Towing with new 6.4L

[amauri]

Lots of good info on this thread, specially for those who are trying to make a decision between a gas or diesel HD truck purchase.
But IMO, MPG numbers while towing can be misleading unless specific details about what you are towing is included.

Critical numbers such as loaded weight and height of the trailer in tow must be included with MPGs.
A 13' tall 5th wheel trailer will suck up a lot more fuel than an 8' tall trailer of the same weight.

 

[Brad460]

Lots of good info on this thread, specially for those who are trying to make a decision between a gas or diesel HD truck purchase.
But IMO, MPG numbers while towing can be misleading unless specific details about what you are towing is included.

Critical numbers such as loaded weight and height of the trailer in tow must be included with MPGs.
A 13' tall 5th wheel trailer will suck up a lot more fuel than an 8' tall trailer of the same weight.

It’s all just anecdotal evidence anyways- posting height and weight is one small piece. Driving habits, how fast you accelerate, how fast you drive, how heavy your wife Is, tire size/tread, leveling kit or not, ..etc..etc..etc..

This thread has already hashed out the mpg range for every possible combo..

Let folks post however they want..

 

[MEGA HO]

Trailer profile and speed affects the MPG much much more than the trailer weight.

 

[BigDaddyKong]

Don't know what the full about, knob or column shifter all good, I'd hate to use a manual column shifter though.

Three on the tree is not bad, as long as your not new to learning how to drive stick. I have not seen one of those in forever. I remember my dads panel van had one that he let me drive.

 

[TinGoatTravelers]

Interesting. That is certainly not the way it reads to me. Hopefully @TinGoatTravelers will clear that up for us.

Hi all - been traveling since 12/10/22 and honestly haven’t spent much time on the forum while seeing friends, family, national parks, and other fantastic stuff! Damn this is a gorgeous country!

Yeah - I was saying I’d prefer diesel for a lot of reasons but opted for gas.

Sorry to keep everyone in suspense.

Real life and camping are a blast! Now I have to catch up on other stuff and see if there’s a thread in here on why my dang Uconnect screen has been deciding to go blank at random times now ———

Big Bend was amazing though

 

[dieselscout80]

We towed a 27’ travel trailer less than 8lbs with our 2020 Ram 2500 6.4 with 4.10 gears. It was the first time towing an travel trailer since the late 1990s.

We went 157 miles and hand calculated it made 9.6 MPG and the lie-o-meter said 10.2. The truck’s overall MPG per lie-o-meter started at 17 MPG and ended at 12.4.

One hundred of the miles were two roads (max 55 mph) that were hilly and winding the other 50 were interstate (max 70 mph).

Transmission temp max was 168 degrees F, and it was shifting into 8th on level often.

The 6.4 pulls great no lack of power. However, it validated my opinion that I don’t want a louder exhaust for towing.

 

[Redfour5]

I don't think personal worth has anything to do with the engine in your HD truck. Not sure how those dots connect.

That said, here are the facts:

The gas truck tows less, has less torque, performs worse at altitude vs diesel, and is overall less capable as an HD truck.

What is so controversial about that?

You guys are getting all into your feels too much!

To each their own. I traded in a 1500 because of the reasons above... I got a 6.4 Hemi 2500 Laramie. It is perfect...FOR ME and MY needs... Now the truck is ALWAYS in charge vs the 1500... It's just as capable and more than I need...

I tow around a 7K lbs travel trailer LOVE to put "heavy" stuff in my bed like a generator, etc. AND tow a decent sized trailer. I have 3K payload. I live in the mountains and still have a lot of oomph with my rig... I tow at most 10K a year. I have a daily driver Jeep Renegade... I don't want to have to deal with a Diesel that would be under used AND new Diesel Tech and DEF are of zero interest to me who just wants to go turn it on and go as I have my whole life with gas... I also enjoy the 10K in my pocket from getting a 6.4 vs diesel...

So, go back to diesel land and you all can reinforce each others beliefs in your little echo chamber... Imagine how good that will feel...

 

[gimmie11s]

To each their own. I traded in a 1500 because of the reasons above... I got a 6.4 Hemi 2500 Laramie. It is perfect...FOR ME and MY needs... Now the truck is ALWAYS in charge vs the 1500... It's just as capable and more than I need...

