Dodge Ram2500 or Silverado2500HD ?

kamann

Dodge Ram 2500 SLT with 5.9 or Silverado LS with 6.0? Reg cab/Long bed I am about to buy one of these trucks. I am having a hard time deciding which. I have owned a 98Ram 1500 2wd with a 5.2 for 3 1/2 years & am very happy with the truck. I want to increase my towing capacity a bit and get an increase in power. I will have to buy a 4WD, only because there is not one 2WD here in Denver to be had. I would like opinions on: 1. Which one rides better 2. Which does a better job of towing ( I often tow about 6000 lbs). Any other thoughts would be great!

minikin

Drive the Chevy & then decide, but the engine/drivetrain and ride on the GM products are way ahead of the Chrysler boys; at least when it comes to trucks. I moved to a 5.3L Silverado from a 318 Jeep. I almost miss the Quadra-track, but now have a far better motor/trans/rear; better handling also. If you live in Denver, why wouldn't you want 4wd? Just that one day last May(?) was more than worth the price!
-- Don

scrutinizer

I had a 2000 with the 6.0L engine. I tow a John Deere tractor and the combined weight of it and the trailer is aprox 8000 and it hauled it pretty good. (not like the new one with the 8.1L, Though!) It had the 4.10 axle. I've never been too impressed with the coil front end in the dodge, it seems squirly to me, and they sit too tall. And as far as their slug of a 5.9, well the chevy will eat it up! The 6 liter must have 40 horse more or so. Of course I'm not a dodge fan anyway and it seems all the new rigs have plenty of problems. Hope you get a good one, no matter which you choose!

richcolo

I didn't get a 4x4 either, and I work in Denver (Live North). Before you despair of getting a 2WD 2500 HD, I recommend you talk to Randy Armagost at Transwest GMC, up on I-76 at about 96th. GM Buypower says they have at least one 2WD 2500 HD in stock. (For all I know it may be a base model regular cab 6.0L 5 speed with a vinyl seat...probably is...but you'll have to give them a call or stop by. They have a whole bunch of trucks though, I can see that from the highway.

I know Randy is straight up because my family (Parents and Grandparents!)and I have dealt with him repeatedly at a certain Cadillac/Olds/Buick/GMC dealer in Boulder,where he worked for many years. In my opinion everybody worth talking to who worked at that Boulder dealership now works at Transwest. I don't know what we'll do when Mom wants to replace the '95 Fleetwood...I don't think she's going to agree to a GMC.

kamann

I think I may have found a 2500hd reg cab, 4wd w/ 6.0 here in Denver. They have been hard to find without getting the extended cab. I am curious how you feel about the power compared to the dodge 5.9. From what I hear the torque on the 6000 GMC doesn't come into play until you rev up to about 4000rpm whereas the dodge only needs to get up to about 2500 rpm to get its full torque.
Though having said that if I can get a good deal on the Sierra and fair trade-in on my Ram I will probably buy the Sierra. I will be going to look on Mon. I DO like how the Sierra seems to sit lower than the 3/4 ton Ram. I am hoping the Sierra has a better ride than the 3/4 T ram.

billklemens

Just some info for you to chew on.
I have a 1999 Dodge 2500 Quad cab with a diesel, 2WD, automatic trans, with ALL the HD options. This eng has a turbo.
I towed a 7,200 lb trailer about 17,000 miles/year for past 3 yrs. Drive about 20,000 miles/yr total. I avg about 14.7 mpg. including towing. I generally drive slower than most, in area of 53-60 mph.
I have towed up to 10,500 feet on steep grades and had very little difficulties. No overheating problems.
Think about the following:
1. Consider ordering rather than taking one from the dealer's supply. You get EXACTLY what you want. The delivery is in about 8-9 wks.

2. You can usually get fleet prices without haggling by ordering using something like the Costco plan. The price is so called dealer cost + $100. + about $300-$500 for something. It was about $2,400 to $4,000 less than prices I got 'negotiating' with a salesperson.

3. Does the Silverado new diesel have a turbo?
If it does it may have the power you want.

4. Why buy a 4WD if you can use the money to get an engine that will do the job.

5. My experience with diesel has been that it was about $0.10/gal less that gas in 1999; about $0.05/gal more than gas in 2000; and about $0.10/gal less than gas in 2001. There can be a big spread in some areas with up to $0.25/gal difference in price, generally diesel being cheaper on the big spreads.

6. The gas engine mileage I heard about from many persons pulling RVs that weighed about 8,000 - 11,000 lbs was in the 7-9 mpg range with 7.5 to 8 being pretty common.

Good luck.

warfish

I towed an 8,000 lb 5th wheel with my '98 Ram 5.9 gas, and the truck did a fine job. It averaged about 9 mpg when towing and the engine felt strong, even on 8% grades in WV.
Now I tow an 11,000 lb 5th wheel with a 2500 cummins Ram 4x2 and I love the truck. I see no need for 4wd, even though I live in upstate NY. Admittedly, the Cummins makes a lot of noise at idle, but at highway speed that noise goes away. It's quieter than the gas engine because I can run in OD 98% of the time and the engine just purrs along at 1700 rpm at 65mph. Mileage is 20+ empty and 13+ towing. I'd never go back to a gas engine for towing.

richcolo

Specs are:
Dodge 5.9 245 HP @ 4000 RPM/335 Lbs-ft @ 3200 RPM
GM 6.0 300 HP @ 4400 RPM/360 Lbs-ft @ 4000 RPM

I haven't seen (couldn't find) a torque curve for the Dodge, but I offer the following observations about the 6.0L curves.

