Deciding between gas and diesel

[mjb765]

I have a chance to buy 2 trucks--a 2022 Laramie 2500 Diesel with 17,000 miles on it or a new 2023 Laramie 2500 with the 6.4 Hemi for almost the same price. I don't really NEED the diesel for very heavy towing, but I am scared at hearing single digit gas mileage out of the 6.4 HEMI. Truck only gerts about 800 miles per month and I am sure the gas will tow a car trailer with no issues..but is the MPG that much different especially when towing?? Does too much around town driving make the diesel unhappy??

Opinions please......

 

[Ionicbrick]

I own a 2022 3500 diesel with the HO. A few months ago it got hit, and while in the shop I had a 2500 diesel as a rental. Now, while in the shop again for hail damage (I’m unlucky apparently) I’m renting a 2500 hemi.

Towing my work trailer which is about 5000 pounds, it’s a 20’ long, 8’ wide and 8’ tall. My HO averages around 12.5 (I averaged the same with the 2500) with my driving. This Hemi gets around 10.

While pulling my RV, a 12k pound 38’ long beast, my HO averages 10, and my 2015 hemi (different transmission, so may vary now) got 5 if it wasn’t windy or on a hill.
Hope that helps.


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[mjb765]

That helps..what is the HEMI averaging without towing anything. I think the diesel gets over 16 empty

 

[pizzatots]

I have 7500 miles with my 6.4.. city I see 13, and highway I see 17. I have 3.73s and set cruise at 65 (7th gear) or 69 (8th gear). towing the TT is 9-11mpg depending on hills.

it pulls my 7500lb TT very well. has almost 3k lbs in payload. no emissions stuff, no def and easy to find fuel. it works very well for my needs.

 

[Ionicbrick]

That helps..what is the HEMI averaging without towing anything. I think the diesel gets over 16 empty

I’m getting 11-12 without the trailer on there. For this same trip back and forth to the job my HO gets close to 18 actually.

Just remember that diesels have DEF, and a higher
Maintenance with the fuel filters to change. If you maintain it yourself, the mileage might be a wash. I’ve never done the math as I really do need the diesel.


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[mkmsr]

If you don't need the diesel I would take into account the amount of recalls and the down time some folks are experienced with the diesels. The emissions standards have been an issue that the manufactures haven't figured out yet IMO. I personally don't worry about mpg's, the cost of my truck and trailer make the fill-ups seem like pennies. Towing 12k lb fifth wheel I get 8-9.5, empty long highway trips 15-17, running around the county... 11-12.

 

[Adam06]

I think if you don’t heavily tow I would go with the Hemi. I live in the west and diesel is also $1.00 more per gallon so as you may get more mpg from the diesel, you are also paying more as well as def fluid.

 

[Firebird]

That helps..what is the HEMI averaging without towing anything. I think the diesel gets over 16 empty

My 6.4 with 4.10 gears got 12 in town driving easy. The 6.4 would tow your car trailer just fine if you don't want the diesel

 

[elephantrider]

your use case is a gasser all day.

 

[Truckman]

After 25 years with a Diesel towing some fairly heavy trailers I got a Hemi a few years ago. I had gotten rid of the big 5er and only tow a dump trailer locally. I believe with the emissions problems the Diesel is no longer an advantage and am very happy with the gas. Mileage is pretty close not towing although I seldom ever check it.

 

[Blythkd1]

I was shocked at the cost of maintenance. I used to change oil in my Dmax for $30 and didn't change the fuel filters very often as it didn't really seem to need it. When I changed those too (FASS), that was another $35. Plus I was running a washable air filter so that cost was trivial.

Fast forward to the Ram and an oil change with all the filters costs $300, and that's doing it myself. Some guys have reported up to $500 even $600 having it done at the dealership.

 

[ThankfulLutheran]

That helps..what is the HEMI averaging without towing anything. I think the diesel gets over 16 empty

I just picked up my new 2023 Laramie 4X4 2500 Hemi the first week of August. I’ve been driving it to church every Sunday, which is a 50 mile trip each way. All miles are highway miles and I’m getting 17.8 mpg. Total weight of occupants in the truck is 500 pounds.

