2015 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel

Pulled the trigger last night on a 2015 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel. That Dempsey is one hell of a salesman and was relentless! :D

Here it is waiting to be detailed:

E76EB08B-46FF-4318-8850-21AD2E1CA3E0_zpsx2ygrb7c.jpg

The major factor for me going with the ED was fuel mileage. I loved everything about my 2010 Tundra, except the fuel mileage. When I built it, I had NO plans of pulling a trailer. Heavy steel bumpers, winch, rock sliders, lift, 35" tires...worked GREAT off-road...and I could still eek out 14-15mpg. Not bad. Then, my wife wanted a Polaris RZR. Pretty much everyone in her family has one so we found ourselves traveling at least once a month to meet up with them. Problem is, they all live in Vegas so we're typically traveling 300+ miles to meet up with them. With the trailer in tow (~2500lbs), we were now getting 10mpg. With only a 26 gallon tank, I was filling up at least 3 times each trip. With the reality that the truck was become a dedicated tow rig, I decided I needed better fuel economy and wanted someone else to enjoy a built Tundra.

I contacted my now good friend Dempsey (TurboMinivan) @ Doug Smith Autoplex in American Fork. We started looking at some 1500's. I know the Hemi gets pretty good highway mileage, but I knew once I put the trailer behind it, those numbers would drop. I thought it would be kind of pointless to trade 1 gasser for another. So, I focused on the new EcoDiesel. At 19 city, and 28 highway, my anticipation was that I could get somewhere between 16 and 18 towing. With a 26 gallon tank, my calculations put me at filling up every 320 - 350 miles instead of the 170 - 200 I do now. Being a guy, that makes a huge difference :p.

We focused on the Tradesman package first but after almost 2 weeks of searching, we couldn't find anything that worked. I was hesitant to upgrade to the Big Horn package since I am NOT a fan of lots of chrome. Low and behold, once we expanded our search, we immediately found a perfect match...very close by...in Provo. Once the truck was on the lot, I made sure it had everything I wanted - only to be surprised to see things that I didn't know I wanted...lol.

Once all the paperwork was done, I reset the fuel mileage tracker and headed home. Driving home last night and to work this morning (12 miles each way), I was VERY happy to see this:

3964A073-D722-43A5-BD9D-7ABDB45FE9C5_zpsnbgkes6o.jpg

Current fuel economy was 30mpg and almost 480 miles until empty. :eek: Yowsa! Right now the Avg is sitting at ~25mpg. Since my commute to and from work is partly on I-15 and then Pioneer Crossing, I don't expect those numbers to drop much below that average. I do drive like an old grandpa so that will help out a bit as well.

I am hoping to keep this thread updated with my thoughts and impressions of the EcoDiesel and how well it works as a 1/2 ton family tow rig. I am happy to answer any of your questions along the way, as well.

So...we'll start with the specs.

Vehicle model: 2015 Ram 1500 Big Horn Crew Cab 4x4
Engine type: 3.0L V-6
Aspiration: Single variable-geometry turbocharger, air-to-air intercooled
Fueling: Bosch high-pressure common-rail with CP4.2, solenoid injectors, and 29,000-psi injection pressure
Mfg hp: 240 hp at 3,600 rpm
Mfg torque: 420 lb-ft at 2,000 rpm
Transmission: ZF 8HP70 eight-speed automatic
Transfer case: BorgWarner 44-44
Axle ratio: 3.92:1
Suspension (front/rear): Independent upper and lower A-arms/Five-link with track bar
Brakes (front/rear): 13.2-inch ventilated disc with two-piston caliper/13.8-inch disc with single-piston caliper
Wheels/Tires: 20x9-inch chrome-clad aluminum wheels with 275/60R20 Goodyear Wrangler SR-A tires
Curb Weight: 6,040 pounds
Payload capacity: 1,125 pounds
Towing capacity: 7,700 pounds
Fuel capacity: 26 gallons
DEF capacity: 8 gallons
 
Last edited:

Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin

Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
... I've read that the DieselGate emission fixes for VW in europe are hurting fuel economy, and I imagine the same thing will happen with the EcoDiesel if they have to recall...

I'm curious what the issue is with the Ecodiesel emissions, I don't think this is anywhere near as bad as the VW TDI emissions scandal. The 2009+ TDI's were built so they would pass emissions while on a dyno (back wheels stationary, steering wheel not moving, etc) and then revert back to their normal tune the rest of the time, emitting 10x the legal NOx limits. Sergio Marchionne (FCA CEO) is adamant that the Ecodiesel issues are nowhere near as severe as the VW TDI emissions cheat.

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/bu...1/12/fiat-chrysler-diesel-emissions/96485778/

At the heart of the dispute appears to be the company’s use of auxiliary emission control devices (AECDs), which automakers can legally use to deactivate a vehicle’s emission control system in certain conditions. The company contends the vehicles are fully in compliance with regulations; however, Marchionne did not completely dispute some software may not have been disclosed.

