Impressions on a late purchase of a remaining 2012 2500 Big Horn 4x4

[lawdog1]

Well after owning a great 2003 3500 that I errantly parted with in late 2005 and then a 2010 Jetta TDI to reignite my diesel fire, I upgraded from a 2011 Ram 1500 to a 2012 2500 Big Horn CTD 4x4 in early May.



My story is... I went to dealer to get a battery for the key fob in 1500 and decided to nose around the new truck lot since it was "Truck Month. " They had one 2012 CTD left and with $4500 in incentives, some aggressive pre-rebate pricing, excellent financing and a great trade in price so I was given no excuse to leave the dealership without my new beast. I guess it was meant to be and I must say the smiles have been big and frequent as I have reacquainted myself with the addictive turbo whine (muted but still there as compared to my 2003. )



My first impressions are all positive. My Jetta TDI used a particulate filter with regens every 150 to 200 miles and I never had an issue with it in the 70K miles I had it... and my first 1600 miles in my new CTD have been similarly worry/hassle free. I do not really do short drives given my work (which is good from what I read) and when I tow (probably twice a month for 500 miles or so on each occassion) I expect the trailer to be around 7. 5K lbs... light for this truck, but my open road time should permit passive regens regularly. My initial impressions are: the power is plentiful, the ride firm but comfortable and the truck very stout. I have no complaints.



Since I got the last 2012 on the lot there was no option shopping and the truck does have some option quirks if you will (like remote start, but no "U Connect". ) I do have the 4. 10 rear end with limited slip, but I must say it has not been an issue on the interstate (about 2K RPM at 75 mph) and it should be great for heavier towing and once I get 315's it should be even better. My initial mileage numbers have been 14. 26, 14. 18, 15. 26, 15. 11 mpg on my first four tanks of mixed driving but more highway than city. I have added 5" oval tube steps, an ARE tonneau, vent visors to date and cab clearance lights and window tinting will be installed by the end of the month. It is coming together nicely and I am glad to be back in the fold.



Got to go read some back issues of TDR!!

 

[AFurrh]

Glad you're back. Congrats on the truck; keep us posted!

 

[RonD]

Welcome back, I went from a 2005 to 2012, the 12 has been trouble free and now has 25000 miles, you have all the knowledge it takes, drive it and enjoy, I hope yours treats you as well as mine has

 

[Cummins12V98]

Welcome back, I went from a 2005 to 2012, the 12 has been trouble free and now has 25000 miles, you have all the knowledge it takes, drive it and enjoy, I hope yours treats you as well as mine has

Yes welcome back!

RonD

I just turned over 25K on my 11 and it has been trouble free. Washer bottle recall and the General tires are JUNK and just replaced with Michelins that should have came on it in the first place.

 

[lawdog1]

Towed for the first time this week. The trailer weighed 6. 5K to 7K lbs. I was very impressed with the truck (I know this weight is not even pushing the truck) and the exhaust brake was particularly impressive... with solid application of the brake the downshifts and exhaust braking was very impressive, almost like a manual downshifts with the brake engaging... . very nice. Mileage with the trailer running 76 mph was 10. 1 MPG w/ 4. 10 gears. Not the best, but 2 mpg better than my 1500 w/ the Hemi.

I need to do some reading on the integrated trailer brake controller, I had a aftermarket draw tight controller on my 1500 and you could adjust the level of braking (0-10) and the speed or rate at which the brake engaged (0-100%). With the aftermarket system you could really fine tune the brakes on the trailer as the weight and conditions changed, I did not see how to adjust the speed/rate at which the brake engage on the integrated controller on my first use and ended up dialing in more brake (8 vs. 6) in the trailer than I used to with the after market controller to compensate and get a good feel. ... it may be on there but I could not figure it out on the fly and need to do some reading. Any thoughts or advice on the operation of the integrated brake controller are welcome.

 

[Cummins12V98]

Harvey will tell you your controller is crap. But the 12 and newer are good controllers. Go into the EVIC and you will be able to select light or heavy electric or hydraulic brakes. Then adjust up or down on the controller as needed.

 

[lawdog1]

My trailer has electric brakes and I had the controller set on light trailer electric brakes. I will try heavy trailer electric and hopefully that will increase the engage rate. Hopefully that will give me a little quicker/more solid engage and let me dial less brake into the trailer. Fully loaded the trailer weighs 7K... so it is a light trailer by my reckoning, but if setting it to heavy will improve the brake feel I will give it a try. I'll update after I tow next time to see how she stops with the change. Thanks for the input.

 

[lawdog1]

A few more questions for input:

My truck looks level in stock form, do you not need a leveling kit with the 4th Gen trucks? ... I "needed" one on my 3rd Gen with bigger tires.

