Cummins or Duramax???
 

Hey guys, I am going to post this in both sections so I get both sides of the fence... I am a Chevy man, I like both trucks, I am just basically wondering what the pro's, and cons are to both makes. I have a 24' enclosed to pull my race car in, and I may be looking ofr a new truck here soon. I would like to know good, and bad stories and what tyoe of mpg's yall are getting... Thanks in advance...

Seth

easy cummins guys, dont everyone reply at one time now .. :jest:

They just hate to say D-Max when they drive Cummins :angel:
:jest:

I know right... I was hoping for some kind of feed back

I would say if you are strictly using it to pull your trailer get a cummins by far the best tow vehicles out there, that is why every hot shot you see will 9 times out of 10 be in a cummins. If you are going for the luxury style truck and spacious cab I would get D-max. I have a dodge and love it for the power aspect of it and being a able to smog out the road when I want to. I think that dodge 06 and 07 get the best mileage. Mine gets around 22 on the freeway and 18 around town

i have a 05 2500 four door cummings and i love it. it has plenty of room styling and power. :devil:

Cummins for towing, D-max for cruising. Cummins makes more torque and lower. I know our 1998 24 valve is a towing machine.

cool guys keep them comminig...

d-max for a pick up cummins for heavy stuff
i just bought a 350 cummins in a big rig but im still a d-max guy for a pickup

dads dmax gets 15mpg mixed being loaded with a 8klb. trailer 90%of the time, thats all stock, will get 22mpg with a programmer unloaded, according to a fellow worker with same truck

For a towing application, you can't beat the Cummins. They are also easy to add a little horse power by using a plug and play module or a downloader. Also the towing mileage is usually a little higher than the D-Max.
One place the D-Max has the edge is the automatic tranny. It will hold up better with added horsepower. The Dodge trannies are only good for around a75 HP increase above stock to be reliable. My 03 with a 47re automatic held up for a while. But with my 500 hp and 1020 tq at the rear wheels I had to upgrade mine with a Goerend Bros.
Comes down to your personal preference. We can usually make our own arguments to make our favorite choice better.

Randy

Cummins. If you need the space, get a mega cab to have the best of both worlds. The mega cabs look goofy stock, but lifted they look pretty sick. They just feel like more solid of a truck than Chevy trucks do.

I have a 24' enclosed to pull my race car in, and I may be looking ofr a new truck here soon....


well there are 6 of us that race and i am a chevy guy the rest of em have power strokes and one of em has a ext 2wd cummins like a 96 model i believe well i think its edge he has on it and stright pipe his truck pulling a 28ft enclosed trailer with too rail cars ,when we are pulling the mtn we all live on he gives us a head start lol and he will come by everyone of us patting the pedal at us.. and i think if i upgrade too bigger truck i going with a cummins

Well of course the dodge can beat powerjokes, :lol:

well yea i know that cant stand ford trying tell them and they wanna :punch: about who can pull more i tell let go get my 4wd tractor and hook up too the power strokes. but i was just using that as a reference with tommie's cummins

Ya, last summer I worked delivering tractors and other farm equipment with a 03 powerstroke. It sucked. Didn't pull well and got terrible fuel mileage. I'd come home and get in my dads 03 Dmax with his 37' 5th wheel and just a 50hp tow tune I did with EFILive and HUGE difference over the PS and a MUCH more comfortable truck to ride in, not to mention, got much better mileage.

now know last yea a dmax 4dr dually dunno wat was done too it but he was pulling 37 ft. 5th wheel cattle trailer and out ran 2 cops up that same mtn. thats what i haerd for months but dunno how true that be if it is then thatd be sweet towin and still out running them lol:chug:

I have had both and 7.3 powerstrokes. I would by far recommend the Cummins. Power is ungodly and they get fantastic fuel mileage.

I own an 07 5.9l cummins. I would really like to know what years you are looking at, brand new 07.5 and newer on both models I cant speak for.

