Don't direct your frustration toward Cummins. The engine is plenty strong. It's de-tuned to keep from breaking the Dodge drive-train - per Dodge. At Columbus, one of the Cummins engineers told us the ceiling on the new engine is CONSIDERABLY higher. They can keep turning up the power to keep ahead of the competition for quite awhile on this engine. It's Dodge who's holding it back right now.
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Dodge and the new cummins, Last place
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Don't direct your frustration toward Cummins. The engine is plenty strong. It's de-tuned to keep from breaking the Dodge drive-train - per Dodge. At Columbus, one of the Cummins engineers told us the ceiling on the new engine is CONSIDERABLY higher. They can keep turning up the power to keep ahead of the competition for quite awhile on this engine. It's Dodge who's holding it back right now.
"They can keep turning up the power to keep ahead of the competition for quite awhile on this engine. "
WELL, ya see, THAT'S the PROBLEM!
First, we already KNOW what they CAN do - it's the FACT that instead of "keeping ahead", They are seemingly satisfied to stay at the REAR of the pack... .
SECOND, if the REST of their dern drivetrain is sub-standard to the point they MUST keep the power turned down as we ALL *know* is the case (so does the competition!), then whyinhell don't they hire some new mechanical engineers to FIX that problem?
WELL, ya see, THAT'S the PROBLEM!
First, we already KNOW what they CAN do - it's the FACT that instead of "keeping ahead", They are seemingly satisfied to stay at the REAR of the pack... .
SECOND, if the REST of their dern drivetrain is sub-standard to the point they MUST keep the power turned down as we ALL *know* is the case (so does the competition!), then whyinhell don't they hire some new mechanical engineers to FIX that problem?
Yes, Gary, I understand. My point was that it's in Dodge's hands. Cummins has held up their end. Bob's original post indicated that the engine is sub-par. That's not the case.
amsoilman
Staff Alumni
It seems to me that when the CTD first appeared, back in 89', it was very much ahead of BOTH the Ford and GM! As I recall, the Ford didn't even come close to the pulling power until 95' and the GM side just barely did some 11 years LATER!
As far as the rest of the vehicle is concerned, here again when Dodge introduced the 2nd gen trucks, the others followed, and in my opinion, they are just catching up!
Wayne
amsoilman
I don't know who you guys are defending your trucks too 
Whenever I talk to a guy driving a Chevy DuraMax or Ford PS I tell them they have a nice looking truck. They say the same to me. I have never had anyone say anything negative to my face about my Dodge trucks or Cummins. If any of you have you might want to start hitting the Gym and pumpin some iron. Its not the truck they are insulting its you :-laf :-laf
Whenever I talk to a guy driving a Chevy DuraMax or Ford PS I tell them they have a nice looking truck. They say the same to me. I have never had anyone say anything negative to my face about my Dodge trucks or Cummins. If any of you have you might want to start hitting the Gym and pumpin some iron. Its not the truck they are insulting its you :-laf :-laf
Joseph Donnelly
TDR MEMBER
Back in 1993-4 the truck magazines noted the good mechanical innovations and the value of the Cummins engine, but howled at how ugly the new Dodge was. They said some folks would buy it whether or not they could stand the looks, etc.
You never read such junk now that Drof and even Rocky have copied the look! Just like you NEVER read anything bad about certain ricers in the rags, you will frequently see articles slanted toward the heavy advertisers, givers of freebies, etc.
In Texas, I saw almost nothing but Dodges. Virtually all of them had heavy trailers. Wherever you see trucks actually put to the test, you will see the Cummins-powered Dodge on top, by a wide margin.
You never read such junk now that Drof and even Rocky have copied the look! Just like you NEVER read anything bad about certain ricers in the rags, you will frequently see articles slanted toward the heavy advertisers, givers of freebies, etc.
In Texas, I saw almost nothing but Dodges. Virtually all of them had heavy trailers. Wherever you see trucks actually put to the test, you will see the Cummins-powered Dodge on top, by a wide margin.
