6.4 Hemi Opinions

[smharstedt]

I'm looking for some opinions. We currently have a 2014 Ram 1500 Ecodiesel. My wife and I are looking to upgrade our Premier 19FBPR to a larger TT or 5th wheel. The 1500 has a really low payloand, so I'm considering a Ram 2500 CC 4x4 with the 6.4 hemi. We do pull in the mountains about once a year and the rest of the time we are in MN and WI. I was considering a Cummins, but we only put about 10K miles on a year and less than half of that is towing. I'm not sure it would payoff.

Any thoughts on the 6.4 hemi? The trailers we are looking have a GVWR of around 7500 and the 5th wheel is at 10K. Has anyone had issues with the 6.4?

[sourdough]

I've got the 6.4 in mine and I've been very happy. Like you I could not justify the cost of the Cummins for what I do. My trailer gvw is 10k and the 6.4 handles it very well. I have had it in the mountains and it pulls our trailer just fine. As a gasser it revs a bit but nothing bad; on a 6% grade for about 16 miles it never exceeds 3500 rpm to maintain the speed limit of 50; and it only hits that when it has to downshift on some steeper grades or you have to speed up for something.

It's my opinion, for me, that once you exceed 10k you should go with a diesel just because. I think the 6.4 would pull 12k without any trouble but....

Mileage is not as good as a diesel but it's better than the 5.7 I had previously. I get about 9 average; sometimes it's in the 8s and I had one stretch average 10.4 running 92/93 octane. I do now run high octane when towing - it makes a big difference it seems.

I've got over 59k on this one so it's getting time for a new one but that has been my experience thus far.

Edit; One thing I greatly dislike about the 2014 Ram is that the backup camera is in the rear view mirror instead of the big Uconnect display in the dash as it used to be in my prior trucks. I could even play DVDs in my other truck but not in this one with the 8.4 Uconnect - just an fyi.

[Tinner12002]

I've got the 6.4 in mine and I've been very happy. Like you I could not justify the cost of the Cummins for what I do. My trailer gvw is 10k and the 6.4 handles it very well. I have had it in the mountains and it pulls our trailer just fine. As a gasser it revs a bit but nothing bad; on a 6% grade for about 16 miles it never exceeds 3500 rpm to maintain the speed limit of 50; and it only hits that when it has to downshift on some steeper grades or you have to speed up for something.

It's my opinion, for me, that once you exceed 10k you should go with a diesel just because. I think the 6.4 would pull 12k without any trouble but....

Mileage is not as good as a diesel but it's better than the 5.7 I had previously. I get about 9 average; sometimes it's in the 8s and I had one stretch average 10.4 running 92/93 octane. I do now run high octane when towing - it makes a big difference it seems.

I've got over 59k on this one so it's getting time for a new one but that has been my experience thus far.

Edit; One thing I greatly dislike about the 2014 Ram is that the backup camera is in the rear view mirror instead of the big Uconnect display in the dash as it used to be in my prior trucks. I could even play DVDs in my other truck but not in this one with the 8.4 Uconnect - just an fyi.


Just courious sourdough, do you have a cargo camera also?? When I purchased my 15 I had the option of having a cargo camera but with that option the backup camera went to the rear view mirror and cargo was on u-connect screen.

[sourdough]

I do have the cargo camera. Is that the reason the backup camera is in the mirror? When I was looking at it I told the salesman I did not like it there and he said it would have to be "re flashed" and they could put it back in the dash. Yep, silly me, bought the truck then took it in to have it "re flashed". They didn't know any more about it than I did, kept it 1/2 day, re flashed and gave it back to me just the way it was. Service advisor said they had put all new electronics in the 14s and the backup camera was in the mirror......so, it's still in the mirror today.

Note: for me the cargo camera is useless. I turned it on once after I bought it to see what it looked like and have never turned it on again.....I don't even remember how to do it so it was a waste of money for me....should have dug a little harder.

[busterbrown]

I bought a 2500 Ram Mega Cab with the 392 ci Hemi last year to pull my 7600 GVWR travel trailer. A diesel wasn't considered for similar reasons. "Local" Michigan trips are usually just 3 hours of travel on relatively flat terrain. A couple of long distant trips a year doesn't warrant the the higher cost of ownership of a diesel. The higher payload of the lighter gas engine models was attractive to me too.

