New CTD in the driveway!

[justin'sbig7]

It was time. The silver chevy was the newest truck I had ever bought, one year old when i bought it in '06. not to mention when i was a dealership tech working on them, I drooled over the duramax trucks dreaming of owning one, so it was quite an accomplishment to actually get it... this truck treated me very well over the last 6 years, I never had a major problem with it, just regular maintenance items (wheel bearings were the biggest thing)





All of my daily driver/beater vehicles died this year. So it was decided rather than maintaining 5 street vehicles to go to one vehicle for all. towing/ work etc. I stumbled into a 2011 leftover Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins 6 speed manual Bighorn package... they gave me a very good trade deal and since the new one was a leftover it was 17k less than the sticker. I drove it home 3 weeks ago and I am really digging it! I like the new body style, the cab is huge! and it is really laid out nice/comfy to drive.

so heres the new truck!

[atvboo]

I like it nice how do you like the cummins over the duramax?

[gonecheenin]

Wow - Fancy.


I've never been a Dodge guy, but they deserve my respect for multiple reasons, not least of which is retaining a standard trans option - and kudos for proving them right in that!!

[justin'sbig7]

I like it nice how do you like the cummins over the duramax?

they are extremely different animals... its pretty hard to compare. I had a chip in the duramax so i have to try to remember how it was stock. the HP/TQ ratings are similar, but the cummins has a lower rpm torque curve so it pulls harder right out of the gate. the dmax was snappier at mid to high rpms, but pulling out was doggy till the turbo started spooling. Personally, so far, I like the characteristics of the cummins over the duramax, and i am also liking the manual over the auto (although the allison was a great auto). comfort and ride wise, the dodge has a solid truck feel and the solid axle adds to a more classic feel (reminds me of driving my 81 GMC 2500), i prefer it over the ride of the chevy wich was cushier than i prefer a heavy duty truck to ride. interior and driver comfort, the dodge fits me better IMHO.

[justin'sbig7]

Wow - Fancy.


I've never been a Dodge guy, but they deserve my respect for multiple reasons, not least of which is retaining a standard trans option - and kudos for proving them right in that!!

I havent either. but i refuse to change diesel exhaust fluid like chevy and ford, dont like the looks of the chevy, fords engine is too new... and the ford/chev were in the $60k+ price range whereas this was 40k. i like a lot of the changes dodge made in the 10 model year wich made me look at them... and i have to admit theres not much that i dont like about this truck. It was a last minute, planets aligned thing that led me to this. the day before i signed on it i would have thought anyone was nuts telling me id be buying a new dodge truck

[atvboo]

Im in the same boat as you looking at dodge because of urea fords suck even new 6.7 having issues .my 2008 gmc runs great just isn't hold up like a 3/4 should I do abuse trucks.I just never been a dodge fan

[justin'sbig7]

if you come out to templeton tomorrow youre more than welcome to check it out. a lot of what used to turn me off to dodges seems to have been adressed

[XJchris98]

Nice! Almost identical to mine (minus the color). I've got ~20k on my 2011 and have ZERO regrets going with the dodge.

Do yourself a favor though and get a decent set of headights for it if you do much driving at night. Not trying to give you the typical 'list of mods to do to a brand new $40k truck' talk, but the stock headlights suck on these trucks. Even a set of silverstars didnt make a difference over stock. Yours might be a little better because of the 4 headlight setup (mines only the 2), but from what i've been seeing, they're both pretty bad.

[justin'sbig7]

Nice! Almost identical to mine (minus the color). I've got ~20k on my 2011 and have ZERO regrets going with the dodge.

Do yourself a favor though and get a decent set of headights for it if you do much driving at night. Not trying to give you the typical 'list of mods to do to a brand new $40k truck' talk, but the stock headlights suck on these trucks. Even a set of silverstars didnt make a difference over stock. Yours might be a little better because of the 4 headlight setup (mines only the 2), but from what i've been seeing, they're both pretty bad.

lol! yes. the high beams are about the same as low beams on anything else... what headlights did you end up going with?

[Sloth_Fratelli]

Nice, only mopar truck I'd ever consider buying in a CTD. I love everything about those trucks except the interior and the fake hemis you get with a Gasser.

[XJchris98]

lol! yes. the high beams are about the same as low beams on anything else... what headlights did you end up going with?

I ended up going with HID's. Got a nice kit from RetroSolutions (55w - 5000k). I was initially worried about putting HID's in non-projector housings because I didnt want to be "that guy" that blinded everyone else on the road. I have to say though, Ram might have fell short with the bulb size/light output, but they got these headlights to aim the light pretty damn good. The HID's are freakin BRIGHT, but I've yet to get flashed by another driver because they were aimed wrong or scattering the light all over the road (and I do a good mix of intown/city driving).

They were a bit pricey (~$150), but they have a lifetime warranty on the bulbs/ballasts/etc. and their customer service is top notch. There kits are vehicle specific so everything fits like OEM and its literally a plug-and-play type setup, no hassle with resistors/capacitors/relays. Honestly though if you switch to HID's, you'll be suprised how you went for so long without them, its a night and day comparison.

[HoodRN]

That's a really nice Dodge, Justin. Mine is an older model (2006), but it's a great truck. I'm getting 16-18mpg local driving on winter blend fuel, and this thing will pull anything I hitch it to. The only turd in the punchbowl is diesel was 4.30/gal yesterday when I fueled the truck. That's likely the cheapest it will be for a good while.

