Hemi Ram - feedback?

[fleckster]

I have the 20" wheels on my Ram as well. I honestly don't have a problem with the Goodyears either even in the snow. They don't clean themselves out very well, especially with wet snow but in most of the dry snow coverage we have had this year, I don't spin much unless I want to...and sometimes I want to! I love to try and jump off the line in the snow with all the tires spinning and the truck hopping and bouncing around. I'm not anywhere close to needing to replace them with only 24,000 miles, but I was looking at something to replace them with that would look a little more sporty on the tread pattern. (not off-road looking) I was looking at the General SUV performance tires. All I can say is ABS and limited slip are your friends in the slick stuff!

Dave, I know my Hemi Ram put a whoopin' on Ken Adler's 360 Quad Cab Dakota when I was towing my Spirit and he was towing his Shelby Charger. He was foot on the floor and I was pulling away going up the hill! I even average a full mpg more towing than he does. I couldn't even come close to staying with Reeves' turned up Cummins pulling his Omni though.

[Sgt Craig]

Thanks guys for the feedback. If money were no object I'd have cummins 6 speed truck in the driveway, but the Hemi trucks sound like they will get the job done too. I've got a buisiness venture that could help my finances and that will probably help me decide which way to go.

Dave if you havent or want to you can drive my Cummins with a 6spd. It will change your mind.Hell you can tow with it if you want,just as long as im with you.

[Sgt Craig]

Also another thing,if you get a Hemi atleast get a 2500,They have bigger brakes than a 1500.

[karlak]

As far as towing milage I get 15 to 16 mpg towing a car on a 24 foot trailer. Thats traveling 65 to 70 on the interstate. With my brothers homemade megaton enclosed trailer that is about 18 inches higher than the average I get 12 to 14. Only towed his trailer on 2 lane roads at 55 mph.

[Turbodave]

Also another thing,if you get a Hemi atleast get a 2500,They have bigger brakes than a 1500.

That is my plan, I always have a car to drive to work daily so my pickup only gets fired up when I have work to do. I've managed for 12 years with a 1/2 ton just fine, but it's got airbags in the back to handle weight better, and the best brake parts I could get, and it's still a scary ride if the trailer brakes give up.

The extra load handling of a 3/4 ton suits my needs much better. Plus I can stick with a regular "B" plate on a 3/4 ton. With a one ton I would probably be inclined to go with a heavier/ more expensive registration.

Dave if you havent or want to you can drive my Cummins with a 6spd. It will change your mind.Hell you can tow with it if you want,just as long as im with you.

Thanks Craig, might take you up on that one day. I've driven a buddy's 5spd 96 1-Ton, it's a regular cab 4x4 with 4.10 gears. It will pull a house down without you noticing it, but was more thirsty than I expected on the hwy (12mpg towing my 96 1/2 ton on an open trailer). Mostly I remember that it didn't have A/C and had the base seats which made 9 hours feel like 20...

How is yours in the snow or off the pavement? I don't do any 4 wheeling, but there are times where I have to drive across wet ground, and my driveway has a slight uphill incline, making it a challenge to get my 2wd ram out sometimes when it snows.

[Sgt Craig]

That is my plan, I always have a car to drive to work daily so my pickup only gets fired up when I have work to do. I've managed for 12 years with a 1/2 ton just fine, but it's got airbags in the back to handle weight better, and the best brake parts I could get, and it's still a scary ride if the trailer brakes give up.

The extra load handling of a 3/4 ton suits my needs much better. Plus I can stick with a regular "B" plate on a 3/4 ton. With a one ton I would probably be inclined to go with a heavier/ more expensive registration.



Thanks Craig, might take you up on that one day. I've driven a buddy's 5spd 96 1-Ton, it's a regular cab 4x4 with 4.10 gears. It will pull a house down without you noticing it, but was more thirsty than I expected on the hwy (12mpg towing my 96 1/2 ton on an open trailer). Mostly I remember that it didn't have A/C and had the base seats which made 9 hours feel like 20...

How is yours in the snow or off the pavement? I don't do any 4 wheeling, but there are times where I have to drive across wet ground, and my driveway has a slight uphill incline, making it a challenge to get my 2wd ram out sometimes when it snows.

The worse mpg mine got was 7 but that was towing a monster 38ft 5th whl in a 40 mph headwind.It would average 14+ depeding on trailer size,wind and such.Empty itll knock down 24-25.It has 4.10 gears and lsd.Snow I dont even bother its 2wd.Its why its in such nice shape for its age and milage. It doesnt take much to get it sideways when the white stuff comes.Youll have trouble if you have a incline.Ive been stuck in wet grass with it.