The Hemi pulled great last summer over the Smoky Mountains on our way down to see the total eclipse. The engine revs a little up grades but all gassers do.

The boys over at TFLtruck have done several loaded runs (GCVWR) on the "Ike Gauntlet" with this 2500 Hemi. Never failed them. Not the fastest truck to the top but it got there safely. The wife and I will take our 3 boys on a trip out west in a couple of years over the same stretch of highway. We'll also be Alaska bound in the next 4 years with the same truck. If you can get yourself a good deal on a left over 2017, go for it. The 2018's aren't really incentivized yet.

[KHBama]

I'm looking for some opinions. We currently have a 2014 Ram 1500 Ecodiesel. My wife and I are looking to upgrade our Premier 19FBPR to a larger TT or 5th wheel. The 1500 has a really low payloand, so I'm considering a Ram 2500 CC 4x4 with the 6.4 hemi. We do pull in the mountains about once a year and the rest of the time we are in MN and WI. I was considering a Cummins, but we only put about 10K miles on a year and less than half of that is towing. I'm not sure it would payoff.

Any thoughts on the 6.4 hemi? The trailers we are looking have a GVWR of around 7500 and the 5th wheel is at 10K. Has anyone had issues with the 6.4?

I have the exact same truck in the 5.7 and pull a 10,000 GVWR 5th wheel(only around 9000lbs currently loaded) and it pulls it fine. I'm currently over payload because for some reason Ram decided to give the exact same truck with the 5.7 1,000 less pounds of payload than the 6.4, but that's another story for another thread. I think the 5.7 and 6.4 will have issues in the mountains just like any other gas truck, going to be a slow and noisy climb. I have airbags on my truck, but don't need them really. Get very little squat when the 5er is loaded up. I pulled a 6500-7000lb Travel trailer before the 5th wheel and its not even close as far as ride and towing, the 5th wheel wins hands down.

[Jeepshots]

I wanted a Ram 2500 gasser with the mega cab, but found for about the same amount of money, i could get into a 3500 gasser. Ended up in a crewcab with the 6.4 Hemi. Tows our little 24' TT like it's not back there (think our TT tops out at 7K-plus, so the 3500 is a bit of overkill). But I like the fact that I've got nearly 4K lbs of cargo capacity and way more towing capacity than i need. Gives me room to upgrade (if I can talk the missus into it). I looked at the hemi vs cummins for the same reasons you did and, like you, wasn't going to put many towing miles on it. So the diesel option wasn't attractive to me. Besides, we are a one car family, so drive-ability for my wife was a concern as well. For what you're wanting to tow, I think the 2500 with the 6.4 Hemi will work. Not that my thinking is worth much of anything... :whistling:

[Tinner12002]

I do have the cargo camera. Is that the reason the backup camera is in the mirror? When I was looking at it I told the salesman I did not like it there and he said it would have to be "re flashed" and they could put it back in the dash. Yep, silly me, bought the truck then took it in to have it "re flashed". They didn't know any more about it than I did, kept it 1/2 day, re flashed and gave it back to me just the way it was. Service advisor said they had put all new electronics in the 14s and the backup camera was in the mirror......so, it's still in the mirror today.

Note: for me the cargo camera is useless. I turned it on once after I bought it to see what it looked like and have never turned it on again.....I don't even remember how to do it so it was a waste of money for me....should have dug a little harder.

Not trying to tie up this thread with this but when I ordered my truck they showed me how they both worked and that as I mentioned, if you order the cargo cam then the backup goes to the rearview mirror and I figured I'd have cover on the bed most of the time and didn't feel a need to be watching the hitch so I didn't order the cargo, been very happy with the big screen backup cam though.

[kfxgreenie]

Not trying to tie up this thread with this but when I ordered my truck they showed me how they both worked and that as I mentioned, if you order the cargo cam then the backup goes to the rearview mirror and I figured I'd have cover on the bed most of the time and didn't feel a need to be watching the hitch so I didn't order the cargo, been very happy with the big screen backup cam though.

