New Truck! '16 2500 - 6.4 Hemi, sold my '06 2500 Cummins

As per Grizzly or Mortys request (I forgot) I thought I'd post up about upgrading my truck!
I bought the '06 2500 Quad cab 4x4 new, have driven it for 140,000 miles, and it was a great truck!
Last summer I had to invest about $2500 in a/c repairs. This year the trans started to shift strangely going into 2nd. My mechanic adjusted the band as far as it would go, he said a new trans would be next.
2 weeks ago (on a 95 degree day) the a/c quit again.
My wife told me "I think you should get a new truck"........that's all I needed to hear.
I drove to the dealership and traded it in.
They had just what I was looking for - 2016 Tradesman Crew cab 2500 with the 6.4 Hemi.
I like the rubber floors, not having to worry about keeping the carpet clean.
It has p/w, auto trans, plow prep, good stereo, and awesome a/c!!
It lacks the low end grunt (torque) that the Cummins has, but I will only plow my driveway with it, and tow my car once in awhile.
It does feel quicker, but the Hemi likes rpms. I guess I'm used to 2500-3000 with the diesel.
The ride and quality seems so much better, but I suppose the '06 was well used.
I almost have 1000 miles on it, and will give updates, but for now I'm ecstatic about this truck and would recommend them to everyone!!

One more. I put on Westin 4" step bars and a roll up tonneau cover.

The 6.4 Hemi appears to be a great motor. How does it do on fuel compared to the diesel you had?

I haven't had the chance to check it yet, but I will let everyone know as soon as I do.
My diesel would get 18-19 mpg going down the road at 75-80 mph.
I hope the 6.4 is close??

Very nice Wally! I still think there is one in our future...

I've been lusting after the 6.4 2500 Rams. If I was going to buy a truck it would be along the lines of what you have

I just had a guy drive down from Iowa pulling a 22 enclosed trailer to pick up a car. The trailer was empty and he only got 7 mpg.! I hope he had enough money to make it back the way he used gas with it empty. My 2012 cummins gets 10 pulling a loaded 15,000 lbs trailer in the mountains.

Hemis aren't known for fuel mileage, I doubt you'll get the 18-19. I have to admit the A/C on these new trucks does work very well compared to my 08, I can actually get the air to hit my face in our 14 work truck. They are nice trucks, almost has me rethinking restoring my 73 for daily driver duty and just buying something new.

Thanks Eric!
If you ever want to test drive one, feel free to come down!

You weren't going to need a new trans in that 06 Cummins, your mechanic gave you the big scare with needing to rebuild the trans for big $$, all you needed was to replace the shift solenoid (about $65) and that would have fixed it. 2006 was the worst year for this issue

So far in 34K miles (in less than a year) my 5.7 2015 Ram 2500 4x4 is getting right at 15 MPG to and from work (60 mile round trip) and has had a high of 19 MPG on the highway going 65 MPH with no head wind. Having said that, it gets 7.9 MPG towing the 32' LQ trailer (11K lbs) and around 9 towing my 24' enclosed. Add a head wind and it goes down quite a bit. That equates roughly with my 2001 V10 Ram, though I think the Hemi pulls better. The only thing I really hate about the truck is the drive-by-wire, almost feels like a turbocharged vehicle with the lag time...

Wally

Thanks for posting.

I'm still running a 1999 CTD W2500 Quad Cab Long Bed. I get about 18MPG. My AC was possessed about 4 years ago and I am afraid to find out the cost for fixing it. I have a 6 speed so no tranny issues.

Morty

I've had my 15 2500 4x4 with a 6.4 for about a year and a half now, and I'm pretty happy with it. Previously, I had an 08 with the 6.7 Cummins.

My 6.4 will get 17+ MPG on the highway at 70, it falls off going much faster than that. Towing an open trailer with a car it seems to be 12-13 MPG. I've never seen single digits, but I typically pull 6-7000 lbs. The MDS helps the 6.4, my truck gets better mileage than my friends 14 5.7.

