New ram 2500 - first impressions......

[hoe]

I recently had to buy a 4wd ute for travelling to a minesite that requires a 4wd diesel ute to full mine spec, including rops tray etc.
The price of a new ute is around 50k, unless you want to go chinese......
i also needed some more depreciation to stave off those pesky company tax bills.....

As i will be doing some of the jobs myself, as this particular site requires that drivers be pre-approved to come to site, even for emergency deliveries, i wanted something comfortable.
My company car, a 2012 chrysler 300 srt8, was 4 years old and only had 28000km on it, so i decided to trade it on the ram and use the ram as my daily driver/work ute....

I have never been a fan of the us built 'trucks', as the f250 they imported and sold in au in the early 2000's was pretty basic, rattly and was fitted with the worst auto gearbox ever made....

the current generation of factory backed imports is a different thing altogether, they are factory backed and sent over in 'kit' form, assembled but missing the lhd specific parts. the rams are then assembled to adr specs by Walkinshaw using oem suppliers. The rams are an upmarket model with similar specs to my 300, similar entertainment unit/ac and heated seats/heated steering wheel/remote start etc.
The dash layout/controls are similar to the 300, only thing I miss are the heated and cooled cup holders......

the ram comes with 6.7 cummins straight 6 and 6 speed auto/engine brake and can tow 4.5 ton with towbar and 13.5 ton with 5th wheel kit. 370hp and 1100nm of torque standard.
Comes with factory integrated electric brake controller.

The other brands, chev, f250, gmc are V8 turbo diesel of a similar capacity. being an old truckie, I have never been a fan of v8 diesels, straight 6 diesels have a better torque spread and are more driveable.

They can be licenced for driving on a car licence or as a light truck with 4545gvm. there are a couple of advantages for me licencing it as a light truck for business use. 1, i can claim the diesel rebate and 2, I dont need to set it up to full mine spec to get on site as its not a ute... Silly I know, but thats how it works.

A mine spec/rops tray is around $4500 for a standard ute, and a custom one for the ram would be around 8k.....

It only has 3500km on it at the moment, but I am already getting 10 to 11 litres/100km running empty down the hwy and 14.5 in town. bearing in mind that the tare is 3500kg, thats pretty good.
Where it will really shine is when towing. The new breed of diesel utes advertise really low economy figures, but real world figures are not that good and when towing a decent caravan etc, can hit 20l/100km.....

I have just received an 'upgrade package' from the states, a turbo back 5" exhaust and ecu programmer. The programmer is one of the new units enablinhg on the fly programming, up to 520rwhp and monster torque.
Going by the forums in the states, +120hp and midrange timing and turbo spool settings are the sweet spot for economy and all round driving. 10 to 15% improvement on stock economy , and no egr.......

I wouldn't recommend buying a similar vehicle unless its for business use (tax reduction) or you are planning on becoming a grey nomad and towing a large van/5th wheeler around australia.
it is very comfortable and has a very good level of options, it puts aussie built vehicles to shame in that department....

I have just had the bullbar and side steps fitted, built by tuff in qld (fully ADR/Airbag comliant), only way to go if you live in roo/cow country......

[mandc]

Does the bullbar replace the front bumper and are the drl's moved from the bumper to the bullbar or an aftermarket type?

[hoe]

yes, the bullbar replaces the front bumper. Vehicle was not fitted with drl. Just those fog lights which dickheads seem to love using on low beam at night, which are gone now.....

[VroomVroom]

nice ride mate. what does the Kw guage mean , Kilowatt output ? is it like a boost guage?

[hoe]

exhaust brake gauge, retarding effort....

[lsemmens]

You took a photo of the dash at 120Kph!!!!! The coppers are going to Luuuurve You!!!!

[hoe]

You took a photo of the dash at 120Kph!!!!! The coppers are going to Luuuurve You!!!!

It's a screen capture from a go pro which I started recording before I got in the ute. Honest....😆

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

[lsemmens]

Yeah!!!! Right!!!! And I suppose you were on the racetrack too.......

[ol' boy]

Thats an awesome vehicle hoe, makes the 1 Tonner look like a baby
I'm getting envious of your vehicle collection

[lsemmens]

You and me both OB.

[Godzilla]

NOT stiring a thing here.....i love them myself.

