2016 trucks: Ram 2500 or GMC 2500?
- Thread starter t92024
- Start date
Hummelator
Adventurer
As far as I know they haven't figured it out yet. It was some sort of drive train issue. Truck would shake between 110-120 km/h.
They ended up balancing tires, replaced drive shafts, replaced rear axel shafts, and also had replaced the read differential.
Chryslers engineering team was directing the technician as to what work to perform.
I was never a fan of dodge to begin with but I know the Cummins was a good engine and I thought maybe they had improved the quality of their vehicles so I bought it.
I really do like the engine though
redthies
Renaissance Redneck
There are a few people having issues with drivetrain vibration on new Cummins trucks, but it is a 1 in 100 type of thing. Yes, it really sucks if you are the unlucky one, but chances of that are ridiculously low.
OP- Do remember that the 3500 you test drove had 80 psi in the rear tires on an empty truck. Cooper tires recommended 40 psi in the rear of an empty 3500 when I called them for their recommendations for the ST Maxx tires I put on my 3500. You will never get to the same "car-like" ride of a coil or air-sprung 2500 with a leaf sprung 3500, but you can get very close. I am running Thuren coils and Bilstein 5100s in my 2014 and the ride is amazing. When I have my 3500 lb camper on, I run 60 psi in the front, and 70 in the rear. Empty is 50 front and 40 rear (both are cold pressures).
You might want to consider a Northern Lite 8-11 camper to keep things light and comfy. They are awesome campers!
http://www.northern-lite.com/truck_camper_classic_811.php
OP- Do remember that the 3500 you test drove had 80 psi in the rear tires on an empty truck. Cooper tires recommended 40 psi in the rear of an empty 3500 when I called them for their recommendations for the ST Maxx tires I put on my 3500. You will never get to the same "car-like" ride of a coil or air-sprung 2500 with a leaf sprung 3500, but you can get very close. I am running Thuren coils and Bilstein 5100s in my 2014 and the ride is amazing. When I have my 3500 lb camper on, I run 60 psi in the front, and 70 in the rear. Empty is 50 front and 40 rear (both are cold pressures).
You might want to consider a Northern Lite 8-11 camper to keep things light and comfy. They are awesome campers!
http://www.northern-lite.com/truck_camper_classic_811.php
Trophycummins
Adventurer
I had the Ram vibration issue. It was due to the crap Firestone factory tires. I started having weird feathering on my front tires at 1500 miles. Alignment checked out correctly 3 times. Went to Toyo 's and that vibration is gone.
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Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
plainjaneFJC
Deplorable
I think these front ends are hard on tires. My original generals lasted only 35k, and that's a 6 tire rotation (dually). I put on Michelin LTX M/S and they wear on the fronts also. I bet I'll get 45k out of them.
Kilroy
Adventurer
before making my choice last spring I drove a 2500 and 3500 GM diesel. Both seemed to need constant tiny steering corrections. Was a pain on test drive, would have drove me nuts to own. Went with a Ram 2500 diesel with rear air. Got two days ago and seems pretty good to me. Just saw write up on new ford, might be worth checking out.
04Ram2500Hemi
Observer
I'm a Dodge/Ram guy. I can't speak on the Cummins because I've never had one, but I am on my second HD Hemi and I've had very few issues. On my 2004 HD Hemi I had the water pump and ball joints replaced at around 40,000 miles under the factory warranty, but no other issues. My 2012 Power Wagon has been flawless. With that said, I have a hunch the ball joints will be a similar situation as most things I've read on the HD Rams say these things can chew up ball joints. I only have 38,000 miles on my truck now, but it rides and handles just like the day it was new.
UPDATE!
After searching for MONTHS... I finally found a 2017 Ram 3500 Laramie with BENCH front set, Auto Level suspension, crew cab, SRW, standard bed, 4x4, Cummins, in Caldwell, Idaho. So my wife and I flew up from San Diego and we picked it up TODAY! FOR AN AMAZING PRICE!
https://www.dropbox.com/s/raq3tfwf1yyxizg/IMG_5443-1.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/kptshn73wf59qcj/IMG_5444-1.jpg?dl=0
We are pushing to Vegas tomorrow and then to San Diego.
AND THEN... shopping for a slide in camper
Thanks for all your input everyone!
After searching for MONTHS... I finally found a 2017 Ram 3500 Laramie with BENCH front set, Auto Level suspension, crew cab, SRW, standard bed, 4x4, Cummins, in Caldwell, Idaho. So my wife and I flew up from San Diego and we picked it up TODAY! FOR AN AMAZING PRICE!
https://www.dropbox.com/s/raq3tfwf1yyxizg/IMG_5443-1.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/kptshn73wf59qcj/IMG_5444-1.jpg?dl=0
We are pushing to Vegas tomorrow and then to San Diego.
AND THEN... shopping for a slide in camper
Thanks for all your input everyone!
Betarocker
Adventurer
Ram over GM. Between the Ram and Ford, you'll need to drive each to figure out what works best for you. I preferred the Ford's fit and finish, and much of my old Ford swapped over. Ram is the only one which still offers a manual transmission if that is important, but it is severely detuned.
chet6.7
Explorer
Congrats on the new truck.
On the CF there have been reports of DEF containers that had water in them.This was at Wal Mart,it is thought that someone bought the DEF used it,filled the container with water and returned it for a refund.
I started buying my DEF at the local auto parts store,I like the 1 gal containers because I think it may be harder to tamper with,and it keeps the DEF fresher.
I told the employees present about the tampering issue.
I check the seal,the date it was made,and keep the receipt,I keep my diesel receipts as well.
Happy dieseling.
