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:

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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:

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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
 
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gijohn40

too poor to wheel... :(
Location
Layton, Utah
I was going to wait until ford put the diesel in the f150 then compare them before buying. I have always know that ram never really had the best interior. When the durango first came out I was 100 percent sure I was going to buy one and then I took one for a test drive and nope... being kinda short I had to lean over just to turn the stereo on/off.
Hence the wait until the f150 came out seeing ford puts more detail on the interior.

I will be watching this thread
 

clfrnacwby

Recovery Addict
Location
NV
Decided to head into the mountains for a couple of days so I got my first chance to tow with the truck.

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Couple hundred pounds in gear in the back and probably about 2500lbs pulling between the trailer and RZR. Traveled up to Soapstone Basin through Provo Canyon. Truck averaged 17mpg over the 75 miles into camp. Made a couple of trips into Kamas for Pioneer Day celebrations and then the return trip home. Overall we covered just over 200 miles and averaged 21mpg...still have 3/4 of tank left. Love it! Truck pulled effortlessly - I actually had no problem just leaving the cruise control on even when pulling the grades. Ride was super smooth and engine was quiet as a mouse. My wife and I often commented how much of a pleasure it was to travel now while towing.
 

Hickey

Burn-barrel enthusiast
Supporting Member
I was at the dealer the other day and heard a guy complaining about the hp numbers of this motor. I told him Horsepower sells cars, Torque wins races. He was very confused. Probly thought I was crazy.
 

StormRider

Active Member
Location
West Jordan
I was going to wait until ford put the diesel in the f150 then compare them before buying. I have always know that ram never really had the best interior. When the durango first came out I was 100 percent sure I was going to buy one and then I took one for a test drive and nope... being kinda short I had to lean over just to turn the stereo on/off.
Hence the wait until the f150 came out seeing ford puts more detail on the interior.

I will be watching this thread

I've got a 2013 3500 Laramie and the interior is very nice :)
 

clfrnacwby

Recovery Addict
Location
NV
Another successful trip in the book. Took the family to Bear Lake this weekend. We tent camped in Southeast Idaho...far away from the jam-packed campgrounds right around the lake. Total mileage for the trip was 512 miles. Computer says I averaged 28.5 MPG and that I still have ~200 miles remaining until empty (still have a 1/4 tank). I'm sure that will drop quickly as I get back to my daily commute but I shouldn't have a problem going over 600 miles on this tank.

Didn't doing any towing, only had a few hundred pounds of gear and food for our family of 6. We took the more Easterly router heading up there, up Parley's, through Evanston, WY, then Cokeville, and then into Southern Idaho. We made several trips from camp to St. Charles, ID/North Beach @ Bear Lake. On the way home, we headed a bit West, through Preston, ID down past Logan, and then I-15 all the way home. It was very nice to be able to drive wherever we wanted to and not have to worry about fuel.
 

clfrnacwby

Recovery Addict
Location
NV
Spent the weekend up in the mountains between 8k and 11k feet. CEL popped on during the trip. 15k on the odometer. Drove home just fine. Dealer can't get me in until Monday. Luckily the MPG's make up for the minor inconvenience :D

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anderson750

I'm working on it Rose
Location
Price, Utah
Probably an isolated incident, but I had a friend lose the motor in his with less than 7500 miles in it. Dealer replaced it and in the next 1000 miles it did not run right and had bad gas mileage. He quickly got rid of it. I like these trucks, but this incident has made me hesitant to seriously look at one.
 

Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
Nice to see more aftermarket support for the Ecodiesel. AEV Conversions just announced the "Recruit"...

https://www.aev-conversions.com/vehicles/recruit

View attachment 108664

That is honestly brilliant on their part, I could never afford an AEV built 4x4 but what they've done is put together a package that anyone can build similar to. The Ecodiesel is pretty neat in itself, but in a package like they've created it seems to make a very overland-worthy 4x4. I could see these catching on pretty quick, I'd love to have a 1/2 ton diesel that had amazing fuel range and was pretty capable.
 

clfrnacwby

Recovery Addict
Location
NV
Has there been any "DieselGate" emission recalls on the EcoDiesel trucks yet?

Not yet. The EPA is investigating "reports" of high emissions out of the Ecodiesel, but nothing has come of it yet. Unfortunately, all 2017 Eco's are banned from entering the US until the investigation is complete. I think it's BS. FCA hit a home run with this engine and I think other auto manufacturers are crying foul, because they didn't think of it first.
 

Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
Not yet. The EPA is investigating "reports" of high emissions out of the Ecodiesel, but nothing has come of it yet. Unfortunately, all 2017 Eco's are banned from entering the US until the investigation is complete. I think it's BS. FCA hit a home run with this engine and I think other auto manufacturers are crying foul, because they didn't think of it first.

I've been very curious as to what this means for a 2018 Jeep Wrangler JL & JT Wrangler that is supposed to have the option of a EcoDiesel. I've been thinking about upgrading from my current JKU to a diesel JT when they're available, but haven't heard if the emissions trouble means there will be no Jeep EcoDiesel.
 

StormRider

Active Member
Location
West Jordan
Not yet. The EPA is investigating "reports" of high emissions out of the Ecodiesel, but nothing has come of it yet. Unfortunately, all 2017 Eco's are banned from entering the US until the investigation is complete. I think it's BS. FCA hit a home run with this engine and I think other auto manufacturers are crying foul, because they didn't think of it first.

I was looking pretty hard for an EcoDiesel, then somehow I ended up with a Power Wagon ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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.

There is the Duramax 2.8L in the Colorado truck, and the ZR2 trim looks like a direct competitor to the Rubicon trims.
 
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