Eco diesel or max tow

[Sazabi19]

I'm not pointing my figure at you, but so much info about the EcoDiesel is coming from people who don't own one. I own two (gen 2 engine and gen 3 engine) and use them frequently. Regens are not an issue unless you're someone who rarely gets their speed up to 65 mile per hour.

I also don't do that lmao. I'm usually around 60mph lmao.

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[WXman]

But if you could change anything what would it be? And what types of upgrades should I be considering to be first on the list I'm more leaning towards the max tow currently

The only thing the current Max Tow trim is missing is a decent set of mirrors. They NEED to release real towing mirrors for that trim. Otherwise, it's just about perfect.

A power seat and factory dead pedal for comfort would sure be nice, but now we're chasing rabbits....

 

[danielspivey]

The only thing the current Max Tow trim is missing is a decent set of mirrors. They NEED to release real towing mirrors for that trim. Otherwise, it's just about perfect.

A power seat and factory dead pedal for comfort would sure be nice, but now we're chasing rabbits....

That’s a great point, shouldn’t the tow mirrors at least be an option? But heck, our hopes are way too high... like why did it take almost two years for that brake controller? Lol.

I have the rampage mirrors... they are better than nothing, but still limited.

 

[MoGladdr]

We previously had a 2017 jku with max tow. Got about 9 mpg when towing our 2500 lb travel trailer and most of the time driving at 3500 rpm or higher on the highway (we live in Missouri so it is hilly here). Just ordered the diesel jt. With a lighter trailer like ours the diesel vs max tow wasn’t hard to decide between. I can report back how we do with the mpg and rpms once we get the truck but I am positive it will be substantially better than our jku and be so nice not having to stop every hour and half to fill up with gas.

 

[biodiesel]

We previously had a 2017 jku with max tow. Got about 9 mpg when towing our 2500 lb travel trailer and most of the time driving at 3500 rpm or higher on the highway (we live in Missouri so it is hilly here). Just ordered the diesel jt. With a lighter trailer like ours the diesel vs max tow wasn’t hard to decide between. I can report back how we do with the mpg and rpms once we get the truck but I am positive it will be substantially better than our jku and be so nice not having to stop every hour and half to fill up with gas.

For reference, my Ram gets 13 mpg towing our widebody (8',6") 7,000 lb travel trailer. That's a good 4 mpg better than your 2017 JKU Pentastar, and that's with a wider trailer and 4,500 lbs heavier than your travel trailer! I'm guessing you'll easily get 15 mpg with your Gladiator EcoDiesel.

 

[Dyzard]

I think with the weight of the trailer we are looking at with payload and just legal considerations I'm thinking we are going to go max tow

 

[Mac]

I have towed the same 3500lb boats with both a 2014 JKU with 3.73 gears and 34” tires and my current JT max tow with the same size tires, the JT handles the weight much better and the 8 speed works very well, it does stay in 5th or 6th most of the time with the RPMs around 3k plus or minus, the brakes are also much better on the JT both of my trailers have surge brakes which work okay but not great. I don’t tow above 65mph so for me the Pentastar is fine, the mpg doesn’t really matter to me either as I usually want to stop and check things after a couple hours of towing, where I am in the northeast there is rarely a shortage of places to stop and get gas. I tow about 1000 miles a year, for me I would rather have the simplicity and lower cost of the gas motor for the amount of time the diesel would actually make a difference. For daily driving in and out of the city the Pentastar is great and has more than enough get up and go for how I drive.

 

[RiverMtnBeach]

the Davis Dam test is literally one of the hardest pulls anyone will do with their truck.

North of Bullhead? Yep! Also seen a few trucks burn to the ground there in the summer when it was 120+... It's no joke!

 

[RiverMtnBeach]

I've not seen anyone mention your average driving yet.

This 100%^^^!
I bought mine knowing that it's not the BEST truck for doing truck stuff (towing etc), but wanted a toy to play with when I got to where I was going and not have to tow it there along with the other toys. To me, it's a great value compared to buying a truck/toy hauler or RV/trailer combo along with an offroad toy like a side-by-side to explore the trails. It's not the BEST offroader either, but again, we're comparing $55K to do everything I wanted to do reasonably well vs $100K+ easy. And, I can tow a boat to the river, drop the trailer, and offroad it down to the beach. Is it the best daily driver either? Hell no, LOL, see above! :D

 

[RiverMtnBeach]

That’s a great point, shouldn’t the tow mirrors at least be an option? But heck, our hopes are way too high... like why did it take almost two years for that brake controller? Lol.

