2019 Ram 1500 vs 2019 Chevy 1500 vs 2018 F-150

[schrederman]

I'm just happy to NOT be in the market for a new truck... ... Sorry, couldn't resist...

[Ret.LEO]

Do it right right off and do a Ford F250 Super Duty. Rides and drives like a F150. Tow weight is a small consideration.........consider payload also. F250 is very few bucks more than the F150 and leave you more options for a different trailer someday. Spend a couple bucks more and get it right right off.

[tuffr2]

I waffle between 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton. The truck will only be towing 2% to 5% of the time so I am thinking 1/2 ton. But that being said, I like the idea of having a bigger truck for about the same price. It is more truck for the $$$.

I am in Florida and will camp mostly in the Florida State parks. I might camp as far as Georgia on 1 or 2 occasions.

[Cumminsfan]

Get the 1/2 ton. As nice as they've improved 3/4 tons, they're still rougher riding and eat more gas.

[Ret.LEO]

Originally Posted by Cumminsfan

Get the 1/2 ton. As nice as they've improved 3/4 tons, they're still rougher riding and eat more gas.

Better to have a little more truck than needed than just not quite enough. Have to consider payload just as much as tow weight.

I have a 1/2 ton now and when we buy a trailer we will have to step up to make sure we have enough to do the job right and safely for a decent size trailer. Would love to stay 1/2 ton but it just won't quite do it.

[cdoorider]

Originally Posted by Ret.LEO

Better to have a little more truck than needed than just not quite enough. Have to consider payload just as much as tow weight.

I have a 1/2 ton now and when we buy a trailer we will have to step up to make sure we have enough to do the job right and safely for a decent size trailer. Would love to stay 1/2 ton but it just won't quite do it.

There are a couple of half tons that tow quite well. The Silverado or GMC with the heavy tow package, has heavier rear axle tow mirrors, trailer brake and payload north of 2000lbs and gcvwr of 17000lbs. The 6.2 isn't some turbo charged teeny motor, it's pure big v8. From all I've read the fuel economy is similar to the 5.3, or 18mpg avg around town and near 20 fwy. The really big downside is it likes premium fuel.

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned a Titan. It's true their payload isn't anymore than other half tons but it's true abilities are closer to 3/4 tons. With that heavy rear axle out of a 1 ton, the aissin tyranny and 5.0L Cummins diesel it's a stout truck. The Titan could be the perfect truck for someone wanting to have a half ton ride but a stout enough truck that can easily tow right at it rating and have room left over. The Titan may not be rated to tow more than any other half ton but it does so effortlessly. There are some great YouTube videos fronpm Titan owners. One guy has both the Titan and Ford ecoboost on his ranch said, they may be rated similarly, but there wasn't any comparison, the Titan felt much more stable towing.

Lots of choices and no bad ones, just depends on you needs and likes I guess.

[tuffr2]

Fast Lane Trucks also like the Titan heavy duty over the Ford Eco-Boost. The Eco-Boost towed the trailer faster because of it's gobs of power but the Titan did good enough and handled the trailer a lot better.

I have not even considered the Titan yet. But since the 2019 Ram is having issues ramping up production and the 2019 Chevy will not be out until very late this year or early in 2019 I have time to look.

Right now, since I will look at the Titan XD there are now 8 trucks still on the table. They are:

RAM 1500, 2500, and 3500 gas.
Ford F-150 2.7, 3.5 eco-boost and F-250 gas
Chevy 1500 and 2500 gas
Titan XD

I will now research the Nissan Titan CD.

Thanks

[cdoorider]

Originally Posted by tuffr2

Fast Lane Trucks also like the Titan heavy duty over the Ford Eco-Boost. The Eco-Boost towed the trailer faster because of it's gobs of power but the Titan did good enough and handled the trailer a lot better.

I have not even considered the Titan yet. But since the 2019 Ram is having issues ramping up production and the 2019 Chevy will not be out until very late this year or early in 2019 I have time to look.

Right now, since I will look at the Titan XD there are now 8 trucks still on the table. They are:

RAM 1500, 2500, and 3500 gas.
Ford F-150 2.7, 3.5 eco-boost and F-250 gas
Chevy 1500 and 2500 gas
Titan XD

I will now research the Nissan Titan CD.

Thanks

It's to bad Nissan didn't give the Titan more payload, it would have been a home run.

With the above said, if there were any truck that I would tow right at it's specs and not blink twice it would be the Titan. Nissan priced the Titans to high at first and many just figured they might as well get a 3/4 ton. Now I'm hearing they are discounting the Titan considerably from the original pricing.

