gator's 99TA

iTrader: (2)

remember that stock is just the starting point. stock, none of the trucks are very exciting, esp with the 5 speed autos and short powerband, they feel slow, but look down at the spedo. you will be surprised. now add an additional 100+ rwhp and 300 rwtq....things move faster. when we test drove a stock 03 duramax, wasnt overly impressed. but oh how things change!

also, i assume you want one to tow right? there is NO comparison.

Nine Ball

iTrader: (38)

how come nobody talks about the ZF 6-speed manual for the Duramax? Can it handle that power?

Harley F250 looks awesome, seen one in a magazine ad.

sleepersilverado

iTrader: (1)

i wil tell you my experience. i have always been a chevy man. my dad had a fors ps and with mi=ods it ran good. i have neve steped foot in a dmax. but chevy so i like. but i will tell you i have got in a dodge cummins even though older but i realy liked and well i am realy bias towrds chevy. i personaly feel the cummins is the best moter out there. it has been the same motor for ever just improved.

now about the fords and chevys.i personaly dont buy nothing within the first year or two of comming on the market. that lets the bugs get worked out of it. i like all the motors but Being a chevy man i would take a cummins, then a dmax, then a pstroke. this is just my opinion and i couls climb into a dmax tomorrow and it could all change.

but i still like hits choice of combos.

every one has an opinion so go drive them like you said but prob with all them you will need a trany upgrade.

gator's 99TA

iTrader: (2)

again tony it is about towing. the duramax (and ford's carbon copy of the navistar torqushift transmision) have that sweet built in tranny brake to slow you down, it doesnt hunt around at all for gearing, and is damn smooth on the shifts. way overbuilt for stock ratings. allison said their transmission is good for 200,000 miles before an overhaul as well. the close geared 5 speeds keep you in boost which makes pulling a load so much nicer and smoother. a manual will never have these qualities. also if you noticed what the allison trucks are dynoing, you will see how efficient they are at putting the power to the ground.

also from what i have read, the clutch and flywheel are no where near strong enough to handle the edge type power of 700-800 rwtq.

also i have to disagree with teh interior of the GMC. i LOVE the denali interiors you can get in the trucks. the leather is butter smooth. only gripe is it is soft and wears too fast. in a years time, the seats will look all wrinkly.

Nine Ball

iTrader: (38)

I actually prefer cloth interiors on my trucks. They hold up much better, and this will also be my work truck. Dark colored leather is okay though, doesn't show dirt as bad.

Jorday

I have a 125 hp power tuner in my Dmax, and it is awesome. I'll be looking to get a transgo and a converter for it to because 125 hp increase seems to be pretty much the accepted limit on the stock transmission. I've talked to yank a couple of times about the allision transmission and he is supposed to be coming out with a torque converter for the duramax trucks. You see some 6 speed trucks here and there and I think gator's is right about the stock clutch setup, but the vast majority of duramax owners seem to be driving autos.

FWIW, you will see 04 ford powerstroke 6.0 trucks are still having a few problems if you check out thedieselstop.com, although the 04 trucks seem to be doing much better than the 03 versions. I drove a couple of 6.0 trucks and they both ran great and were really nice trucks, and they look good, too. I heard some people complain that the ford 6.0 5 speed auto trucks shift real funny above 100 hp tune. Not sure what the solution was on that one. Some people seem to think the 6.0 bottom end isn't as strong as the Dmax, but then others think the Dmax heads are going to crack before you get it home from the dealer because they are aluminum.

My first hand experience with the late 90s dodge trucks is that they are absolute trash as far as the body and interior, but the dodge boys claim the new rams are much better.

From one of the above posts, I thought that dodge switched from the 47RE to the 48RE last year with the cummins?

gator's 99TA

iTrader: (2)

dodge did switch to a more powerful 48RE tranny. the 47re is last years tranny. this new one should hold till about 800 ft lbs of tq.

tony i will agree. before the TA and Yukon, i had a 97 dodge 1/2 ton and the interior is CHEAP and **** broke all the time. i will say the quality control is much better in teh GM and Ford camps. i assume from what other owners tell me is the new dodges are much better inside. i sat in one last week and it still feels cheap to me compared to the other boys. you would ONLY buy a dodge for the cummins motor. the looks are very big rig (if that is a good or bad thing). the new 04 and 04.5 cummins is as quite as the duramax motor also.

oh and there is a company called TST that is starting to ship out programers that make an additional 150 rwhp and 500 rwtq for the cummins. ofcourse the tranny stock (stock tranny in any camp!) wont hold it.

Hit Man X

Well I thought Dodge used the 47 still in the 3/4 tons, guess not!

So, you can get the 4 speed 48RE and that 5 speed is the 45RFE right?

Anyone got some scoop on Ford's 5 speed Torq-Shift auto?

Jorday

You can't get the 5 speed auto with the cummins though, right?

I thought the torqshift was similar to the allison in the two stock 6.0 trucks I drove. only thing I've heard about it is that it starts to shift funny with 80 or so hp chips or higher and nobody I saw knew what the fix for it was. I have no idea what hp/tq level it will start to slip at.

Hit Man X

I'd have to look on Dodge's site to see if you can get the 5 speed auto behind the Cummins. When I drove a 2500 Heavy Duty Dodge when the Hemi's first came out, it had the 5 speed behind it. It was weird as it shifted like a regular 4 speed but used the extra middle gear for downshifts from what I remember.

That Torq-Shift needs more time for mods I'd guess. I need to go read upon it here. If it can be built like an Allison can, that's a big plus for me toward the F350. I just wonder how far you can push that 6.0 motor.

Ah man, I am so on what to get now!