Ram 2500 - 2014 vs 2015 Differences

kaydeejay wrote:

ib516 wrote:
..............Unlike the competition, Ram rates their payload including radio, console, and bumpers.

What ARE you talking about?
The Tire and loading info label is required by law on every truck since 2006.
The "Occupant and cargo must not exceed" number is calculated for EACH truck AS BUILT and has to be accurate within 10#.
So it includes the radio, console and bumpers!
Now there has been some interesting marketing of MAXIMUM payload ratings which WERE values from a stripped (but theoretically orderable) configuration.
Bottom line - check the label on the truck for the REAL number, regardless of manufacturer.

I was talking about when Ford and GM were caught "fudging" their "max payload" numbers by quoting them for a truck without a:
- rear bumper
- spare tire
- center console
- jack and wheel wrench
- radio and speaker(s)
- and swapping in lighter aluminium wheels on trucks that come with steel wheels

"The American automaker has said that it also removes heavy items from its pickup trucks when it weighs them to help boost the trucks’ maximum payload ratings. The company adopted the practice this year to stay competitive when it launched its redesigned full-sized pickups. Ford started using the tactic about four years ago, showing that the maximum payload is larger than would be possible if it used the standard base curb weight of the truck.

Removing heavy items including the rear bumper and swapping out the heavier standard steel wheels for optional lighter alloy wheels, helps increase a truck’s maximum payload figure while keeping the same gross vehicle weight rating. GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson told Automotive News that the maximum payload claims on the 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 are based on a minimum curb weight that deletes the rear bumper and spare tire. Ford said that the maximum payload claim on the weight of the base F-series is derived after various items are removed, not on the base curb weight of the F-series pickup.

Chrysler has reaffirmed that the Ram brand uses the base curb weight of its pickups to establish the maximum payload capacities and doesn’t use a modified curb weight like Ford and GM."

"Both automakers have acknowledged that they remove factory parts - including bumpers and spare tires, among other items - before calculating payload ratings on certain pickups. Without those components, curb weight is reduced, letting the companies tout higher payloads than are advisable with the actual unmodified trucks that buyers see in showrooms.
Payloads ratings are devised by determining the difference between an automobile's gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) and its unladen curb weight.
Ford told Automotive News that it began using the practice in the 2011 model year with its F-250, F-350 and F-450 Super Duty pickups, removing items like the spare tire, jack, radio and center console.

As AN notes, loading up an F-450 to its advertised payload capacity would cause the truck to exceed its GVWR by 61 pounds. But exceeding a vehicle's GVWR could lead Ford to void the warranty.
In order to maintain "apples-to-apples" comparisons, GM decided to follow Ford's example and started taking off components such as the rear bumper before calculating payload ratings for its 2015 2500HD and 3500HD pickups.
A number of dealers, including Mitchell Dale, president of McRee Ford in Dickinson, Texas, have voiced concern over the practice, which they feel could confuse consumers and erode buyer confidence.
"When we're starting to remove items from the vehicle, it would be my expectation that all manufacturers do their testing with production line vehicles similar to what a customer would drive," Dale said.
"We're so internally focused on having the bragging rights of whatever segment we're talking about that it appears that there are some questionable practices being done."
For their part, Toyota and Ram have stated that they use stock pickups fitted with all standard components in order to calculate payload ratings."


Read more: LINK

Then the fallout and backpedal by GM a few days later:

"Following last week's mild uproar after it was discovered that Ford and General Motors were removing some optional parts from their pickups to lower the curb weight and consequently increase the maximum payload, GM has come out and committed to a base curb weight for its upcoming Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon compact trucks (although it has yet to publish them) and its current Silverado and Sierra. The company will do the same for its heavy duty offerings, although those numbers have not been finalized yet.

"This will make our curb weight and payload specs more consistent with those of most other truck makers, making it easier for customers to compare vehicles," GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson told Autoblog in an emailed statement.

As GM notes – and as every manufacturer has noted since this story broke – customers still shouldn't take max payload ratings as gospel. Instead, they should refer to their truck's Tire and Load Label, like the one shown at the inset, which will offer detailed information on max payload, specific to their truck.

Automotive News, meanwhile, reports that Ford has not made any changes to the way it figures out max payload ratings, despite the GM announcement. The company was at the center of last week's news, when it was revealed that it removed items like the spare tire, jack, radio and even the center console, to determine the curb weight for the F-Series Super Duty."

LINK
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It's not the actual payload (on the label) they were fudging, it was the max payload advertised numbers.