Lets say 04-07 for dodge and I think 06 when chevy got the LBZ. Both are close in numbers stock.
dodge....
-35"s bone stock
-untouched motor for YEARS, everyone will admit the 5.9l cummins is a beast and will last forever
-I think it was 05 they interrior of dodge appealed better to me
-4 dr is cramped in the back but mega cab is NOT!
-I honestly am still suprised a year later at how well my 07 5.9l drives down the road pulling 7-8klbs or unloaded, it
it takes turns with loads and unloaded awesome and the ride is a dream.
-It does drive better with the bigger tires then the small donuts that come stock.
-The paint on dodges is not as good as chevys.
-I like chevys dashes better (layout). Dodge does have the input jack for Ipods tho, idk bout chevy.
-power is endless
-trannys not as good as chevy

Chevy.....
-duramax good motor
-allison good tranny
-4dr is cramped IMO,
-chevy I think are more expensive with higher resale value, but dont know FOR SURE
-never drove a HD with a load, only ridden. Ride was good, I dont think as good as my mega cab tho.
-I dont like the IFS sus instead of SFA. The SFA on dodge is very impressive with how good they got it to handle and drive


I think overall it may just come to what you find on a used lot or w.e your circumstances may be. Maybe a color you find with the interior package you like. But I love my dodge, the way it pulls, drives, handles, and gets great MPG. I do believe in the years I mentioned stock for stock the dodge will get the better MPG. I do know that if your wanting to just through massive programmers at both trucks the chevy will do better with just "bolt-ons" without having to touch the tranny. But the dodge with a smarty or smarty jr. programmer is very impressive!

The cummins world is similair to the 1500 gen 3 and newer chevy 1/2 ton aftermarket world, it is endless. With alot fo support out their to help.

If you have any questions i will probably respond faster email, carmel1503@yahoo.com

i dont kno much about diesels. my dad has an 06 duramax. very confterble and looks better IMO. but here in texas the cummin is very well respected.

We have a 07 classic Dmax, 07 5.9 Cummins Megacab, 08 6.7 Cummins Megacab. and a 02 7.3 Excursion ( :) )

We have these 18' Tandem axle box trailers we pull goin to job sites.

The 5.9 cummins with the 4 speed sucks donkey balls pulling it. Goin 70mph and want to pass somebody, forget it. It wont even unlock the converter. Put the pedal to the floor and its like nothing happened. We hate that truck so much. and its soo uncomfortable.

the 6.7 cummins is my boss's ride. he likes the megacabs.. but he gets horrible mileage even with the 6speed..

the 07 classic Dmax is nice. allison makes easy works of the trailer. rides great, gets alot better mileage towing than the cummins. the 5.9 gets 22mpg unloaded as the GMC gets 21unloaded (but has a uncalibrated Speedo) EFI live will take care of that soon enough :)

I dont see why everybody says the 5.9 has alot of power? it sucks bad compared to the Dmax.
We are talkin bone stock.. Mods dont count. pulling the trailers its scary tryin to get into traffic cause it wont get out of its own way.

I have both and old 12v cummins and an 07' LBZ. I gotta say the Dmax is one nice pulling truck with the Allison. It pulls 8k like its not even there. No downshifting needed in the texas hillcountry even.

But for all out abuse and being worked you can not beat a 12v cummins. This thing is a beast with over 900lbs. tq. and pulls like a dream. The highest my EGT's go pulling in 5th at WOT passing is about 1200*. Still well into the safe zone. Unloaded it gets 27mpg, loaded it gets 18-19 depending on how much wind I catch.

Its really a hard choice though. Cummins are proven work horses that can make alot of power. Dmax can make alot of power also but its not yet proven in the long run. I do know chevy thucks hold up over the years and the Allison is a great tranny. Really either way you wont be disapointed.

The unlocking of the converter is very true about the dodge. But their is a simple switch you can wire into your comp(I think) that you can manually unlock. Have read about it but no need to do it for me. Also a programmer helps tremendously in that 70mph range where you say it wont get out of its own way.

It's more than just Cummins vs Duramax; it's the whole package. I was in the market for a new truck and it took me close to year to decide what I wanted. It was between a Duramax Crew Cab or Cummins Mega Cab. I researched the top trim levels, LTZ and Laramie. You really have to know what you plan to do with and do to the truck. I ended up with Dodge. I'll use the truck for long trips(4 persons), county yard work(not quite farm work), boat hualing, and some light off roading(mostly the beach). I knew I was going to lift the truck also. Keeping these in mind here's how I mad the decision.