“Anything which is undisclosed by definition is a defeat device, and if I use that standard, that would encompass our case and a gazillion other cases where so-called undisclosed AECDs have been established,” he said. “There are defeat devices that are designed to defeat the test cycle. Those are two different things. And this software doesn’t look for anything. It just runs. All the time.”




VW had been allowed to re-tune 2015+ TDI's and the US owners are saying that the reduced power and MPG's of the emissions legal tune is hardly noticable.
 

UNSTUCK

But stuck more often.
Greg, your quote above hit it right on. He just (forgot?) didn't disclose some aecd. Had they done this there would be no problems. I really hope this all blows over. Though if I get some sort of compinsation for a retune that will be ok. I plan on an aftermarket tune in the next month or so to get rid of the terrible (dangerous) turbo lag.

The speculation on the ecodiesel forum is that fca is scrapping this motor as we speak. I think it's safe to say owners don't trust it. Fca scored with it though and proved there is a market for it. Seems like I read they are working with cummins on the next motor.

I love my ecodiesel. It really is the perfect truck for hauling up to about 9k pounds.
 

rholbrook

Well-Known Member
Location
Kaysville, Ut

clfrnacwby

Recovery Addict
Location
NV
I'm curious what the issue is with the Ecodiesel emissions, I don't think this is anywhere near as bad as the VW TDI emissions scandal. The 2009+ TDI's were built so they would pass emissions while on a dyno (back wheels stationary, steering wheel not moving, etc) and then revert back to their normal tune the rest of the time, emitting 10x the legal NOx limits. Sergio Marchionne (FCA CEO) is adamant that the Ecodiesel issues are nowhere near as severe as the VW TDI emissions cheat.

Here is what I found:

http://www.greencarreports.com/news...ould-be-certified-by-epa-shortly-company-says

The EPA announced earlier this month that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles had failed to disclose eight separate software routines that affect the engine's emissions, each of which is a violation of the Clean Air Act.

So...basically the same as VW? Of course, FCA denies this:

The FCA CEO has denied that any illegal software is present in these vehicles, and added that anyone drawing a comparison between the complaint against FCA and the Volkswagen diesel scandal is "smoking illegal material."
 

UNSTUCK

But stuck more often.
VW admitted to changing the programming so that the cars would perform better.

FCA is saying right now that their reprogramming is in areas that are necessary to avoid engine damage (which is allowed), ie, cold start ups, etc. They just failed to inform the EPA about those reprograms, which is not allowed.

It's not the same as VW....yet.
 

rholbrook

Well-Known Member
Location
Kaysville, Ut
You wouldn't say that if you've seen a picture of the new truck......
i had to look it up and wow. It looks like something FIAT would design for Europe. In Mexico Dodge has a little truck that looks just like it so I am wondering if we are all being messed with. VW has a way sick little 4 door truck with the diesel that I would love to own
 

clfrnacwby

Recovery Addict
Location
NV
My kids had Spring Break last week so we took a trip down South. Vegas to visit my in-laws, then down to SoCal to Universal Studios, back to Vegas for Easter, and then home last night. Here is a snapshot of our travel totals. This is traveling 82mph through Utah, 78 through Nevada and stop-and-go traffic in SoCal...:rolleyes:

1AB70FE1-2AC2-4CB7-86A5-1ABFEFF26BC7_zpsde4us6tn.jpg
 

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
Is the computer pretty accurate? My computers in past cars were always 2-3mpg optimistic. Regardless, that is some great mpg.
 

clfrnacwby

Recovery Addict
Location
NV
Is the computer pretty accurate? My computers in past cars were always 2-3mpg optimistic. Regardless, that is some great mpg.

Yes, computer is accurate...always within .5 mpg so it's likely margin of error on my side. I'm excited for the Ecodiesel's future.
 

DAA

Well-Known Member
My 2013 Hemi 1500, the computer is usually optimistic by about .7 MPG on daily driving and short hops. But on long road trips, it usually under reports by a few tenths. But the better the MPG actually is on road trips, the more it tends to under report, by sometimes over 1 MPG. Last one, I hand calculated just under 20.8 MPG after almost 350 miles of highway but the computer said 19.6.

It's always at least that close though.

- DAA
 

clfrnacwby

Recovery Addict
Location
NV
Banks Power will soon be releasing their new Derringer inline tuner for a number of applications, including the Ecodiesel. It looks like they were successful in pulling 90hp and 116lb ft torque out of the Ecoboost - I highly doubt they'll get those numbers out of the Ecodiesel. I've heard tuners can MAYBE pull an extra 30-35hp out of the Ecodiesel, which won't make it worth the cost. We'll see!

https://www.facebook.com/bankspower/videos/1682219095141498/
 
Last edited:

UNSTUCK

But stuck more often.
GDE is the whos who in the ecodiesel world for tuning. Their base tune I think is like 30 hp, but more importantly it gets rid of the dangerous turbo lag and egr.

No one buys an ecodiesel because they wanted a fast truck.
 
Top