2014 Ram specs finally come out
Dodge finally re-did their specs page and it finally represents the Hemi and not a base engine.
The 8 Speed for the Hemi looks to be great. Finally a transmission that won't suck all the power out of the hemi! It looks like a winner with a great 4.71 1st gear that can be coupled to a very high ratio 3.92 axle ratio! This thing will have great pulling torque off the line.
As did GM, Ram is finally offering a standard (but a bit shorter than GM and Ford) box for their crew cab. The downfall is that it's 3" shorter with no gain in GVWR for that option (as Ford does with their Ecoboost, but not 5.0L).
Finally a drivetrain that will offer great performance.
The doggy 5/6 speed transmission was very poor geared with low ratios, and offered only 5 consecutive gears in auto mode (2nd is used for upshift while 3rd is used for downshifts) with "2" overdrives. This equates to 4 speed performance with an extra overdrive.
The new 8 speed transmission is long, LONG overdue. Maybe now Dodge can get that Hemi's power to ground with less loss through the transmission.
With all the great things Dodge did with the truck configuration and drivetrain, they didn't touch the largest negative of the truck, it's low payload.
Now they've come clean and state how low the payload is with the Hemi option. For cab configuration with the Crew Cab, 4WD, 5.7L Hemi, and 5'7" short bed, the Big Horn model only has 1390 lbs max (compared to Ford's 5.0L 1700 lbs Max). That's 310 lbs lower which is huge IMO. The Sport model is even lower at 1330 lbs, the Laramie at a very low 1240 lbs., and the Laramie Longhorn and limited at an Ultra Low 1060 lbs payloads. Remember these are Max so take another 100 or 200 lbs off for options. My truck has 118 lbs in options.
Now you can go up to the new 2014 GVWR of 6950 lbs but that GVWR rating is only available to the new Ecodiesel option.
I was really hoping for Ram to fix the low payload option. I really like the Rams over GM and Toyota, but their low payload would not work with trailer hauling with the family and gear. It can't be that hard, to get that extra capacity.
Dodge now has a winning truck drivetrain but still misses on the payload.
It's always nice to have a backup choice and if I ever needed another truck, I'd like to have the Ram as an option.
If my F150 proves to be reliable, after already needing to replace my torque converter, I may still consider Ford for the next round. My first 2010 F150 was a reliability nightmare with chassis and transmission troubles.
So I'm not stuck on buying another Ford next time, but I do need a choice that offers a good drivetrain and I hated Dodges 5/6 speed transmission poor performance. The new one looks to be the best available. I hate GM products so I'll never own one of those but Toyota looked good, just not as rugged as the American big 3, plus I get no company discount on them.
Hopefully this newer truck will have no other issues where I may just keep it, but if it does, I want a high performance option and Ram is there, but just with no payload. Wish they'd correct that!
The 8 Speed for the Hemi looks to be great. Finally a transmission that won't suck all the power out of the hemi! It looks like a winner with a great 4.71 1st gear that can be coupled to a very high ratio 3.92 axle ratio! This thing will have great pulling torque off the line.
As did GM, Ram is finally offering a standard (but a bit shorter than GM and Ford) box for their crew cab. The downfall is that it's 3" shorter with no gain in GVWR for that option (as Ford does with their Ecoboost, but not 5.0L).
Finally a drivetrain that will offer great performance.
The doggy 5/6 speed transmission was very poor geared with low ratios, and offered only 5 consecutive gears in auto mode (2nd is used for upshift while 3rd is used for downshifts) with "2" overdrives. This equates to 4 speed performance with an extra overdrive.
The new 8 speed transmission is long, LONG overdue. Maybe now Dodge can get that Hemi's power to ground with less loss through the transmission.
With all the great things Dodge did with the truck configuration and drivetrain, they didn't touch the largest negative of the truck, it's low payload.
Now they've come clean and state how low the payload is with the Hemi option. For cab configuration with the Crew Cab, 4WD, 5.7L Hemi, and 5'7" short bed, the Big Horn model only has 1390 lbs max (compared to Ford's 5.0L 1700 lbs Max). That's 310 lbs lower which is huge IMO. The Sport model is even lower at 1330 lbs, the Laramie at a very low 1240 lbs., and the Laramie Longhorn and limited at an Ultra Low 1060 lbs payloads. Remember these are Max so take another 100 or 200 lbs off for options. My truck has 118 lbs in options.
Now you can go up to the new 2014 GVWR of 6950 lbs but that GVWR rating is only available to the new Ecodiesel option.
I was really hoping for Ram to fix the low payload option. I really like the Rams over GM and Toyota, but their low payload would not work with trailer hauling with the family and gear. It can't be that hard, to get that extra capacity.
Dodge now has a winning truck drivetrain but still misses on the payload.
It's always nice to have a backup choice and if I ever needed another truck, I'd like to have the Ram as an option.
If my F150 proves to be reliable, after already needing to replace my torque converter, I may still consider Ford for the next round. My first 2010 F150 was a reliability nightmare with chassis and transmission troubles.
So I'm not stuck on buying another Ford next time, but I do need a choice that offers a good drivetrain and I hated Dodges 5/6 speed transmission poor performance. The new one looks to be the best available. I hate GM products so I'll never own one of those but Toyota looked good, just not as rugged as the American big 3, plus I get no company discount on them.
Hopefully this newer truck will have no other issues where I may just keep it, but if it does, I want a high performance option and Ram is there, but just with no payload. Wish they'd correct that!
