Newer GM 6.0 vs Ram 6.4?

[drk98]

I drove both the Chevy 6.0 and Ram 6.4 before ending up with the Ram 2500 with the diesel. My preference would have been a Chevy with the Duramax but the price wasn't competitive at the time (new body style intro). I've owned a couple of Chevy 1/2 tons before that and a 2011 Ford F-250 with the diesel.

The Ram with the 6.4 had a good feel to it but that GM 6.0 has a long track record of being a great engine. I've been around several with 300k miles on them as daily work trucks and when properly maintained they were very trouble free.

One thing to consider is the dealer you'll use for warranty work and service. I couldn't wait to get rid of the Ram because the local dealers around here suck royally. There are several Chevy/GMC dealers around that are leaps and bounds better.

Both will serve you well but if you're a Chevy guy... I think you'll be happier with the Chevy long term.

[repacs0103]

Agreed with others... the GM LS based 6.0 is tried and true and absolutely bulletproof. We have a handful st work and they tow heavier than most on this forum do.... 10k-14k daily plus plowing in the winter, and we have to do nothing to them. I've only ever had to do a couple MAF sensors, and I have anywhere from 0-260k on mine. Also the 6L80E is a great trans, just like the 4L80E before it.


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[Crabman]

Originally Posted by Popcycle

I owned a 2011 Chevy 1500 with AFM for 4 years and never had a bit of trouble with it. It got great fuel milage on the highway and it pulled hard when asked. Not sure why some owners had complaints but my experience was all good.

There were issues with some of them burning oil, and lots of it. The only real fix was some modifications and in many cases a total engine rebuild. Of course not all of them had these issues and tbe 4.8 did not have them either. Pages and pages of reading on the Sierra/Silverado forum about this.

[Cummins-a-pullin]

My father just picked up the 6.4 with 3.73 gears and loves it, but he did say if he were towing in the mountains he would prefer the 4.10 gears

[sennister]

Originally Posted by Popcycle

I owned a 2011 Chevy 1500 with AFM for 4 years and never had a bit of trouble with it. It got great fuel milage on the highway and it pulled hard when asked. Not sure why some owners had complaints but my experience was all good.

You might have had one after the revisions. I don't know on the 5.3l but on the 6.2l in my Denali they made some changes as the earlier ones had the same issues. The problem mainly has to do with the use of low friction piston rings. They use these to better fuel efficiency. Where the problem came in is when the AFM kicked in and it would drop to 4 cylinder mode they would hold the valves open because if it isn't getting fuel but still going through the compression stroke it would kill MPG. However this reduces cylinder pressure to 0. The piston rings are designed to have that cylinder pressure there to help keep them sealed up. Over time you would start to run into issues where the piston rings would fail and you start consuming oil on those cylinders.

I want to say the revisions to correct these issues came about in 2010 with the 6.2l anyhow.

Back to the the OP. I will say I love the 6.2l in my GMC but they never offered it on the 3/4 ton. 403 HP and 417 torque. At those numbers it is very close to what the Dodge does.

I know you said the diesel isn't in the budget but I would really do what I could to go that route. They hold value better so while it will cost more up front you will get it back in the end. I have read a few comments elsewhere that it takes 100,000 miles to hit break even. That isn't always the case when you consider trade in value. Depending on how much towing you do the improved MPG numbers come a lot quicker. The 6.0 is more than capable to pull your camper, never driven one. I will say that the Duramax does feel really nose heavy (commuting) as I have driven them quite a bit. So maybe the 6.0 being a much lighter engine will not feel the same.

[jsallman1]

So far, I have been happy with the Ram 6.4 and tow power, longest trip was between South Dakota and Orlando, I didn't have an issue maintaining speeds in the mountains as long as you let it downshift.

When I was making my decision between the 3, total length decided it for me, ram was the only one that would make it in the garage and allow the door to shut.

Suspension on the Ram 3/4 ton is also coil vs leaf if you haven't looked into that.

If I were to do it again, I'd still get the ram due to the length issue, but I might go for a 3500SRW (no more expensive to register in my state). Little things like you cant adjust the TPMS easily on a 2500 if you want to run the tires a little lower than the recommended 80PSI, 3500 doesn't have the warning lights, just a passive monitoring system. Also why not have more payload :-) . If I ever drove it commercially however, that might throw a wrench in things.

Only other thing that disappointed me on the Rams was the cost to keep some of the electronic features active, like 911 Dial, remote start via phone, locating the truck via phone in a packed lot, etc was a bit pricey when compared to Ford for sure.

[15BlueStreak]

If you get the Ram find one with the 4.10 gears. I have a Ram 6.4 with 4.10 gears. Tow a 2014 314bhds. Picking up a 324bhts on Saturday. It tows pretty well. I find the transmission tuning buggy. But you have that with all brands and is subjective to my preferences. Personally I think Ford makes the best gasser out there with the 4.30 gears and transmission gearing. Food for thought.

[bzeller]

Originally Posted by Iraqvet05

Seahawks_12, I had a 2007.5 1500 I towed the 26BH with before I moved to the 2500. I hated the 4 speed and 5.3/3.42 gears but loved the fuel mileage. I'd love a diesel one day but it's just not in the budget. I've heard the horror stories about the Ford 6.0s and know the Cummins is a more reliable engine but I probably couldn't afford to maintain it. Last week we had a Ford work truck with a 6.4 diesel go into limo mode. I replaced the fuel filters twice at the recommendation of a Ford mechanic but it still had a low fuel pressure rail code. The truck is in the shop now for an injector pump replacement to the tune of $4300 and the truck has 74k miles on it.

Check out the Titan XD with Cummins. You'll spend up to $10K less than the HD diesels, get a 5/100K bumper to bumper, and it'll tow every bit as nicely as the HD diesels with your size trailer other than a sacrifice of some acceleration due to the smaller 5.0L. I came out of a 2015 dmax, loved my dmax, but I'm pulling a 314bhs and saved some money by going with the XD over a new dmax.


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