2016 Power Wagon: 10,000 Mile Review

[Explorin Sonoran]

I have almost 10k on my 2016 as well and recently had it at the dealer for some work. They did an update on the transmission and it made a big difference on the shift points and driveability in case anyone hasn't done it yet.

I also agree on the quietness of the truck, I almost always drive windows up no music and all I hear is a slight hum from the tires.

[Chromolykid]

I am thinking when he said railroad he was referring to his truck getting delivered

Haha! Whoops, that makes sense.

Well in that case, I'll work on getting your truck to you!

My '16 has BAD wind noise and I'm taking it back to the dealership AGAIN. They didn't fix the Ramboxes, still look awful, they still have to fix the HVAC whistle and now the doors need to be adjusted to get rid of the wind noise. Other than that it's been great, but Chrysler Customer Service is a joke at best. Currently passing 8k on the odometer.

[LagunaH1]

I have almost 10k on my 2016 as well and recently had it at the dealer for some work. They did an update on the transmission and it made a big difference on the shift points and driveability in case anyone hasn't done it yet.

I also agree on the quietness of the truck, I almost always drive windows up no music and all I hear is a slight hum from the tires.

Interesting.... my '16 PW is going in tomorrow for it's first service with right around 7K miles on it. Did they tell you anything about what the transmission update was about?

[ramv]

Just got my 8k mile service. (Bought in June.) Had Brakes plus do it with Mobil 1 0W-40 and Mobil 1 filter. Dealer gave me free oil changes, but will never go back to them, free or not.

Some wind noise on the drivers door, have had some weird electronic issues (maxing out seat/mirror settings and losing all UConnect settings multiple times) TPMS light is on all the time (apparently it doesn't like altitude, my tires always show down several psi when parked which triggers the alarm, after driving they go bac to 60+)

Minor issues Coming from a 200k mile truck, I am not going to sweat the little stuff. Really like the truck so far.

[Reloaderguy]

I think I have about 4600 miles on my truck now and it still smells new.

[olyelr]

I think I have about 4600 miles on my truck now and it still smells new.

I just turned 5K today and same thing... smells like a new truck yet.

[olyelr]

Just got my 8k mile service. (Bought in June.) Had Brakes plus do it with Mobil 1 0W-40 and Mobil 1 filter. Dealer gave me free oil changes, but will never go back to them, free or not.

Some wind noise on the drivers door, have had some weird electronic issues (maxing out seat/mirror settings and losing all UConnect settings multiple times) TPMS light is on all the time (apparently it doesn't like altitude, my tires always show down several psi when parked which triggers the alarm, after driving they go bac to 60+)

Minor issues Coming from a 200k mile truck, I am not going to sweat the little stuff. Really like the truck so far.

Brakes?! What about the brakes?

I just changed my oil with Ams oil. I swear the motor is quieter now because of it (at startup).

[Low_Sky]

TPMS light is on all the time (apparently it doesn't like altitude, my tires always show down several psi when parked which triggers the alarm, after driving they go bac to 60+)

Cold tires show lower pressure than warm tires. Driving warms them up. This is normal.


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[ramv]

TPMS light is on all the time (apparently it doesn't like altitude, my tires always show down several psi when parked which triggers the alarm, after driving they go bac to 60+)

Cold tires show lower pressure than warm tires. Driving warms them up. This is normal.


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I realize that.

If I park overnight, I will end up with some at 47 psi. If I drive just down the block, they go back to recommended pressures. They aren't warming up in a block at 15 mph. I even shut it off on the top of a pass one day for (@ 13,000') about 1/2 hour and they all showed below 50. Once I started moving, they went back to normal pressures. Of course the light stays on.

When I bought it the dealer had over 70 psi (cold) in all tires.

[FirerescuePW]

I wonder if you would see much less fluctuation if you used nitrogen in the tires. Straight compressed air has moisture in it, which changes pressure with twmp. I imagine this would be amplified at higher altitudes.

[Will]

I just changed my oil with Amsoil. I swear the motor is quieter now because of it (at startup).

That's how my 2010 5.7 was, once I got past the so many oil changes I had with the dealer and changed my own to Mobile, engine has been nice and quiet ever since. Same weight, just different oil. And I always use the Mopar filter also so it's not anything to do with that. The filters are cheap and can be found easily around here.

[ramv]

I wonder if you would see much less fluctuation if you used nitrogen in the tires. Straight compressed air has moisture in it, which changes pressure with twmp. I imagine this would be amplified at higher altitudes.

I had good luck with N2 on my Chevy but the issue really is picking up false readings well parked.

This morning I had three tires go up (2-5 psi) and one go down (4 psi) in the first block. Then they all slowly heated up a few psi on the drive to work. I am confident that the readings after the first block and after driving to work are accurate as I have verified with a pressure gauge. It's just the start-up pressure is wrong for some reason.

[NickTF]

I found the accuracy of the OEM tire pressure sensors improved dramatically when I sold them on ebay with my oem wheels!

[Bill2014]

I wonder if you would see much less fluctuation if you used nitrogen in the tires. Straight compressed air has moisture in it, which changes pressure with twmp. I imagine this would be amplified at higher altitudes.

I had good luck with N2 on my Chevy but the issue really is picking up false readings well parked.