Is anyone running 315's on a 4th gen 2500? If "yes" I would welcome input on you whether the leveling kit is needed/desirable. Also regarding wheel flares, is the MOPAR flare that is on the Power Wagon and Laramie's sufficient with 315's or do you need a bigger/wider flare? My Big Horn did not come with flares and I like the look of the factory flare if it will give you the coverage you need for 315's.

Also what are folks impressions regarding the stock shocks? ... and what shock would be the best for an upgrade if it is worth the money to do so.

I don't expect to tow over 10K at present and if I do I will probably look at putting on air bags if I expect to regularly tow north of 10K. The write up on the Pac Brake bags with ping tanks in recent issues was a good read. What is the tow weight (generally) where you may want to consider air bags and does the addition of them give you any non-towing benefits other than load leveling when carry heavy in the bed? Finally, will bags give you increased carrying or tow capacity or should you still stay within Dodge's tow limits for your VIN even with bags?

Thank you for your thoughts.

 

[lawdog1]

Fuel Mileage and 2012 vs 2013 Truck musings... .

I have 3700 miles on my 2012 truck at present and have been tracking mileage with a pen and paper since I picked it up. With mixed driving city & highway, driving like I normally do (not hot dogging but not creeping), I will get 13 to 13. 5 mpg. Towing I have averaged 10 to 11 mpg. Best I have seen on the highway (I cruise about 76mph) is 15. 25 mpg. I know the engine is not broken in and I have 4. 10 gears... but that is not good MPG in my opinion. I love the truck, but not that mileage. In my 2003. 5 I had 3. 73 gears, 315 tires and an Edge box set on level 3 and I could get 16-17 around town and 18-20 on the highway (with a one time best of 21. 5 mpg) depending on how heavy my foot was. ... but I understand I do have an extra 25 HP and 200 lbs of Torque and a tight/un-broken in engine in the 2012 truck which must be considered.

I do consider the 10% extra mileage reported in the 2013 truck very nice and attractive and using rough, rough numbers I think a 2013 truck would save on the order of $750-$850 per year in operating costs over a 2012 if you ran 20K miles per year (2012 using more fuel and 2 more oil changes, 2013 having the added minor expense of DEF. ) That said when I factor in how much I saved on the purchase price considering rebate and aggressive pricing on my 2012 truck vs. a 2013 truck in May 2013... . it would take me 8 years or so to recoup the extra money I would have spent on a 2013 (not including any calculations for the present value of money/interest accrual, etc. ) My 2012 will be long since paid for and fully accessoried and broken in by then.

... So while I am not happy with the fuel mileage of the 2012 at present, I will deal with it and hope it improves to maybe 15 in mixed use driving when the engine is broken in. ... finger and toes commencing operation cross.

 

[wyosteve]

Lawdog, your thinking is just like mine was. I traded my 04. 5 for a 2012 after considering waiting for a 2013. With the amount I saved off of MSRP plus the trade allowance, it would take so long to recoup that amount, even with 10% better mileage and reduced oil changes, that it became a no brainer. fwiw, I now have 12k on the 2012 and mileage has increased about 10% from new, so there is hope. I'm still happy with my decision and can still use the big boy pumps!

 

[lawdog1]

My 2012 is breaking in nicely, have 12. 9K miles on it now. I do a lot of highway driving and have probably towed 2K worth of those miles. With the 4. 10's, the highway sweet spot is 68-72 mph... . the slower the better, but I have slowed down to this from 76-78 mph highway cruise, so I am usually 70-72 on the interstate, any slower is just plain slow. My best mileage to date is a 17. 26 mpg on a 370 mile run, and a 16. 6 on a 480 mile run. Much worse than my 2003, but much better than 15. 25 I was seeing at first. I believe once it is fully broken in, I will be able to get 17. 5 to 18 mpg if I held it at 68 mph on the interstate, maybe a 1/2 mpg better if I went slower but that will likely be it. I will get some 315's when the stock 265's wear out and that should help the mpg some I would think (bring the gearing down to a somewhere near a 3. 73 in actuality... or close to it, I believe. ) Also I get 10 to 11 mpg towing (7K lbs) which is 3-4 mpg better than I was getting towing with a Hemi in my 2011 Ram 1500.



I have been changing the oil about 4. 5K out of convenience not b/c the EVIC tells me to... . I usually change it around that time if I am about to go on a trip b/c I don't want to get on the road and have the EVIC say it is time for a change. I think it would do 5K or a bit more w/ my driving habits, and I am going to wait on the EVIC next time. It still freaks me out a bit how black the oil is 1K miles after a change so I am inclined to change it early. I got the essential care oil change plan at the dealership and my plan was $42. 22 per oil change, that makes it more platable. Talked to the dealer at the last oil change about the 24K differential fluid change interval... that is surprisingly short in my opinion, but apparently it was 15K on some older models. My truck came with a "lifetime powertrain warranty", so I will do it a 24K to keep things in effect, but wow at $350 for front & rear chunk service every 24K seems about 2 to 3 times quicker a service interval than necessary (but it is putting a lot of power through the differential. ) All those nits are just that nits, I will just smile and enjoy the truck... . I do everytime I crank and drive it!! What a beastly machine.

