03/04 Dodge 1/2 Ton

[bigD1031]

Thinking about getting rid of my 01 grand cherokee and getting an 03/04 Dodge Ram 1/2 ton as the truck has the advantage of a little more towing capacity and a bigger/better area to throw fuel cans dirty grills etc. I have a couple of questions though:

Anybody have experience towing with a quad cab 4X4 4.7 v8 vs. the 5.7 v8?

What kind of gas mileage do you all get with the 4.7 normally and towing (and the 5.7)?

Any issues you have had/I need to look out for?

Anything else..........

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: 03/04 Dodge 1/2 Ton

Just traded in my '04 Dodge Quad Cab 4X4 1/2 ton with the hemi in it for a new 2500.
The 1/2 ton had the tow package and was more than adequate to tow what I wanted.
Gas mileage was good when not towing, suffered some when hooked to the 31' travel trailer. Rode good and was good in snow.

 

[Hondo65]

Re: 03/04 Dodge 1/2 Ton

Both motors are reliable. If you are worried about fuel economy then you shouldn't tow anything. Go with the hemi. You did not say how much weight you want to tow, how far and how often. Personally for any medium to heavy towing I would go with a 3/4 ton. But then I am a diesel convert so I am biased. Alot will depend on how heavy your towing.

Hondo

 

[reelfishin]

Re: 03/04 Dodge 1/2 Ton

I drove a buddies brand new '04 1/2 ton Dodge with a hemi and 4x4 from Phila, PA to Winston Salem, NC towing a small 12' trailer and it ran fine, but the mileage was terrible, it was as much a nuisance to keep refilling as it was expensive. I didn't figure the mileage exact, but it was well under 12mpg. I came back with the same truck with a 20' enclosed trailer and it was pretty lame powerwise and even worse on fuel.
I own two Dodge Vans, a 97 and 99, both are 3500 series with the older 5.2l motors, they are just as bad on fuel but adequate when towing around here.

I am not a GM fan but they seem to have the fuel mileage vs power advantage right now. Ford is a close second but the GM powertrain is a bit better right now.

 

[bigD1031]

Re: 03/04 Dodge 1/2 Ton

Usually it is about 140 to 160 miles one way to the lake, guessing my boat loaded + trailer is somewhere around 3200lbs, one to two trips a month to the lake from May til September.........would just leave it at the lake for the summer except I go to two different lakes and both are about the same distance apart.

Not expecting much from gas mileage, get about 10-11 towing with my grand cherokee.

 

[Shawn_floats]

Re: 03/04 Dodge 1/2 Ton

If you can find one or find a way to swing it, try to go for the diesel version of the 2500. It's a Cummins diesel engine built like a tank, and the fuel economy and power is quite a bit better, especially when towing.

If you do any distance towing, it really takes it's toll on a gas powered engine. They have to work so hard.

The hemi slogan: "It'll pass everything on a hill except a gas station"

I switched to diesel powered trucks 8 years ago, and will never, ever go back.

Sorry, it's REALLY hard for me to recommend a gas engine, but if you really have to go for the 5.7L. Ain't no replacement for displacement when you need torque.

 

[SuperNova]

Re: 03/04 Dodge 1/2 Ton

If you encounter a lot of hills during the tow, go with the Hemi. If it's pretty flat then the 4.7 should be adequate. Just don't buy the 4.7 without recognizing there may be times when you'll have to go a little slower than you'd like. As long as you're o.k. with that, then go for it. 3200 lbs isn't all that much.

 

[RubberFrog]

Re: 03/04 Dodge 1/2 Ton

Believe it or not, the 5.7 gets better mileage than the 4.7. Towing or not. Hard to believe but true. Checkout dodgetalk.com.

 

[SuperNova]

Re: 03/04 Dodge 1/2 Ton

Believe it or not, the 5.7 gets better mileage than the 4.7. Towing or not. Hard to believe but true. Checkout dodgetalk.com.

If you found that somewhere...it's not what my customers are telling me....I see a few each week complaining about the lousy mileage from the hemi....now there are hemi's with MDS that do a little better, but if you're towing chances are the MDS will never engage and you WILL get about 10 mpg...regardless of hype. I tried to find the thread on dodgetalk on fuel mileage and couldn't...can you tell me where you found it?