Andy1845c said:
Wow
I didn't know you could get a dodge ram with 10 cylinders. Its a gas engine I take it? Whats the advantage of the extra cylinders? Does it give it a torque curve closer to that of a diesel? When it comes to power, i've always been partial to Caterpillars 6 cyl. diesels and to Mack fabled diesel V-8 that they offered in the Superliner trucks. (see my avator
)
The torque curve between the V10 and the Cummins is substantially different. The Cummins produces around 100lb/ft more at several hundred rmps less than the V10. It also maintains the high torque over a flat topped curve versus the V10 gasser's curve looking more like an arch. The Cummins diesel gets an avg fuel economy of 17-22mph versus the V10 miserable 8-14mpg. However when it comes to light trucks, the high cost of diesel fuel in addition to the extra $4000 for the motor, and higher cost maintenance intervals, the V10 wins hands down. The mathematics proves that unless you drive 33,000mi yearly, the diesel is an expensive proposition. Despite the fact that the diesel will outlast most any gas motor, the dealers still juke you on a trade. While the motor is still young at 250Kmi, the rest of the truck has that accumulated wear/tear, as well as them claiming that it's a specialized truck that requires a certain kind of customer, often making for the vehicle to sit on their lot longer. Of course when it comes down to it, they turn around and slap a high price on it and focus on the diesel option as the main selling point.
As for big trucks and heavy equip, I too have always favored CAT motors. Now if you wanna see the world's worst diesel engines, just look eastward at China Diesel. Total, miserable, gutless cr@p. China should stick to making Happy Meal toys!
There are alot of Dodge bashers in this world, but I will say this for Dodge, they teames up with two of the best automotive component companies in the entire world: Cummins Engines & Dana drives. BTW, MACK trucks are made in my home state in Macungie. If you ever get the chance to watch Made In America on the Travel Channel, they have an episode on the mack assembly line.