM vs aftermarket and what your intended use for the truck is. For me the added capacity for increased cooling is not an issue since I have the trans thermostat bypass installed.