4th Gen Thoughts

[Southbound]

Brethren

Its been a long time since I have been on the forum. Glad to see the RAM religion is still in place.
That being said I am considering replacing my ole truck (2006 3500 Mega Cab 4x4) and could use some counseling as this is a tough decision. Obviously my truck is paid for and for the most part has been a great truck..200k miles. My reason for considering a change is that I am tired of shifting and ready for an automatic plus I am keen to experience all the improvements made to the new generation that we have all complained about in years to past. So for the folks who have upgraded from a 3rd gen to a 4th gen, do you have any thoughts? Obviously very hard leaving the faithful 5.9.
Thanks in advance,
Southbound

 

[Cummins12V98]

2nd gen to 2011 great truck for 65k then to 2015 AISIN DRW with over 60k now. NO comparison to pre 13 trucks.

No matter what get the AISIN and I also HIGHLY recommend the Factory rear air ride on the 3500's.

No need for a single mod!!!

OH and I only tow 33-35k nearly 1/2 my miles.

 

[EZeis]

Love my 2018 3500 SRW crew cab long bed 4wd. I have the aisin trans and the factory rear air suspension. Had a 93 1st Gen and a 07 5.9 3rd gen. This 2018 rides way better empty and loaded than my 07 ever did. Seats are way more comfortable. I call myself crazy for waiting to join the 4th gen crowd. My 07 was a regular cab long bed. So I'm getting use to this crew cab long bed.
My 07 was a manual trans and so was my 93. This 18 is my first ever truck with an auto. I actually can enjoy the drive instead of constantly shifting gears and working the exhaust brake. The 18 does all that for me. The emissions system is like it's not there. I have no idea if and when it regens. My DEF is lasting forever. Other than it shifts its own gears and has more power than my 07 5.9, I can't tell a difference in emissions engine vs my old federal 5.9l.

Earl

 

[Southbound]

Cummins12V98 - Thanks for your response and noted on the AISIN and air ride. I actually have air-bags / on -board compressor on my current truck and use it all the time. So will make sure and add air in the event I find a truck off the lot that doesnt have that option.

EZeis - Thanks for your response and noted on the recommendations. My current 06 is my fourth Dodge Ram all of which of had manual transmissions.....so looking forward to being lazy with an auto. For whatever reason it pains me to trade in my ride. Not as much as giving up my 2001 24V which was one of my favorites. Regardless it aint easy. I am leaning to getting another 3500 but will probably opt with a SRW rather than a DRW. Not 100% on that, but I am not pulling my camping trailer as much as use to either.

Thanks again guys for the guidance.

Southbound

 

[JTMATTEL05]

I went from a 2005 ST Ram 2500 2wd to a 2013 Ram 2500 SLT Lonestar 4wd. best decision i ever made. I don't have the aisin and i feel like i can tow whatever i want. I like having the DEF over the prior to 2013 regen. I don't mind filling the DEF and Diesel. These trucks aren't perfect and they surely do have their issues but I would not go back.

 

[Moon22]

I was in your shoes recently. I had an 06 2500 mega with 150K on her. I loved the truck but knew I would soon have start throwing money at her (transmission was starting to go, oil leak that had been repaired and was leaking again, needed a new instrument cluster, and power seemed to be down when towing) and knew I wouldn't really recoup any of that money back if traded in or sold. This go around I went with a 2018 ram 2500 crew cab tradesman, and though I miss the mega's overall space, there is so much more I like about the 2018 even though it's a Crew Cab and a tradesman model. Things I like about the 4th gens: steering seems to be tighter, suspension seems to be beefier and the ride is smoother, built in backup camera, built in trailer brake control, bluetooth for hands free communication, ability to monitor engine and transmission temp without buying stand alone gauges, ability to lockout gears when need, and by far my most favorite thing about this new truck is the exhaust break. It was a tough decision, but so far it's been a good one. Good luck on whatever you decide to do.

 

[lpennock]

I moved from a 06 3500 SRW to an 18 3500 DRW but still have the 06 as I haven't found anyone willing to pay what I'm willing to sell for.

The 18 has the Aisin with 930 Ft Lb. The 06 is a G56 with Valair DD, Jake brake and EFI tuning. I find slush box shift funny, they always feel like they are slipping until they fully lock the TC. The Exhaust brake (and Tow/Haul) has to be reenabled on each start which is a pain. I actually prefer driving the 06 because it really has no torque management in the EFI tune and the Brake is always in the state I left it last.

The 06 has a 35 gal tank while the 18 is only 32. Under all conditions the 06 seems to get better mileage and there is something psychological about having to fuel under load under 300 miles with the 18 vs over 300 with the 06. Unloaded the 06 is around 450 vs about 350 for the 18.

A lot of people say how much more comfortable the 4th gen seats are. I really don't find much difference with the 06 being slightly a better fit for me.