From about 2300 RPM to 4600 RPM the 6.0L torque exceeds the peak torque of the 5.9L (335 Lbs-ft)

From 3500 RPM to 6000 RPM the 6.0 exceeds 250 HP.
What this means to me, and what I have observed driving a friends 1500 HD is that the 6.0 has good power (torque really) at low RPM, but it really shines above 3,500 RPM. In comparison I would estimate (having not driven a Dodge 360 for quite a while now) that they are very comparable at low RPM, but that the Dodge begins to feel weaker above 3500 RPM, relative to the GM. That said I don't think I would spend much time turning more than 4,000 RPM with either of these engines, but it might be nice to have the extra power when trying to accelerate around a slow truck going up I-70, even just for a few seconds.

mledtje

The GM 6.0L engine exceeds 300 lb-ft of torque from 1000-5000 rpm. That is a wide, flat, useable torque curve.

I rarely exceed 2500 rpm with my 2000 6.0L truck, it just isn't needed.

Mike L

kamann

I finally gave up on finding the truck in stock. I DID order a chevy 2500HD 4WD with the 6.0 I was lucky because I have a brother-in-law that works for GM. I am able to buy at about $ 600 LESS than invoice. That can sure sway a person when they are on the fence! Like the Costco deal there was no dickering. I like that! I got the reg cab, long bed. Just for grins I took there 8.1 for about an hour test drive. Woa!! I'd have to keep a lawyer on retainer if I owned that. I was doing 85 without straining it going up a 7% grade on I-70. I was havin too much fun. My only complaint about the truck was not having the nice storage space that the Ram has behind the seats. I have got to try to find an aftermarket storage system for behind the seats

j_christie10

I'm thinking of buying a 2000 Dodge 2500 with a V10 engine. I don't know anything about them nor have I heard any reports. I will be driving a lot 40,000 per year and pulling a 20 foot trailer 10 or 20 % of the time. Is this a dependable engine and what kind of mileage can I expect to get? It has an auto transmission.

hunter98

If you drive 40K per year, and pull around 6000 miles per year, buy a diesel, it will more than pay for itself.

Hunter

quadrunner500

I'm really loving those Kelly AWR 255/85/16. If I had known they would be so good, I wouldn't have needed (2) sets of rims. They seem to be a good winter tire, and a good highway tire. Rare.

kg11

According to your user profile you're driving a Ram 1500 now,which should pull your 20-footer well enough.It seems to me you WANT a V-10.That's O.K. I got a Sierra 2500HD/8.1 to pull the same boat I towed w/ a Tacoma.Your gas milage could be as high as 13+ hwy and about 10 city,but it depends on how you drive.With my 8.1,the best I got was 13.6 ,but I average about 10.Two thirds of my miles are hwy(75mph).What you should ask your self is "What is all that power worth to me?"
kip

jwhaelen1

If I were you I would hold off untill the new Ram HD's with the new Cummins engine arrives. I am considering trading my '99 and getting one. The New version is supposed to be much quieter,and has a stronger torque curve as well. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 650 Lb Ft of torque. Very tempting indeed! Just my.02 worth.

sunshinewmn

I want to buy a pick-up that will haul at 25-30' camper - either 5th wheel or cab-over. Do not know yet. I need to decide on what type of truck to buy and $$$. Will be using it to travel continental US for extended periods of time. Haven't a clue which to buy. I know I don't want diesel, do want manual trans, cab type is not important.
I need all the help I can since I don't know squat about any of it. Lynda

western6

I have a 2001 2500hd cc. Do not buy one of these trucks if you want to tow!

sebring95

Why do you KNOW you don't want a diesel? You are actually in the perfect position for one both financially and for drivability. In addition if that 25'-30' camper weighs much over 8000#, I'd look at a dually. I would also avoid bumper trailers as the 5th wheel or goose-neck will pull much nicer without alot of extra equipment to mess with. The diesel will handle extended periods of driving much easier and with less maintenance.

jwhaelen1

My point exactly. I got rid of my 1 ton Chevy,and bought the Cummins powered Ram. What a difference! 22 MPG empty Vs.9 MPG empty on my Chevy with that big thirsty 454. 15 Mpg w/ Ram towing 12K goosneck tri-axle. Towed same trailer W/ my Chevy,and only got 5,maybe 6 MPG at best(with tailwind & no hills). Cummins paid for itself at least once already on the fuel $$$ I saved! The power curve was about the same as well. NO MORE GAS BURNERS FOR ME!! ; ) Sunshinewmn, crunch some #'s,and you'll see that the Diesel pays for itself between 18 & 35K miles,depending on engine,whether it be the Cummins Inline 6(5.9L), Ford(7.3L) & Chevy V-8(6.6L) Diesels,etc.

wrightra

Get a dodge Diesal you woll like it I have had 3 of them they cannot be beat all around & if you won't it to realey pull put a tow speed tran. in it with your 5 & it will realey do the job. Richard