Cummins owner buys 07 LBZ, but which of The Big 3 really has the BEST overall truck?

[ChrisKringle]

Ok, so here are my diesel credentials, 03 Cummins duelly High Pressure Common Rail, thing had massive torque and instant spool, but (don't ever do this) traded it at a stealership for my current 04. 5 High Output Cummins short bed 4 door. My 04. 5 has full transmission with tight converter, 6" lift, painted wheel flares, SRT-10 scoop hood, full stereo, 100hp injectors, good aftermarket turbo, good programming stack, and lots of power, nice sensitive throttle, very reliable and feels invincible.



Now I have always loved Chevy and wanted one since 03 when I drove a triple chipped lb7 that was full everything. I always felt my Dodge was lacking in comfort ameneities such as driver 1-2, auto headlights, real leather instead of pleather, full size rear passenger seating with vents, etc. So, I just bought a white (the best color ha ha) 07 LBZ LT3 with 60k miles. Well, I now appreciate my Dodge even more cause I realize the grass is not always greener on the other side. Don't get me wrong, Chevy is plush, comfort, and I love 6 gears and the sound of V8 diesel/turbo. BUT, now I find out that the display of Ford, Chevy, vrs. Cummins connecting rods at the Dodge dealership IS something to be considered, and that these engines will not hold high horse power like a Cummins. The horse power in the Cummins just keeps going up, 7,8,9,1000,1200 hp, reliable daily drivers poppin up, is my new DMax going to take that? Also kind of disappointed that the Allison will not hold high horse power either, no matter what, and usually in race applications are switched to Dodges 47/48 RE, what I have!



Now, to stir the controversy even more, the day before I bought my DMax, I test drove an 06 Ford Powerjoke King Ranch trim package, and man I liked it, alot! I have always hated Ford, but the brakes were more powerful than my Dodge, I acutally felt the pulsation of ABS with larger tires, the coils in the front were alot plusher than my Dodge, rode as good (seemed to) as the 07 Chevy, the interior was huge, and nice distressed leather, plus the engine sounds bad a@# stock, with stock boost gauge too, and, and I have been hearing that Fords ARE built pretty tuff, I know the TorqueShift 5 speed is tough, hearing from guys running stock trannys on the new 6. 4L with over 500 hp to wheels on programming only. This isn't a 6. 0 bash either, I know the later 6. 0's are doing good with head studs, seem reliable.



So, lets hear from experience, what is the best ALL around truck with high horspower potential? I know the DMAX's are hundreds of pounds lighter than either Ford or Dodge, but does that get eclipsed very quickly by Cummins endless horsepower potential? Also, I hear the new 6. 4L Fords are putting crazy hp down with electronics only, and their stock trannys are holding it.



I am going to say Dodge/Cummins. I know Dodge sucks cause they're cheap on amenities, but there are trade offs too. My Dodge turns way sharper than my new Chevy, I can actually make a U-Turn, and the power steering actually works. My Dodge has vanity mirrors in sun visors (Chevy what were u thinking?), and Homelink. Also love my Dodge tailgate, opens/closes like nothin, Chevy, takes effort. I think Dodge takes this round with a race proven 48RE bullet proof (if u built it) transmission that will take any amount of power, and the Cummins inline 6 which is built American tough. Also, I like my solid axle front end cause of strength, but I do love my new Chevy soft ride. Maybe my mind will change when I put exhaust, egr block, and ATS Co-Pilot on, but as of now no. I got beat the other night by some kid in the same truck as my Dodge too, Cummins cleaned my clock (slightly), and I was running stock everything but PPE HOT+2 on 6. I know my boost was blowing off into the egr so yeah . . .



Now to put things into perspective, we cannot compete (currently) with Japaneese cars, and motorcycles (at the top speed of your Harley (120) I will pull my Suzuki up into a wheelie AND out run you, and require NO maintenance) for that matter. Last summer I bought an Acura (Hondas luxury line) RL, their top of the line sedan, and I love that car, voice activated everything (climate, stereo, telephone, etc) headlights that turn, Super Handling All Wheel Drive that goes better in snow/rain than anything I have ever driven, aluminum body panels, carbon fiber driveshafts, leather softer than any a#$holes office set, and on and on. Isn't Toyota building an HD diesel?



So which is it, Ford 6. 0, Ford 6. 4 after egr removal for mileage, built Ford tough(?) with pretty cool look, sound, , Chevy DURAMAX! LBZ! that I love with carlike ameneties/handling and awsome sound too once u pipe it, or Cummins reliable power 5. 9 H. O. endless h. p. , and a bada#$ look too once u lift and customize.

 

[KCraft]

well i'm torn. my personal experience is that chevrolet makes the best truck, but dodge has the best engine. fords all around are JUNK! the 7. 3L was the last good powerchoke. you talked about power just with electronics-try a 5. 9 cummins cr with a smarty. my buddy did 560hp just with a smarty! chevrolets are built alot safer. the Dmax is a good motor but is too complicated. fords sell more cars because they are cheap. you get what u pay for. my dream truck would be cummins in a chevrolet. fords across the board get the worst fuel mileage and produce the lowest power and not reliable. the older fords were a better truck. i miss the comfort and ride of my chevrolet but love my cummins.

