I'm looking down the road trying to figure out what I will eventually replace my current truck with. I'm considering an 06 Dodge crewcab. I'd be looking for a 4x4 with a manual transmition and of course a 5.9L. Can anyone tell me what the difference is between the 5 spd and 6 spd trannys? Are they drastically different, or does one just have an extra granny gear or something. Also, what's the rear axle rated for on the 2500 and 3500? What's the typical fuel milage? How much room does the back seat have (I have 2 kids and 2 dogs). Are there any comon problems to be aware of? Has anyone tried running this truck on blended fuels (K1/WMO or K1/WVO)?
Thanks,
Mark
You aren't going to get a 5 speed behind an 06, you get the 6 speed G56. A pretty good trans, not as stout as the nv5600 but still very good. The dodge crew or quad cab back seats aren't that big but would work for kids, smaller adults and dogs. I am not that big (6') and find the seats a little tight but I am also 2.3 people according to American Airlines.
Fuel mileage seems to be all over the map, when I had my 04.5 (similar but not exactly the same as an 06) I could get 17-19 mpg. Long stretches on the highway I could crack 20. Other than the legendary (lack of) build quality with the dodge front ends, the injectors are very sensitive and depending on how well the PO the changed the fuel filter and ran the truck can be VERY problematic. With the HPCR system IMHO you can't just go and grab any fuel filter, you want to run a good one (Donaldson, Baldwin, FG, Wix). Additional filters does appear to have a positive impact on the service life of the injector, mine was still running the factory injectors when I sold with 205k on it, running a pressure box for 100k of those miles. I know some people run blended fuels but personally I would not do that in a CR, injection pressures can hit 28k psi and the injectors are not cheap so what ever you might save in fuel you will pay for in injectors. IMHO.