School me on ram1500 eco diesels

The Fast lane truck did their mpg test with a 14 or 15 Ram 2500 crew cab/ short bed rwd and they got over 24 mpg hand calculated with the cruise control set at 70 mph.

Mine's a 2015 3500 srw 4x4 megacab with the Aisin transmission and I've gotten 21-22 mpg hand calculated on a couple of longer trips. That's without even trying to get decent mpgs and usually keeping it over 75 mph.

When comparing towing numbers it gets unfair- same trip, same trailer in tow I got 14 mpg hand calculated with the Ram while my friend's 2011 Sierra Z71 with the 5.3 V8 and 80K on the odometer couldn't even get over 8 mpg and also burnt a quart of oil in a little over 1k miles.

 

In regards to the tune and deleting stuff, Google GDE tune. You're welcome.

 

yeah, thanks, that is taking up a whole section on the ram forum

 

Chrome clad, makes it more expensive

 

WHAT ?????

 

Hi, I've been a lurker here, but I'm glad to add my .02-

I'm a current owner of a 2014 for about the last year. I picked mine up from CarMax as well, and it appeared to be a shop/dealer demo. I've put around 15k miles on it, and it's been relatively problem free.

As mentioned previously, it seems like the 2014's and early 15's had some sort of teething problems with oil leaking into the cooling system, as well as exhaust fumes in the cabin. I haven't yet experienced any of those issues, though I have had it in twice for replacement of two of the injectors and related tubing as there was a corrosion issue with them causing a squeaking noise, and some fumes.

Other than that, it's been relatively trouble free- I have a lower trim level which means yards of hard plastic and fabric seats, but they've been up to the challenge of handling my use of the truck for work and hauling the family around.

My towing has been with a 6x12 without brakes, and it seems to handle it well but the brakes on the truck seem a little bit weak compared to other similar setups I've towed with (purely subjective). The built-in towing wiring, as well as brake controller are nice- I'm looking forward to using the controller when I add brakes to the trailer.

Around town (I live in an urban area), I see about 25-28mpg consistently, and around 30mpg hwy. I forget what I get towing, but I want to say it was around 15mpg. Those figures stay pretty consistent regardless of whether I use summer or winter blend diesel.

I read all the posts about potential longevity issues of the motor due to the EGR and DEF systems, so I opted to get the GDE tune. As mentioned previously it does delete/bypass the EGR system, which appears to be the biggest area of concern. I also seemed to notice that the throttle/turbo lag is much improved with the tune vs stock, and I appeared to notice an ~1-2mpg improvement (again, subjective). One other benefit of the tune is that it appears to reduce consumption of DEF fluid by a significant amount. Otherwise, no rolling coal or other negative effects from this tune that I've noted, other than having to make sure the dealer doesn't overwrite the tune if I take it in for service.

My biggest gripe has been with the fact that in order to maintain warranty, you need to use a specific low-ash synthetic oil for the motor that meets some sort of Euro low-emissions spec. Oils meeting that standard have been hard to find off the shelf here, and between that and not finding any quality aftermarket oil filter elements, it makes it hard to run out to the store on a whim to do oil changes. Amazon and ebay (as well as a bit of advance planning) are your friend in this case.

Our family was leery about buying a first-year domestic truck (with an Italian motor no less), as we've been a "Japanese" car household up to this point, but I have to say that it's proven to be a good fit for our needs. Even though there have been a couple of issues, the dealer and Dodge have handled them without hesitation or issue every time.

Sorry to ramble, just excited to be able to post something of relevance to the forum...

 

Well as you would know...that's not how this forum works.

 

Potatoes are yummy. I like mine mashed with garlic and a bit of butter.

 

Tl;Dr

Cliff notes for Broome and I

 

Truck is good, I like it. I recommend the GDE tune.

-All badging/decals are Broome approved and symmetrically applied, no uppercuts necessary.
-No 3' screwdrivers were necessary to complete transaction.
-All rods that were advertised as part of the motor were found to be in the motor.
-No lawsuits were filed (by lawyers who raise chickens or othewise).
-It is faster than a Grom.
-No "Ol' Ladies" were involved in this post.
-I have a quiet Honda generator.
-Apple pie without cheese, cheeseburger over hamburger, Yuengling over PBR, Coke in a bottle over Coke in a can, two stroke over four stroke.

The end.

Did I do it right?

 

Yes except for the yuengling part. Now go to your room.

 

$115 for OEM filter and 11qts of the right oil. Oil changes are unbelievably easy... I can't see how the dealerships charge $250+, it takes 10mins MAX. Change your fuel filter twice as much as recommended (every oil change for me, only $20 for OEM). I've got 20k on mine, completely trouble free. Love this truck...
http://www.idparts.com/oil-change-kit-ram-ecodiesel-p-4255.html

 

Not sure he's a member, but his son is a fast kid racing a 300... Can't think of dad's name... Anyway, he had a new Dodge eco diesel and was driving from Illinois (I think) to Georgia pulling a small toy hauler. Seemed to love it ...but I think their previous rig was an E150 van that was old enough that it needed to be replaced.

 

I pay $140 for oil/ filter change for the Cummins at the local dealership.
They also charge $40 or $50 for DEF top off but you only fall for that one once and you ask them not to touch it next time.

Could I change the oil myself? Sure, I've done it countless times on the bikes but I have zero desire to do it unless I'm saving $100 or more, just not worth my time and effort.

 

that's Adrian Jigalov. Damian's dad. talked to him at tally. oh, livengood also has one. they love theirs.

 

ordering it now. try to do the change before the haul to roebling.

Oil Change Kit (Ram Ecodiesel)
- Oil Filter OEM
- Oil Mobil 1 ESP 5w30