Louisiana people around new Orleans are ford people and they always will be. i hear all the time i cant believe you bought a dodge. now all i am hearing is i cant believe you bought another dodge. (i had alot of problems with my 99') i dont care i bought the truck for the cummins. now i feel confident that the truck (03) will match the cummins. the DEE part of my new truck will help
the 03' truck being quite is already winning many many people over.
as far a dodge goes with there marketing for the hd trucks it sucks the cummins diesel barely gets mentioned.
i have always envisioned a commercial that goes like this: a man sitting at a red light looking over at some monster equipment working on a construction site and then all of a sudden the camera zooms into that equipment and show a cummins badge on their motors. then the day dreaming man is a awaken by his buddy who is telling him to hurry up the light is green and he snaps back into reality and pops the clutch on hiw eth/dee to get his 30' goos-neck moving. the commercial closes out with a zoom into the day dreaming mans truck and shows the cummins badge. now i think that would be cool. you could make a series of commercials that would spin off of this one a man looking at a ship etc. etc. HEY DODGE IF YOU ARE READING WAKE UP USE THE CUMMINS TO YOU ADVANTAGE IT IS THE BEST THING YOU HAVE GOING Oo.
the 03' truck being quite is already winning many many people over. as far a dodge goes with there marketing for the hd trucks it sucks the cummins diesel barely gets mentioned.
i have always envisioned a commercial that goes like this: a man sitting at a red light looking over at some monster equipment working on a construction site and then all of a sudden the camera zooms into that equipment and show a cummins badge on their motors. then the day dreaming man is a awaken by his buddy who is telling him to hurry up the light is green and he snaps back into reality and pops the clutch on hiw eth/dee to get his 30' goos-neck moving. the commercial closes out with a zoom into the day dreaming mans truck and shows the cummins badge. now i think that would be cool. you could make a series of commercials that would spin off of this one a man looking at a ship etc. etc. HEY DODGE IF YOU ARE READING WAKE UP USE THE CUMMINS TO YOU ADVANTAGE IT IS THE BEST THING YOU HAVE GOING Oo.
"I can understand where some of the guys are coming from - they get TIRED of always having to be on the defensive where their trucks are concerned - sure, our trucks are the best on the road in OUR eyes - but it sure would be nice if DC made a more determined effort to project a better image to the buying public instead uf US having to constantly do it FOR them! Some guys get sorta tired of having to rationalize and make excuses for the way the general public and owners of competing trucks view OUR pride and joy! " ... ... ... ... ... . My truck only has to prove its worth to me!... ... As a railroad contractor, I have put over 180k Hard working miles on my truck & couldn't be more satisfied. I depend on it daily to haul my fat a** & needed equipment everywhere (on & off road), To those of us who know enough to appreciate the value of a heavy duty work truck (pickup) there is only one choice. Admittedly, the capabilities of the heavy duty lineup of all of the big-3 far exceeds the demands of 90% of Diesel pickup truck buyers. So what if one brand will go from 0-60 (with 4 bags of groceries or A half full trash can in the bed) faster than my ram, my finish line will be the million mile mark when I finally retire this thing & get a third gen. 
I like to tell the Ford and Chevy guys that my Dodge has not been back to the shop, except for a minor recall since I bought it. Sure it has only 45k, but a guy I work with has 105k on his '99 2500 CTD and it too has never been back, with the exception of two recalls.
The guys at work are chevy guys, they constantly have check engine lights, alternator problems, body part problems and they LOVE their trucks. They wouldn't even consider buying another brand, especially a DODGE. But that's THEIR problem. Also, none of them own a Duramax, "cost's too much money". They pull their campers with v-8's. "They got plenty of power", even though they can only go 65 on a flat highway, no wind.
The guys I ride ATVs and pull campers with have mostly have PS Fords. They seem to be in the shop a every so often for motor related problems and auto transmission problems, they seldom get over 10 mpg and they LOVE their trucks. Sure Ford Motor Company give the greens 10's of millions of dollars to close public lands to trail users (ATVs and dirtbike) and campers, but they don't mind, they LOVE their trucks. They wouldn't even consider buying another brand, especially a DODGE.
It just about kills me to see a Ford advertised on TV with dirtbikes in the back knowing Bill Ford and his corporate do gooders are giving (paying off) tens of millions to the greens to help kill family based motorized recreation and RV recreation. Do you ever see Ford sponsor many (if any) motorized off-road events or camping events? Dodge, Chevy and others do.
But the kicker to get their eyes rolling is when I tell 'em that NO truck should have a failure if maintained properly and used reasonably (with a little bit of Dukes of Hazard driving?!) during the first 75k to 100k, no matter what brand it is. They have accepted the reasoning that their vehicles are going to have to be in the shop, because they “think” ALL trucks are that way.
