yup agree... 04.5 is the best model and 03 and 04 have been known to drop valves. but according to a recent poll on DTR... 03 & 04 came out on top as the best CR cummins.
for the 12v... it's neck to neck between 97 and 98 12v for honors of best year for cummins 12v.
bottom line.... no diesel will be perfect... it's more of what gives the least amount of grief and of course easiest to obtain performance.
CR have the advantage of being able to daily drive a 600hp+ machine. vs a 600hp 12... you cannot turn off the HP, so would be very difficult to daily drive.
but 12v have the advantage of being able to bomb up to 400+ HP for very little $$$$.
I should also clarify... dodge stock torque converters slip a good amount, until lockup.
mine typically will drop 800 rpm when lockup occurs. in town stop and go is where mileage losses are worst. on the highway... after lockup... autos may be a crack better on mileage.
before I throw $4k at my auto... I'll find a donor truck and swap out tranny to 5sp.
but it sure is hard to find 4x4 5sp donor trucks! good point about stock TC being stall being set for V-10. flat didn't know that.
not planning on building up my tranny, but do plan on installing a Triple disc TC when stock TC finally dies. but surprisingly after pulling 20k+ lbs... stock TC is hanging in there.
for the 12v... it's neck to neck between 97 and 98 12v for honors of best year for cummins 12v.
bottom line.... no diesel will be perfect... it's more of what gives the least amount of grief and of course easiest to obtain performance.
CR have the advantage of being able to daily drive a 600hp+ machine. vs a 600hp 12... you cannot turn off the HP, so would be very difficult to daily drive.
but 12v have the advantage of being able to bomb up to 400+ HP for very little $$$$.
I should also clarify... dodge stock torque converters slip a good amount, until lockup.
mine typically will drop 800 rpm when lockup occurs. in town stop and go is where mileage losses are worst. on the highway... after lockup... autos may be a crack better on mileage.
before I throw $4k at my auto... I'll find a donor truck and swap out tranny to 5sp.
but it sure is hard to find 4x4 5sp donor trucks! good point about stock TC being stall being set for V-10. flat didn't know that.
not planning on building up my tranny, but do plan on installing a Triple disc TC when stock TC finally dies. but surprisingly after pulling 20k+ lbs... stock TC is hanging in there.
I'll argue the 03-04 are the best,they are known for dropping valves,and valve seat failure.I have heard of a many failures,and then seen one myself when I built a DTT trans for a friends 03 3500,and it dropped a valve a yr later,destroyed the engine, i think it was #3 cylinder,it took Chrysler 13 days to even approve it for warranty,they fought it because he had an exhaust brake,and another 3 weeks to do the job.2 months later the replacement engines freeze out plug fell out at 60 mph on the interstate and overheated the new engine w 0nly 1500 miles on it.
The 04.5 325hp has a much better head,with better valves and seats.Although it doesnt get the fuel mileage of the early 04 and 03's.
There's nothing wrong with the 98.5-02's at this point,when they were new,Vp44 failures,and some #53 blocks,but all the bad vp44s have failed already,and the bad blocks have cracked,and been dealth with.My 2000 has never let me down,original Vp44 w 140+K on it,and 75K of that at 500+RWHP.I made 663rwhp in june of 03 on spray,and 603hp to the ground back in June of 04 with diesel only,at thunder in Muncie.Back then that was a lot of power.I built transmissions for many of my friends most of these trucks are 98.5-02s,they are good trucks,and a great used truck value now.biggest downside IMO is the fact that the quad cab is small,not much room in the truck.My 96 club cabs interior had a lot more room in it than my 2000 quad cab.
As for stock Dodge TC slipping all the time,that isnt true at all.starting in 94,they all have lock up TCs,and they lock above 30mph with OD off,or 45 mp with OD on.Once they lock,they are locked solid,and combined with the autos steeper .69 OD ratio,they will match a 6 speed trucks highway MPG because the engine is revving 150rpm lower than a manual trans truck at the same speed.This offsets the transmissions front pump,and ATF fluid friction which robs a few hp to run. In the city,and hills,the manual will get better mpg everytime,unless you get a built trans with a good convertor,my DTT torque convertor stalls about 600 rpm lower than stock,and it doesnt slip,it just pulls when you mash it,the stock torque convertor is built for the V10 gasser,thats why it feels like its slipping,its stall speed is way to high for a Cummins.A good torque convertor totally changes the way an auto drives,if anyoen wants i can post a link to a video of my truck pushing a 10ft blade full of wet snow,just off idle,with a DTT modded automatic I built.The amount of snow the properly set up Dodge Cummins will push is amazing.Throwing 4000 at a Dodge auto is well worth it if you plan it use the truck and the stock trans is worn out or in need of rebuilding.
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