On the CF there have been reports of DEF containers that had water in them.This was at Wal Mart,it is thought that someone bought the DEF used it,filled the container with water and returned it for a refund.
I started buying my DEF at the local auto parts store,I like the 1 gal containers because I think it may be harder to tamper with,and it keeps the DEF fresher.
I told the employees present about the tampering issue.
I check the seal,the date it was made,and keep the receipt,I keep my diesel receipts as well.
Happy dieseling.
bigstick
I'm Lost on Purpose
Take it for what it is worth. I am a dude on the internet. But I also hold Cummins, Duramax and Powerstroke Certifications from the 3 manufactures.
Hands down best tranny in the business is the Allison, however the Duramax is severally underpowered when comparing to the cummins. The trucks do not tow the same at all. You cannot miss an extra 150 FTlbs of torque.
the Dodge 3500 with HO package would be the truck to get. the rear suspension will hold whatever you throw on it, the system is self leveling and the Aisin transmission is the same one they are using on box trucks in asia/europe/africa. It is a true medium duty transmission in a LIGHT duty truck. Good luck killing it. Also from a MPG standpoint I have several customers with new Dmax's and Cummins, and the report is pretty even on MPG maybe leaning towards the dodge, but remember you are also doing so with more power.
IFS vs. Dana 60. sure the front Differential of the GMC platform is the same ring gear size, but it is NOT the same in loaded strength. The front steering on the GMC's leave a lot to be desired and can fail in terrible places. The pitman arms and idlers are known to fail and having a ton of riding weight on them does not make it any better, especially as it articulates over rough terrain. Ball joints, upper control arm bushings, tie rods, pitman arms, not uncommon to see these repairs repetitively for the GMCS that decide to be used as capable 4x4's. The main point that kills it for me is when the steering fails, you are most likely not going to be going anywhere and if you are moving when it does it will take you right off the road. There are aftermarket companies that make double shear supports to prevent this. I would recommend them ASAP before you put a camper on it.
If you ever decide to go with say an arb in the front on either rig, you will also come to hate the IFS cause locked IFS tend to go into a death shake when trying to climb anything, this is caused by the suspension articulating and pulling/pushing the tie rod, again, not good period, and also does not bode for a good long service life of steering parts. try channeling 750ftlbs through a cv that is flapping back and forth because of tie rod deflection.
Final point, also think of it this way, when you lift either rig if you do down the road, you actually place more leverage on the IFS suspension while doing so. again, not the greatest for longevity on the IFS, but on a solid axle rig, you do not leverage the axle, ball joints, steering components.
Lance campers are heavy, largely because they are built really well. But on a 3/4 truck, even with bags and a hellwig swaybar I have one family member that did not keep his 961 Lance on his 06 Ram 2500 4x4. He hated the "boat" sway. I personally felt it was capable, the truck lacked for nothing in the power department, but you could tell the truck was carrying a massive amount of weight. I have a customer with practically the same rig but a 3500 and there was a large difference in how it rode with just a sway bar in the rear and no bags.
Good luck either way! As I see...you already got a RAM LOL, well congrats!
Hands down best tranny in the business is the Allison, however the Duramax is severally underpowered when comparing to the cummins. The trucks do not tow the same at all. You cannot miss an extra 150 FTlbs of torque.
the Dodge 3500 with HO package would be the truck to get. the rear suspension will hold whatever you throw on it, the system is self leveling and the Aisin transmission is the same one they are using on box trucks in asia/europe/africa. It is a true medium duty transmission in a LIGHT duty truck. Good luck killing it. Also from a MPG standpoint I have several customers with new Dmax's and Cummins, and the report is pretty even on MPG maybe leaning towards the dodge, but remember you are also doing so with more power.
IFS vs. Dana 60. sure the front Differential of the GMC platform is the same ring gear size, but it is NOT the same in loaded strength. The front steering on the GMC's leave a lot to be desired and can fail in terrible places. The pitman arms and idlers are known to fail and having a ton of riding weight on them does not make it any better, especially as it articulates over rough terrain. Ball joints, upper control arm bushings, tie rods, pitman arms, not uncommon to see these repairs repetitively for the GMCS that decide to be used as capable 4x4's. The main point that kills it for me is when the steering fails, you are most likely not going to be going anywhere and if you are moving when it does it will take you right off the road. There are aftermarket companies that make double shear supports to prevent this. I would recommend them ASAP before you put a camper on it.
If you ever decide to go with say an arb in the front on either rig, you will also come to hate the IFS cause locked IFS tend to go into a death shake when trying to climb anything, this is caused by the suspension articulating and pulling/pushing the tie rod, again, not good period, and also does not bode for a good long service life of steering parts. try channeling 750ftlbs through a cv that is flapping back and forth because of tie rod deflection.
Final point, also think of it this way, when you lift either rig if you do down the road, you actually place more leverage on the IFS suspension while doing so. again, not the greatest for longevity on the IFS, but on a solid axle rig, you do not leverage the axle, ball joints, steering components.
Lance campers are heavy, largely because they are built really well. But on a 3/4 truck, even with bags and a hellwig swaybar I have one family member that did not keep his 961 Lance on his 06 Ram 2500 4x4. He hated the "boat" sway. I personally felt it was capable, the truck lacked for nothing in the power department, but you could tell the truck was carrying a massive amount of weight. I have a customer with practically the same rig but a 3500 and there was a large difference in how it rode with just a sway bar in the rear and no bags.
Good luck either way! As I see...you already got a RAM LOL, well congrats!
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deserteagle56
Adventurer
Look under any newer GM diesel, just behind the passenger side front tire. Looks like it hangs about 6" off the ground......