Ram 1500 EcoDiesel

[Monster5601]

A big company like this would not make a "paperwork error" on something so important.

If you lived here and were part of the metroplex heartbeat, you would know the internal issues FCA has with trying to attract and keep talent as Ford and GM continue sucking their people away. And, if people were happy at FCA, they wouldn't be so eager to leave. My son was a powertrain engineer at FCA and he worked on the ECOdiesel program. The stories he would tell me about the internals, mostly mid-level management, was disgusting. He is now at GM and I know a few others that have bailed.

The ECOdiesel being a new program staffed with many entry level engineers and not enough experienced engineers to go around, I can see how it happened. You would not believe the complexity of regulations behind something as simple as a turn signal flash rate, and then each market has different requirements. That is just the beginning. When Trump talked about stream-lining regulations, he knew what he was talking about. You get into these regulations and days later you end up where you started, that is how circular they are. I am so glad I am retiring from automotive at the end of this year I can hardly stand the wait.

FCA wasn't the only victim of the EPA, most of the small diesel vehicle programs were re-examined due to VW's SNAFU. The small GM twins that use the little Duramax just got the OK to sell last month.

 

[TheGoose]

Just made about a 100 mile trip ( most of my driving is short 5-20 mile juants). This was a mix of freeway driving and stop n go Houston traffic. Truck averaged 25-26 mpg. I love the way the truck handles, turns really good and drives smooth.

 

[VitaBene]

I have 16K on my 2016 1500 EcoD and love it so far. The most I have towed is a bit north of 7K lbs but it was a boat (easy towing). Still have my 99 F250 7.3 6 speed for heavier towing.

As an aside, I literally just uploaded my VW buyback offer to VW Claims. I paid $22.5K for my 2012 Jetta TDI, they are paying me $17962.37 92K miles later. If FCA has to do the same, I hope the math works out this well!!

 

[Copperhead]

Agree. Therein lies the rub.... various agencies take regulations well beyond what was ever intended. It is the nature of an agency to do so.. to justify larger budgets, justify their positions, etc. A lot of that needs whittled back. As founded, the EPA is not a bad agency. It has just been staffed over the years by over zealous tree huggers and communists to the point where they will only be happy when the economy grinds to a halt and there is no economic activity left.

But congress is clearly to blame. At any time they could audit agency funding and curtail the abuses. They let these agencies run amok and then politicians can claim plausible deniability in the resulting mess.

 

[TheGoose]

I just wanted to update this thread. So far we are really loving the truck and the little diesel engine. We have towed a two horse trailer and my L3400 tractor with no problems. The truck has not given us any problems at all. I did install a set of the Air Ride 1000 air bags because the truck sagged when towing but that fixed that problem without affecting the ride.

Supposedly the Gov't is going after Ram like they did Volkswagen (and now Chevy HD trucks as well). It's a shame no other MFG put a small diesel in their 1500/150 series trucks over the last 15 years because I think they are a great fit. I hear Ford is looking into putting one in a F150. If I have to get rid of this one I'll definitely look into a small diesel powered F150 (but no more ecoboost for me).

I'm averaging about 20 mpg all time including towing and I have seen as high as 28 on the hwy. Usually it averages out to about 21-22 mpg per tank but it's hard to calculate since I tow something weekly. I did notice the trip computer can be erratic. Sometimes it's accurate and sometimes it's not on the MPG.

 

[vvanders]

Glad to hear, we're considering moving a tractor or two about ~200mi north of us with our 1500 EcoDiesel. What length trailer did you use for your L3400?

For reference we've been seeing about 26-28 with mixed city/freeway which is awesome for a half ton truck.

 

[madpuma13]

Love my ecodiesel. Great highway mileage and still pulls heavy loads when needed. Here is my Branson 4720 on an 18' trailer. Ecodiesel handled it quite well.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I just wanted to update this thread. So far we are really loving the truck and the little diesel engine. We have towed a two horse trailer and my L3400 tractor with no problems. The truck has not given us any problems at all. I did install a set of the Air Ride 1000 air bags because the truck sagged when towing but that fixed that problem without affecting the ride.

Supposedly the Gov't is going after Ram like they did Volkswagen (and now Chevy HD trucks as well). It's a shame no other MFG put a small diesel in their 1500/150 series trucks over the last 15 years because I think they are a great fit. I hear Ford is looking into putting one in a F150. If I have to get rid of this one I'll definitely look into a small diesel powered F150 (but no more ecoboost for me).

I'm averaging about 20 mpg all time including towing and I have seen as high as 28 on the hwy. Usually it averages out to about 21-22 mpg per tank but it's hard to calculate since I tow something weekly. I did notice the trip computer can be erratic. Sometimes it's accurate and sometimes it's not on the MPG.

Dont forget about the Titan Diesel

 

[sd455dan]

I just wanted to update this thread. So far we are really loving the truck and the little diesel engine. We have towed a two horse trailer and my L3400 tractor with no problems. The truck has not given us any problems at all. I did install a set of the Air Ride 1000 air bags because the truck sagged when towing but that fixed that problem without affecting the ride.

