Anyone have a 2017/2018 Dodge Ram 2500 w/ a 6 Speed Manual and a 6.7L Cummins?

I'm not sure exactly how long this generation or style ran for, but I do know the 2017 and 2018 Ram 2500 came with a 6 speed manual. I wasn't even aware that there were any full-size pick-up trucks that still came with a manual transmission. Every major automotive manufacturer that builds full-size trucks all only offer their trucks with automatics only. The last full size pick-up that was available with a stick and a turbo diesel that I personally remember was the Ford F250 in the early 2000s, but i'm no truck expert.

Anyways, i've always wanted a full size truck with with a stick, but in the past 2 decades, this is an extremely tall task. One of my favorite trucks is the 93 Ford F250 Powerstroke, but finding one is good condition with decent mileage is extremely hard and the price is a lot more than i'm willing to spend on a 27 year old truck.


Now that I know a full size pick-up came with a 6 speed manual and a cummins turbo diesel as late as 2018 I am very interested in picking one up for all kinds of use, but the mainly for payload and for towing of my cars and I have a friend who could benefit from using this to tow his Mustang vs. his Tacoma which is what we used last time when I bought my Fox.

I was looking up different ones for sale, but I first got interested when my friend sent me a text of one fo sale since he was just as surprised since he didn't know they came in stick as well.

He sent a pic of the truck and interior. I don't know which model it was exactly, but it was fairly loaded inside with the 8.4" touchscreen navigation, and similar interior to the newer one I built on the Ram website with a beige interior, and tan leather seats. Comparing the pictures of the one my friend sent me to the newest one on the Ram website, I believe it was a Laramie edition.

It looked very similar to this one since it had the exact same wheels, but was two-tone and had a few more bells and whistles.






I've always been a Ford F150/250 guy when it comes to trucks, but i've even more pro-stick, not matter the vehicle. The main reason i've been looking into picking up a 2nd gen. CTS-V (09-14). It's stylish and classy, but if you want to be a little reckless with it, you can. It's a car that has theatricality and deception, definitely with what is under the hood, Powerful agents to the uninitiated, but all of us here are initiated, aren't we? Ok, bad Batman insert there lol.

Now that I know I can finally buy a used full size pick-up truck with a manual transmission and it doesn't even have to be the base model with the crappy engine, I am very enticed. Sorry for rambling on, but i'm looking for anyone who has owned or currently owns this truck and can give me some feedback as to what they think about it, especially having a full size pick-up with a stick and diesel. It sounds odd, but if this turns out to be a worthwhile truck, I would much rather buy it than the CTS-V since it's more useful to what I need it for and I can't afford both. Thanks for any insight!

If you enjoy shifting every 2 seconds, its for you. Ram is last to offer a manual trans. Ram is also the only company to have a medium duty diesel in a light duty truck. You can make decent power with a air (turbo) change only. However, a automatic is so much nicer. I would highly recommend sticking with a 2015+ F250 powerstroke.

JJackson515 said:

Ram still offers the G56 (manual) trans to date. Ram is also the only company to have a medium duty diesel in a light duty truck

Click to expand...

To my understanding the last year you could get a manual in a 2500 or 3500 was 2019 - have i been lied to?


The 2018 Ram 2500 was the last American pickup truck you could get a manual transmission with. This was definitely the end of an era because there was a time when you could only get a pickup with a manual transmission. As these were for farm or business use they were not expected to be anything other than an appliance.

looks like i was wrong to by a year.

beau t said:

To my understanding the last year you could get a manual in a 2500 or 3500 was 2019 - have i been lied to?

Click to expand...

yes lol. 2018 is actually the last year.

Thanks for the input. I am pro-stick though and shifting isn't a chore to me, it's a gift that is almost extinct. If an F250 came in a stick I would pick that instead.

I've got a 12 with the 6.7 and G56 manual. It's been a great truck. I factory ordered it with the manual due to all the horror stories of the earlier 68RFE.

On the chassis side, mine is plain as they come. The 13+ were a big improvement both in interior and suspension. They ride a lot softer and smoother. (Unfortunately that makes oil filter replacement a pain, but minor inconvenience.) The interiors on the higher trims were some of the best, on par if not better than even the high end Ford trims. Personally I'm very happy with my bare bones setup, but that's all personal preference.

The transmission has its ups and downs. If you want just plain old fast, the automatic is the way to go. They come with more torque, and the faster shifts keep it moving. With the manual, it drives and shifts like a truck. Shouldn't be a big surprise with a medium duty diesel coupled to a medium duty (and some would consider heavy duty) transmission in a heavy duty pickup chassis. If you want a truck, this is it. It may not accelerate as fast, but it is the option for pulling a trailer. You can work the exhaust brake (which is phenomenal by the way) harder with the manual, and you can climb hills with better gear selection than the automatic.

