100,000 Mile Club Member
Multiple Vehicles
Member since 2013
Joel's Story
It all started back in 2004 when my youngest brother bought a new 3500 Ram daully with a 5.9L Cummins, and he showed it to my dad. Then, my dad went out and bought a new 2004 2500 Ram with the 5.9L Cummins, and he showed it to me. Unfortunately at the time, I was just getting back on my feet from being laid-off for 3 years, but then I went to work saving everything I could until late 2006 when I bought my first new 2006 Dodge 2500 Ram with the 5.9L Cummins.Since 2006, I have bought my wife two trucks: a new 2008 Dodge 2500 Ram in the 6.7L Cummins, anda 1999 Dodge 2500 (which has a 6 inch lift, racing trans, Smarty Tuner, modified straight pipe, and custom rims). I still have the 2006, but sold the 2008 since it had the 6.7L Cummins. In 2012, I found a 2001 Dodge Ram 2500 in the 5.9L Cummins with39,900 original miles. Back in 2010, I boughteachof my two sons that arein collegea 2002Dodge 2500 Ram with the 5.9L Cummins. We modified one truck with the same racing transmission rebuild as my wife's '99 with a Smarty Tuner to push the RWHP to 410, and 700 foot-lbs. of torque.Needless to say, but we are sold on the 5.9L Cummins. After our mods, air intake changes, and exhaust straight pipe change-overs, the trucks get outstanding fuel economy. We own five Dodge 4x4 pickups with the 5.9L Cummins, and we are thrilled with all the trucks.All five trucks we own average 29 MPG highway, and 24 MPG in town. Cummins 5.9L has the fuel economy, speed, and the power to pull. We only drive Cummins 5.9L, and we could not be happier with the superior performance!
Cummins Tips
Here are my tips for keeping our trucks running great! ? Use a K&N filter in the stock air intake box, and change oil routinely. Keep all fluids levels at spec levels. ? Remove the "silencer ring" in the turbo for a better sound and slight MPG bump (about +1 MPG). ? Keep your tire pressures at max rating per tire maker spec (and consider tire compound). Soft tires work great for winter driving for better traction, but eat up MPG. Hard street tires (hwy rated) work best for best MPG performance. ? Straight pipe the exhaust from the turbo using the same factory diameter pipe. Note: if a catalytic converter is factory (2004 or later for Dodge Cummins), straight pipe from the catalytic converter back using a 4 inch diameter pipe.Install a 5 inch exhaust tip (stainless steel if you like to dress up the pipe). ? Use a MADS Smarty Down Loader, but not recommended for stock trans. Note: use Smarty only if the trans has been upgraded/rebuilt with increased ft.-lbs.: capacity over 700 ft-lbs, and heavy duty Billet Shaft, etc. or you may damage your trans. ? Lastly, and most importantly: use a fuel additive. We use Howe's anti-gel, and Lucas Oil Fuel Additive "Injector Cleaner - Upper Cylinder Engine Lubricant" with every fill up at 2.0 oz/10 gallons of diesel. Recommend the using a (1.0 oz. graduated) 10 oz. baby bottle to help measure and pour in the tank.Happy motoring!
Now, it’s Ram’s turn to go up against the TFLtruck’s towing highway MPG test and two of its closest competitors. The truck we are testing is a 2020 Ram HD 3500 crew cab 4×4 Laramie with the high-output Cummins turbo-diesel engine. The truck is towing a 30,000 lbs gooseneck trailer behind it. Let’s see how it does on highway fuel efficiency with this heavy load. The 6.7-liter Cummins I6 is rated at 400 hp and 1,000 lb-ft of torque. It’s mated to a 6-speed Aisin automatic
transmission and a 4.10 rear axle ratio.
Here are the other trucks it’s competing against.
2020 GMC Sierra 3500 HD
The truck being tested is a crew cab 4×4 dually dressed in the top-of-the-line Denali trim with the Denali Ultimate package. Under the hood is a 6.6-liter Duramax turbo-diesel V8 with a rating of 445 hp and 910 lb-ft of torque. This engine is now mated to a new 10-speed Allison-branded automatic transmission and a 3.42 rear axle ratio.
2020 Ford F-350
The Ford is a crew cab 4×4 dually configured with a King Ranch trim. Under its hood is a 6.7-liter Power Stroke turbo-diesel V8 with 475 hp and 1,050 lb-ft of torque. It’s mated to a Ford 10-speed automatic transmission and a 3.55 rear axle ratio in this case.