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Cummins VS Duramax...Powerstroke nah!

RGV72BLAZER

RGV72BLAZER

1/2 ton status
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Edinburg*San Bene*Online-The Real South Texas
Well currently looking for a new DD/tow rig/family hauler. The criteria I have set are crew cab, diesel, short bed, & 4x4. I'm torn between a Cummins or Duramax 2500. I need this to carry around the kiddos, all my crap, and tow my rig in case I need to. For the Dmax, I've been looking for a '04/'05 model, I really don't care for the new body style. I actually drove an '08 the other day & wasn't too impressed on how the Duramax/Allison pulled :eek1:. Haven't had a chance to drive a Cummins, but hopefully I can sometime next week. For the Cummins, I'm looking for one '04+. I don't mind used. I'm just wondering what other members thoughts are. Where do they each excel? Where do they each suck? Let me know...:D
 
I would look for a low mileage 05 or 06 dmax with the 6 spd allison, not sure which year that tranny started being introduced, but that would be my choice.

Remington
 
you better check the dodge forums if you are buying used, some older cummins have a loose bolt in the valve train that can jam in the valves. Not sure what years where involved. One other thing about dodge. Dealer showroom floor trucks have crappy parts. Only buy a dodge if it was special ordered by the previous owner. They somehow put 1/2 ton rear end gears in ton trucks. I've known of one specifically that was like this and heard of a couple more.

About the Duramax, don't get the first year trucks.

For the sake of stating it, a 99, 7.3 powerstroke is the gremlin year for those. Other years are less plagued. The 6.0 is not good before 04.


Everyone already knows. The cummins is the best engine, but dang it, it comes in a dodge. Make sure the dodge has a real 1 ton drive train.
 
RGV72BLAZER said:
I think the Allision has been offered since the D-Max came out. Not looking for a Ford, pretty much out of the question. The dodge does have a solid axle compared to the IFS chevy. any thoughts on ride?
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the 06 (I think) and up have a 6 speed auto allison.....05 down, have a 5 speed auto allison tranny. The dmax has always had an allison backing it up, but it wasnt always a 6 speed auto, until recently. Also the chevy ride quality is awesome, with the new air ride tech they use in all gm cars, the ride is truly outstanding in the newer pickups. The dodge Im not sure about though, havent ridden in a newer truck

Remington
 
The air ride is just that. The shocks are air shocks and self level the vehicle and somehow self pump up to compensate for extra load but also it puts your butt on a small cushion of air instead of directly on top of a steel spring. The springs are still there just you don't feel so jarred anymore.
 
I would look for an 04.5-06 Duramax. The 04.5-05's had the LLY with the 5-Speed Allison and the 06's have the LBZ with the 6-Speed Allison. If you're looking for a Dodge, look for an 04+ and I would suggest the manual 6-Speed as there automatics in those years were only a 4-Speed.
 
ive been in a buddy's '03 2500 dodge cummins and it was pretty nice. the ride was pretty good, not bumpy like i had thought it would ride. it was stock height with 33's
 
BlazerBud said:
The air ride is just that. The shocks are air shocks and self level the vehicle and somehow self pump up to compensate for extra load but also it puts your butt on a small cushion of air instead of directly on top of a steel spring. The springs are still there just you don't feel so jarred anymore.
Click to expand...

yeah what he said, it was originally used in caddy's strictly, but then in the later 90s, gm starting putting this style of suspension in all of their vehicles.

Remington
 
Woh woh..say what????:confused:

you better check the dodge forums if you are buying used, some older cummins have a loose bolt in the valve train that can jam in the valves.
Click to expand...
Killer dowel pin, it's up in the front gear case of the motor and applies to pre 1998 models.
Not sure what years where involved. One other thing about dodge. Dealer showroom floor trucks have crappy parts. Only buy a dodge if it was special ordered by the previous owner. They somehow put 1/2 ton rear end gears in ton trucks. I've known of one specifically that was like this and heard of a couple more.
Click to expand...
Here's the big one to me.... where the heck did you see this one "specifically?" This is NOT a problem. I guarrantee that you could go to ANY dealership in the country and every Dodge Cummins on the lot is going to have a full floating axle and the rest of the appropriate standard HD parts. Unless you've clear evidence on that, I say NO WAY. If that did actually happen, I'd have to almost say it's a crook of a dealer doing something weird.

About the Duramax, don't get the first year trucks.
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Why? The LB7 is the most mod friendly version of all the Dmax's, and has the best looking front clip IMHO. Most diehard Dmax guys praise the LB7 is the motor to have if you mod it.

For the sake of stating it, a 99, 7.3 powerstroke is the gremlin year for those. Other years are less plagued. The 6.0 is not good before 04.
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Care to explain??? Basically all the PSD's from 95-03 were pretty darned problem free. Yes, the '03 6.NO had a lot of problems, but with all the updates I wouldn't be afraid of an used one vs. an 04-07 used one.