The clutch is nice and light. Maybe too light. They cut back the torque rating on the manuals and implemented acceleration management due to the clutch they used. Nothing you can't get back with a tune. It's a night and day difference. Aftermarket clutches are a lot stiffer and noisier, but much stronger.

Speaking of tune, you want one. Not only will it net you power, but reliability and fuel economy vastly improve. Just don't crank the timing way up and hammer on it cold without studs, but that goes for any diesel.

Reliability is hands down better with the manual. Remember when I said some might call it a heavy duty transmission? It's a Mercedes model they use in trucks moving 60,000-80,000lb in places like South America and India where they beat the piss out of those trucks. A far cry from the 68RFE that would grenade if you looked at it wrong. They did revise the 68RFE by that point and it has vastly improved though. The Aisin they offer is a bit of the best of both worlds- the performance of the automatic and still reliable. It's a very heavy duty transmission. I wouldn't hesitate to own one of those.

Only really nuisance items to look out for. Make sure the bed light doesn't leak into the cab. If it does it's nothing silicone won't fix. And the puddle lamps might be out. Not exactly deal breakers.

Thank you very much for the detailed response! I greatly appreciate it! You provided some great information about the truck and seeing as how i've never owned a pick-up truck before, this was all very helpful. This only vehicle I owned that could tow and I used it a few times for that purpose, but not many times, since I never really needed it much and I never had a car that wasn't tagged or needed to ever be brought to a shop except for tuning. I used to own a 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee with a HEMI, and the tow package. Of course Grand Cherokees don't come in stick, but it was a great SUV to own with some great power to it. The only thing I did to it was just a K&N filter.

I love how you can tune the turbo diesel Cummins, and really any of the diesels like the Duramax or Powerstroke and they respond so well to something as simple as a tune. I'm not power hungry with this truck. I'm looking for something economical for what it is, is this case, a truck used for towing on occasion, and to and from work. I have a very short commute, about 8-12 miles round trip, so gas mileage isn't a big issue. While i'm towing I want to be able to shift when i'm making the optimal amount of torque, something I can do with a stick. That bed issue is good to know, thanks!

I wish you could get the old ZF-6 in a new Duty with the gas 7.3L.

Really hard to go wrong with the recent Ram/Cummins offerings (4th gen and 4.5 gen). Just dont buy a 19 or 20. Either get the 18 you are looking at, or order a new 22.

SID297 said:

I wish you could get the old ZF-6 in a new Duty with the gas 7.3L.

Click to expand...

That would be a pretty cool combo. 6 speed with a big cubic inch gas engine. I just wish Ford offered their trucks with a 6 speed manual. It's the only reason I want the Ram instead. If I could choose, I would pick an F250 with a 6 speed manual instead, but Ford hasn't offered a stick in a truck in nearly 20 years as far as I know, but i'm no Ford truck expert. Honestly, I just haven't liked any Chevy pickups in quite a while. The only thing I like from GM is the GMC 1500/2500/3500, but those trucks have turned into the Mercedes of trucks and decently equipped ones are crazy expensive.

99MustangGTman said:

That would be a pretty cool combo. 6 speed with a big cubic inch gas engine. I just wish Ford offered their trucks with a 6 speed manual. It's the only reason I want the Ram instead. If I could choose, I would pick an F250 with a 6 speed manual instead, but Ford hasn't offered a stick in a truck in nearly 20 years as far as I know, but i'm no Ford truck expert. Honestly, I just haven't liked any Chevy pickups in quite a while. The only thing I like from GM is the GMC 1500/2500/3500, but those trucks have turned into the Mercedes of trucks and decently equipped ones are crazy expensive.

Click to expand...

2010 was the last year for Super Duty.

SID297 said:

2010 was the last year for Super Duty.

Click to expand...

For some reason I thought it was 04, glad to know they made them with sticks that late.

99MustangGTman said:

For some reason I thought it was 04, glad to know they made them with sticks that late.

Click to expand...

They are rare, but they're out there.

SID297 said:

They are rare, but they're out there.

Click to expand...

I noticed that while searching for them. The SD F250 in manual are extremely hard to find compared to the RAM 2500 and 3500 in 6 speed manual. Due to the slim-pickens, some of the sellers with high mileage that do happen to have a Super Duty in stick seem to know what they are selling and price can be a bit higher than it should be. Again the sample size is small, but there's not a ton of them out there to compare to.

The RAM seems like a a truck with a far better selection to choose from when were talking about the stick selection. Finding 20 or so 2500s with a Cummins and 6 speed is a wide selection compared to what I can find for Super Duty manuals.

