I'm Cruising a CUMMINS- my observations

[MudNurI]

I have my brother in laws cummins for the weekend, along with his kids (our crew cab doesn't have the airbag shut off- so 4 kids in the Duramax is outta the question..) I've made some observations-

here they are

1. The Dodge's seat's are HUGE compared to ours. The lower part actually goes down to my knee's when I'm sitting- that's a nice feature. my legs rest comfortably.
2. The D/A's seat's are more comfortable, these are very hard.
3. Allison shifts so much more smoothly than what ever is in this Dodge. VERY hard shifts, and rev's a bit higher than ours between them
4. The Dodge is quite a bit higher than ours getting in. Hand's full, it's pretty hard to climb into for me.
5. I can't hear my kids in the Dodge. wait, is that a bad thing?
6. Dodge has the SAME hands free cell phone set up we have- have to pick up the phone, VERY hard to hear anything over that clatter.
7. The door's feel heavier. This is a quad cab and the 3rd and 4th door feel a bit heavier than our old 3 door Z-71. But the front door's seem to have a more noticable SHUT feel to them..
8. The center console- arm rest this is a bench seat is HUGE. Not half as deep as ours, but extreamy wide! Nice feature.
9. It does not have the "mist" feature for the wiper's. That's a big missing feature.
10. the brake pedal seems much harder than ours. Both the Dodge and D/A have almost the same amount of miles, and are driven the same roads daily....but this pedal seems VERY hard, but the brakes are not as responsive as the D/A.
11. Turning radius of the dodge is much better than the D/A....parking lot manuver's are easier.

12. I can't wait till Sunday when I can park this thing back at his house, and FINALLY get back in the truck I love.

13. The Dodge isn't that bad of a truck, I still wouldn't buy a Cummins, I miss the power, take off smooth shifts etc... but the comfort features of the dodge are pretty good.

14. The dodge radio is horrible!

15. I'm gonna go outside and drive the D/A round the block without kids to get my sanity back!

see ya
Brandy

[ 07-20-2002: Message edited by: MudNurI ]</p>

[Chris N5CWM]

*EDIT*
MudNurI-I see you edited your original post,
fixing the spelling of Cummins. What class!
Hehehe..
It's good to get to drive various vehicles that
make you realize how good yours really is isn't
it?! :D
Enjoy the Dmax!

[ 07-22-2002: Message edited by: Chris N5CWM ]</p>

[mackin]

Brandy,

Boy I could have a lot of fun with that post........

:eek:
I'll let it go with one exception "TRAITOR" next time rent a MINI-VAN and cruise at 110, of course without the youngin's....... tongue.gif
Just to Bust on NuttinButGmc..........


Nice informative post, you ought to see, if you haven't, how the competition does a fare unbiased report, your write up may have taken a different spin........
;)

I know what your saying I have had the chance to cruise a few my self, only in cognito,they are a different beast..... I would of had one , a D/C in my driveway, but the package it comes in gave me a second thought..... My friend who owns the Dodge, has always , through high school on up, owned many mopars all gassers....... Been stuck, spent many a late nights fixing what was broke, sometimes it was our fault, seen the quality short comings, when LEE stepped in and was running the show with the bankrupt company, it went from bad to worse.......Still to this day some issues are still prevalent...... The past has left me with, I'm not swinging any more wrenches on a Dodge....But I'll go on the record and say I won't trash the Cummins......Great engine, once the stringent emission standards are implemented, we will see what turn it takes, as with ours......


MAC :D

[ 07-20-2002: Message edited by: mackin ]</p>

[NutNbutGMC]

^...Do I smell a conspiracy here? MudNurI is renting a speed machine to outrun any Duramax on the road? All at the suggestion of Mackin??? DAMMIT! :D :D

[ 07-20-2002: Message edited by: NutNbutGMC ]</p>

[MudNurI]

Gee Chris- sorry to mispell the name. I guess I could have checked the emblem's on the door...see the problem is I normally spend so much time flying past them, I can't read that fast, I only know what I just went by from the noise I hear...man I thought these things were loud when I am in my truck, but actually being in it, wow- they are loud.

Mackin- There are some things in the dodge that I like more than the D/A, however the lack of the BIG STUFF, power, shifting, the downshifting etc.. just outweigh the comfort features for me.

I noticed a few more things today that really bugged me.

for one- those of us with either the Extended Cab, or Crew Cab, have the rear seatbelt "guides"..they work great for kids, keep the belt low etc.- well the dodge doesn't have them. BAD move on their part!

also the A/C has no recirc button..seemed to be really working to keep the truck colder than outside, with ours we can get frost on the windows, even the rear window, this thing, forget it!

I do like the seats, I'll give them that! If I could get mine swapped with these, I'd be the greatest!

I wonder how come I can hear the turbo whistle so much in the dodge. I have never towed anything with the D/A, and this was empty too, but I don't think I have heard my whistle maybe 7-8 times, this thing whistles all the time.???

