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Convert me

3K views 47 replies 17 participants last post by  2003_Ram 
#1 ·
Im tetering on the line whether i should go cummins or stick with my duramax. Im lookin for a 2003-2006 white, red, or gray mega or quad cab with a few mods done to it with low miles thats a 4x4. What do you guys think i should do? I love the sound of the cummins and i like how stout the motor is and how easy they are to work on. I love how easy it would be to make my Dmax fast, how comfortable it is, and its an all around great truck. Could i see some pics of yalls trucks like the ones im lookin for? and if you have any advice let me know. Thanks

James
 
#2 ·
if you have a chevy and like comfort stay with it if you want a reliable motor that will last till your died!
 
#4 ·
What do you do with your truck?
 
#8 ·
X2 on what he said ^^^ a real work truck that will last threw a beating wont ride nice and be all fancy like a chevy is.
 
#10 ·
but what about the front bearings,ball joints,death wobble,electronics going out and the trannys not holding up in the Dodges?
ok sorry..
the point i wanna make is both trucks have their share of faults no doubt about it the,GM has the IFS but if you use it the way it was intended it will last a long time(keep the bars turned down or add longer shocks)so it doesnt matter which truck you get you'll have a great diesel either way.
we just sold our 05 dually with 115,000mile(never been to the shop)that has been used to tow stuff its whole life and has been kept around the farm(we dont have a farm)but we kept the IFS were it was designed to be not fully extended and in all honesty the truck is in awesome shape and has got another easy 200,000 miles left in it now that it is a fulltime farm truck.
 
#11 ·
If you want a mega your limited to the 06...

There is no comparison, chevy is the king of the hwy.. Inferior Front Suspension can't hold up like a solid front can..
 
#13 · (Edited)
Id look into an 06/07 Mega. Its easy to get big power out of the Cummins, just as easy as a Dmax. Sure, GM as EFI, so initially you can get more power than a Cummins. But to get any real reliable power, your gonna have to get a modded single or dual pumps, regardless of engine. And a modded trans in either. Modded, Id take a 48re over an Allison anyday. For racing and all out power, its a better trans suited for that type of use than the Allison is. The Allison is basically a towing trans.

On just tuning, with a modded pump and trans, the Duramax can go higher than the Cummins. To get to the power that EFI is capable of, the Cummins needs injectors and turbo(s). BUT, there is a limit to the Duramax. The internals arent close to being as strong as the Cummins, so your gonna have to pull it and build the whole thing. General rule of thumb is much over 650, your pushin your luck...

In the end, your gonna sink the same cash into both in order to get to the big show...maybe even less for a Cummins.

As for the trucks, hands down the Dodge is far better a truck than the GM is. I used to be in the body repair business, and the GM trucks are just about the flimsiest things on the road. Ive seen slight fender benders result in replacing the bumper, grill, radiator support, intercooler, radiator, fenders, all the bumper brackets, frame straightening, etc. Same situation in a Dodge is bumper and grill, MAYBE a bumper bracket. Body shop had GM bumper brackets IN STOCK, cause theyre such junk. You never see a body shop stock parts for vehicles...dont get me started on how the whole truck is assembled :vomit007:

For the ride, honestly, I bought a truck, I want it to ride like one. I really wasnt impressed with the GM trucks ride, especially with a lift. Lift it, and your rides out the window.
 
#14 ·
See ive looked into all of this and agree with you on alot of this, but the main thing is, am i gonna be able to get a megacab without having to leave it stock for a while and is the truck gonna be reliable. I plan to make a 700HP daily driver so i figured the cummins is gonna stand up to the beating better than a Dmax will. The Dmax is great but at 700HP the intenals wont hold without perfect tuning and the right setup. I dont mind the ride of a straight axle truck either. Its stiff but it doesnt seem harsh.
 
#16 ·
Are you serious man? The Cummins 5.9 is classified as a medium duty diesel while the Powerstroke and Duramax are light duty. I believe this is the EPA classification. Also, the rebuild mileage on a Cummins is 350,000 while the other two are at least 100,000 miles less. The Cummins is the way to go if you want big power. The 5.9 is legendary. Think about how long it has been in production. Meanwhile, Ford is changing their engine every 2 to 3 years and Chevy changes the letters of their Duramax every couple as well. Not sure what all that is about but the changes to the 5.9 are few and far between, and come as a result of the EPA placing more strict regulations on diesels. Not cause they break down all the time. Not saying Chevy breaks down all the time, but Ford... yes.
 
#19 ·
Cmon man. Mine doesnt look that bad. Its not a new body style and its got some 305's on it. It looks better than alot of dodges i see, those ones that sit 6 inches off the ground bug the crap out of me.



Not a very recent pic but its not bad.

 
#21 ·
They are both great trucks... yes the Dmaxs with EFI alive really come to life!!! NO one has posted a pic yet for you... my truck isnt the color you wanted but at least maybe it will get someone started to post a pic of what you are looking for.....I wouldnt trade my mega for anything LOVE the room!



 
#22 ·
Looks sick man even though its not my personal taste. If i got a mega id want a lift but may just do a spacer and put 35's under it and focus on performance from there. But i like yours alot. Thanks for posting the pics. Do you have any interior pics, ive never seen the inside of a mega.
 
#25 ·
:yourock: Go Dodge! You totally came to the right site we're not biast suckers at all!!

I agree on you with the sound of the cummins, and if you into off-roading or just lifting them for looks Dodges (solid axle) do MUCH better. More suspension options and much more varience in choices of what hieght you want.

Here is mine:


I love it! 83,000 miles and bad ball joints, tie rod and drag link (this truck spent 50% of the time offroad though).

If you buy a cummins check the ball joints, put a jack under it and a 6 ft pole and see if there's play. DODGES are nortorious for this problem (2 dodges we have had have gone through them, NOT including mine).

They don't ride like a car and handel like one though, they ride and handel like a TRUCK. Which to me makes it all that much better.

They'll last you longer than a dmax too.

Hope this info helps with your big desicion and have fun! If you get one we want pics.:lol4:
 
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