I have never considered myself a "Ford" guy, although all my vehicles have been Fords except for my WRX I bought new and started modifying it right when it hit 8k miles on the odometer. When I was younger I was definitely more of a "Ford" guy, but as I got older, I just appreciated cars of any make/model. Especially when the option to buy a stick became more rare, and cars like a CTS-V really made me appreciate Cadillac for putting a 6 speed manual in a supercharged, RWD, V8, that was basically a luxury car with a manual shifter in the middle of the console. Plus their aggressive manual transmission advertisting made me really appreciate what Cadillac was going for. Once their new 2022 CT4/CT5-V was announced and orders were beginning to be placed during the summer, I loved how Cadillac was right back at it with their aggressive advertising for a car that when loaded and the as shown model costs about $105K+ for the CT5-V. Cadillac, you have balls!

99MustangGTman said:

I noticed that while searching for them. The SD F250 in manual are extremely hard to find compared to the RAM 2500 and 3500 in 6 speed manual. Due to the slim-pickens, some of the sellers with high mileage that do happen to have a Super Duty in stick seem to know what they are selling and price can be a bit higher than it should be. Again the sample size is small, but there's not a ton of them out there to compare to.

The RAM seems like a a truck with a far better selection to choose from when were talking about the stick selection. Finding 20 or so 2500s with a Cummins and 6 speed is a wide selection compared to what I can find for Super Duty manuals.

I have never considered myself a "Ford" guy, although all my vehicles have been Fords except for my WRX I bought new and started modifying it right when it hit 8k miles on the odometer. When I was younger I was definitely more of a "Ford" guy, but as I got older, I just appreciated cars of any make/model. Especially when the option to buy a stick became more rare, and cars like a CTS-V really made me appreciate Cadillac for putting a 6 speed manual in a supercharged, RWD, V8, that was basically a luxury car with a manual shifter in the middle of the console. Plus their aggressive manual transmission advertisting made me really appreciate what Cadillac was going for. Once their new 2022 CT4/CT5-V was announced and orders were beginning to be placed during the summer, I loved how Cadillac was right back at it with their aggressive advertising for a car that when loaded and the as shown model costs about $105K+ for the CT5-V. Cadillac, you have balls!

Click to expand...

There's a good reason for that. For a long time Dodge didn't have an auto trans that was worth owning, the manual was the way to go. Ford, had a solid auto offering.

I like my auto. I can either lock out 5th and/or 6th and keep 1-4 auto or go full manual. Only thing I don't care for is if I'm in tow mode and using the exhaust brake it'll drop a couple gears I'll quickly end up at 3500rpm when going down a hill. But I've learned going over a mountain to put it in manual mode so that it shifts when I want to.

But then it's also my daily and I'm over dealing with a clutch in traffic every day.

01yellercobra said:

I like my auto. I can either lock out 5th and/or 6th and keep 1-4 auto or go full manual. Only thing I don't care for is if I'm in tow mode and using the exhaust brake it'll drop a couple gears I'll quickly end up at 3500rpm when going down a hill. But I've learned going over a mountain to put it in manual mode so that it shifts when I want to.

But then it's also my daily and I'm over dealing with a clutch in traffic every day.

Click to expand...

They put exhaust brakes on these?
I have seen a few Rams around that sound like they have Jakes on them.

03cobra#694 said:

They put exhaust brakes on these?

Click to expand...

yes most if not all of the newer rams have it, my buddy's 13 has it - - not sure if its trim level related or not though.

The exhaust brake on the Cummins is the best of the big 3.

SID297 said:

There's a good reason for that. For a long time Dodge didn't have an auto trans that was worth owning, the manual was the way to go. Ford, had a solid auto offering.

Click to expand...

While I certainly bought mine because of my experience with Chrysler automatics, the ISB/B series probably is one of the most prolific with manual transmissions around the world. Between that and having an in house transmission from the Daimler days, it was a piece of cake for them to offer. (Although ironically the majority of them sold in North America are Allison 2000/3000 series.)

01yellercobra said:

I like my auto. I can either lock out 5th and/or 6th and keep 1-4 auto or go full manual. Only thing I don't care for is if I'm in tow mode and using the exhaust brake it'll drop a couple gears I'll quickly end up at 3500rpm when going down a hill. But I've learned going over a mountain to put it in manual mode so that it shifts when I want to.

But then it's also my daily and I'm over dealing with a clutch in traffic every day.

Click to expand...

That thing has got to be absolutely screaming at 3500 RPM.

03cobra#694 said:

They put exhaust brakes on these?
I have seen a few Rams around that sound like they have Jakes on them.

Click to expand...

Exhaust brake is standard with the diesel. It was one of the big selling points when I first test drove one. I was descending a steep grade and actually losing speed.

The factory brake is an exhaust restriction brake using the VGT. It's very effective (and very loud, especially with deleted exhaust. Mine sounds like a jet on warmup and braking. Not great for befriending neighbors.) But there is also a compression release brake available for them aftermarket. I've never used it on a B-series myself. I've only seen some of the guys pushing their fifth wheels to the absolute limits use them, but they seem to like them.