They need to put that 6.4 in the 1500's

why not go whole hog with the 6.2 Hellcat engine?

still running my 06 diesel 4x4 mega cab. just had the A/C fixed. needed a new compressor. dealer did, $700 -2 year warranty. I do most of my own work but with warranty shipped it, plus I was heading to Florida in 2 days so I could hit a dealer if issues.

I was wondering what the MDS would do for the 6.4, my 5.7 does not have it.

Agree with Morty and EV2Demons's mileage numbers. My '01 Cummins w/ 3.54's barely did 18.

Yes Rhino, the MDS does make a difference. Amazingly, guys on the Dodge Truck Forums will go to the ends of the Earth to shut MDS off.

6.4 is a Winner, but I still think Dodge or Ford need to do a turbocharged gas in a 2500 and up truck. Just 550 torque; that's all it would need to compete with a diesel.

Thanks for the review, Wally. Keep an eye on those firestones.

You got it Grizz!
Love the truck, do I need to worry about the Firestone Transforce tires?
How many miles should I start to be concerned about them?
I'm in Ireland til the 16th, when I get back I'll work on getting a mileage report.
Thanks everyone for the 2 cents!

Wally.

Yes, anything firestone/bridgestone needs to be watched.

Their heavy class 8 truck tires are ok but light stuff is pretty awful, as in, worse than Walmart tires.

Not sure how they wound up on Chrysler products lately? Usually we always got Michelins or Goodyears.

Just turned 35.5K on the Transforce tires, they won't last much longer!

Yeah, what a surprise. Cords were showing on my dualers at about the same mark. Fronts were cupped and backs had the centers worn at the first oil change..........brand-new blunder motors 1500 4x4.

My axe to grind with them. Dealer/1-800 gm did nothing, they have each others' backs. Speaks volumes of how those Animals in Suits operate.

Sorry OP, back on topic!

You're very much on topic Grizz, no worries.
All helpful advice for the new truck, much appreciated.
I'll keep a close eye out, I hope it's at least 2 years before I need them!!

Wally.

Just a quick update.
Still love the heck outa this truck.
Rhino is right about the drive by wire. I don't like it.
There's a delay when you really step on it from a stand still.
I haven't taken any long trips yet, but I can tell you the mileage around town is not too hot.
Planning a trip in 2 weeks about 5 hours south, I'll keep a close eye on it then.

Finally took the new truck on a road trip to Southern Illinois.
Down highway 57, one of the most boring drives in the world, I was in no mood to try and conserve fuel.....so I was on the throttle.
I kept it pretty much between 85 - 90 the whole trip.
I checked it when I got home and averaged 12.3 mpg.
My '06 Deisel would get 17 - 18 at the same pace.
Another thing I'm not used to is the delay, and the downshifting when going to pass a car.
The Cummins had the torque to allow me to just give it some throttle and the truck would go NOW!
Don't get me wrong, I love this new truck, it has way more positives than negatives.
Next up is to put the plow on, I'm going to have to adjust the way I plow snow also.
Updates to come!!

My 05 Cummins was the best truck I ever owned and I had it for 10 years. I miss it every time I force myself to drive the 2015 "hemi" Fiat I made the mistake of replacing it with. Hope you have good luck with yours.

Sheldon

Almost at 40K now. Just started work in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin which is a 60 mile drive one way! They have two new roundabouts on the road I take and it was raining hard today. I gassed it a little entering the first roundabout and almost spun, gassed it to straighten it out and almost went around the other way. I guess it is time to replace the factory tires, 40K is just too much. I have a set of Continental Conti-Trac three of them are new. I will buy another new one and see how long they last.

My commute is still longer, Jim! Where in the Falls?

1/2 mile west of Schwabenhof! Have to be in Grafton tomorrow, that will be a long commute...

Hmmm, neither a nice, straight shot for you. I worked several years in Grafton, too!

Wally, you should know that once a Cummins gets close to 2000 RPM the fuel mileage always suffers! Every Cummins truck I have ever owned had the best fuel mileage at 1800 RPM.