Ray Pickle

87 is what it is tuned to run on. I doubt computer will have parameters for higher octane in stock configuration. So far no aftermarket tuning options to take advantage of octane increase.

I tend to disagree that mileage is terrible while towing on a cost per mile basis. Between varying fuel cost gaps between diesel and gas, def cost, oil , and filters the difference is narrow. Post emission diesels towing what I tow seem to be getting between 10 and 11 mpg vs. my 9+. Right now diesel and gas prices are more or less a wash but typically that has not been the case. Even with this recent development maintenance and initial price difference makes strong case for gas assuming your towing needs fit in its capability.

Back from 4500 mi trip Cincy to badlands then grand tetons and finishing in yellowstone. Hand calculated averaged 9.08 towing. DIC was .3 to .4 optimistic. As an aside the range indicator was slightly more optimistic than the dic. Best tank was 9.9 with a slightly favorable wind and relatively flat ground. Worst tank mileage was 8.3 with 15 -20 mph winds out of s.w. while traveling west and some mountain passes. Speeds while towing between 63 and 69 throughout trip. No power issues whatsoever 2nd gear one time on trip climbing mountain pass from Dubois Wy. To Grand Teton valley.

Fuel does certainly provide some cooling to the fuel pump and over the long term may cause it to fail slightly ahead of one that never sees less than 1/4 tank. I choose to save an additional 10 bucks or so per fillup than worry about when my fuel pump may fail north of 100k. I figure I will have paid for a couple of fuel pumps with the savings. Further in my professional observation I have not observed premature failures of fuel pumps attributed to clients fueling habits. It is talked about a lot by tech trainers but in practice I can't back that up. I have been in the field for 40 yrs. and counting.

On a trip as I speak from Cincinnati to Badlands, Grand Tetons, then Yellowstone. Have already done about 3000 miles towing in 2020 prior to this trip. Truck had 14500 miles on it as of today. Pulling a 37' 5th wheel.

Wow I did not know G.M H.D. diesels had stop/start. Learned something today! Gasser does not have that.

I get 16 to 17 on hwy terrain and speed make it a slightly lower or higher. Mixed driving for me is approx 70 hwy 30 city and my d.i.c. shows 14 over the last 5k. Towing 12 k 5th wheel I get from a low of 8.5 for a tank to a high of 9.7 for a tank. Average in terrain pulled to date is 9.2 towing

Agree with all comments. Define struggle? High rpm and reduced speed up significant hills/mountains is not necessarily struggling. Are you sure of weight. 12k for a loaded toyhauler is light unless it is fairly small. Chevy has a lot of payload in new truck but diesel 2500 may be less than your gasser depending on configuration and possible issue for your potential payload. More to pulling than how well it accelerates as I am aure you know.

Payload is higher on gas truck than diesel, mpg towing is probably as good as your 1500, gas tank is 36 gallons, and it will pull the load you described easily. And yes its 10k cheaper.

I have pulled a 37' 5th wheel, 12k, over 4k miles. Averaged 9.3 mpg while towing, it pulls fine. My only wish is for 4:10 axle ratio, I believe it would pull better, yet not negatively impact mpg while towing. I will be leaving on a 5k plus loop of the west at the end of month it will be more of a test than what I have done to date. I don't expect that it will have any issues with the mountains. My last truck was a 16' 6l gasser w/410 axle and it was adequate even while climbing up to the eisenhower tunnel and this truck pulls better than that.

I have not driven the 3500 but I doubt it rides considerably different from the 2500. Spring packs are same other than overloads on 3500 and they don't come into play unless heavily loaded.

If you are looking to make a deal on an H.D. truck don't expect GM to be desperate to offer significant rebates. They are having no trouble selling ALL of their H.D. truck inventory. They matched last years sales for quarter in sales without 10 to 13 weeks of production. I would guess it will be mid 2021 before supply overtakes demand.

Fill to fill hole.

Wow tire issue makes truck a p.o.s. who would've known? Chill a minute and give it a rest. If this is a major issue in your life, thank God for your charmed existence!

I often fill up locally between 32 and 34 gallons, to maximize rewards program. $1.00 off up to 35 gallons.

Any used diesel over 200k is falling into the area where injectors, fuel pumps, sensor issues all become suspect. You can put a fresh crate engine in a gasser for not much more than the cost of your first major diesel repair. Just another viewpoint and longetivity comparison. The rest of the truck is the same regardless of powertrain. The Allison is strong but so is the old 6 speed. Lifespans are roughly equal.

Agree with above comments. People often comment a diesel is worth more used...no duh! It costs more new. Gasser indeed hold a slightly higher % of their value than diesels, surprise to many!

I can agree that the big touch screen and the interior in general are a cut above both ford and gm. There is so much more to consider and Ram comes up short in the meat and potato categories. I would caution that they "supposedly" fixed their transmission issues, they have had generational problems in that part of driveline. The question is are you willing to guinea pig ? I would not be willing to give them the benefit of doubt. That "old" 6 speed G.M. uses is the lowest warranty trans they make. I also wish GM had the 10 speed available now for gas, not later, but I do know the reliabilty of what I have based on track record and when towing fairly heavy, 12k, it matters to me.

Sounds about right. Its your money. If you are keeping it for a longer period of time I believe the G.M. is a better made truck overall. Go figure, I am on a GM site. I have been in the auto repair field for 40 years and in my experience through all of those years Mopar/Ram has had more issues, primarily transmission, a/c, general trim fit and finish issues than Ford or GM. It sounds like you are sold on the Ram. Enjoy whatever you pick, they are all vastly better in capability than they once where.

Google is your friend. Nada, Kbb, any article on leasing residuals. Etc. Easy to find.

Reliability and resale value

Kcjackson 1 I dont get your point. I agree the 10 speed is coming. The truck was all new for 2020 and I believe they wanted to be able to offer something additionally new in the coming model years i.e. the 10 speed. Probably more gear options as well. In the first year with everything else new they chose to stick with the tried and true 6 speed?

I agree fully that 10 speed is coming. It will clearly "work" just fine with the gas 6.6. I believe it didn't come out 1st year to minimize potential issues with all the other changes that occured with new 2020.

Not sure the logic of what works for a 3700 lb car works for a truck that weighs just short of twice as much plus may tow another 7 tons or so regardless of power differences. That being said I gotta think it is a drivetrain reliability concern , as they have just introduced the new engine and also a marketing strategy. The 10 speed will be along soon.

All I can say based on personal experience is that this truck is not sluggish. Maybe compared to a diesel although I would bet in a drag race unladen it would be a pretty close contest. Under light throttle unladen it does upshift early in an effort to maximize fuel economy. It would no doubt benefit from a 4.10 option to improve towing capability but it is superior to my last 16' 2500ccsb in towing performance and fuel economy. It undoubtedly will get the 10 speed, probably in 2022 and it will get the interior of the redesigned Suburban/Tahoe also probably in 2022. If not for covid related production delays both upgrades wouldve probably been available in 2021.