Tow vehicle ram 1500 v6

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by Chotch

Why not use cruise control? Do it all the time towing or not. Works great on my F150.

Me too, unless it is raining or if I am on a substantial down grade. And as far as the 10 speed F-150 transmission is concerned, it shifts much smoother than with of the six speed F-150s I’ve had. I only use the Tow/Haul mode if I am in the mountains.

[Chotch]

Originally Posted by C&G in FL

Me too, unless it is raining or if I am on a substantial down grade. And as far as the 10 speed F-150 transmission is concerned, it shifts much smoother than with of the six speed F-150s I’ve had. I only use the Tow/Haul mode if I am in the mountains.

🤔 So why use Tow/Haul only in the mountains? I use mine whenever trailer is hooked up.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

I do use cruise unhitched but if my memory serves me right the manual says not while towing. I guess because you hit the brakes to deactivate can cause issues while towing with cruise activated.

Lots of people on the various Dodge forums use cruise control while towing. I would think with your marathon drives to Osoyoos you would find the use of cruise control less tiring, Jim. I wonder if the Ram owner’s manual frowns on cruise control if it comes from the Legal Department. With the electronics in today’s vehicles, Chrysler could easily deactivate cruise control when a trailer is connected the same way Ford deactivates the auto-stop function when a trailer is connected, but they didn’t. Hmmm.
I wouldn’t be manually applying the trailer brakes while on cruise control, however, but Any vehicle I have owned with cruise control deactivates it with a slight tap on the brake.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by Chotch

🤔 So why use Tow/Haul only in the mountains? I use mine whenever trailer is hooked up.

I tested (maybe not the greatest test) on a trip to my son’s home @650 miles away (Tampa area to Huntsville, AL, all relatively flat. On the way up I used the tow/haul mode. On the way home I did not. Using Shell (87 octane) and refilling at the same gas station approximately half way, I got better fuel mileage when NOT using the tow/haul mode. If I were towing a heavier trailer I would probably use tow/haul 100% of the time. But in the mountains, the shifting profile of tow haul is superior, especially on long downgrades.

[Chotch]

Originally Posted by C&G in FL

I tested (maybe not the greatest test) on a trip to my son’s home @650 miles away (Tampa area to Huntsville, AL, all relatively flat. On the way up I used the tow/haul mode. On the way home I did not. Using Shell (87 octane) and refilling at the same gas station approximately half way, I got better fuel mileage when NOT using the tow/haul mode. If I were towing a heavier trailer I would probably use tow/haul 100% of the time. But in the mountains, the shifting profile of tow haul is superior, especially on long downgrades.

Interesting, how much difference in mileage? Where you watching transmission temp?
Just curious.

[TTMartin]

Originally Posted by Chotch

Interesting, how much difference in mileage? Where you watching transmission temp?
Just curious.

The most likely reason for the decreased fuel mileage is tow/haul will use engine braking to maintain cruise control speed on down grades, where without it speeds and its inherent momentum can build. That means slightly less fuel used as you can 'coast' further before engine power needs to be applied.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by Chotch

Interesting, how much difference in mileage? Where you watching transmission temp?
Just curious.

About .2 mpg difference; not a huge amount. When it gets up to normal operating temperature, according to the digital readout, the transmission stays between 202° and 204°. It only varies if I tow a long upgrade, but on the downgrade returns to where it was. Anticipating your next question, I have seen the transmission temperature climb to 232° during an extended uphill climb in the Rockies.

[Chotch]

Originally Posted by C&G in FL

About .2 mpg difference; not a huge amount. When it gets up to normal operating temperature, according to the digital readout, the transmission stays between 202° and 204°. It only varies if I tow a long upgrade, but on the downgrade returns to where it was. Anticipating your next question, I have seen the transmission temperature climb to 232° during an extended uphill climb in the Rockies.

What about engine braking, on my truck in tow mode it’s significant, no so much regular. It actually feels stronger too as the shift points aren’t the same. As to the improved mileage, pretty sure .2 mpg is easily margin of error, no?

[cpaharley2008]

My tow/haul mode impacts shift points and thus rpms.Also the engine braking is more noticeable. The engine is not working as hard but gas efficiency may drop. It all depends what you want, a horse that has been treated right or one that has been rode hard....you paid for it so why not use it?

[steve dunham]

The engineers who designed my vehicle and the manufacturer of my vehicle thought that tow haul was important enough to include it as standard equipment on my vehicle .
I paid for it and now I am going to refuse to use it because my fuel mileage drops .01 MPG
That logic escapes me !!
If fuel mileage is that big of a concern then why would anyone buy a trailer that cuts your fuel mileage by 30 to 40% ?

[Pembyescape]

Back to the V6 vs V8... The Pentastar V6 1500 can be configured to tow over 7K people tow with much less and seem to be happy. Ie the Highlanders, Pilots etc. It all comes down to how you will use your truck aside from towing the 19’. If that is its heaviest use then I’d buy the V6 - they are very nice engines even if not large displacement or turbo. Sometimes you don’t need a sledgehammer.

[felix2]

I have a 1500 V6, but most of the V6s have the 3.21 rear end, which seriously limits tow rating (although you get great gas mileage). The V8 with the same 3.21 tows much more. If I could find the V6 with a lower gearing in the rear end, I wouldn't be limited to 3350# towing.


That said, I'm upgrading to a V8 when my 21NE is ready in September....

[Videocrafters]

So do most gas stations across the country carry diesel fuel? My concern is that I am in the middle of nowhere and the next gas station does not carry diesel.

[TTMartin]

Originally Posted by Videocrafters

So do most gas stations across the country carry diesel fuel? My concern is that I am in the middle of nowhere and the next gas station does not carry diesel.