[justin'sbig7]

That's a really nice Dodge, Justin. Mine is an older model (2006), but it's a great truck. I'm getting 16-18mpg local driving on winter blend fuel, and this thing will pull anything I hitch it to. The only turd in the punchbowl is diesel was 4.30/gal yesterday when I fueled the truck. That's likely the cheapest it will be for a good while.

thank you! I hate to say it but after pulling the hill out of east brady today with the jeep in tow... I am not happy with the cummins. compared to the DMAX, its a turd. i was really liking the low end grunt coming up thru the winding roads, but when i got to east brady hill it took the whole damn hill to hit 55 with this truck and i was doing 30 at the bottom. i have a hard time finding that acceptable as i could have started from a dead stop and hit 80 at the top with the Dmax.

[HoodRN]

Check out the EFI Live tunes the guy on Relentless Diesel wrote. They got 594hp on the dyno from a stock 5.9. I don't know if EFI Live is out for the 6.7, but that would get you up the hill quick. From what I seen/heard/read about the 6.7, it really wakes up with the emissions deletes. Unfortunately, that stuff is all marketed for "off road use only".

[97V10MN]

thank you! I hate to say it but after pulling the hill out of east brady today with the jeep in tow... I am not happy with the cummins. compared to the DMAX, its a turd. i was really liking the low end grunt coming up thru the winding roads, but when i got to east brady hill it took the whole damn hill to hit 55 with this truck and i was doing 30 at the bottom. i have a hard time finding that acceptable as i could have started from a dead stop and hit 80 at the top with the Dmax.

Time for a tuner lol. I think you'll learn to like it in time, I've heard that the emissions really hamper those 6.7 tho. Could it be the change from a Chipped up Dmax to a stock Cummins that has you a little dissapointed in the way it tows? I've also noticed that the autos seem to run just as good if not better then a stick when I test drove some newer trucks a few months ago.

[XJchris98]

Time for a tuner lol. I think you'll learn to like it in time, I've heard that the emissions really hamper those 6.7 tho. Could it be the change from a Chipped up Dmax to a stock Cummins that has you a little dissapointed in the way it tows?

I have a hard time spending 40k on a truck...then another 2k to get rid of the emissions stuff...all while throwing your 5yr/100,000mile powertrain warranty out the window. Theres no such thing as just plugging in a tuner on the newer diesels.



Justin, not to make excuses for the new rig, but its entirely possible your truck was in the middle of a regen when going up the hill. I've noticed with mine when its doing a regen it dumps the boost as fast as it builds and gets kind of sluggish. Shouldnt be like that 100% of the time though..

[justin'sbig7]

yeah, i have been cruising forums reading up on the tuners and stuff for these trucks since i got home today. basically looks like theres two choices, keep the factory warranty and dont do anything, or tune it and hope you dont need any warranty work (or have a dealer who turns a blind eye). hate to sound bitchy about it but it irks me when i cant run the speed limit due to lack of power. its why ive run diesel trucks for towing. the duramax never had an instance where i felt i ran out of power, i had an edge tuner in it it the last year i had it but it was more of a bonus/toy than a necessity for towing.

[justin'sbig7]

I have a hard time spending 40k on a truck...then another 2k to get rid of the emissions stuff...all while throwing your 5yr/100,000mile powertrain warranty out the window. Theres no such thing as just plugging in a tuner on the newer diesels.



Justin, not to make excuses for the new rig, but its entirely possible your truck was in the middle of a regen when going up the hill. I've noticed with mine when its doing a regen it dumps the boost as fast as it builds and gets kind of sluggish. Shouldnt be like that 100% of the time though..

that is entirely possible... it was like the turbo wasnt spooling, so you may be on to something. the emissions stuff was why i was hesitant to buy a new one lol! oh well, no turning back now... i LOVE everything else about the truck and the way it tows. i hope it was in regen, i understand its not a hotrod while towing and dont expect that either, but that hill was remniscent of my 1/2 ton 5.3l performance

[Super Scout]

Shouldn't a 2011 Cummins put out noticeable more power than an 06 Dmax, I am not up to date on the diesels but it seems there power has been going up quite a bit recently. Maybe something is up with the truck ?

[dan58]

Did you shift at all when you were pulling uphill? The drop in boost SUCKS with a manual. That's one of the things I've grown grumpy about with mine.

Talk to Andy Sebek at Keystone in Mt. Pleasant. He's a Cummins master. For tuners, you might look at the Smarty too.

[mxg342]

Thank God I never have to worry about regen's and all of the other stuff.

Sorry to hear that Justin. I'd give it some time to break in before doing anything. The first thing I'd recommend before anything else would be gauges so you know what's going on under the hood.

[YZEATER]

i'm glad to hear i'm not the only one who thinks the headlights are a little dim.

i am ready for a programmer for mine, since i was used to one on the ford i had.

[gonecheenin]

I've never rode in a stock Cummin's I was impressed with when compared to the stock Duramax's/Fords.

Check out Banks for tuner stuff, their one of the only ones I'm aware of that won't clog up the emissions equipment.

[YZEATER]

stock for stock, this feels better then the ford, but no comparision to it with a programmer. i'll be getting a H + S mini max, and straight pipe.

[justin'sbig7]

i just ordered the smartyjr for dpf equipped setup. its upgradeable to dpf delete, and i think itll be getting straight piped soon. ill save everything and change it back over if it needs to go in for something. ill have this truck for a while, i may as well do the things that are going to make the engine last a while. hot air out and blocking egr soot into the oil will achieve this.