This morning I had three tires go up (2-5 psi) and one go down (4 psi) in the first block. Then they all slowly heated up a few psi on the drive to work. I am confident that the readings after the first block and after driving to work are accurate as I have verified with a pressure gauge. It's just the start-up pressure is wrong for some reason.

I find my sensors to be fairly accurate whenever I have checked them with a gauge that reads tenths of a pound... A tire in the sun will gain a few pounds over a tire in the shade: PV=nRT. If you run lower pressures, then expect the pressures to increase rapidly for the first few miles as they flex internally as they contact the pavement. If you run your tires hard (65+ psi), they don't flex much and therefore don't heat up and don't gain pressure. Assuming we don't have leaks, it's the air temp inside the tire that drives the pressure.

[ramv]

I wonder if you would see much less fluctuation if you used nitrogen in the tires. Straight compressed air has moisture in it, which changes pressure with twmp. I imagine this would be amplified at higher altitudes.

I had good luck with N2 on my Chevy but the issue really is picking up false readings well parked.

This morning I had three tires go up (2-5 psi) and one go down (4 psi) in the first block. Then they all slowly heated up a few psi on the drive to work. I am confident that the readings after the first block and after driving to work are accurate as I have verified with a pressure gauge. It's just the start-up pressure is wrong for some reason.

I find my sensors to be fairly accurate whenever I have checked them with a gauge that reads tenths of a pound... A tire in the sun will gain a few pounds over a tire in the shade: PV=nRT. If you run lower pressures, then expect the pressures to increase rapidly for the first few miles as they flex internally as they contact the pavement. If you run your tires hard (65+ psi), they don't flex much and therefore don't heat up and don't gain pressure. Assuming we don't have leaks, it's the air temp inside the tire that drives the pressure.

Basic physics. Agreed. They are accurate enough I can tell which side the sun is. I always check my tire temps with an IR gauge while towing, and you do see a difference in temp/pressure based on the sun.

My issue is they occasionally read low (or high, but that doesn't trigger the TPMS light) when parked. I am not talking the distance to heat up to get an accurate reading, I am literally talking a few rotations. But if the TPMS is already triggered it doesn't reset until a few ignition cycles which inevitably, a tire will read randomly low and trigger again.

Still just an academic exercise, I am not taking it to the dealer, and at this rate, I will have the stock tires worn out this winter, and likely will be running 315s for my next set, so the TPMS being on will just be a fact of life.

[MoparToYou]

Hey guys, just stopping by to say hi, and noticed there were a few more post on my 10,000 mile review thread. While I'm here I thought I would post a picture from today of the Power Wagon replacement doing what it does, tow the toys to the desert. Just completed a 350 mile trip today, and average fuel mileage for the trip with the Cummins was 9.2 mpg. The Hemi Power Wagon got 6.5 mpg towing the same load over the same trip. So even with a nearly 50% improvement in fuel mileage, 9 mpg is nothing to brag about.

Anyway, hope to see some of you guys around some day. This is a good forum, and I kind of miss coming over here more often.

[cruz]

Anyway, hope to see some of you guys around some day. This is a good forum, and I kind of miss coming over here more often.

You should know by now we welcome everybody, even oilburners . Nice truck ! The approves.

[adeluca73]

Looking good, great 1-2 vehicle combo, great view. Like the OBA set-up you have, clean & neat.

[OffroadTreks]

How are you getting such terrible gas milage?

[MoparToYou]

1. Speed limit for half the trip was 80 mph.
2. Trailer is shaped like a 6000 lb parachute.
3. 37" tires and 4.10 gears.
4. I apparently didn't get one of special trucks you read about on the internet that get 20 mpg towing 20,000 lbs, uphill, into a headwind.

[vanished]

Lol - I was wondering about the poor MPG's as well... It will get better after it breaks in - mine isn't 'special' but it gets 12+ mpg towing 12k+ GN... Try keeping it under 70!


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[RustyPW]

I'm wondering about the fuel mileage too. My motorhome has a 5.9 Cumins rated at 350Hp, and 800 torque. It weights in at 33,000 lbs plus pulling my GC which weights in at 4,600 lbs. I got an avg. of 8.4 mpg on my trip out west.

[nts007]

It's the 80mph. Slow to 65 and mileage will jump 5mpg easily

[MoparToYou]

I've already noticed that. If I keep it to 65 mph I get 11 to 12 mpg towing. If I drive 80 mph I get 8 mpg. This Cummins 6.7 makes peak torque at 1600 RPM, and there is a definite sweet spot at about that RPM where the engine is much more efficient. With 37" tires and 4.10 gears I am at 1600 RPM at 67 mph, but I'm at 2000 RPM at 80 mph. At 67 mph this thing will purr along all day long, and you almost forget the trailer is behind you. We were on a time table on the day the picture was taken though. We had a 175 mile trip to complete, and wanted to do several hours of rock hounding at Topaz Mountain before returning home another 175 miles. And we needed to get home in time for my wife to watch Bachelor in Paradise on TV. Hey, she has her priorities. I just try to keep her happy.

[OffroadTreks]

Yea there is nothing special about it. 80mph is what is killing it. Mine weighs in at 6890lbs, and I'm averaging 11.8 now on the 35's with 4.10's. But I usually don't tow over 65mph with a trailer. There is a reason why it's mandatory 55mph in CA for all vehicles towing. I hope those ST tires on that trailer have a speed rating higher than 65mph like most. Otherwise, you are asking for a blow out one day.

Truck looks great.

Cheers.