RAM EcoDiesel a Flop for Towing

ShinerBock wrote:

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This is about my expectations and how I believe any non commercial truck should be able to do the speed limit when towing their max rated weight up any hill in the US or have its tow rating lowered to a weight it can.

Fair enough, I see your point. However, it is only recently that turbocharged trucks have entered the scene. I think there will be a magnitude change in expectation for towing. Remember, prior to the ecoboosts, all half-tons did slow-down at Ike when towing at maximum weight. Would you still have that de-rating expectation if the ecoboosts never existed and all trucks suffered the same slowing-down issue still?

Even today, HD's are expected to slow down when faced with a steep climb and loaded to full capacity. What SAE J2807 attempts to do is set a universal expectation for minimum Tow performance at maximum load ratings for certain given grades (accelerating, stopping and handling). If things were done your way, all the HD trucks would not be able to meet the 30,000+ lbs tow rating that those duallies have. They would be universally be de-rated. It's also kinda hard to just say "Keep up with the speed limit at whatever grade". Speed limits and grade combinations vary... a lot. So SAE J2807 specifies specific routes and the expected tow performance of that given route. For a quick summary of what it is, here's the clicky and another good link to the specifics Clicky2

So where to draw the line? 1/2 tons versus 3/4 and up tons? It's obvious that this RAM would not meet your towing minimum, but for the fuel miser that doesn't care about slowing down, it may meet theirs. People vote with their wallets and as long as people want a certain product (or not) the companies will respond appropriately.