 

[jgillott]

My family has owned Chevy trucks since 1967. The current '05 Silverado that my wife drives has cured me of ever wanting another one. I purchased it new for her and it has never towed and never hauled anything heavier than a water heater. I simply can't keep front end parts on it. It shakes horribly, cups the front tires to no end, and keeps going through steering shafts. At 60K, it drives worse than trucks I've had with 300+K on them. Maybe I purchased the only lemon of the bunch, but I don't think I'll ever buy another.

 

[Jeepr]

Before my Dodge, I had an 03 Chevy Tahoe. So, it's the same interior available on the trucks. I miss all the "toys" in the Chevy, but LOVE my Dodge. And, the 2010 Dodge's look like they will be bringing all the creature comforts to the game.

 

[SMason]

I can't believe you even thought about a 6. 0 or 6. 4 ford?!?! I drive a 2006 6. 0 ford for my work truck. I have had it for 13months, put 50k on it so far. It's only been in the shop twice, but both times, three injectors were gone. Just got it back 5 days ago, drove it home, overheated it on the the way home on a 40 degree day.



All the company drives is ford 6. 0 Between 15 field mechanics in my area, at any given time at least two of them are in the shop for injectors egr cooler or head gaskets. OH and one guy had two turbos in one month go out.



So my experience with Fords, are not good at all. Plus I heard that ford are getting rid of the 6. 0 and 6. 4 and making their own engine soon. Not sure about that rumor yet.



Now I have seen all three con-rods of the ford, chevy, and dodge, the rods don't even compare to the cummins. I was blown away by the difference, and how much stronger that the cummins rod is. I stood there and was in awh really.



Chevys I really don't have much first hand experience with the diesels, but from the ones I have test drove they do seem to run like a raped ape, and are very comfortable, but I just felt like a little kid for how low the seats are and then you have to lift the chevy to get it over a speed bump it seems like.

So for me it's own a cummins, or take the bus.

 

[EArp]

With the exception of the newest body style, I have always loved the look of the Chevy's. And I have personally owned 3 of the chevy gassers in the past (96 reg cab, 01 Z71, and 05 Z71) and all of them were great trucks. That said, in reference to horsepower/reliability capabilities, you will never find one of those ford/chevy V8 style diesels that will hold the same power/reliability that a cummins will at higher hp levels. I think I remember reading somewhere that the dmaxes are only good/reliable up to 700 rwhp. Also, if you think about it, with the cummins having nearly 40% less moving parts than a comparable V8, it only makes sense that there is more of a hp/reliability potential. With the cummins it seems like having just one big solid head would be much stronger than the two heads on the chevy/ford V8's. Also, check out this website:

Home of the World's First 7 Second Diesel Dragster

It's the first diesel dragster to get into the 7's at the strip. If you look at the specs on the motor, the whole lower end (pistons, rods, crank) is stock!!! I love the cummins, and also love the look of our trucks as well. I don't mind a stiffer ride, and I like the solid front axle too.

 

[TRAMPLINEMAN]

My current work truck is an '09 Ford F-550 6. 4 auto crew cab 4x4 with a flat bed. It averages 5. 2 miles per gallon at 70mph. Very comfortable ride, probably cause it's so heavy, and it turns sharper than any other truck I've driven. It really lacks in power, but I like the interior. This is the first pickup I've driven that has a DPF. What a joke the DPF is. It is unbelievable the smoke that comes out when it's being cleaned. The other day it bellowed out gobs of smoke for 10 minutes while I forced regen'd it. Thanks, Al Gore.



Our two mechanics got new 6. 0 service trucks last year. One of the trucks has 50K miles and has had 3 sets of injectors and a new rear end done. The other has around 30K and has been in and out of the dealer almost every week for the last eight months. I'd be lying if I told you how many injectors have been thru it. Two egr coolers, turbo, head gasket, multiple front end problems, electrical issues, new transfer case and now the rear end is being changed out.



I definately have to agree with above statements about the 7. 3's. We have a few remaining 7. 3's at work with hundreds of thousands of miles on them and still run strong.



On another note, I think the late 90's Chevy truck is the best looking truck ever produced. I had a '98 and I love the square body look with the slightly curved flat front end. I loved the comfort of the interior too.

 

[Bob4x4]

well i'm torn. my personal experience is that chevrolet makes the best truck,. i miss the comfort and ride of my chevrolet but love my cummins.

I guess you have never been to any off roading areas to see all the broken steering on Chevys. Even at the dragstrip on the pavement the steering will break

 

[EArp]

I guess you have never been to any off roading areas to see all the broken steering on Chevys. Even at the dragstrip on the pavement the steering will break

I'm with you on that Bob. Although I did like my 3 gasser chevy's that I owned, I never did feel as confident that the independent front suspension with the CV joint style for the 4x4 would hold up half as well as the solid front axle that the dodges have.