BlazerBud said:
Everyone already knows. The cummins is the best engine, but dang it, it comes in a dodge. Make sure the dodge has a real 1 ton drive train.
Click to expand...
Say what??? I was/am tickled the Cummins comes in a Dodge, meant I didn't have to step down to a Chevy truck to have a Cummins if GM had rights to the ISB.:D
 
RGV72BLAZER said:
Well currently looking for a new DD/tow rig/family hauler. The criteria I have set are crew cab, diesel, short bed, & 4x4. I'm torn between a Cummins or Duramax 2500. I need this to carry around the kiddos, all my crap, and tow my rig in case I need to. For the Dmax, I've been looking for a '04/'05 model, I really don't care for the new body style. I actually drove an '08 the other day & wasn't too impressed on how the Duramax/Allison pulled :eek1:. Haven't had a chance to drive a Cummins, but hopefully I can sometime next week. For the Cummins, I'm looking for one '04+. I don't mind used. I'm just wondering what other members thoughts are. Where do they each excel? Where do they each suck? Let me know...:D
Click to expand...

Can't go wrong with either the two you have picked out. If you go Cummins/Dodge, go with an 04.5 600 Cummins. The later version has more advanced electronics and is more mod friendly.

Personally, I'd take the Dodge. The solid front axle on 4 link coils feels better to me than the IFS. Feels more stable and solid IMHO.
 
I think one of your major questions should be auto tranny vs. manual. This would be deciding factor of the brand war. I wouldn't own any auto other than the allison. I wouldn't own a manual other than the dodge.

By the way I have a 03 duramax cc, 4x4, I wouldn't own anything else. The only suggestion I have is you take your time and be patient the right vehicle will come, it took me almost a year of actively searching to find mine and I will never look back.
 
What do you call all the crap they bolt to a Cummins?







A Dodge.

I loved the HO Cummins in my old 2001 Dodge. Trouble is, the truck was a hunk of whale poo. It rattled so bad you could hear it over the engine. Switches didn't work, the cheap plastic pieces broke. I was happier to see it go than I was when I bought it.
 
If you tow heavy, in hilly country, avoid the LLY ('04.5-05) as they are known to overheat. The issue can be fixed, but it is about a $1000+ mod. Ask me how I know!!

I'd look for an LBZ personally...
 
Hands down - go with the Dodge.
6 speed manual if possible.

just my .02
but I have only owned 2 3500 DRW's ,,,
and worked on diesels for about 15 years,,


I may not know what I'm talking about....:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
 
Thanks for the comments guys, appreciate it a lot. Hopefully I'll be looking into an '05 D-Max, I don't think the overheating issue will be a big deal, I won't hauling too big of a load. My DMax guru buddy told me a chip and intake should solve the overheating problem for the most part. The Cummins may still have a chance tho...lol
 
For years, I've seen both of your choices worked hard on a daily basis. We have both D-Max and Cummins equipped trucks in our fleet, and both have thier issues.

I will say that the issues with the Chevs have ended up costing more to fix, and seem to be commonplace in a lot of our units. As far as ride goes, the Chevs win hands down, but the Dodges hold the road twice as nicely with a load behind them. Powerwise, I find both units to be pretty close. You're smart to avoid Fords- I personally drove an F550 service body for almost two years, and it was by far the biggest piece of garbage I've ever had assigned to me. 100% of my co-workers agree. Stay FAR FAR away from the Fords......

For the record, I recently bought an 07 Dodge SLT QC with the last of the 5.9s, mostly from what I witnessed at work. In addition, we have a rule up this way- the loggers always drive the toughest trucks, and in the last 2 years most of them have bought Dodges. Scientific? Nope. Real life? Yup, and that's how I like it.

As for the guy who claims that Dodge is selling 1 ton trucks equipped with half ton equipment, put up or shut up. Show some sort of proof before spitting out garbage like that. CK5 is well-known as a reliable source of info, and we like to keep it that way. Unless you can prove to me that Dodge is up to such antics, retract your statement and do a little more research before sharing your "facts" with us, please...........:deal:
 
I have an 06 2500 Mega Cab and I love it! Don't buy anything until you have personally sat in the backseat of one, there is no comparison - simply put it's HUGE! I have 2 kids (5 & 8 yrs old) and the truck is great for traveling, plenty of room for the kids to recline and stretch out even with a ton of books & toys to keep them happy on a trip.

Mine is a 6spd CTD 4x4, it has a very nice comfortable ride and all the power I've ever wanted (stock). I've had a lot of folks encourage me to mod it in one way or another from mild to wild but I can honestly say I haven't found the point where I felt I needed more power. I recently pulled my K5 to Tx, K5 & trailer weighed in right at 8k and I never felt them back there.

As for mileage; I get around 12 in town, 15 on the interstate and just shy of 11 pulling my Blazer. These are recent figures and the truck has about 14.5k miles. From what I've read on the Dodge forums I should be seeing the mpg increase any time now as the motor really starts to break in.

My only real complaint is the trailer lighting circuit. On the 06+ trucks it's very delicate because there are no fuses, the trailer plug feeds directly into a body computer ("TIPM"). Any shorts/spikes can cause either a resetable breaker trip or a complete failure. This is the one beast I've been fighting on mine, I've replaced one TIPM and may be looking at my second - I wont know until I go to the dealer. I'm pretty unhappy with this design but still happy with the truck as a whole, I would buy another tomorrow.
 
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