The old boy with the ranch said what he liked pulling his 9000lb auto trailer was that it rode like a half ton but felt heavy like a 3/4, no tail wagging the dog. His opinion was that Nissan hit the sweet spot for those wanting a good ride but still robust when towing. It's a truck I'd consider when wife gives the green light for a new one.

[Gordon Dewald]

Payload = heavier suspension. Without a load it will ride less car like.

[tuffr2]

I will want the gas version of the XD. But since the truck I get will only be towing 3 to 5 % of the time the gas XD gets lousy gas mileage.

I am thinking a daily driver I will want decent fuel economy.

[bneukam]

Looks like your getting closer. Personally, with only towing 5% of the time, a 1/2 ton with decent payload and good fuel economy is where you should keep your focus.

A 3/4 or 1 ton are not good everyday drivers. Poor fuel economy unless you get a diesel, but who wants to drive a heavy tank every day.

Maybe a bigger trailer than my Lance would be nice, but no way am I getting a bigger truck. Because, most of us drive our trucks every day, and camp maybe 30 to 40 days a year. Our Ram 1500 Longhorn hauls our 5,500 lb trailer very easily, and feels great doing it.

I would stay with the big three 1500’s and drive them as many times as possible. Sit in them for extended timeframe so you get a really good feel for each one. Then go with the one your most comfortable with on the ride, and overall feel. Your the one that’s going to be driving it everyday, and writing out the check.

[Mekanic]

Originally Posted by patriot07

Not to be rude, but torque has nothing to do with speed when it comes to towing. Torque tells you whether you can get up the hill. Horsepower tells you how fast you can get there.

As for torque, the ED has tons of it for a half ton pickup. 420 ft-lbs is more than the 5.3L GM motor, 5.0L Ford motor, 5.7L Hemi, and every non-turbo V6. The only half ton engines that I'm aware of with more torque are the Cummins in the Titan (which gets terrible mpg and barely has more torque at the wheels than the ED), 1 the 3.5 Ecoboost (which doesn't pass the Ram's 420 ft-lbs until around 4k RPM and doesn't hit max torque til almost 5k RPM), and the 6.2L GM motor (which I believe requires premium gas and also doesn't get past the ED's torque until at least 4k RPM). ..... 2 Towing heavy with a gas motor, you're always going to be running high RPM because the torque curve dictates that. ......

1 Any engine hits its max torque when it has the highest vomulmetric efficiently .(That is Max cylinder filling ) For the ecoboost engine and any turbo equipped engine that is at max boost. Many intercooled engines make max boost as early as 2000 RPM. That is why many of these engines have a VERY flat torque curve from max boot till the turbo runs out of air, fuel pump runs out of fuel,..whatever

2 Not at all. Yes with the gas engines it will be at a higher RPM than the diesels however that doesn't mean the turbo powered smaller engines do not have torque down low.
What makes this more pronounced is the fact that that the OEMs no longer make a 1/2 ton truck with a manual transmission.

[Superslif]

Originally Posted by patriot07

If you hate driving slow, you're not going to get decent gas mileage in any of them and you might as well just get the Tundra 5.7L.

I'll stick with my Tundra's simple 5.7 L / 6 speed drive-train. As far as gas mileage I'll average 16 city and 20.5 highway.

BUT, I'll say BUT again, it all depends on how one drives.

If your in a state where 75-85 mph is the norm...ya, your fuel mileage will suffer.

At least to me spending another $5k to $10k+ more for a diesel, with the higher fuel prices, you would never money wise, break even. Maybe the word diesel sounds sexy. Unless you really need a diesel to do the heavy towing, why sacrifice "ride quality", higher "maintenance costs", higher "initial vehicle cost" and high "fuel cost".

[tuffr2]

I think the Ford 3.5 Eco-Boost will tow under stress (up a mountain) at 3,500 RPM while a non turbo V8 engine will run be running 5,000RPM.

If you watch Fast Lane Trucks they tow up the mountain. They will say 'I have the V8 Floored' the whole way. The Eco-Boost they need to back off or they will exceed the speed limit which is something they do not do.

Even the Eco-Boost 2.7 litre engine towing 7,500lbs up the mountain has power to spare.

I am liking the 2019 Ram 1500 because what they did. Basically improved every aspect of the 2018 Ram.

I am liking the Ford F-150 because of the engines and the key pad entry which would allow me to leave the key fob in the truck instead of taking it onto the beach area. The key fobs are becoming bigger and clunkier every year.

The 2019 Ram probably has the slightly better frame now, but the Ford frame is probably close.