I've driven a diesel for over 15 years, never had a problem finding fuel.

edit:

DIESEL DRIVERS FUEL LOCATOR

Finding diesel is fuel is not a problem. 55 percent of retail fuel sites in North America offer diesel fuel and it is increasingly being integrated into the main pump islands rather than locating diesel pumps elsewhere on the gas station property.

With some diesel cars having ranges of over 700 miles on a single tank full of fuel, you will have plenty of time to find the closest station with diesel fuel. Diesel car owners enjoy 20-40 percent more miles per gallon and with it the greater freedom from stopping frequently to fill up.

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by Videocrafters

So do most gas stations across the country carry diesel fuel? My concern is that I am in the middle of nowhere and the next gas station does not carry diesel.

Next question is, "will they carry diesel in the future"? Diesel vehicles are banned in London, England, with others following the example.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by davidmurphy02

I pulled a trailer for many years with a 1998 Ram. It had a 5.9 V8 that had horsepower and torque comparable to the current Pentastar V6. We always got where we needed to go, but in the mountains out west - where we traveled a lot - it struggled on long grades.

We now have a 2019 Ram 5.7 hemi. Far greater horsepower, but better gas mileage than our old 98 5.9. With the 8 speed transmission towing is a dream - and your 19 would be lighter than our 5.0TA so you'd hardly notice it back there. Love the extra power of the V8, easy acceleration when needed, and people generally don't get a huge improvement in towing MPG with the V6.

What percentage of your driving will be towing? If that's the primary use for your truck I'd recommend the V8. If you will also use the truck as a daily driver and not pull big loads often then the V6 would get you by....but you will definitely appreciate the V8 when towing.

Dave ; what rearend ratio do you have ?
When I bought my 2019 Ram , I was told by the dealer that the max tow package consisted of the Hemi V8 , factory trailer hitch , integrated brake controller , 4&7 pin receptacle , larger fuel tank , and a 3.92 anti slip rearend . I could never find an exact list of what’s included on the Ram website .
My previous Ram had the 3.55 rearend which was a compromise between fuel mileage and towing capacity.

[davidmurphy02]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

Dave ; what rearend ratio do you have ?
When I bought my 2019 Ram , I was told by the dealer that the max tow package consisted of the Hemi V8 , factory trailer hitch , integrated brake controller , 4&7 pin receptacle , larger fuel tank , and a 3.92 anti slip rearend . I could never find an exact list of what’s included on the Ram website .
My previous Ram had the 3.55 rearend which was a compromise between fuel mileage and towing capacity.

I didn't get the max tow package but I have everything you listed (and tow mirrors) except the 3.92, I got the 3.21 differential. Went back and forth on which way to go with that, but the Hemi has so much power and the 5.0TA is so relatively light that it sure seemed like the 3.21 would do just fine. With the 8 speed transmission it can easily shift down when needed for climbing or passing, and when I'm not towing I get the benefit of higher mileage with the 3.21 - best of both worlds. We've done a bunch of mountain grades out west and I've found that I've always had plenty of power to go whatever speed I wanted climbing any grade.

[cpaharley2008]

My 2009 Hemi with 5 speed auto had the 3:55 and like I mentioned 12 mpg towing or not. The 2014 Hemi with 8 speed and 3:21 rear gets 20 unhitched and 14-15 hitched. The payload though is only like 1300 lbs.

[Radar1]

Several years ago I had a Ram 1500 with the V-6 they had at the time, a 3.7 I believe. It was a dog.

Fast forward several years and I have a Dodge Durango with the Pentastar V6 and an 8 speed transmission. It tows our 3,000 lb Scamp easily and the difference in perceived power is amazing! Torque start down low in the RPM band and the 8 speeds really help. I suspect the Ram V-6 properly geared would perform very well with an Escape.

Not sure how the Durango will perform with our future 19 Escape, (Durango V6 with tow pacakge is rated 6200 lbs), but we have a 4 cylinder Ford Ranger with Ecoboost and 10 speed transmission for that task (rated 7,500 lbs).

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Videocrafters

So do most gas stations across the country carry diesel fuel? My concern is that I am in the middle of nowhere and the next gas station does not carry diesel.

Decades ago, when diesel cars first became somewhat popular in North America, this was a real concern. Even then commercial trucks used diesel so there was fuel in every area, but often not in the retail stations where private cars usually go; now diesel engines are very popular in larger pickup trucks so diesel fuel is very widely available and it's not an issue. Within a station, often only one or two pumps have diesel, so you do have to pull up to the right one, but that's usually the pump that's easiest for large vehicles to reach.

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Next question is, "will they carry diesel in the future"? Diesel vehicles are banned in London, England, with others following the example.

Diesel vehicles are not banned in London, and there is not even a current plan to ban them.

The UK is expected to ban sales of new vehicles with both gasoline and diesel engines, currently planned for 2035; that's sales, not operation. The majority of vehicles in the UK are diesel-fueled (essentially all trucks and many cars), and there isn't even a plan to get rid of them, so there will need to be fuel for them for at least three decades to come. While diesel cars are much less common here, trucking is just as dependent on diesel and so the fuel supply situation is similar.

There are specific streets in London where diesel vehicles are already not allowed to operate, but that's not where anyone is likely to tow their caravan (as they call travel trailers there). There is a larger Ultra Low Emission Zone in which any vehicle (regardless of fuel used) must meet stringent emission standards or pay a fee... but any street-legal vehicle can still operate there, just by paying the fee.

A future ban on sales and a current fee for operation in a specific zone are very different from a diesel ban in the city.