Looking at 06 have ?'s

[DWest]

Have been dealing on an 06 1 ton quad cab with 4. 10 gears and auto. What kind of milage can you expect from this setup? My 02 has 3. 55 gears but only 16" tires, where the 06 has 17" tires. Seems to ride much smoother than my 02 and sure is quiet. Got the price down to 20,000 to boot and this one has leather and heated seats. Still having a hard time pulling the pin on the 02 but its got 107,000 miles on it already. DW

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

Mileage all depends on if it's a dually and whether or not it's 4-wheel drive. I know the new ones are nice, I have driven a couple and rode in a 3rd one the other day and they're nicer than the '03 I had. Auto is quite improved over even the earlier 48REs.



Vaughn

 

[BHolm]

Depends a little on how you drive it. I will assume it is a 4x4 being in Wisconsin. Also being from WI you ar forced to obey the speed limits, they are TOUGH there. So if you keep it under 70 , empty cruise, I suspect you will see 16-18 once it is broken in. If you start running over about 2100 rpm watch the economy drop like a stone. If I run my srw megacab 4x4 with 3. 73s at 80-85 across Nebraska I get in the 13's at best.



The fact is, it won't get the milage your old truck did, no way, no how.

 

[DWest]

It's a 4x4

It's a 4x4 with standard rear axle. I also have an exhaust brake and an ATS controler on the 02, how does the Mopar jake workfor you? How do they control the lockup feature for the TC, is it in the factory program or do they add a controler? DW

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

DWest I believe the Jacob/Mopar brake works pretty good, and starting this year there is a "Tow Haul" mode you can select which I believe keeps the TC locked so the brake can be used.



I know there are a lot of pros & cons between new and used, but what a new truck offers over your truck is a more reliable fuel system (fewer CP3s fail than VP44s), more refined truck (and the quality seems to be very good for the most part) and more amenities (if I get one I want a sunroof!).



If you're using the miles of your '02 as an excuse well that doesn't fly with me, I have almost 4 times that on my '96 :right:

 

[TowPro]

If you getting this truck for $20K, that's one heck of a deal. You could afford to get a little worse MPG and still be ahead.



I know my numbers don't count because its a 2wd manual, but it will have the same final ratio as the auto 4:10. 55mph I get 20. 65 I get 18. 5, 75 I don't know, but its going to go down even further.

 

[DWest]

Tow in OD

Is the 48re setup to tow in OD or does the tow haul mode lockout OD? The miles come into play as the transmission is going south and it looks like about $4000 to do it right is the bare minimum cost. Also the front end is wandering bad on uneven roads and there doesn't seem to be a sure fix for this. This is a hard one to call because I do love this truck and is still easy to work on where the new ones are more complicated. DW

 

[TWhiteside]

I have an 06 3500 Dually 4x4 48RE, 4. 10s with about 500 miles on the odometer. I am getting around 14. 5 mpg. I hope this improves some when the truck gets broke-in.



The 48RE has tow/haul or OD lockout. There is a button on the end of the shifter. Press once for Tow/Haul, twice for OD lockout.



TW

 

[BHolm]

I like my mopar jake. I live right in the mountains so I am almost always driving on some sort of grade. I have tested it on a long 6% grade with a full load. You do still need the brakes but much much less. The jake is integrated via the powertrain computer. The trans will lock up the convertor automatically for braking. It then will unlock, downshift, relock, with the brake only coming off momentarily during the shift. You can then manually downshift to second with the brake still engaged and it will do the same dance as it does going from 4-3, all automitically. It is pretty slick.



This is my fourth third gen truck. I looked at some '01-'02s for ranch trucks and just don't think I can go back. The new ones are so much better to drive it is like night and day. If you stay stock or close to it the trans will last. my '03 dually is a work truck that tows heavy for a living. It has almost 100k on it and no trans problems, they are pretty durable. The steering and brakes are much better, the ride is better, the amenities are better, the list goes on. You can also get the old fuel economy if you stick to pre "600" trucks. both of my '03 HO's were/are in the low 20's empty.