I tow around a 7K lbs travel trailer LOVE to put "heavy" stuff in my bed like a generator, etc. AND tow a decent sized trailer. I have 3K payload. I live in the mountains and still have a lot of oomph with my rig... I tow at most 10K a year. I have a daily driver Jeep Renegade... I don't want to have to deal with a Diesel that would be under used AND new Diesel Tech and DEF are of zero interest to me who just wants to go turn it on and go as I have my whole life with gas... I also enjoy the 10K in my pocket from getting a 6.4 vs diesel...

So, go back to diesel land and you all can reinforce each others beliefs in your little echo chamber... Imagine how good that will feel...

Ahahahaha!-- I was with you until your last sentence where you got all your feelings in a bind.

The first 90% of your comments tied exactly with what you quoted me as saying -- Ill paraphrase -- The gas truck tows less, is less capable overall, and performs worse at altitude. What is so triggering about those facts? Im glad the gasser fits into your needs!

 

[Rockcrawlindude]

We towed a 27’ travel trailer less than 8lbs with our 2020 Ram 2500 6.4 with 4.10 gears. It was the first time towing an ever trailer since the late 1990s.

We went 157 miles and hand calculated it made 9.6 MPG and the lie-o-meter said 10.2. The truck’s overall MPG per lie-o-meter started at 17 MPG and ended at 12.4.

One hundred of the miles were two roads (max 55 mph) that were hilly and winding the other 50 were interstate (max 70 mph).

Transmission temp max was 168 degrees F, and it was shifting into 8th on level often.

The 6.4 pulls great no lack of power. However, it validated my opinion that I don’t want a louder exhaust for towing.

Not specifically calling you out, sir. Just quoting for relevancy. . . but, I’ve seen the term “lie-o-meter” more than a handful of times on this forum. Always in reference to the evic’s optimism when it comes to mpgs.

Has anybody tried to get it calibrated more accurately?

For example, I used AEV procal snap to calibrate my tire size. I followed their instructions to the letter and I ended up with a speedo that is 4% fast (actual speed 75 speedo reads 78) it’s acceptable margin for me so I left it alone but it would lead to optimistic mpg readings.

I don’t hand calculate mpgs because I don’t care. It takes however much gas it takes. But I’m just asking if the people who complain about the evic accuracy have taken any time to try and make it better.

Seems like if the evic knew your correct speed and fuel delivery rates it should be pretty accurate.

 

[dieselscout80]

Not specifically calling you out, sir. Just quoting for relevancy. . . but, I’ve seen the term “lie-o-meter” more than a handful of times on this forum. Always in reference to the evic’s optimism when it comes to mpgs.

Has anybody tried to get it calibrated more accurately?

For example, I used AEV procal snap to calibrate my tire size. I followed their instructions to the letter and I ended up with a speedo that is 4% fast (actual speed 75 speedo reads 78) it’s acceptable margin for me so I left it alone but it would lead to optimistic mpg readings.

I don’t hand calculate mpgs because I don’t care. It takes however much gas it takes. But I’m just asking if the people who complain about the evic accuracy have taken any time to try and make it better.

Seems like if the evic knew your correct speed and fuel delivery rates it should be pretty accurate.

Never have tried to calibrate it, but that is an interesting idea/point.

No I don’t know if my speed measurement by the truck is accurate.

I do know that mine is about .7 high most of the time.

 

[sanda]

To each their own. I traded in a 1500 because of the reasons above... I got a 6.4 Hemi 2500 Laramie. It is perfect...FOR ME and MY needs... Now the truck is ALWAYS in charge vs the 1500... It's just as capable and more than I need...

I tow around a 7K lbs travel trailer LOVE to put "heavy" stuff in my bed like a generator, etc. AND tow a decent sized trailer. I have 3K payload. I live in the mountains and still have a lot of oomph with my rig... I tow at most 10K a year. I have a daily driver Jeep Renegade... I don't want to have to deal with a Diesel that would be under used AND new Diesel Tech and DEF are of zero interest to me who just wants to go turn it on and go as I have my whole life with gas... I also enjoy the 10K in my pocket from getting a 6.4 vs diesel...

