[Trimguy]

Hi all,
I'll be replacing my current work truck, 99 Dodge 1500 5.9 4WD. It has 220000k on it and it's tired. Not to mention I'm tired of crawling in and out of the back.
I'm a carpenter, interior trim and custom woodwork. I carry lots of tools, my Dodge has air bags holding up the rear. I also live in Colorado, driving at elevations up to 10k ft.
Here are my questions
Does it take 10 min to get from 0 to 60 in a loaded PM?
Anyone driven at elevation in one?
Will I be able to keep up with traffic on long grades?
Anyone found a cat back exhaust system yet? I'll take all the ponies I can get.
Why does it take forever for my post to show up?






Thanks

 

[GuyT]

Hi all,
I'll be replacing my current work truck, 99 Dodge 1500 5.9 4WD. It has 220000k on it and it's tired. Not to mention I'm tired of crawling in and out of the back.
I'm a carpenter, interior trim and custom woodwork. I carry lots of tools, my Dodge has air bags holding up the rear. I also live in Colorado, driving at elevations up to 10k ft.
Here are my questions
Does it take 10 min to get from 0 to 60 in a loaded PM?
Anyone driven at elevation in one?
Will I be able to keep up with traffic on long grades?
Anyone found a cat back exhaust system yet? I'll take all the ponies I can get.
Why does it take forever for my post to show up?
Thanks

:laugh::laugh::laugh:

Love your post, but have no answers, sorry.

 

[zwarte]

Sometimes posts get moderated. We try to keep up with it but are imperfect. Apologies.

 

[Brian P]

Does it take 10 min to get from 0 to 60 in a loaded PM?

Heck no. It moves along quite fine. It probably has more power than your truck does, and a better transmission. One difference ... the Pentastar makes power with revs rather than torque. It will want to downshift and rev up to accelerate. Let it. It's normal.

Anyone driven at elevation in one?

Only as high as the Smoky Mountains in TN and NC.

Will I be able to keep up with traffic on long grades?

Yes. Again, the transmission will want to downshift to let the engine rev up in order to make some power. Let it do that. It's fine. On interstates through TN and NC, mine never had to downshift to lower than 5th to get up the hill at highway cruise. A few much steeper grades on smaller roads wanted 4th.

Anyone found a cat back exhaust system yet? I'll take all the ponies I can get.

Haven't seen anything around here, but it would be interesting to find out what the difference is between the Pentastar installed here (280 hp) versus the Charger/Challenger (305? hp). It's supposed to be the same engine.

 

[digisnapmark]

It's a very sporty van. No problem with long grades, including up to Vail Pass, etc. It does like to rev, and that can get annoying, but it'll do better than keep up!

 

[carnut]

...Only as high as the Smoky Mountains in TN and NC.
...

There's basically double the power loss (about 30%) at 10000 ft vs 5000 ft. If I understand the allpar site correctly, the 62TE actually shifts down directly from 6th to something called 4th prime - a gear just below the normal 4th. In 4th prime you'd be turning about 4300 rpm at 60 mph and probably putting down less than 120 hp at the wheels. I didn't spend alot of time in the mountains in the 6 years I lived in Denver, but based on the 1/2 dozen cars I owned while there, it wouldn't surprise me if the PM has to drop to 3rd on the long grades. At that point you will be turning about 6250 rpm at 60 mph and putting down maybe 160 hp. Oddly, engines don't feel strained running at the redline at those altitudes. Probably because they are putting out much less power.

The diesel may be the smarter choice due to the turbo. I remember running my 2.0L Saab in 3rd while turbo diesel 18 wheelers motored past.

 

[Matfam]

My van is just a tad under 9000 lbs. It goes through Oregon's Cascade and coastal passes with ease. No problems around Shasta in Northern California either. My loaded PM will push me back in the seat, just a bit at full acceleration.

 

[Dwight]

Something I've wondered about, that may be of interest to you.........

I find my van capable of amazing gas mileage with light loads. But a strong headwind can drop mileage 2 mpg at highway speeds.

So that makes me wonder if someone driving mountains and heavily loaded, would be the customer who gains the most going diesel.

For this flat lander, lightly loaded, the gasser is fantastic. Blows my 2012 GMC truck away in gas mileage.

 

[30 Ounce]

I live in Colorado and work in the mountains a lot. The Pentastar engine works really well at altitude. I put it in tow haul mode in the mountains and it seems to shift less and hold the gears longer. I've driven up to Estes Park and Coal Creek Canyon loaded and it does just fine. Actually better than my old '99 GMC Savana 3500.

 

[DODGE]

My experience with our fully loaded PM RV at 8500 pounds on high grades, reaching 65mph is that the V6 Pentastar is adequate but you have to rev it up. The sound of the motor gives you the feeling it's working very hard, but it's the way to go. In those situations I give it a boost at the top. I keep it on 4th gear at 4000rpm. Am I pushing it too much? We average 15,5 mpg in our first 4000 miles. Great van to drive. See our complete album at http://centrelab.smugmug.com/PERSO-GL/XLFLEXsafaricondocom/n-MNSpq/

 

[Trimguy]

Thanks for all the responses. The search has now begun for a 2500 or 3500 159 that isn't white.
I did find a cat back exhaust on etrailer.com, I don't know what brand it was. Next is wheels!

 

[zwarte]

Trimguy - most dealers will offer a $1000 upfitter allowance that can be used for graphics on the outside of your vehicle. This might make finding a non-while PM less important.

 

[jostalli]

Trimguy - most dealers will offer a $1000 upfitter allowance that can be used for graphics on the outside of your vehicle. This might make finding a non-while PM less important.

If you don't wish to wrap it (I received a quote to wrap for $2200) you can plastidip it (I received a quote to plastidip a 136 high top for $1300). Plastidip can be applied yourself. Take a look at one of the first Sprinter van plastidip DIY here: http://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17258&page=95

 

[PMroamer]

I'm in Breckenridge and my 2500 high roof runs great!