 

[wyosteve]

Thanks for the update Lawdog. I'll reciprocate. I now have almost 18k on mine and the mileage has continued to improve. If I can keep the speed down, I'll get 18 or a bit over unloaded. Picked up a 24 ft. horse trailer last weekend and averaged 11. 5 on the drive back running 70 to 75. That is just a bit under what my 04. 5 would get. I have 3. 73 gears and 285/75 tires. Around town, stop and go type driving is about 15. Like you, I have been changing my oil at 5k intervals. I've not had the evic tell me to change it before that and I've not waited until the truck tells me to change, except for the dumb move I made by forgetting to properly re-set the oil change indicator. Overall, I'm still happy with the truck. Refinements are light years ahead of the 04. 5. Love the Longhorn interior, the auto and exhaust brake. Trailer brake controller works fine for my use. Good luck as the miles accumulate.

 

[wyosteve]

Thanks for the update Lawdog. I'll reciprocate. I now have almost 18k on mine and the mileage has continued to improve. If I can keep the speed down, I'll get 18 or a bit over unloaded. Picked up a 24 ft. horse trailer last weekend and averaged 11. 5 on the drive back running 70 to 75. That is just a bit under what my 04. 5 would get. I have 3. 73 gears and 285/75 tires. Around town, stop and go type driving is about 15. Like you, I have been changing my oil at 5k intervals. I've not had the evic tell me to change it before that and I've not waited until the truck tells me to change, except for the dumb move I made by forgetting to properly re-set the oil change indicator. Overall, I'm still happy with the truck. Refinements are light years ahead of the 04. 5. Love the Longhorn interior, the auto and exhaust brake. Trailer brake controller works fine for my use. Good luck as the miles accumulate.

 

[lawdog1]

The exhaust brake is the best improvement over my 2003 hand's down, with the extra power, intergrated brake controller, interior and new truck smell coming in next. I figured out how to work the brake controller in the EVIC and have found it very useful since then. :-laf

 

[RUSSELL5000]

Lawdog1,



I have a 2012 2500 CC 4WD. I do not do any in town driving; my driving has all been on the highway alone or towing our camper (9K). I live two miles from work and use a Jeep Patriot to go back and forth. I would not use the truck to commute even if there were no emissions systems clogging stuff up - just can't see using a Cummins to go back and forth two miles.



I have gotten somewhat better mileage than you report, but I never get far over 70 mph. I notice when I pop over 70 mph that the mileage takes a hit real quick. I have a thread on my newby mileage experiences.



I am commonly seeing 11. 5 to 12. 0 towing the camper - run on the interstate at right about 68 mph 95% of the time.



I just got to 10K miles. I change the oil more often than needed from what I read in the TDR (have changed three times now). I also just changed the fuel filter - again before due. I know that I flow against the TDR writing, but frequent filter and fluid changes let me rest easy as I contemplate my $10,000 Cummins under the hood.



From my review of the TDR and posts here, the revised emissions system for the 2013 and subsequent trucks is a big improvement, and better fuel economy and longer oil change intervals will be realized. I did not understand all of this when I bought my truck - a total uneducated buyer new to a diesel truck. I did not get all that great a deal, and I would have recouped the 2012 to 2013 cost difference in four years or so. Hindsight shows I should have waited for a 2013.



All that being said - I LOVE MY TRUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe how great my truck is and I have had the greatest time driving down to the TDR CMEP rally in June, back and forth to Florida, pulling the camper all over this summer, etc. I have decided to leave the dollar analysis behind at this point and just enjoy the truck. These are great trucks even with the technical challenges posed by the required emissions systems. Just climbing behind the wheel and turning the key brings a giant smile to my face.



Does it get any better than that?

 

[pvanwig]

Iv'e had a 2001 2wd /2006 4x4/1998 4x4 /2012 4x4 in that order the 98 with 5 speed others with auto the 12 with 18K has Avg 14. 34 mostly with out trailer (14' box max about 4k) I run between Long Beach (sea level) and Big Bear (7440') all the time. On a run to Long Beach - Tuson with piano delivery, very light, I got 13. 4. But coming home empty I wound it up to 75 in AZ and it dropped to 12. Back in May I did a 5714 trip around the middle of the country. Since I got the truck in November and retired in Febuary It was time to go visit family. (A good excuse to put some break in miles on)

My 2001 2wd got 22mpg @100K the 2006 17. 5 @ 26k (I broke it) the 1998 had 55k on it and I drove it to 120k and it never got above 18, I think it got to much short haul when new.

I really like the truck except for all the inside chrome that shines under my dark glasses!