So, go back to diesel land and you all can reinforce each others beliefs in your little echo chamber... Imagine how good that will feel...

I also tow about 10k miles a year. 8800# TT with another 1500 in the bed. I am a practical person when it comes to spending money so before ordering my 2021 2500 I put a pencil to the costs of diesel vs. gas. There was no way I could ever recoup the added cost of buying a diesel over the hemi. Of course if you want to buy a diesel go ahead but for what I do i have the perfect rig.

 

[Gondul]

Not specifically calling you out, sir. Just quoting for relevancy. . . but, I’ve seen the term “lie-o-meter” more than a handful of times on this forum. Always in reference to the evic’s optimism when it comes to mpgs.

Has anybody tried to get it calibrated more accurately?

For example, I used AEV procal snap to calibrate my tire size. I followed their instructions to the letter and I ended up with a speedo that is 4% fast (actual speed 75 speedo reads 78) it’s acceptable margin for me so I left it alone but it would lead to optimistic mpg readings.

I don’t hand calculate mpgs because I don’t care. It takes however much gas it takes. But I’m just asking if the people who complain about the evic accuracy have taken any time to try and make it better.

Seems like if the evic knew your correct speed and fuel delivery rates it should be pretty accurate.

I only recently put on new wheels/tires... so for the last 30k+ miles it was the OEM setup.
I would expect it to be calibrated from the factory (yeah, I know...).
Which reminds me I should get the Alfa out and reprogram everything...

Much like you I don't care about MPG... but I keep track of MPGs as as data point so I can have a running average in my head on how far I can get on a tank of gas given that *that* doesn't seem to give us the correct amount either.

 

[Metternacht]

I have noticed, and may be incorrect, but I believe the MPG reading is a running average. So if you calculate MPG by Tank it wont match unless you reset at each fill-up. So if you do a long trip it will show the average MPG for the trip across fill ups if you reset prior to leaving . My fuel app calculates MPG at each fill and it rarely matches. its been closest when I have reset the meter at fill up and reset both the a and b meters. My .02 for what its worth.

for reference, stock suspension,wheels & tires

 

[dieselscout80]

I have noticed, and may be incorrect, but I believe the MPG reading is a running average. So if you calculate MPG by Tank it wont match unless you reset at each fill-up. So if you do a long trip it will show the average MPG for the trip across fill ups if you reset prior to leaving . My fuel app calculates MPG at each fill and it rarely matches. its been closest when I have reset the meter at fill up and reset both the a and b meters. My .02 for what its worth.

for reference, stock suspension,wheels & tires

The one is indeed a running averag, but there is another that shows the current gas tanks MPG and the trip odometer.

 

[WXman]

I tow a 8.5x20' enclosed trailer with 7' interior height. It weighs 3,700 lbs empty. I load it with ATVs sometimes, my compact tractor sometimes, rental machinery sometimes.

Granted, my current truck is a 1500 but it's only 15 HP/20 lb.ft. below the 6.4 and the truck weighs 1,000 lbs less (or more) than a 2500. So, power to weight ratio is better than the 2500.

Just in terms of pulling power, I can't imagine towing 10k or more with the gasser. This truck is not happy with more than 6k. It runs in 3rd and 4th gear a lot. All temps stay in check, but the constant high RPM screaming is mentally fatiguing on long trips.

As far as 3.73 vs 4.10, it's 150 RPM at highway speed. Totally undetectable. Maybe it's a tiny advantage at low speed accelerating but once up to speed it's not even detectable.

 

[Dave01]

I tow a 8.5x20' enclosed trailer with 7' interior height. It weighs 3,700 lbs empty. I load it with ATVs sometimes, my compact tractor sometimes, rental machinery sometimes.

Granted, my current truck is a 1500 but it's only 15 HP/20 lb.ft. below the 6.4 and the truck weighs 1,000 lbs less (or more) than a 2500. So, power to weight ratio is better than the 2500.