[Turbodave]

The worse mpg mine got was 7 but that was towing a monster 38ft 5th whl in a 40 mph headwind.It would average 14+ depeding on trailer size,wind and such.Empty itll knock down 24-25.It has 4.10 gears and lsd.Snow I dont even bother its 2wd.Its why its in such nice shape for its age and milage. It doesnt take much to get it sideways when the white stuff comes.Youll have trouble if you have a incline.Ive been stuck in wet grass with it.

I appreciate the honest feedback, I figured your quad cab longbed 2wd is probably the worst configuration for getting stuck off road in. Most of my driving is highway, and I plan on keeping the neon for the winters and making room in the barn to put the truck away when there is salt on the roads. But there is always that chance that I find hemi-cuda in a barn for $200 in the middle of January, and I want to be able to go get it regardless of weather. That plus the occasional times the truck would get used on the farm for hauling hay wagons or other equipment makes me think 4wd is the way to go for me, especially on a diesel truck.

I rode to the Jefferson swap meet a few years back in a friend's 91 Cummins ram, and remember that to get off the wet grass we parked on required getting out and locking the hubs and putting it into 4wd, and that was the type of terrain my 2wd 1/2 ton wouldn't have spun a tire on.

Anyone here have any experience with a Hemi 6speed truck?

I keep drooling over the Power Wagon models, despite the fact that they aren't practical for what I would need. Like this one only I would want it for a lot less money. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BRAND...em200201469135

[dds78910]

I have a 05 like Warrens and mine has been good, no problems, it pulls good and drives great. I dont agree with him on the tires though. I bought my truck with 5,500 miles on it and it already needed new tires on it. I made them last another 5000 miles and replaced them witha Toyo AT 20" tire. They were a little spendy, but came with a 60,000 mile warranty! That is kind of hard to come by with a 20" tire. Most of my experiences with tires that come with the vehicle new are usually crap!

[JDAWG]

do the newer rams have mds? I know the first few years didnt. I know guys with chargers with hemis that get better gas mileage than guys with the 4.7 engines, if you can keep your foot out of it all the time.
The fly by wire comment, get used to it, pretty much everything is going to that. I dont like not having my foot connected to the throttle by a cable either, but most new cars are going to this.

[JDAWG]

I have a 05 like Warrens and mine has been good, no problems, it pulls good and drives great. I dont agree with him on the tires though. I bought my truck with 5,500 miles on it and it already needed new tires on it. I made them last another 5000 miles and replaced them witha Toyo AT 20" tire. They were a little spendy, but came with a 60,000 mile warranty! That is kind of hard to come by with a 20" tire. Most of my experiences with tires that come with the vehicle new are usually crap!

Goodyear tires are garbage

[fleckster]

do the newer rams have mds? I know the first few years didnt. I know guys with chargers with hemis that get better gas mileage than guys with the 4.7 engines, if you can keep your foot out of it all the time.
The fly by wire comment, get used to it, pretty much everything is going to that. I dont like not having my foot connected to the throttle by a cable either, but most new cars are going to this.

MDS was introduced on all the Hemi trucks in 2006 and has been used on all of them since. 4.7L Engines are not available in any of the cars. It is a truck/SUV exclusive engine. The new 310hp 4.7L for 2008 is also drive by wire. It does not have MDS though since it is OHC.

I haven't been a fan of car Goodyear tires, at least the OEM ones. (I have had Eagle RS-A on a couple vehicles and I don't like them much at all. But the ones on my Ram (Wranger HP) and the ones I had on my older trucks (Wrangler RT/S) I have to say were pretty decent. I would be willing to bet that if you went with the very high dollar Goodyears (F1 or similar) they would more than likely be excellent. I just feel I can get tires that are a better value (at least good performance for the money).

[Turbodave]

I haven't been a fan of car Goodyear tires, at least the OEM ones. (I have had Eagle RS-A on a couple vehicles and I don't like them much at all. But the ones on my Ram (Wranger HP) and the ones I had on my older trucks (Wrangler RT/S) I have to say were pretty decent. I would be willing to bet that if you went with the very high dollar Goodyears (F1 or similar) they would more than likely be excellent. I just feel I can get tires that are a better value (at least good performance for the money).

I'm not much of a goodyear fan either my truck had the Wrangler RT/S on it new, they lasted about 40k miles. I replaced them with a set of Pirelli Scorpions, which went for 93k miles, and now I've got Firestones on it, which have been ok, but I'm thinking they will only last about 50k miles.

Of course it's not about how many miles they go always, but that is a factor. The Pirelli's where my favorite, but they stopped making that model (Scorpion I). Quiet on-road, decent traction off road and in snow and they lasted forever without being rotated or anything.

[JDAWG]

MDS was introduced on all the Hemi trucks in 2006 and has been used on all of them since. 4.7L Engines are not available in any of the cars. It is a truck/SUV exclusive engine. The new 310hp 4.7L for 2008 is also drive by wire. It does not have MDS though since it is OHC.