I have the rampage mirrors... they are better than nothing, but still limited.

I gave up on the brake controller and got Curt Echo bluetooth one. Pricey, but no install needed, and it's literally the best controller I've ever used. Never binds-up when don't expect it and shadows your braking very well.

 

[Jeeperjamie]

the max tow bros will tell you all day long that they’ve got un unstoppable beast. if you care about towing and don’t like life above 4500 RPM get the diesel

I towed around 5400lbs of rock combined trailer and load weight and I never saw 4500 RPMs on my Max Tow. Got it up to 70 mph a couple times and also was able to stay around 14-15mpg. Towed in about 50 miles.

To the Op I got no input on how the Diesel tows but if your towing close to 7,000lbs I'd say get the Max Tow and leave it as close to stock as possible to maintain the towing capacity.

 

[danielspivey]

I towed around 5400lbs of rock combined trailer and load weight and I never saw 4500 RPMs on my Max Tow. Got it up to 70 mph a couple times and also was able to stay around 14-15mpg. Towed in about 50 miles.

To the Op I got no input on how the Diesel tows but if your towing close to 7,000lbs I'd say get the Max Tow and leave it as close to stock as possible to maintain the towing capacity.

just curious, there is a consistent assumption that “changing” a max tow changes that tow capacities... but do we really have any data to support that? Say you swap out the stock tires for 285/70r17s... what does the payload and max towing decrease to? If you do spacer lift, but use the same springs and shocks... what does that equate to? If you are completely stock and remove the spare, the back seat and jack, you decreased weight, does the capacities increase? Hypothetically they would, but most would say technically they wouldn’t because your blind by the Sticker on the jam. But that same sticker is on the jam if you throw on 35s.... so why then is it decreased? Especially when we can’t quantify it?

 

[Jeeperjamie]

just curious, there is a consistent assumption that “changing” a max tow changes that tow capacities... but do we really have any data to support that? Say you swap out the stock tires for 285/70r17s... what does the payload and max towing decrease to? If you do spacer lift, but use the same springs and shocks... what does that equate to? If you are completely stock and remove the spare, the back seat and jack, you decreased weight, does the capacities increase? Hypothetically they would, but most would say technically they wouldn’t because your blind by the Sticker on the jam. But that same sticker is on the jam if you throw on 35s.... so why then is it decreased? Especially when we can’t quantify it?

I have no idea what the ratio is or what you lose, I'm just basing my answer on what I've read on hear and been told by others. I couldn't say to what degree it affects it. Mine was lifted 2.5 inches and on BFG KO2 315 70 17's when I towed the Rock and it did just fine with 5400lbs behind it in the Foothills/Piedmont area of NC, rolling hills pretty much. I didn't have the steel front and rear bumpers installed or the winch at the time.

 

[jdwhichard]

its all about heat the radiator is the same size as a JL only thing they could do was to put on a more powerful fan and make the grill opening larger . The 3.0 in dodge ram is rated at 12500 lbs while the 3.6 is rated at the same as a gladiator 7700 lbs while going up a steep incline and heating becomes a issue turn off the AC roll down the windows and turn on heater . The eco diesel will out tow the 3.6

 

[danielspivey]

its all about heat the radiator is the same size as a JL only thing they could do was to put on a more powerful fan and make the grill opening larger . The 3.0 in dodge ram is rated at 12500 lbs while the 3.6 is rated at the same as a gladiator 7700 lbs while going up a steep incline and heating becomes a issue turn off the AC roll down the windows and turn on heater . The eco diesel will out tow the 3.6

Can’t compare the 3.0 in the Dodge, that’s a full-size truck, with lots of room in the engine compartment, with a different cooling system.

Diesel cannot out tow the 3.6 due to manufacture capacity limitations. The reasoning is the cooling system which has been discussed on this forum and various online reviews of the JT.

The diesel may be able to “out perform” the 3.6 when towing, but It will certainly not “out tow it” as stated in your post (due to manufacture capacity limits).

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