Fuge Brain Trust Truck Question

[markd]

Pretty sure you could only get the 6.2 in half tons. They l had the 6.0 from the late 90’s/early 00’ till 2020 in their 3/4 tons. It’s a damn fine motor. Almost picked up a 3/4 Yukon with one in it. For the 2020 model year they rolled out a new 6.6 gas engine and it’s apparently kinda a turd.

Correct, it was the 6.0.

 

[tcc]

Pretty sure you could only get the 6.2 in half tons. They l had the 6.0 from the late 90’s/early 00’ till 2020 in their 3/4 tons. It’s a damn fine motor. Almost picked up a 3/4 Yukon with one in it. For the 2020 model year they rolled out a new 6.6 gas engine and it’s apparently kinda a turd.

Yep. If I remember right the 6.2 is an aluminum block and aimed more towards performance, whereas the 6.0(at least the LQ4) was an iron block meant to be a reliable workhorse.

 

[Foxwood]

After having ongoing electrical issues with both Ford and GMC on my last two (as in limp mode, barely pull itself down the road issues), I talked to a guy who is service manager for a chain of dealerships that sell every brand. He trains dogs too, and know how I use a truck. I said for what I do, what's the best truck to buy? He said from an ownership and reliability standpoing, Ram for half ton and Duramax for 3/4.

I'm 2 years into the Ram and have zero complaints. Best riding 4x4 I've ever been in and dead reliable so far. Only 45k on it so we'll see about long haul.

I liked some things better about the Ford and also the GMC but this truck is a package.

 

[num70]

I just found a 2019 Ram Big Horn, 4wd, 60k miles, loaded with options, and admittedly, it looks cool too. Small lift (barely more than a leveling kit) and nice aftermarket tires/wheels. The problem is it's a V6. Now I don't pull much other than duck boats and small trailers, and only occasionally. I do tend to have a lead foot and like some pick-up from the start. My worry is that a v6 combined with the tire/wheels and a small lift will make it a complete dog and probably make the gas mileage worse than the 5.7.

Anyone have experience with these things? If it had the 5.7, I'd be at the lot pounding on the door.

What says the brain trust?

For the past 31 days I've been driving a Ram Big Horn with the 5.7 (My Chevy has been at the body shop replacing a tailgate that took forever to source and paint. Got it back yesterday evening).
Normally I wouldn't be so dramatic in my review because I think that truck arguments are dumb. With that said, that truck was a real POS. 22k miles and it squeaked, rattled and clunked (from the tranny). The 5.7 was very quick off the line, but on gas consumption, it made my 6.2 Chevy seem like a Honda Civic. The gas light seemed like it was constantly on. To be fair, part of that could have been that the tires were underinflated. But then again, the truck still rode like crap even with soft tires.
Anyway...When I bought this most recent Chevy (2020) I shopped them all. The interior on the fancy dodge was really nice and the airbag truck rode really nice, but I was too concerned about reliability. After driving this rental, I know I made the right choice in not getting one. I bought a chevy but had 5 F-150s before that. If my next one isn't electic, it'll probably be a 5.0 Ford f-150 with the 10 speed tranny. I know it won't be a Ram, for sure. (And almost certainly not a Nissan or the new Tundra).

 

[YeOldeRusty]

My old man just bought a 2016 Toyota Tundra from Carmax. Got a screamin deal on it too. I'm really impressed with it, especially compared to his 2009 f150 King Ranch. Whoever had it before had installed and OME BP-51 suspension kit. The truck is one of the best riding vehicles I've ever driven and it eats dirt roads. That 5.7 is no slouch on power. Not to mention it's a Toyota. The things just don't die.

I know the new Tundras are a 3.5L turbo v6 like the fords. I love the ecoboosts though. You get great mpgs and a ton of torque. Not to mention they perform better at altitude.

All the newer American trucks are designed to be replaced in a few years. It's definitely a case of planned obsolescence.

 

[nick b]

I can’t believe no one has said to buy a Toyota Tundra yet. I have the 4.6L V8, it does fine for me and my calculated mileage is usually 15.5 but on highway trips it’ll do 18.

The 5.7 obviously is more powerful but seems to get less MPG by several, 13 is common.

And they don’t break… those extra 5 MPG with a turbo V6 or whatever get blown out quick when you have to buy a new $3000 turbo!

 

[YeOldeRusty]

I can’t believe no one has said to buy a Toyota Tundra yet.

Just barely beat you to it

 

[tcc]

OME BP-51

Old Man Emu seems to have the suspension stuff dialed in

 

[YeOldeRusty]

Old Man Emu seems to have the suspension stuff dialed in

It's good enough that I'm considering swapping out the suspension on my 09 Tacoma for an OME kit this spring. I'm getting tired of having rocks for suspension

 

[nick b]

Just barely beat you to it

There’s high mileage threads over on Tundra forums where guys are just doing normal maintenance and getting 250k+. There’s a handful with well over 300,000 miles on their Tundras.

That said I’m talking about the 2007-2021 models, I won’t touch the new ones with a 10 foot pole until they’ve had 5 years to dial in the new engine system.

I have a 2012 with 50k on it I got from my retired neighbor and if it ever wears out I’ll probably try and find a low mileage 2021.

I literally do not understand why people buy big 3 trucks for light duty… my buddy’s 2015 Silverado is rusting out in the rocker panels!