When I was a Chevy man, I carried spare parts on long trips because I knew I may be having a break down in the middle of no where, and boy I can tell some good stories. I still liked my Chevys. Out here in NE, KS, CO, OK, SD, WY, and NM, there are towns on the map but no one lives there anymore. I often drive off of the interstate highways to avoid traffic. A dependable vehicle is important.
That's why I've owned three Dodge trucks and have NEVER had a problem on the road with them and ordered a new DODGE. I no longer worry about breaking down. I'm not saying they are the BEST, but they've worked exceptionally well for me.
The guys at work are chevy guys, they constantly have check engine lights, alternator problems, body part problems and they LOVE their trucks. They wouldn't even consider buying another brand, especially a DODGE. But that's THEIR problem. Also, none of them own a Duramax, "cost's too much money". They pull their campers with v-8's. "They got plenty of power", even though they can only go 65 on a flat highway, no wind.
The guys I ride ATVs and pull campers with have mostly have PS Fords. They seem to be in the shop a every so often for motor related problems and auto transmission problems, they seldom get over 10 mpg and they LOVE their trucks. Sure Ford Motor Company give the greens 10's of millions of dollars to close public lands to trail users (ATVs and dirtbike) and campers, but they don't mind, they LOVE their trucks. They wouldn't even consider buying another brand, especially a DODGE.
It just about kills me to see a Ford advertised on TV with dirtbikes in the back knowing Bill Ford and his corporate do gooders are giving (paying off) tens of millions to the greens to help kill family based motorized recreation and RV recreation. Do you ever see Ford sponsor many (if any) motorized off-road events or camping events? Dodge, Chevy and others do.
But the kicker to get their eyes rolling is when I tell 'em that NO truck should have a failure if maintained properly and used reasonably (with a little bit of Dukes of Hazard driving?!) during the first 75k to 100k, no matter what brand it is. They have accepted the reasoning that their vehicles are going to have to be in the shop, because they “think” ALL trucks are that way.
When I was a Chevy man, I carried spare parts on long trips because I knew I may be having a break down in the middle of no where, and boy I can tell some good stories. I still liked my Chevys. Out here in NE, KS, CO, OK, SD, WY, and NM, there are towns on the map but no one lives there anymore. I often drive off of the interstate highways to avoid traffic. A dependable vehicle is important.
That's why I've owned three Dodge trucks and have NEVER had a problem on the road with them and ordered a new DODGE. I no longer worry about breaking down. I'm not saying they are the BEST, but they've worked exceptionally well for me.
Last edited:
TO QUOTE MYSELF:
Being first on race day would be nice, but when considering the whole package, Dodge 2003 HD Rams are light years ahead of the competition in all other areas. Just consider the weight difference. With the 2003 Dodge Ram CTD, you're getting 800 to 1000 lbs. more steel. (That may be the reason the el cheapo competition is a slight bit quicker on race day)!!!!!!!!!
Then there's the ride and comfort qualities. If a luxury pick-up truck was ever built, this is it!
Sports-car like handling is another attribute of the 2003 Dodge HD Rams. It feels to me like my 4X4 Quad-Cab Dually darn near steers itself! You just point it and go!
Dodge also has the brakes just right on the new 2003 HD Rams. Perfect pedal feel, and larger diameter rotors than the competition too!!!
The American Axle anti-spin is a winner! Even being a dually, my new CTD is great in snow!
I feel sorry for the poor guys that plan to maintain those V-8 diesels. Open the hoods of the competition, and you can't even see the engines!
Looks are very important to me too. I believe the 2003 HD Rams beat the socks off the competition in that area! Because the new Dodge Rams are selling so well, I'll bet brand F will design another
Chinese copy real soon!
I could go on for hours expounding upon the virtues of my new 2003 CTD, but I'll let someone else take over for awhile. I'm sure the proud forum posts of the 2003 owners will be pouring in for quite some time.
Federal Man
EVEN IF IT WERE NECESSARY TO DEFEND MY NEW BABY, I JUST WOULDN'T HAVE THE TIME. ALL THE SPARE TIME I HAVE IS SPENT BRAGGING ABOUT HER!
Being first on race day would be nice, but when considering the whole package, Dodge 2003 HD Rams are light years ahead of the competition in all other areas. Just consider the weight difference. With the 2003 Dodge Ram CTD, you're getting 800 to 1000 lbs. more steel. (That may be the reason the el cheapo competition is a slight bit quicker on race day)!!!!!!!!!
Then there's the ride and comfort qualities. If a luxury pick-up truck was ever built, this is it!