Customtronix's RAX jaibraker fixed that for me and a 2014 with the cargo camera. Also allowed me to add a front camera to the 8.4 and in motion navigation entry and such. :cool:

http://customtronix.com/webshop/chryslerdodgeram-icos-rax-jailbreak-silver/?doing_wp_cron=1517018969.7553920745849609375000

Now the 6.4 with the 4.10 rear is a potent but hungry power plant. At the end of the day buy what floats your boat and your wallet can afford. The Cummins should give you back your return on investment in the back end via resale as long as emissions systems are not a problem for you. Some will say maintenance blah blah blah. The 6.4 requires synthetic oil changes and that evens out to what it cost to change the oil in the Cummins. Yes you have fuel filters. They can be had for a cost of $82 on Amazon and changed in about an hour of your time, in my case that is a once a year job as the truck is not a daily driver and low mileage, but even so the fuel filters are good for 15,000 miles. DEF is a negligible cost. At the end of the day you need to make your decision. We have both a 6.4-4.10 Ram and 6.7 Ram both very capable trucks that can both get the job done.

[gearhead]

Apparently they have changed the cameras. Both my back-up and cargo cameras display on the 8.4 Uconnect in the dash. I wouldn't order the cargo camera again though.

[Tinner12002]

Apparently they have changed the cameras. Both my back-up and cargo cameras display on the 8.4 Uconnect in the dash. I wouldn't order the cargo camera again though.

That would work for me, but it would also be nice if backup camera was switchable so it could be turned on without reverse.

[Harleydodge]

Apparently they have changed the cameras. Both my back-up and cargo cameras display on the 8.4 Uconnect in the dash. I wouldn't order the cargo camera again though.

Can confirm.
No Mirror display on the 2017 either.
You just toggle to whichever view you want.
I find it's easier to hitch up to the 5er with the mirror on the nose-cone than it is with the cargo cam.
If I had to order another truck, it would certainly not be a priority.

[Harleydodge]

That would work for me, but it would also be nice if backup camera was switchable so it could be turned on without reverse.

It can now. either view anytime.
It defaults back to normal display after 10 seconds or so.

[smharstedt]

Thanks for all the info. What rear end do you guys have? I can find a bunch of the 3.73 but there does not seem to be a lot of the 4.10.



I've got the 6.4 in mine and I've been very happy. Like you I could not justify the cost of the Cummins for what I do. My trailer gvw is 10k and the 6.4 handles it very well. I have had it in the mountains and it pulls our trailer just fine. As a gasser it revs a bit but nothing bad; on a 6% grade for about 16 miles it never exceeds 3500 rpm to maintain the speed limit of 50; and it only hits that when it has to downshift on some steeper grades or you have to speed up for something.

It's my opinion, for me, that once you exceed 10k you should go with a diesel just because. I think the 6.4 would pull 12k without any trouble but....

Mileage is not as good as a diesel but it's better than the 5.7 I had previously. I get about 9 average; sometimes it's in the 8s and I had one stretch average 10.4 running 92/93 octane. I do now run high octane when towing - it makes a big difference it seems.

I've got over 59k on this one so it's getting time for a new one but that has been my experience thus far.

Edit; One thing I greatly dislike about the 2014 Ram is that the backup camera is in the rear view mirror instead of the big Uconnect display in the dash as it used to be in my prior trucks. I could even play DVDs in my other truck but not in this one with the 8.4 Uconnect - just an fyi.

[TAZ23]

I've got the 3.73's in mine and it does just fine for our terrain in the upper Midwest. If I were to have to pull in the mountains I would look for the 4.10's. With the 3.73 gears it is rated to pull 12,700 if I remember correctly.

[sourdough]

Thanks for all the info. What rear end do you guys have? I can find a bunch of the 3.73 but there does not seem to be a lot of the 4.10.


I have the 3.73 as well. Looked and looked for a 4.10 but it was not to be found. I'm just as happy now. The 3.73 has worked admirably and I don't have the decreased mileage and revving that you get with the 4.10.

[nellie1289]

THe only thing I will add to this very factual thread is that for every diesel I have ever owned you get most if not all the extra cost back at resale. If the up front money or higher payment is not an issue you will be very happy as you drive your diesel and when you sell your diesel. I too have a 2014. The inability to switch the cameras was stupid and they fixed it with a programming electronic change in later models.