Nutnbut- What minivan should I go for? wonder if the Mazda ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM would be fast enough? hmmm there's a thought.

1 more day- and it's back to Duramax land YEAH!!!

Brandy

[hoot]

Dodge boys are hooked on the loud diesel sound and that incredible turbo whine. I admit, I like it too but not for a daily driver.

[Chris N5CWM]

MudNurI,

I probably took the spelling error out of
context. Seems like a common occurance to
see someone referring to Cummins in a derogatory
way by spelling it like that. Same thing goes
on, as you are all aware, over at the TDR. Folks
spelling Duramax in various creative ways.
I'm glad you and the others that have posted
in this thread (so far) are not "thin skinned"
and flamed me to a krispy kritter! smile.gif

What year is the Dodge/Cummins truck you are
driving? Just curious. I don't mention it much
here, but my other truck (besides the Yukon XL)
is a 2001 Dodge 2500 4x4, ext cab short bed with
5 speed manual. It's a great truck overall. I'm
not now nor ever was growing up partial to Dodge
Plymouth Chryler products. The ONLY reason I have
a Dodge right now is because of the Cummins under
the hood. I'm telling you all right now, I'm
researching the facts for my next truck. Back to
GM; my last one was a '94 Chevy K2500 4x4, 6.5
TD, 4L80E and it was a good truck and never let
me down. Definitely OUT classed power-wise
compared to my Cummins, which is not stock BTW.
I have an early version of the Edge box, with 3
power settings on a small black box the size of
a pack of cigs, in-cab pushbutton power level
changes. Too bad the Juice isn't that easy. I can
look at the box and see Green LED for Low, yellow
for Medium, and Red for High power. And a setting
for off/stock power. HUGE difference. My Ram
does 0 to 60 (remember, 5 speed standard!) in
12 seconds stock, with the Edge on High, 8 seconds
with lots of wheelspin starting out in 2nd. The
1/4 mile trap speed is 12 MPH higher (18.9 @ 74
stock compared to 16.2 @ 86!).
Enough about the Dodge.
I like the looks of the GMCs, especially the new
2003. I drove one the other day and really like
the new interior, especially the new Driver Info
system on the instrument panel and the new BOSE
stereo. I'll put a few thousand more miles on
my Ram and when the 2003's start to overfill the
lots and/or the 2004's push the prices down I may
be back on the GM side 100%.

smile.gif

Chris

[mackin]

Chris,

"flamed me to a krispy kritter!"

Not here we only eat our young (own) around here........This is for the most part a VERY CIVILIZED bunch and encourage outsiders as long at is informative and not spite full...... As I am a resident on the TDR the purposely miss spelled when referring to the DURAMAX gets very old ....... But the constant attention tells over on the TDR tells me, WE are getting recognition and being noticed, of being a technological break through in where future diesel's will be.....I post there to quell the ridiculous rumors in the threads, if and only it is worth it ....... Why? Because some people even without prior Knowledge or witness to, or any first hand proof, believe the spew of gossip....... Hence the GOT VIN slogan......Here's a quick one ....... Good friend of ten years, worked together our dads were partners ....... They split we haven't seen or talked in over ten years ...... Calls me out of the blue (a family member his side I new not doing well) and to BS....... Always a big Chevy guy...... Long story short I ask, What you driving, He tells me a new Power Stroke, I'm silent...... He says he really wanted a MAX but the price tag at the time was out of his reach ...... Then replys , well, the DURAMAXES are having all kinds of HEAD PROBLEMS AND GASKET FAILURE ANYWAY...... :mad:
I go oh really, well I'm driving one and there is not one documented case of head failure due to it being ALUMINUM, and please stop in and see me I would love to show you, and mentioned I'll pin him in the seat TA boot ........True story, I'll sware to it..... I didn't mention the JUICE so when I see him and take him for a ride I won't either, just to goof on him..... So the rumors and name BS, is just that ...... Ruining a reputation without proof, before it has a chance...... So I'll see you on the TDR,and you'll no why I'm there, one mouth, but I might change one opinion, and gain a trickle down affect...... So we won't FRY ya we like ya........You'll learn the truth about a MAX and take it with you......

MAC smile.gif

[ 07-20-2002: Message edited by: mackin ]</p>

[drthv8r]

As an original owner of an 89 Dodge 4X4 with the Cummins TD, and now a new Duramax owner. I down right dread having to get in the Dodge to drive it anywhere after being in the Chevy. Can you say buckboard? Well that sums it up for the Dodge. I know it's not a fair comparison for the Dodge being it's going on 14 years old. But I do own both and the Dodge doesn't even come close the the Chevy for pure driving pleasure, not even when it was brand new.

As far as the Cummins being such a great motor...you can't prove it by me.