 

[dmhines]

There is a youtube video out there comparing RAM HD Diesel to RAM HD Hemi .. The extra cost of ownership of the Cummins engine option, the extra cost of oil and fuel filters, the extra cost of fuel and def makes the the Hemi MPG not relevant. The video made lots of sense and basically you would have to drive the Diesel 400,000 miles before you broke even on the extra costs associated with a diesel and the hemi's worse MPG. Since you are getting them for same price then that isn't really an issue. 2023 does have nicer mirrors though so you'd be giving that up

Also .. Diesels with all the EPA crap make it horrible for a daily driver. You must tow and drive diesels long and hard all the time or you are gonna have issues with the emmissions system. The days of deleting are over so that is no longer an option - deleting made the diesel a great daily driver .

 

[mjb765]

Considering the short drives and in-frequesnt towing I think I am leaning more towards the gas. Thanks for all the replies!!

 

[phatboy64]

There is a youtube video out there comparing RAM HD Diesel to RAM HD Hemi .. The extra cost of ownership of the Cummins engine option, the extra cost of oil and fuel filters, the extra cost of fuel and def makes the the Hemi MPG not relevant. The video made lots of sense and basically you would have to drive the Diesel 400,000 miles before you broke even on the extra costs associated with a diesel and the hemi's worse MPG. Since you are getting them for same price then that isn't really an issue. 2023 does have nicer mirrors though so you'd be giving that up

Also .. Diesels with all the EPA crap make it horrible for a daily driver. You must tow and drive diesels long and hard all the time or you are gonna have issues with the emmissions system. The days of deleting are over so that is no longer an option - deleting made the diesel a great daily driver .

Did they factor in the snapped header bolts and cam replacement that seem to plague the Hemi’s…

 

[jebruns]

I was shocked at the cost of maintenance. I used to change oil in my Dmax for $30 and didn't change the fuel filters very often as it didn't really seem to need it. When I changed those too (FASS), that was another $35. Plus I was running a washable air filter so that cost was trivial.

$30? It sure cost me more than that to change the oil and filter in my Dmax. It holds 2.5 gallons of oil, so that's at least $60 or so before the filter.

Fast forward to the Ram and an oil change with all the filters costs $300, and that's doing it myself. Some guys have reported up to $500 even $600 having it done at the dealership.

I agree the Mopar OEM filters from the Cummins are crazy expensive, but it's easy to do it yourself for under $200.

'19-'24, Ram 2500/3500/4500/5500 Truck Quick Service Kit - Oil & Fuel

Is it time to replace the filters in your '19-'24 Ram 2500/3500 truck? Get our Quick Service Kit that includes a genuine MOPAR oil and fuel filter for one service change.

www.genosgarage.com

And if you are okay with other than OEM filters, you can do it for much less. And to the OP, remember oil changes are at 15K or yearly, whichever comes first. Pretty sure the 6.4 is much more often. Not saying that's a big reason either way, just giving you more data.

 

[phatboy64]

I get looking at the different costs of maintenance but when I spend $108K on my truck the last thing I am worried about is if oil changes are going to cost me an extra $150 a year...

You can get the OEM fuel/oil filter set for $69.00 on fleabay...

 

[dmhines]

Did they factor in the snapped header bolts and cam replacement that seem to plague the Hemi’s…

Don't think that was included .. but Cummins also have reports of turbo actuators, Def and fuel injection pumps going bad, grid heater bolts falling out, etc ...

 

[mjb765]

Did they factor in the snapped header bolts and cam replacement that seem to plague the Hemi’s…

Extended warranty......

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[phatboy64]

Don't think that was included .. but Cummins also have reports of turbo actuators, Def and fuel injection pumps going bad, grid heater bolts falling out, etc ...

I am sure but man over on the FB Ram groups a day doesn’t go by without Hemi owners complaining that they have to replace their cams or deal with cracked header bolts…seems like 90k miles is the sweet spot for these failures…