Ok,I'm bored,so I figured I'd start a topic I'd be interested in reading responses to at a later date.
Humor me please..lol.

Without all the fancy jargon-I'll just ask, who has the better diesel and why in your opinion?
I'd say it's the 5.9 Cummins, no doubt about it in my mind-we all say the PSD is good(and it is) but who REALLY believes it's the better engine? If you had the choice in a Ford truck would it still be the PSD?

Secondly-who has the better auto transmission in these torque monsters? Since I don't have ANY experiences with auto's in diesels(and I've driven and used many) I mostly rely on what I've read in this regard.
I'm inclined to believe Ford has the better quality/technology in this area.

Next, manual transmissions?
Ford or Dodge? I personally own a 01 SD 5.4 w/ m6hd,and I love it! I did have a tough time accepting the shift pattern on it (I'm used to low being up)and still kinda prefer the Dodge shift pattern-but in all honesty it really dosent matter anymore-a granny's a granny.
The NV5600 the Dodge uses is 130 lbs heavier than the ZF in my truck(360lbs to 230lbs) its also cast iron as opposed to cast aluminum in the Ford. Does that really make a big difference?
Way I see it heat would dissipate quicker in the aluminum housing.
Lastly, rear axles-who's got the better one?(as far as strength-durability). I've heard the Dodge uses the same rear axle found in the Allison/Duramax combo-american axle mfg(?) Is this better than the dana or 10"? Ford rears?

All opinions (with any and all bias-either way appreciated-give me a good read folks!)

Regards.

 

Dodge does not make an automatic transmission fo their diesel trucks. The new ford torqshift 5 speed auto is supposed to be really good. We have a King Ranch F350 4x2 6.0L with the torqshift and it is extremely quiet and quick and you can change it to a more aggressive shift pattern if you fancy.

 

The 2 diesels are very good, but the Cummins is not designed really for Dodge's auto trannies (after a few miles, they're toast). The Ford 7.3 diesel, I believe is more economical (as far as maintenance goes) but the Cummins does have slightly better gas mileage. But since the new 6.0 has come out, and since there is only 3 or 4 cubic inches difference, I would expect that the 6.0 would either get the same mileage or better than the Cummins. Also the 6.0 is designed for the new emissions requirements, the Cummins is not. The 5.9 HO Cummins last day is coming, as it cannot pass emissions in 3 different states and probably won't be able to meet national requirements past 2004 or 2005. Keep all that in mind, too.

 

I believe that the Powerstrokes fuel injection system is more accurate than the Cummins. The Cummins system is "old school" although still adequete. I am not familliar with the Cummins H.O., but the electronic controll of the Powerstroke can deliver more precise fuel metering under all conditions and offer better economy as well. That is my opinion, take it for what its worth.

 

I believe dodge has fixed their auto tranny problems. But between 95-99 when I was a mechanic at a dodge dealership, transmissions were job security. Their was always a tranny R&R to be found. And not just on the diesel trucks, all Dodge trannies were prone to premature failure, but as I stated I have been told that they have made great strides in their durability in the last couple of years. And yes the Cummins is up for replacement or a major revamp as it does not pass most emmisions tests anymore. It is tried and true and will pull a house off it's foundation, but at the same time it is old and antiquanted. I have not yet driven a baby PSD yet so I will not speculate, because I don't know.

 

Dodge has a new 48RE replacing the crappy 47RE, but whether it will be behind the HO, I don't know.

BEST can be defined a bunch of different ways. The PSD would suit my needs best, but for reliability, the cummins is hard to beat. There's several examples on other sites of them going 1,000,000 (million) miles. The rest of the vehicle didn't hold up, but the motor itself is possible. Without the Cummins, Dodge wouldn't have anything.

 

in my opinion the cummins is a superior engine as far as durability and fuel milage goes. it will pull just as good as a ps. if not better. the ps takes the win in a side by side drage race in stock form. the cummins is much cheeper to hop up and really responds well to even the smallest upgrades. if you check out the new isb-e cummins engine for 03 you will find it has a state of the art injection system and meets all emission requirements with more power than ever before. it only has one problem. its so quiet if the hood is closed you cant tell that it is a diesel. in my opinion taking the rattle out of a diesel is like taking the thump out of a harley. ruines the whole idea of owning one. i think that ford wins the auto tranny war. dodge wins the manual tranny war. also a dodge with a diesel and a manual tranny comes with a dana 80 rear end and a dana 60 front end. this combo is much stronger than the f350's 10.5 / dana 50 combo. i do wish that my dodge had the f350's front suspension setup. that darn dodge has too mant parts to wear out.

 

The 2003 Cummins HO is available with an auto transmission. I believe that the Cummins is a great engine, but that the Power Stroke is a much better engine for a pickup truck application. If you look at the torque curves, the new Cummins gives you about 1100 RPM's of 500+ lb/ft of torque. The new 6.0 Power Stroke gives you about 2100 RPM's of 500+ lb/ft of torque. The Cummins is better suited for other applications and I think the Power Stroke is the winner in pickup diesel engines.

 

The F-350 SRW has the Dana 50/Sterling 10.5" combo. The F-350 DRW has the Dana 60/Dana 70.

Do you all want tanks? That's basically what a Dodge looks like, short of having tracks.

 

This is incorrect.

As of 2002 all F250/F350 SRW trucks have a Dana 60 front/Sterling 10.5 inch rear combo.

All years of F350 DRW SD trucks come standard with the Dana 80 rear end, and as of '02, a Dana 60 front axle.

You would have to do something you REALLY SHOULDN'T BE DOING in order to break either one of these axle combinations.

Waxy

 

hey wouldnt you know it, my tank, oops i mean dodge is even painted green.



as far as the axles go i think it would be hard to bust any of the axles available from either company. on my old 73 i did have some of the axle shafts snap on the origanial dana 60 limited slip rear end. iam sure that a built 428scj , 38 inch tires, 4 speed trans, 16 spline axles, girls, and a teenage driver didnt have anything to do with it though

 

This is exactly right. If you could get the Cummins engine in a F-350, that would be a dream come true.

The problem is, the Cummins engine outlasts the junk trucks Dodge puts them in. My father has a friend who now has 512,000 miles on his Dodge with the Cummins diesel. Only thing he has done to it is replace the water pump.

The Cummins is a true diesel...6 cylinders inline, very balanced, very dependable. Simple, yet strong. I love the Cummins. But Ford builds the better truck. So it's a toss-up.

With all the serious problems the new PSD 6.0 is having, I would definitely buy a Dodge this year if I needed a diesel. Dodge has a much better warranty anyhow.

 

Ford is not having any serious problems with the 6.0L diesel. We have had ours for 2 1/2 months and it is perfect. If you disagree then check out the diesel forum.

 

I did check out the diesel forum, and the last time I was in there, everybody was mad because they just spent $41,000 dollars on a new 6.0 PSD and they couldn't drive them because they kept loosing power, sending check engine lights on, and stalling in the middle of the road. Not to mention the oil leaks around the bell housing and other places.

NOT a good thing when Ford just spend tons of money on the advertising campaign for these engines.

 

I have to wonder why chrysler had tranny problems for so many years. Probably would have sold alot more trucks if they would have fixed the problem early on. The old 727 torqueflite was one of the best. Should have kept with it.