 

[Wingate]

IMHO... . The Cummins engine would be great in any of the three manufacturers trucks. Ford and Chevy both are starting out at a disadvantage. The Isuzu and the Navistar engine aren't true "industrial" diesel engines. Chevrolet and Ford have both leaned on these engines in an attempt to boast the biggest HP #'s on TV.

We have Chevy 4500 service trucks at work, if I actually listed all the problems we've had with these trucks, the memory on the internet would get full!!!!... . I agree with what others have said, the old 6. 9l up thru the 7. 3 PSD were well built, durable engines. Granted not a "speed" engine, but reliable and durable. My limited experience with the 6. 0l PSD helped me understand why its referred to as the six oh-no!.

I love my Cummins and my Dodge... Wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[JamesStevens]

The 7. 3 was the only Ford diesel worth talking about

I do like the Duramax, up until the DPF stuff. My brother bought a 08, and had it in the shop many times for the dpf plugging, sometimes while traveling down the highway!

I have always been Chrysler, on my 3rd Cummins. I guess I like the Cummins more the the Dodge, but those 09 half ton's really look comfy on the inside! To bad they come with a 6. 7 Cummins with sigh... . a DPF. I'll keep my 07 5. 9 thanx. You say you have a LBZ that is before the DPF right?? My dad likes his, and he gets descent mileage (not as good as me, but good) I shure wish we could get EFI LIVE for the Cummins, that would be sweet!

 

[JDerbedrossian]

Ultimate combo for me would be Dodge with Cummins (obviously), Chevy interior (awesome a/c) and Ford cab (huge for a crew cab). Been in all three most comfortable being the chevy, most roomy being the ford but its all about the engine and the original big rig look of the dodges.

 

[MScheiper]

I will say that my '90 Ford 7. 3 naturally aspirated diesel is still running strong at 228,000 miles with nothing more than a rebuilt starter, new clutch at 180,000, new fuel pump, and regular maintenance. I agree, not a powerhouse, but definitely reliable. Wouldn't trade my Dodges for anything though .

 

[FFL8N]

Well I owned a 98 1/2 Dodge and then got a 2000 after Dodge couldn't fix a pulling problem. I had that until 2006. I "thought" I needed a crew cab and a long bed. I bought a 06 Duramax. It just never felt right. I put about $20,000 into it after I bought it with a lift, air bags + compressor, amp steps, and the list just kept going. I sold it and bought a used 06 Dodge. I have been happy with the discission ever since. I like the Dodge way better than the Chevy.

 

[JWadford]

i have driven them all and for all out abuse, you cant beat a superduty gasser 5. 4, its gutless, gets 17 mpg no matter what i do to it, it has 185000 off road miles with no major breakdowns, only minor, like ball joints and u-joints and an occasional sparkplug, i have a 2008 t300 ken worth with a 6. 7 cummins, you cant make it out of the parking lot without the check engine light coming on and is almost always in regen and the exhaust smells like burning solvent, has turbo lag like crazy, i want my tire shredding mechanical 8. 3 cummins put in the new kenworth with the 6 speed allison

 

[Harlacher]

The Cummins engine is the clincher. I bought my truck 10 years ago and plan keeping it another 10. My son is looking for a truck now and he is a Ford man. I keep saying look at the Dodge with the Cummins, the engine has the most moving parts, everything else supports it. I worked as a diesel mechanic in the 70s and the company I worked for had Macs, GMCs, and Cummins. We would pull the Cummins engines down for scheduled maintenance and feel stupid for trying to fix something that isn't broke. The truck drivers liked some of the Mac/GMC features better, but they liked getting back to the shop on time and therefore fought for the Cummins trucks. I bought my Dodge for one reason, the Cummins engine... ... Can't beat them, Put one in a Ford and I will go have a look. P. S. Going with the son to look at a Dodge this Saturday, sometimes they do listen.

 

[EArp]

Look at the huge difference in the connecting rods

When you look at the difference of size in the connecting rods, it's no wonder the Cummins is able to hold so much more horsepower! It looks like the Dmax is the worst-off of the whole bunch.


#ad

 

[macdaddy]

Im on my second Cummins.....



You cant kill it no matter hard you try. I drove home from Mt Vernon Wa St. to Lakewood Ca 22 hrs without shutting it off pulling 10K trailer this past summer, straight through.



Mac

 

[SSage]

Yeah the rods are bigger, what did you expect? It's a 6, more power made by fewer parts. The V8's don't need big rods to make the same power.

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

When you look at the difference of size in the connecting rods, it's no wonder the Cummins is able to hold so much more horsepower! It looks like the Dmax is the worst-off of the whole bunch.

[/IMG]

That's not the DMax rod in that picture, it's the 6. 5 (that's an old picture). The Ford rod is the 7. 3L



Here's what the DMax and 6L rods look like compared to the Cummins