Sports-car like handling is another attribute of the 2003 Dodge HD Rams. It feels to me like my 4X4 Quad-Cab Dually darn near steers itself! You just point it and go!
Dodge also has the brakes just right on the new 2003 HD Rams. Perfect pedal feel, and larger diameter rotors than the competition too!!!
The American Axle anti-spin is a winner! Even being a dually, my new CTD is great in snow!
I feel sorry for the poor guys that plan to maintain those V-8 diesels. Open the hoods of the competition, and you can't even see the engines!
Looks are very important to me too. I believe the 2003 HD Rams beat the socks off the competition in that area! Because the new Dodge Rams are selling so well, I'll bet brand F will design another
Chinese copy real soon!
I could go on for hours expounding upon the virtues of my new 2003 CTD, but I'll let someone else take over for awhile. I'm sure the proud forum posts of the 2003 owners will be pouring in for quite some time.
Federal Man
EVEN IF IT WERE NECESSARY TO DEFEND MY NEW BABY, I JUST WOULDN'T HAVE THE TIME. ALL THE SPARE TIME I HAVE IS SPENT BRAGGING ABOUT HER!
Ford, Chevy and Dodge all produce pickups made to work.
Personally, I don't understand the move to 'Bomb' a work truck.
Here in central Wyoming, 3/4 and 1 ton trucks work hard, and while people talk about being able to pull a trailer of horses or cattle up a grade at a good clip, no body I know smokes the tires on their truck between stop lights.
I bought my '92 in '92 because of the Cummins, and if I can swing it, I'll buy an'03 for the same reason.
I've had very few problems with my '92 in the past 11 years, but every machine will experience problems from time to time.
As stated in an earlier post, I only have to satisfy myself, and Cummins is what I'm comfortable with.
Personally, I don't understand the move to 'Bomb' a work truck.
Here in central Wyoming, 3/4 and 1 ton trucks work hard, and while people talk about being able to pull a trailer of horses or cattle up a grade at a good clip, no body I know smokes the tires on their truck between stop lights.
I bought my '92 in '92 because of the Cummins, and if I can swing it, I'll buy an'03 for the same reason.
I've had very few problems with my '92 in the past 11 years, but every machine will experience problems from time to time.
As stated in an earlier post, I only have to satisfy myself, and Cummins is what I'm comfortable with.
This reminds me of the numbers game played by mfgrs in the 60s-80s regarding amplifier power, signal to noise ratios, etc. in stereo equipment. Now 100 watts will handle anything per channel in surround sound. Same with HP/TQ. The Duracrax and Powerjokes will be in the junkyard when the CTD is still running strong! I see quite a few pre-94 diesels around N. TX still getting down the road with heavy stock trailers. Ford? Chevy? Nope.
_____________________
99 SLT+ 2500 LWB 4X4, 170k miles with gooseneck set up
rbattelle
TDR MEMBER
It dawned on me this morning why the Powerstroke and Duramax outaccelerate and out top-speed the Cummins.
It's because those engines aren't built to last very long, so they need to get where they're going FAST, before they run out of life.
The Cummins, on the other hand, is immortal. It has all the time in the world to get from point A to B.
It's because those engines aren't built to last very long, so they need to get where they're going FAST, before they run out of life.
The Cummins, on the other hand, is immortal. It has all the time in the world to get from point A to B.
Originally posted by rbattelle
The Cummins, on the other hand, is immortal. It has all the time in the world to get from point A to B.
Too bad we're not. I'm glad I bought my first CTD at 31, and my second at 37 (ok, soon 38). I expect to drive 'til I drop, at the venerable age of 110
DanLast Place???
In the part of Texas I'm from, we call the Fords the "Cowboy Truck", as in Drugstore Cowboy. The Durajokes, there aren't enough to matter anyway. Look on the highway at the "hotshot trucks dragging trailers" and 90% of them will be Dodges. I know, because I'm one. As of this afternoon I had 403,000+ trouble free miles on this truck and will think about a new one when I reach 500,000 miles sometime next year. (By the way, it will be a Dodge. )
In the part of Texas I'm from, we call the Fords the "Cowboy Truck", as in Drugstore Cowboy. The Durajokes, there aren't enough to matter anyway. Look on the highway at the "hotshot trucks dragging trailers" and 90% of them will be Dodges. I know, because I'm one. As of this afternoon I had 403,000+ trouble free miles on this truck and will think about a new one when I reach 500,000 miles sometime next year. (By the way, it will be a Dodge. )
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