First Tow With New Hemi.....did well!
We just completed our first tow with our new 2013 Ram 2500 Hemi....TT is 7300# dry, so I am assuming about 8000# as we towed.
I was really surprised how well it towed overall compared to the 2011 GMC HD 2500 we traded it...the GMC never got over 7.3, and the Ram got 10.2. While the GMC constantly downshifted, the Ram did so very seldom.....suprisingly so.
Going down the road, we would come to a fairly substantial hill, and I kept waiting for the downshift....but, with the cruise set at 62 mph, the rig would slow to about 58 mph and still top the hill in 5th gear at 2100 rpm. I kept it in tow haul mode, and just used "D".
The GMC was a buckboard and we felt every little jolt and the porpoising was bad. The Ram rode smooth and very little porpoising even on fairly rough washboard roads.
Overall, I am super happy with the truck. It was comfortable, felt stable, and had more power that I had expected. In the whole 350 mile trip, it never saw anything over 3100 rpms....the GMC would hit 4200 rpms on these same roads.
This trip was on relatively flat terrain through southern Illinois. Next weekend we are heading through the Ozark mountains of southern Missouri, so things might very well be different.
I am really surprised at the difference between the two trucks. I had thought everything would be similar, since they are both 3/4 ton gas trucks with 3.73 gears.
I was really surprised how well it towed overall compared to the 2011 GMC HD 2500 we traded it...the GMC never got over 7.3, and the Ram got 10.2. While the GMC constantly downshifted, the Ram did so very seldom.....suprisingly so.
Going down the road, we would come to a fairly substantial hill, and I kept waiting for the downshift....but, with the cruise set at 62 mph, the rig would slow to about 58 mph and still top the hill in 5th gear at 2100 rpm. I kept it in tow haul mode, and just used "D".
The GMC was a buckboard and we felt every little jolt and the porpoising was bad. The Ram rode smooth and very little porpoising even on fairly rough washboard roads.
Overall, I am super happy with the truck. It was comfortable, felt stable, and had more power that I had expected. In the whole 350 mile trip, it never saw anything over 3100 rpms....the GMC would hit 4200 rpms on these same roads.
This trip was on relatively flat terrain through southern Illinois. Next weekend we are heading through the Ozark mountains of southern Missouri, so things might very well be different.
I am really surprised at the difference between the two trucks. I had thought everything would be similar, since they are both 3/4 ton gas trucks with 3.73 gears.