Supposedly the Gov't is going after Ram like they did Volkswagen (and now Chevy HD trucks as well). It's a shame no other MFG put a small diesel in their 1500/150 series trucks over the last 15 years because I think they are a great fit. I hear Ford is looking into putting one in a F150. If I have to get rid of this one I'll definitely look into a small diesel powered F150 (but no more ecoboost for me).

I'm averaging about 20 mpg all time including towing and I have seen as high as 28 on the hwy. Usually it averages out to about 21-22 mpg per tank but it's hard to calculate since I tow something weekly. I did notice the trip computer can be erratic. Sometimes it's accurate and sometimes it's not on the MPG.

Impressive mileage for part time towing.
Just watched a tow test between the new F 150 10 speed and The eco diesel.217 Ford F-15 EcoBoost 1-Speed vs Ram 15 EcoDiesel 8-Speed Towing MPG Review - YouTube



Eco diesel managed over 13.28mpg and the eco boost managed 9.14 running premium.

Impressed with the Ram even though it won't win a drag race against the Ford.

I hope they don't pull these trucks off the road , Hard to convince me that burning a lot more gasoline versus diesel with a somewhat higher exhaust emissions is good for the environment.

Do agree with DP that the rules should apply to every manufacturer equally.
But hope the EPA doesn't force Dodge to program the fuel efficiency out of the 3.0.
My friend that has a Eco diesel still Loves his- but is also concerned about a (re-program)

 

[Egon]

Thanks for the update. Nice that you are happy with the truck.

 

[rd_macgregor]

I did install a set of the Air Ride 1000 air bags because the truck sagged when towing but that fixed that problem without affecting the ride.

Did you install the air pump, too, or do you have to run an air hose to them? I have considered installing some (with pump), but wondered about where the air controller switch would go on the dash...and what it would look like. Even if I have the dealer install, they said it wouldn't be the "factory" switches integrated into the dash where they belong!

 

[TheGoose]

Impressive mileage for part time towing.
Just watched a tow test between the new F 150 10 speed and The eco diesel.217 Ford F-15 EcoBoost 1-Speed vs Ram 15 EcoDiesel 8-Speed Towing MPG Review - YouTube



Eco diesel managed over 13.28mpg and the eco boost managed 9.14 running premium.

Impressed with the Ram even though it won't win a drag race against the Ford.

I hope they don't pull these trucks off the road , Hard to convince me that burning a lot more gasoline versus diesel with a somewhat higher exhaust emissions is good for the environment.

Do agree with DP that the rules should apply to every manufacturer equally.
But hope the EPA doesn't force Dodge to program the fuel efficiency out of the 3.0.
My friend that has a Eco diesel still Loves his- but is also concerned about a (re-program)

My last truck was a 3.5 Ecoboost. Loved the engine but the truck was a total POS. It never got more than 15 mpg on a consistent basis and I spent about $3k in repairs well under 100,000 miles. If I ever considered another Ford it would either be the 5.0 V8 or their little diesel.

 

[TheGoose]

For the person who asked I use a 16' tandem trailer to move my tractor.

The air ride bags just have two schraeder valves by the license plate. Easy to air them up as needed.

 

[TheGoose]

Dont forget about the Titan Diesel

Honestly I think the Titan misses the mark. You might as well buy a 2500 or 250. I hear the fuel mileage isn't great and it's not quite as capable as a real hd truck.

 

[Renze]

My 18 year old Volvo diesel does 50mpg on average, commuting on single lane highways at big rig speed of 90kmh (or 55-60mph)

Towing 8000 pounds with it is illegal though it still runs above 20mpg then. This engine is also used in the VW LT with a GCVW of 8750kg so it sure has the durability to work at higher continuous power output.

It is still surprising to see V6 gas engines being transplanted into American versions of European vans (Sprinter, ProMaster, Transit) instead of their original Diesels that exceed the V6 gassers in economy and torque. Is it a fetish for horsepower numbers ? Or is it just that people stick with what they know ?

Maybe also because the average FedEx driver will ride it like he stole it , when the engine is just started cold, so light commercial diesels dont work untill mindset changes...

Here in Europe a gas powered van is as rare as an ecodiesel in the USA..

 

[Renze]

...and what also surprises me, is that the Cummins ISB4.5 four cylinder is used in 600.000 mile lasting 150-180-220hp configurations in 7.5 to 12 ton GVW trucks in Europe, but not in the USA... I mean even the 240hp Ecodiesel cant match the torque band of a 180hp ISB...

 

[aczlan]

It is still surprising to see V6 gas engines being transplanted into American versions of European vans (Sprinter, ProMaster, Transit) instead of their original Diesels that exceed the V6 gassers in economy and torque. Is it a fetish for horsepower numbers ? Or is it just that people stick with what they know ?

Probably a mix of historical $$$$ diesel repairs, gas being cheaper, the euro diesels not being EPA compliant (guessing) and the gas engines being "good enough" to get the job done.

Aaron Z

 

[TheGoose]

Also gasoline is $2-3 per gallon, diesel about $.25-50 more. I hear gasoline starts at $8.00/gal in Europe, not sure about diesel. I just enjoy driving the truck and I think the diesel engine in this truck makes a lot of sense.

 

[3930dave]

TG (OP),

Any updates on how things are going with the EcoD ? Mileage #'s, bags standing up OK,...... ?

Rgds, D.