Tell me why I should or shouldn't buy a 2011 Dodge Cummins- Decision Made

[MuleShoer]

As the title states
I need to replace my 2005 dodge dually single cab 3500 with a quad cab, my plan was to buy a ram 2500, low mileage 2007 with the last (half year) of the 5.9 cummins.
2007's are in the $32-$35K range!
So I started shopping for a 2011, end of the year closout and they are heavly discounted and in the $37-$40k range. so for $5000 more I can get a 4 year newer truck.
I know nothing about the 6.7 cummins other then they replaced the 5.9 because of pollution control issues. When ford made there change to the international it was a disastor, ( i know first hand, thats why I switched to a cummins in 2005)
Ok so lets here about it
Pete

 

[bfdiesel]

I went with the 5.9 cummins because they get better fuel mileage and do not have any of the blue tec emissions. There is a reason the last of the 5.9's are so pricey.

I have a friend who deleted his 6.7 emissions and still gets mid teens for mileage. From all the research that seems to be typical.
The up side is he gained gobs of power just removing all the junk.

I have talked to a couple of different people with 11's and one was getting about 11 mpg and one was getting 12mpg. The one getting 11 was an oil field truck and was well into broken in the other was a pov and he had 12k on it. This was the empty mpg towing or loaded the oil field truck was getting 8-9 mpg. The other didn't know yet.

 

[MuleShoer]

12MPG!!! on a diesel?
My 05 3500 dually with 5.9 gets 21mpg at 65, thats hand calculated
I am not feeling good about this

 

[Regcabguy]

Read some of the Dodge forums for a more complete consensus. I've read higher results than stated. You're getting way more mpg than I've read,especially with a dually. My signature truck was delivered to me from Dave Smith with an overhead reading of 14 mpg on the lie-o-meter. Broken in,empty with 285-75-17 AT's,I achieved 19 mpg one time.

I'd take a drive in a new one and read the mpg on the dash. They're supposed to be accurate. Lots of baggage with new ones as far as increasing tire size,shorter oil change intervals etc. I sat in a Mexican issued '08 6.7. It was way more comfortable and so quiet. It had a cat and egr but no dpf do to scare availability of ULSD down there.

Tough times now and the classifieds on the Dodge sites might yield a 5.9 to your liking and price.

 

[Saiyan66]

I am in the exact same position as you are and I will be ordering a 2012 Ram 2500 diesel within the next week or so. The 6.7 is essentially the same motor as the 5.9 (from a mechanical standpoint) only with the emissions crap added on. I drive on alot of rough roads so the EGR and DPF are liable to fall off my truck (hint hint). That said, the truck is capable of the same longevity and fuel mileage that the 5.9 is. You might have to experiment a little with a tuner (not on power settings) to get the mileage back, but I know of several trucks that are deleted and getting 20+ mpg. The price difference between a used 5.9 and a new 6.7 just wasn't enough for me to justify getting a six year old truck.

 

[MuleShoer]

My mileage is pure highway, Thats my problem, this truck has always gotten great mileage, two other examples. When I hauled my loaded 4 horse trailer it weighed 16300lbs and I got 11mpg. I hauled the empty 9800lb 4 horse trailer to inidana and averaged just shy of 14mpg, up through west virginia, ohio & indy. on the way back I towed an empty 6200lb 3 horse trailer and averaged 15.6.
If it wasn't a single cab I would convert it to super singles. My wife says think about installing a "cowboy sleeper" for the dogs and keep it

I have not kept up with pollutions controls need to fall off I guess it's time to learn about it

 

[bfdiesel]

You can do some awesome stuff to your 05 with $45,000.

 

[Christian P.]

just curious - with the emissions stuff deleted, can a 6.7 accept regular diesel...like the one you find in Central America or Africa...?

 

[shellb]

just curious - with the emissions stuff deleted, can a 6.7 accept regular diesel...like the one you find in Central America or Africa...?

That is a great question Christian. I would like to know the answer as well.

 

[MuleShoer]

You can do some awesome stuff to your 05 with $45,000.

Funny you should sate that. We were just kicking around the idea of changing the cab and shortining the bed.. Find a clean 2wd gaser for the parts.
I just don't know if I have the stamina to pull it off..to busy working on the my wifes land rover

 

[bfdiesel]

just curious - with the emissions stuff deleted, can a 6.7 accept regular diesel...like the one you find in Central America or Africa...?

The dpf is the reason you have to use 15ppm diesel. If you get rid of that then you can run whatever oil you want. Not sure how long the cr fuel system will last though.

 

[Christian P.]

The dpf is the reason you have to use 15ppm diesel. If you get rid of that then you can run whatever oil you want. Not sure how long the cr fuel system will last though.

what is the "dpf" and the "cr"? sorry I am not familiar with the Cummins...

 

[bfdiesel]

Diesel particulate filter=dpf
Common rail=cr
High pressure common rail=hpcr

The new diesels use a hpcr to allow for better electronic control and to help meet new emissions requirements. There is a common rail pressed up with a high pressure pump to about 22-30 kpsi that feeds all the injectors.

The dpf is to keep soot from coming out of the tail pipe. They slowly plug then at a set differential pressure it will go through a regeneration cycle which is a fancy way of saying lit on fire to burn out the soot. That is one of the reasons the newer diesels get lower mileage.

 

[ExpoMike]

I am in the exact same position as you are and I will be ordering a 2012 Ram 2500 diesel within the next week or so. The 6.7 is essentially the same motor as the 5.9 (from a mechanical standpoint) only with the emissions crap added on. I drive on alot of rough roads so the EGR and DPF are liable to fall off my truck (hint hint). That said, the truck is capable of the same longevity and fuel mileage that the 5.9 is. You might have to experiment a little with a tuner (not on power settings) to get the mileage back, but I know of several trucks that are deleted and getting 20+ mpg. The price difference between a used 5.9 and a new 6.7 just wasn't enough for me to justify getting a six year old truck.

Just remember, '98+ diesels in CA have to be smogged. If something "falls off" that is emission related, you could find yourself with some issues.

 

[xdbx]

I was in a similar situation and chose to purchase a 2011 crew cab, long bed earlier this year. I've been very happy with it, and have "expedition modifications" in the works for it.

These new vehicles are considerably more advanced than the truck you're in, perhaps not powertrain-wise, but in terms of chassis development, interior quality, options, etc. A big player in my decision was the interior, and the availability of the crew cab vs. my old quad cab. The quad cab was initially designed as an "extended" cab with a normal door and B pillar. The crew cab was designed as a second row. There is a difference.

I'd be happy to answer your questions personally, but i'm hesitant to blatantly post my opinion and experiences on the internet. I'm a pretty unique individual, as are many of the people in this type of vehicle. What may work for me, might not for you. Take A LOT of what you read on the internet with a grain of salt. I emphasize this if you're looking at emissions equipment, opinions on fuel economy, tuners, performance stuff, and all the other junk you get dragged into once you get bitten by the bug. I can achieve great fuel economy if I focus on it. Then again, if I want to hear some turbo whistle, thrusting 4 tons in any direction is going to bring single digits in a hurry. Even a 5.9 guy will tell you that. It's just more apparent in a new RAM truck, because you've got a heads up display showing you a bar graph of your immediate fuel economy, your average, and a graphic showing you how they compare.



All that said, I believe I made the right choice! :smiley_drive: