bama

my buddies new 4 door 4wd duramax is getting the same fuel mileage as my dodge is getting.16.5 run around and around 18 highway.......bama

qmcdt

Hey Bigman,
What's the story on those ATS trans upgrades you were gonna do? I'm looking at a stage II setup from ATS because of the sloppy torque convertor in my '03. I've noticed the slush box effect with my stock trans when I'm pulling my fifth wheel. The tach moves up over 2grand and the speedo puts in for a wakeup call. I put the juice with the attitude in and watch the egt. boost, backdown and the the trans slip religiously and have noticed a bit of slip (always less than 5%) in the convertor. I think it shoud be noted that the lock up of the torque convertor dosen't happen till the output side of it is at it's rated lock up speed and dang do ya ever have to pound it when it unlocked to get it up to lock up speed. I don't like being rough with it and I would sure like to hear how that ATS unit makes things work. I'm gonna note the lock up speeds this week when I haul Baby (the fifth wheel) from Edmonton AB to Creston BC. Maybe I'll cook the stock one. (I call her Baby after the line in the last Matrix movie when Jada Picket Smith bumps the wall with the ship and says "****, Baby's got a fat ***") Share the knowledge gents.

DustyRock

Talked to a guy Friday that hauls equipment and cars. He was a previous CTD owner then in 01 decided to get a DMAX. He sold it in 03 for a CTD, saying it cost him too much to keep on the road. I did not ask for all the details. He loves his Dodge and to my surprise likes his auto trans too.

vootie

I have a 99 Vette for sale... It Will out run the aggressor. John Force dont race a Diesel FC. Nuff Said

osci

Regardless of make and engines, take a ride with j got juice, and holy ssss is the first thing that will come to your' mind,. It's impressive at our nw bomber events when we dyno the rides, but even more impressive when 99% of them are cummins and that 1 wicked dmax with high#s.

bigman

qmcdt, I did the ats tranny mods and they are incredible. Best mod so far. They should leave the factory with these mods. Tranny slip is 1% or less on the attitude, and i get about 1.5 mpg better in the city. Well worth the money. I for one could not stand the stock converter. It made me wanting my 6 speed back. Not any more.

DustyRock

BigMan: Did you have ATS put in their TC also ?

Igor

Having driven an '04 Duramax for 30,000 miles and having bought an '05 CTD, guys..... the Dmax spanks it in any race. I haul a 2500lb+ toolbox in the back. The CTD feels like it has power, but even up hills, if you have to pass, the Dmax will walk away waving and smiling and the CTD will sit there and look stupid thanks to its highly dissapointing stock 4 speed, TC, torque managment, or whatever it has that is holding it back.

The fact is, you buy a truck as a package. The Dmax/allison is a great package.

The Dmax I drove had extreme truck problems. Trim falling off, doors not closing, electornics inside always having problems, and this was a new truck. But the powertrain/running gear gave me ZERO issues in extreeme northern temperatures. And yes, I use this truck for WORK, in the COLD, stock for stock.

I also had a brand new '05 Powerstroke for about 1 month (rental), it had the most top end power, would win a drag race even loaded at WOT against the other trucks.....BUT, the Powerjoke was loud, would not start with a hint of frost, and was, after all....a FORD. I'd never buy one, although the truck itself is a good unit.

I am hoping to make my CTD work good after the warranty is up and I can do some mods to it, but apples to apples (stock for stock), you can tell yourself all you want that the dodge will pull, pass and outdo the competition.... keep dreaming.

Maybe the Dmax is not as strong/reliable as the Cumminz, but the Dodge tranny more then ruins any advantage the CTD might have.

I like the dodge a lot, but, its not fast, and it does not do anything too well at WOT. I am very dissapointed in the transmission. I bought a Dodge hoping they fixed it with the 48 trans, but am not happy. Lack of OD lockout on the '05 is a joke.

This is my .02 cents, real world, real work.

bigman

My thoughts exactly. The stock 48re pales grossly in comparison to the allison. The ats mods level things out abit. The rest of the truck in my opinion is better than the chevy offering ,and towers over the ford. My 2004 powerstroke was awful. My 2003 duramax was decent.

Igor

Yes, I do like the Dodge truck better, and am not really dissapointed in buying it, but, am dissapointed in the WOT performance.

You said the tranny mods helped? I am tempted to do something even though I'll void my long warranty. What's the point of having warranty when you can't do anything with it.

What did you do to the stock trans and how much difference did it really make?

Thanks a lot.

riata_ag

I own a 4.5 4dr dually 4wd LLY d-max w/ allison..........it is a runner and will smoke the CTD in take power/speed, passing acceleration, and fuel economy. With a hypertech programmer on the level 2 setting our 4wd dually was averaging 20.8-21.3 depedning on fuel quality cruising at 70 mph on the highway. That was the awsome part about the truck. The bad part was 11 injectors and miles of blue/black smoke in the first 21K miles.............

I also own a 05 dodge CTD, yet to be modified, however it is pretty disappointing at this point. The main reason that i went with the CTD was so I could go back to a 6spd tranny. Where the D-max/Allison combination comes up short is towing heavy loads with alot of headwind the tranny does too much downshifting and the mpg's cut to around 7-8 mpg. with the CTD I can stay in 6th gear and let my rpm's drop from 2100 to 1600-1700 and still recieve the max torques without buring as much fuel...........

Disappointing thing about the 05 Dodge is that it only has 1800 miles on it as of yesterday and has already had an electrical malfunction with the A/c compressor not engaging and the windows would not roll down. Shut engine off and restarted and everyting worked as it should.........modern technolgy...........I need less of it and an old B series 185 horse manual cummins .....please.....

just my penny worth of experience

Igor

I have had this EXACT thing happen to me once. I started the Dodge, and was putting my wallet away, when my parking brake light flash/beeped, and went off. It was weird, but I thought nothing of it.

I then started driving, went to unroll the window and nothing. After I stopped and "rebooted" the truck, it went away. Never saw it since. Happend at around 1800miles as well. Now 8000 or so.

I also got excellent milage with the Dmax I drove. Best of all 3. The Dodge does, however, get good milage.

Hopefully there are no more major dissapointing things with the Dodge. If so, I know I'll be ordering a Dmax next.

CTD_Neil

Test all three witht the 6-speed option and see how that changes the tests.

Igor

Would be a fair comparison then. But in my case, although I love the manuals and have had many, I wanted an auto.

dieselgringo

I bought an '04 DMX and put 40k on it. My DMX was a bucket!! It took 6 city blocks for the huge turbo to spool up, the 20 or so gallons of fuel won't make it from Phoenix to Yuma (AZ duners will understand this). I have had an '01 PSD and '03 CTD and and '04 DMX in the space of the last 3 years. The 7.3 lost a rod at 22k mi. I wrecked the '03 CTD and decided to try the DMX. What a let down. Great Tranny. I wish that someone out there could turn me on to an AZ guy who will retrofit my '05 CTD with the Ally.

Point is the CTD is the best diesel on the market. Show me a longhauler that runs a V-8 and you have lunch on me. Yes the Ally is nice, but the Cummins has the Diesel land speed record, the most # of 500k+ mile trucks still on the road and my $ (What little that means).

I see an aful lot of ground being made up by GM and Ford. It's about D_ _ _ time. If these inferior MFGs want the title they have to win it. You don't TALK the crown off the champ. You got to earn it.