Engine:
Both have great power and meet my needs. But the Cummins feels so much better to me. It seems the Cummins croud also puts way more miles on their engines; I still think realibility on both meet my needs. I'm jealous of the allison but the 6 speed auto from Dodge is impressive. Good gear ratios and smooth. Only has 3yr/36K warranty though; WTF.

Trim Options:
I'm a chevy guy and own a LTZ trim vehicle. Features like auto lights, auto wipers, memory seats and mirrors, dimming side mirrors don't exists on the Laramie trim. Not a big deal but for $50k msrp; come on.

Cab:
I got a Mega Cab. Not a fair comparison; the crew cab is tiny.

Frame and Suspension:
Another big selling point over the cab size is how solid the Dodge is. Live axle in the front. Cheaper to lift and stronger. I'm not a big fan of IFS on a heavy duty truck. This truck feels like a tank. I'll be suprised if I break anything. This does make for a rougher ride but it's an HD truck.

Looks:
Styling didn't have much influence. I like both GM and Dodge but the Dodge has a much larger stance. Makes GM trucks look and feel small; even when comparing same cab levels.

Either would pull a 24ft enclosed trailer with ease. Hell my buddy pulls a 28ft with his 1/2 Ram with a Hemi and he has no problems.

Personally since its that small I would just get a 1/2 ton Ram with a Hemi if you dont pull all the time. If you do get what diesel you like the best from the drivers seat. Duramax and Cummins will pull a 24ft trailer without any problems.

what do lengths have to do with weight???

on my uncles farm in Winsconsin we have an 04 dodge and an 05 or 06 chevy, both 3/4 ton reg cab long bed 4x4 diesel auto with ranchhands front and rear...they also have a 97 powerstroke with the same set up but its ext cab, they all do the job great, last time I was up there was about 2 years ago, anyway last I heard the chevy had to have the all new tie rods and ball joints after about 80k, the dodge is at about 120 or so (guessing last time I was there it was around 85k) the chevy was definately nicer for towing around the hills but out on the pasture the dodge was easier to pull the trailers with if had rained recently.

Honestly for farm work the dodge was better with the higher ground clearance but around town the chevy was a lot better especially that tranny. Anymore you cant lose with either of the trucks or the powerstroke, they all have great drivetrains full of potential, and there are plenty of arguements to say one is better than the other

Well the OP was asking about a 24ft trailer with his Race Car in it. So thats why I brought that into it. My buddy with the 28ft trailer has a race car in his too. And thats with a 1/2 ton Ram. His trailer is around 10,000lbs.

And typically. the longer the trailer is, the more it weighs.

Yep I forgot the obvious. haha

I love my Dmax. It's been a great truck to me. Back home I hauled 10K around everyday of the week like it was nothing. The Allison is a wonderful transmission especially with automatic grade braking. I have abused it to an extent and it's still holding its own. My cab is comfortable and aesthetically pleasing. It was nice in my 30 hour drive to AZ. I'm averaging 20-21mpg with a 100hp tune from EFI Live. That's a nice program the Dodge boys don't have, yet. I love the styling on my GMC and other GM trucks compared to Dodge. It feels like a tough truck even with IFS. Now however...as big as a GM fan I am, A Cummins powered Ram is still one hell of a truck. Dodge had it right and did something GM should have done...kept the 6-speed manual! Any Ram I have ever driven backed with an automatic transmission has always felt weak, but with a manual it's a different feel. The SAS setup is nice on the newer rams and is very controllable compared to earlier models. It's also a hell of alot cheaper to lift! Haha. The Cummins is a beast, no doubt. It's got the reputation backed with millions upon millions of miles. Not only in pickup trucks, but off road and class 8 applications also. Honestly, I think it comes down to personal preference anymore. They are both excellent trucks and do what they are supposed to do. It's just basically a choice whether you want an automatic in the GM or a manual in the Dodge.

i have a 2008 cummins that tows a lightweight all aluminum sleb bed with 4 snowmobiles on it and a platform with two sleds on it in the pickup box. im getting on average 11mpg. and this is is montana so there isnt alot of around town driving. i hear its because of the new DPF so if i wer you, i wud get a cummins and buy the dpf delete kit to save you mpg. im going to get one soon