Just in terms of pulling power, I can't imagine towing 10k or more with the gasser. This truck is not happy with more than 6k. It runs in 3rd and 4th gear a lot. All temps stay in check, but the constant high RPM screaming is mentally fatiguing on long trips.

As far as 3.73 vs 4.10, it's 150 RPM at highway speed. Totally undetectable. Maybe it's a tiny advantage at low speed accelerating but once up to speed it's not even detectable.

For reference:
5.7 - 395 hp 410 lb.-ft.
6.4 - 410 hp 429 lb.-ft.

Have you driven and towed with a 6.4? My experience, driving and towing with both, doesn't quite feel like the numbers might indicate. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of the 5.7/8 speed drivetrain, was hugely impressed with it from every aspect. But my 6.4 feels very different towing, moves the load with less effort, less need to step down on the pedal, holds at highway speeds in 7th and 8th (around 8,000 lb trailer) with no problem. I know what the hp and torque numbers say, look pretty similar, but IMO they don't quite tell the story on the difference in capability.

 

[Dave01]

On the evic accuracy, it's calibrated for the stock tire size. But not all tires of a size are really the same size, as detailed in some of the tire threads on here. And brand new tires vs. worn out probably make for a 3% difference in mpg on the evic. That also alters speedo and odometer accuracy.

I would guess the best way to improve evic accuracy in the future would be for it to read distance by gps rather than tire rotation.

 

[Poolmonkey]

For reference:
5.7 - 395 hp 410 lb.-ft.
6.4 - 410 hp 429 lb.-ft.

Have you driven and towed with a 6.4? My experience, driving and towing with both, doesn't quite feel like the numbers might indicate. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of the 5.7/8 speed drivetrain, was hugely impressed with it from every aspect. But my 6.4 feels very different towing, moves the load with less effort, less need to step down on the pedal, holds at highway speeds in 7th and 8th (around 8,000 lb trailer) with no problem. I know what the hp and torque numbers say, look pretty similar, but IMO they don't quite tell the story on the difference in capability.

agreed

 

[MEGA HO]

I tow a 8.5x20' enclosed trailer with 7' interior height. It weighs 3,700 lbs empty. I load it with ATVs sometimes, my compact tractor sometimes, rental machinery sometimes.

Granted, my current truck is a 1500 but it's only 15 HP/20 lb.ft. below the 6.4 and the truck weighs 1,000 lbs less (or more) than a 2500. So, power to weight ratio is better than the 2500.

Just in terms of pulling power, I can't imagine towing 10k or more with the gasser. This truck is not happy with more than 6k. It runs in 3rd and 4th gear a lot. All temps stay in check, but the constant high RPM screaming is mentally fatiguing on long trips.

As far as 3.73 vs 4.10, it's 150 RPM at highway speed. Totally undetectable. Maybe it's a tiny advantage at low speed accelerating but once up to speed it's not even detectable.

Likely very different power and torque curves. Numbers don't tell a whole story.

 

[Redfour5]

agreed

Some of that is simply the size from steel underpinnings to suspension and outward size and engineering designed for towing in a 2500. It is in charge whereas, with the 1500, occasionally the trailer dictates to the truck. The 1500's are wonderful vehicles up to around 6K towing. When I had a 22 foot travel trailer running right under 6K lbs, the 1500 was perfect... But, I got a bigger travel trailer at close to 30 feet and around 7K and I had a 21 1500 and with my 7K loaded travel trailer the difference between the two trucks was amazing.

I've had a 2015 1500 with the 3.92 gears and the 21 with the 3.21 rear end. Surprisingly, there is very little difference between the two...with the ZF transmission... With the 3.92, you can tell the gearing is doing more of the work than the transmission, but the transmission compensates with the 3.21 very well but you can really tell that the transmission is working much harder with the smaller gears... And MPG is almost identical towing between all three of them. I've found with the 3.21 a slight bump better (2/3 mpg) when not towing... the 1500 is made for comfort and even makes a decent daily driver, but once you cross over to the 2500, I'd really recommend getting a daily driver instead of the truck. A 2500 is a beast behemoth in parking lots and MPG sucks for air as a daily driver AND if you have a diesel its even worse as you know all that stop start, turn on turn off isn't the best way to treat a diesel.