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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clfrnacwby

Recovery Addict
Location
NV
I will likely be putting this up for sale in the next couple of weeks - need funds to build a house. I'll get a For Sale post up, eventually, but go ahead and PM me if you're interested - I'd rather sell this to someone on RME than go through KSL hell.
 

clfrnacwby

Recovery Addict
Location
NV
What's market value on one of these Dogs? Not sure if I could convince my wife this is a daily driver for her or not but it'd be something to chew on

Kelley Blue Book says right around $31k so that's probably what I'll list it for.
 

anderson750

I'm working on it Rose
Location
Price, Utah
Looking at pocking up a 2015 Ram Promaster cargo van with the ecodiesel. It has 84k on it and the dealer pulled the warranty, recall and service contract history on it. It appears to be well maintaned by the records and appearance. My only concern is that It had the catalytic converter, cylinder head and front crank shaft seal replaced in the last 500 miles before being traded in. Anybody gave any knowledge of long term issues surrounding these repairs?
 

UNSTUCK

But stuck more often.
ED owners (myself included) seem to be worried about engine failures. Seems the majority of them fail under 40k miles. So this one at 84k should be good.

As for the new parts, exhaust parts fail, and are expensive! I'm not sure I'll keep my truck past the 100k warranty for this alone. The head and crank seal I don't think are too common from what I've read. Strictly my opinion, but I think dealers are exaggerating needed repairs big time with these trucks because FCA is not asking many questions. Hinkley Dodge replaced my entire transfer case because of a rear output shaft that "leaked so bad it caused the transfer case to nearly lock up, resulting in poor fuel economy". When I went to pick the truck up I looked at the old t-case. I spun the input shaft easily, by hand, as I watched the output shaft turn. My fuel economy didn't improve either.

Hinkley service is a complete joke by the way. I have a service contract with them for one more oil change. After that they will never see my truck again.
 
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