Unloaded ride between the two is no comparison. With the Factory Air suspension the leaf springs are much lower spring rate than the 06 so they absorb the bumps much better. That fact plus the loaded and unload heights are the same is a real bonus. The Air suspension is a big bonus over the 06 or even adding air bags after market IMO.

The extra features that weren't even available on the 06 like backup camera, cargo camera, park assist, and Android/apple car play. Make the 18 a real nice ride. Don't think you'll be unhappy other than the things I already mentioned.

 

[NWatchel]

I went from a 92 2wd 250 to my 2014 4wd 2500 ... needless to say worlds apart.
That said, my 2500 is by far the best truck I have owned, and at 92000km (57000mi) I have no need for anything more at this point. 370HP/800TQ has pulled and carried any load I have thrown at it and can pull our travel trailer past the speed limit with no issues.
The 68RFE in the 2500 seems to shift differently every day but i have learned to ignore it, it is almost as though it has to hit every gear in a random order.
I have mixed thoughts on the rear air suspension. I love that it is integrated into the truck, but then sometimes it would be nice to be able to tie into the compressor to have an air source, but the onboard compressor is tiny and only able to make up a small amount of air for the suspension.
I have no regrets in going to the 4th gen and would do it again.

 

[Deleted member 995608]

The only time I miss shifting my NV5600 is when loaded, going downhill and trying to keep ultra low speeds. Other than that, I wouldn't give two squirts of dog wizz for my old 3rd, 2nd or 1st gen Dodge/Ram trucks. My 4th gen is the best Cummins powered truck yet.

 

[Troubleshooter]

If the OP doesn't mind, I'd like to resurrect this old thread, as I find myself in a situation similar to his. Thinking about replacing my '01 with a used 2018 (fleet sale). The previous replies indicate that y'all were happy with the 2018, but those replies were from quite a while ago. How are they holding up now that you've had yours for a year or two and all the "new" has worn off? Any significant problems that have popped up? Did Ram ever solve the "death wobble"?

And have any of you tried to install gauges? Understand that the new ones can monitor and display digitally, but I just prefer an analog gauge. Quicker to read for one thing, and you don't have to take your eyes off the road to scroll through a menu.

 

[SnoKing]

I loved my W250 Std Cab, then I loved my 2001.5 Std Cab and now I love my 2015 3500 4X4 CC SB Laramie, with 60K+ on the clock in just over 4 years. Would I go back? Only if I had the space and money to own all three.

 

[Cummins12V98]

ZERO reason for gauges! As mentioned I tow 33-35k mostly WestCoast where I hold it to the floor for miles at a time with no worries. The truck is designed to where it can't hurt its self.

 

[HVAC2]

Just pulled the trigger on a left over 4x2 Laramie 2500 CTD. Long story but 2 weeks ago stranded in Wyoming with our 2015 ED and crank sensor failure.

Good to see the Cummins is getting solid reviews. Wife thought I was nuts to buy another diesel. Now we have 2!

 

[Moon22]

Since my last post (last January) I've put on around 20K miles and still have no regrets. I've had zero issues and the only time it has been in the shop is for oil and fuel filter changes.

 

[Troubleshooter]

Thanks for the replies so far. Sounds like the new 4th Gen Rams are solid vehicles. What impressed me is that most of the upgrades that I made to my 2nd Gen over the course of several years and thousands of $$$ are now offered on the stock truck.

How about rust -- any issues with the 4th Gens?

SnoKing: I hear you man, I love my '01 too. Strong puller, everything I want and none of the electronic junk I don't want. Great truck when it's running right. But it's spent too much time in the shop. I'm at the point where I need a truck that's just absolutely 100% dead-nuts reliable.

 

[HVAC2]

With a strong background in ED issues, and just taking into the fleet a new 2018 CTD, I have a few quick questions.
It will be worked often with a payload under 2klb and the ATC at around 7.5 klbs.
Mostly long run usage.
Will it go 120k miles with no tune, just stock? Egr cooler reliability? Fires? Crank sensor failures?

Anything you would do to it that's still legal and will not void warranty? I have 8 year 120 extended for full disclosure.

Thank gents..

 

[cerberusiam]

They are solid until the warranty runs out then they will cost you $$$. Don't expect them to have the same service life as a 2nd or 3rd gen, too much emissions and electronics and when it goes bad you might be footing the cost considering how quick FCA is to bail on warranty. Trade it every 3 years and HOPE your dealer will fight for warranty issues.

That is the unfortunate downside.

 

[HVAC2]

That's disappointing. Hoping Cummins had this mess figured out. So 100k is best we can expect before it becomes expensive?

 

[Ozymandias]

I don't think so.

 

[cerberusiam]

Cummins isn't the problem, FCA is. The Cummins platform is fine with all the FCA crap running it and the chepaest supplier on the emissions systems.