need info on Dodge Ram 1500 pickups

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tom340

tom340

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Im thinking about possibly looking into something like an '05 Ram 1500 4x4 Reg. cab pickup. I own a nice '05 Ranger XLT thats worth a boatload of $$ but I wouldnt dream of towing the Duster with it to the Nats or Carlisle . Whatever opinions or suggestions or experiences you have I'll take. So far Im pretty stuck on the '05 because I could make a reasonable financial swap downsizing to the Reg. cab and probably have $$ leftover. Questions: Gas mileage 4.7l vs. Hemi??? Towing capacity 4.7l vs. Hemi?? Opinions on the 4.7l??? Screw the 4.7l and get the Hemi?? Would you use/have you used the 4.7l to tow your classic MoPar muscle??
Those RumbleBees and Daytonas sure look nice but me needs to stick to the basics and stay clear from another playtoy. The dealerships near me are begging for sales, looks like I could get into something with 45-55K for @ $12,000 and less privately for the basix 4x4 2 dr reg cab.
 
If your upgrading for towing, go with the 5.7l. I had the 4.7l in my dak & while its a great little motor, I wouldnt have it in a fullsize truck. I had 35's & 3:55's in my dak & it really choked it down. I didnt tow the duster with the dak but I towed a 16 foot trailer loaded with 4 wheelers & supplies to the lake numerous times & it pulled fine, but It was just 4 wheelers & soda pop. Aftermarket support for the HEMI makes the 4.7l look obsolete. Way more aftermarket stuff for the HEMI. Im not bad mouthing the 4.7l in no way, in fact, I think its one of the best motors chrysler has come out with in a long time. But since your going to be towing, I would upgrade to the 5.7l.
 
Stay away from the 4.7, esp in a Ram. It is ok for light duty stuff but when you are towing something heavy, you need a bunch of torque down, not at 4500 rpm.
Too bad you can't get a new Ram, Dakota or Durango with the 5.9 anymore.
Hell of a good torque motor.

9600#s with Camry on trailer
P7291863.jpg


10,700#s with 4Runner 4x4
P7071753.jpg
 
What are we getting for fuel economy with the 5.7 in a Ram 1500? Normal driving..like takin it easy. I saw on some dodge truck forum some guys getting like 17-20 mpg hgwy- true??
 
I dunno...there are several guys around here in my car club that pull their A-bodies with a 2wd, QC 4.7L Ram with no problems. Hell, we even tow-barred a J-10 Jeep (over 5000lbs) 60 miles with a 4.7L 5spd 3.92s and it did great.

Then again...we live in a flat-ish area, and don't typically have 4wds.
 
Go with the 5.7L way more towing power and the fuel milage between the two is not that much of a difference.
 
It's possible to get about 20 on the highway with a Hemi 4X4, but you have to let the MDS kick in and drive at a sane (read near the limit) speed. Towing is another matter. You won't see anything like that towing with a gas truck.

Also, since we've had ethanol forced down our throats, you may not see 20 on the highway empty. My 4.7 dropped about 2mpg since the addition of ethanol
 
I wasnt expecting anything remotely resembling 17-20 while towing the car for sure. We did manage 14mpg with my brothers 5.4l Ford while towing. The Uhaul trailer weighed 2k plus the cars 3150, and all our ****...Oh yea, a 500 lb intake for Adam LOL. plenty of hills from Ct. to Carlisle.
I think for myself comparing my Rangers fuel economy(4.0l V6) to a Hemi Ram 1500 its very possible the Ram gets slightly better gas mileage.
 
Is that the new truck you were talking about purchasing? I just saw online that Jimmy has an '05 Ram 1500 reg. cab at his dealership. A nice 4x4 Yellow '05 Ram up in Litchfield too but listed over my allowance.
 
Yes, I got it about 2 months ago. Its an 04, Hemi quad cab.

Its set up well for towing with 373, limited slip rear, electric brake controller. And the flowmaster cat back sound good on it !
 
Just learned something new. I was not aware the 5.7L could be ordered in '04. I'm actually not sure even when the the first new Hemis even came out anymore. Was the basic Ram 1500 4x4 SLT available in '04? Gotta check out you ride man!
 
The Hemi was standard in the 2500 in 04. It was available in the 1500 as an option. Standard was the 4.7L
 
Maybee a stupid question, 2500 available as a regular cab? I never did check the price guide for the 2500 Ram in NADA, Kelley or Edmunds.
 
Pick up an old (pre 75) d200/300 and drop a cast crank stroker kit 360 in it with a cam with no more than about 210 duration at .050. Add a 750 vacuum secondary and a cast 4 bbl intake. You'll probably get better mileage than a Hemi and buttloads of lowend torque. Don't forget a low stall towing converter and a big *** trans cooler. You'll have way less than 5K in it minus a paint job and no payments. Parts are pretty much easy and cheap to come by too.

You'll have a dana 60 rear from the factory, insurance will be cheap and who cares if it gets a scratch? Plus it'll be cool. 8)

Just my opinion. :read2:
 
You wont find a Pre 75 D series truck around here in once piece. Your lucky if you find a Pre 05 truck around here with no rust, LOL
 
Whoops! Forgot about the rust belt situation. That's what I get for living in the Southwest for the last 14 years. I saw one in the bone yard about 3 years ago with a 383 and it was a Dana 60 dually! It even had the factory tool box door in the side. The grill and radiator support is on my RC right now. The body was about perfect too and the 383 looked to have been just rebuilt. I was wondering why it there and when I went to snag the wiring harness the alt cable pulled right out of the bulkhead connector.

If I had the dough, i could probably have drove it home for 200 bucks. It would have been a hell of lot cheaper than fixing the rust bucket RC, lol! I still regret not grabbing that truck.
 
Yes, you can get a 2500 in a regular cab. And you can get it with a Hemi. but I think it is only available with a 4.10 rear, and there is no MDS on a 2500 or 3500 with a Hemi
 
When did MDS start ? 06 ? My 2500 has 373 gears. Actually I think more gear would be better. Once it shifts in to over drive it kinda lugs around.
 
I believe the MDS started in '05, but was never available on a Hemi in a heavy. In '06 (I think it was) the only way to get a Hemi in a heavy was with a 4.10.

this is more of that stuff I'm working on forgetting.:-D
 
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