I haven't been a fan of car Goodyear tires, at least the OEM ones. (I have had Eagle RS-A on a couple vehicles and I don't like them much at all. But the ones on my Ram (Wranger HP) and the ones I had on my older trucks (Wrangler RT/S) I have to say were pretty decent. I would be willing to bet that if you went with the very high dollar Goodyears (F1 or similar) they would more than likely be excellent. I just feel I can get tires that are a better value (at least good performance for the money).

we have customers all the time that come in with vibration issues, put it on the road force machine and the tires end up shaped like an egg. The F1 tires, you can get the same for alot cheaper.Goodyear's quality control is subpar, when its time for new tires I dont recommend them at all, I try to sell Michelin, they are expensive, if they want cheaper I go BFG. I try to stick to name brands selling tires, most people dont know much about tires, they only know commercials they see. So if I try to sell Yokohama, Toyo, Falken, etc. they wont buy. By far the best tires I ever had were Yokohama, of course I only drove my truck on the weekends though, they were Z rated, so tread wear didnt bother me.

[fleckster]

I completely get where you are coming from on the tire brands. Hell the last three sets I've bought were: Nitto NT450 225/50-15 for my Shelby Lancer about 7 years ago; Kumho Supra 712 225/50-16 for my Spirit R/T about two years ago; BF Goodrich g-force Sport 225/45-17 for my LeBaron GT convertible. I like them all but they quick making both the Nittos and the Kumhos models. I've always went with the old stand by and reliable BF Goodrich Radial T/A on my RWD cars.

[SebringLX]

I have 800 miles on my '08 Ram 1500 4x4 Quad Cab Hemi now. I love it! The power is great, haven't had a chance to tow with it yet. I miss the interior of the '02 I had befor this... but the power is definately a lot better with the Hemi compared to the 5.9L that truck had.

[dodgeshadowchik]

hemi's are not to bad but the electronic throttle sucks most have a delay. Most problems I have seen on Hemi's are valve springs brake and valve drops into piston. I have replaced several heads and short blocks because of valve springs and people keep driving.

I have only seen one 2500 hemi with a 6 speed, it ran great after I replaced short block and left head because of valve spring only had 8k on it

Any truck that you buy could have problems or not. Personally I would go with Cummins and a 6 speed

I wouldn't get a V10 gas mileage sucks

Last time I checked MDS is not offered on 2500 and 3500 trucks only on 1500and the cars with hemi's and the 4.7L has been redesigned with MDS not sure how it works though

[BadAssPerformance]

hemi's are not to bad but the electronic throttle sucks most have a delay. Most problems I have seen on Hemi's are valve springs brake and valve drops into piston. I have replaced several heads and short blocks because of valve springs and people keep driving.

I have only seen one 2500 hemi with a 6 speed, it ran great after I replaced short block and left head because of valve spring only had 8k on it

Any truck that you buy could have problems or not. Personally I would go with Cummins and a 6 speed

I wouldn't get a V10 gas mileage sucks

Last time I checked MDS is not offered on 2500 and 3500 trucks only on 1500and the cars with hemi's and the 4.7L has been redesigned with MDS not sure how it works though

Wow, didn't know you wrenched on trucks so much!

[yogurt_slinger]

hemi's are not to bad but the electronic throttle sucks most have a delay. Most problems I have seen on Hemi's are valve springs brake and valve drops into piston. I have replaced several heads and short blocks because of valve springs and people keep driving.

I have only seen one 2500 hemi with a 6 speed, it ran great after I replaced short block and left head because of valve spring only had 8k on it
though

Huh, thats the first I've heard of any kind of valve spring problems. Well, I know what my next mod will be then, comp cams beehive springs. Of course, if I do that, it would also make sense to upgrade the cam to to comp cams Stage III hemi cam (HELLO +61HP!!). makes sense to me at least...

[Sgt Craig]

I'm not much of a goodyear fan either my truck had the Wrangler RT/S on it new, they lasted about 40k miles. I replaced them with a set of Pirelli Scorpions, which went for 93k miles, and now I've got Firestones on it, which have been ok, but I'm thinking they will only last about 50k miles.

Of course it's not about how many miles they go always, but that is a factor. The Pirelli's where my favorite, but they stopped making that model (Scorpion I). Quiet on-road, decent traction off road and in snow and they lasted forever without being rotated or anything.

A newer 2500 2wd should have Micheleins on it. They are a great tire.Ive gone through about 10 in 208 k.They arent cheap though. About 160-180 a piece.Not a great mud and snow tire either.

[Turbodave]

A newer 2500 2wd should have Micheleins on it. They are a great tire.Ive gone through about 10 in 208 k.They arent cheap though. About 160-180 a piece.Not a great mud and snow tire either.

All the new 3/4 tons at the dealership I stopped at the other day had Michelins on them (and 44k plus window stickers )