[madmax7]

The concerns surrounding a vehicle go much deeper than the engine. If it wasn't for the Allison, I would have been hard pressed to get my Chevy until more proven. Powerstroke would have been my choice. My biggest concern for Dodge was the tranny. Too many long term issues around Mopar transmissions. tongue.gif

[MudNurI]

Chris- it's a 2001 2500 (is that what dodge calls 3/4 tons'?) crew cab long bed.

The cummins he had before this one, was a 95- I believe the year they changed the body style...that was a manual- I like the dodge automatic better, with the diesel, he likes the manual better. In between these, he had a 99 Powerstroke- I drove that a few times, hated every time.

Hoot- I do like the whistle noise too, but think that I'd get pretty darn sick of it soon if I HAD to hear it day in day out.


I've never been to TDR read to much about it from over here, to even VENTURE over there. I hang out here, and on coloradok5. Both of these websites are very "polite" if that's the proper word. I'm afraid of what TDR would do to a chick, let alone a "new chick".....I received warm welcomes at both coloradok5, and here, which is why I stay....along with the fact that you guys rock!

Well, 8 more hours, and I can drop off this truck, and get back in my cadillac- I mean, Duramax, funny how I could get mixed up!

I think next time, I'll take the Durango from them, and let them go away with the Cummins, at least the Durango can get out of it's own way!

see ya
Brandy

[Chris N5CWM]

Very true, the current automatic tranny used with
the Cummins is problematic, so to speak! That is
why I bought a 5 speed (NV4500). I wanted the 6
speed (NV5600) that comes with the HO Cummins,
but after driving a couple and disliking the way
it feels shifting gears, went with the 5 speed.
Smooth as can be for a truck tranny. Weak link
right now is the stock clutch, which is not
capable of handling power upgrades over 300 HP
690 Ft Lbs.
Good thing about the automatic in the Dodges,
there are some VERY good aftermarket upgrades
that involve replacing the torque converter, which
includes a much larger overdrive lockup clutch,
and modifying the valve body and some internal
changes to make reliability a reality. I've not
ridden in nor driven a Cummins Ram with one of
these modified trannies, nor do I have any time
driving a DMax/Allison towing a load so I cannot
elaborate on the differences. All I can say is
there are options for those that are wary of the
auto tranny in the newer Cummins Rams.
One thing about the newer (24 Valve) Cummins Rams
with auto tranny, there is computer logic that
is programmed to "defuel" a bit during shifts so
the tranny does not get overworked so the overall
performance of a totally stock auto will seem
lethargic compared to a DMax/Allison for sure! smile.gif

[DMAXDiva]

I still have an old '94 Cummins 12 valve 5spd in the garage, but sure don't drive it much anymore (mostly used for ranch duty now). She's still a really solid old truck with 140,000 miles...no problems other than replacing the crank position sensor back at 45,000 and injector pump rebuild at 120,000. Honestly, I was planning to buy an '03 Ram 2500 w/6spd (new body style), but the Duramax lured me away...

I'm pretty sure this old Ram will still be around in another 10 or more years...truly one of the most reliable vehicles I've ever owned (hope the DMAX can compete in longevity!)

[Bart Timothy]

I tkink GM has done a good job with the Duramx/Allison. It had too, because before this combo it was totally outclased by the competition. It's reputation, previous, wasn't exactly stellar in the light truck/diesel department.

The Dodge automatics are good tranmissions but were never initially designed for the amount of torque which the Cummins can produce at such a low rpm. Cummins has always offered the 5.9 in much higher states of tune than what Dodge uses. Dodge purchases the engines in a detuned state mostly because of driveline reasons. The tran's can be modified, however, and after the mods, do a real good job. Most of the HIGH hp Dodge boys are now converting over to autos. As a Dodge owner, one of the things I really like about the GMs is the Allison. It's the big reason your turcks are so fast in acceleration, but looks to also be one of the largest problem areas in your trucks. I'm sure, like the Dodges, that after time those problems will be worked out by the after-market if not by GM, itself.

As for the Cummins, you can look around and find a few failures, as all engines have, but not many. How can you knock a 5.9 liter engine which can be pumped to 600 rwhp reliably, with out any internal engine mods, or to 750 - 800 rwhp by simply o-ringing the head. The Cummins can be taken to these hp levels with simple bolt-ons and you don't have to get inside the engine to get it to hold together without blowing something. I wonder how many internal engine modifications it will take to get the Duramax to that hp level reliably, and as cheaply to boot. The Fords can't do it either, and if fact Ford offers the ISB Cummins as an option in its bigger trucks.

In my mind it's "different strokes for different folks". Not every body goes out and buys a Gold Wing; some people buy a Harley. My '01 6sp HO Dodge has been very reliable and never had to go back to the dealer in 65000 miles, and I'm sure there are lots of other Dodge, Ford and GM owners who can also make that claim.

By the way, Dodge does have a "recirc" mode on the air conditioning, and you can get neat radio upgrades as an option. The comforts and features ante will be upped when the '03s finally get here.

Bart