However my mate worked for Walkingshaw engineering here in Melbourne and was very heavily involved in getting these things assembled and through.

I wont get into every detail (as its really long and winded) but there are some serious issues with them.

Most came down to Walkingshaws after thought on everything.

He was so disappointed at their cost cutting, the cheap way they did things and realizing after they put the body on that certain parts may need the body to be lifted to fix.....when they will need fixing they will be out of warranty and not their problem.

On the plus side the stories he told me about the torque of these things is something else...some of the pics he sent me of the smoke these things billow was amazing and the pull was mind boggling.

He mentioned there will be some supercar owners wondering what just happened at the lights...

Pity you didnt mention you were thinking of buying one, i would have given you his number to talk to him first as there is no way in the world someone could have spotted where the issues were without being involved with them and seeing them built.

[hoe]

lifting the body off yank trucks to fix stuff is pretty much the norm these days, the f250 is the worst, you cant even get the tappet covers off without removing the body.

they are pretty easy to do apparantly, only 4 to 6 bolts and a lot of swearing.....

at least the ram, being a straight 6 has a lot more room under the bonnet than the v8's.

i suspect mine will be traded not long after the warranty period is over.

probably going to void the warranty on monday by fitting the exhaust and programming it.....

[ol' boy]

the ram comes with 6.7 cummins straight 6 and 6 speed auto/engine brake and can tow 4.5 ton with towbar and 13.5 ton with 5th wheel kit. 370hp and 1100nm of torque standard.
Comes with factory integrated electric brake controller.

They are amazing Power and Torque figures considering the below

Vehicle: 1999 Ford F-550
Engine: Navistar 7.3L Power Stroke turbo-diesel, ATS Aurora 3000 turbo
Output: 305 hp @ 3,200 rpm, 550 lb-ft @ 2,000 rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Transfer Case: OE 2-speed
Axles: Dana 60, Dana 135S
Differentials: ARB Air Locker, Eaton Detroit Truetrac

Obviously 17 years of engine development since the F-550 of 1999
But 7.5L and 745Nm of Torque, that Dodge Ram is a heavy weight muscle truck at 1100Nm

[hoe]

It'll have 520rwhp and 1500+nm of torque by Monday arvo.....

Programmable on the fly, courtesy of a race-me ultra programmer....

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

[ol' boy]

Have you checked with the Roads Board that their bitumen is sufficiently attached to the ground?

[hoe]

Exhaust and ecu remap are done........

it's a monster now, and I am only running +120hp with economy turbo spool and timing and stock rail pressure.

I've only driven it round town so far, but it's gone from 14.5 l/100km to 13.5 already...
it's got a nice note, but quiet at 110kmh cruising, exactly what i wanted.
It is a bit rougher around the edges and less refined now and the ride is a bit harsher with the extra weight of the bullbar.
Nothing unexpected, gives it some character.


About 420k worth of surplus stuff....


6" tip......

[hoe]

Generic dyno chart for ute with same programmer and exhaust.......



i'm running it in 'economy mode' now only an extra 80hp, it was too silly...
Driving to Perth today, see how it goes.

I might invest in some ARP head studs before driving it in silly mode. 3.5T sideways @ 80kmh is fun though....

[Godzilla]

Check if ARP produce the new Age 625+ head studs to suit.

A big improvement over the old ARP2000 and L19 head stud series.

[hoe]

Check if ARP produce the new Age 625+ head studs to suit.

A big improvement over the old ARP2000 and L19 head stud series.

yes, already watchlisted some on ebay. about $1500 delivered......

Cheap insurance...

[Godzilla]

Whoever fits them...make sure they have experience with using them.

MUST use their ARP lube (i buy it in bulk containers, usually they supply just a small satchel with the stud kits)

And i little inside trick...Tighten and loosen them a few times (once or twice), on the last retight sequence, remove the nut only and relube. Do not remove the washer, just the nut.

The idea is that tightening the nut once or twice polishes and breaks in the mating surface, you dont want to remove the washer in case it get flipped over to the other side (unbroken in side)

Obviously whoever does it will know the engine must be cold, radiator cap released and to do them one at a time, not undo them all and replace them all in one hit which will separate the head from the gasket and cause a leak that will not seal again.