Ram 2500 6.4L 12.5K Ike Gauntlet
TFLTruck did a Ike Gauntlet tow test of a 2015 Ram 6.4L 4.10. Identical axle ratio and load (12.5K) to the 2015 Chevy 2500 they tested a few months ago. The Chevy gives up ~50hp and lb-ft. Surpris...
Forum Discussion
bringing this over from the other 6.4 thread:
would you really say 2nd gear is the wrong ratio, or is the shift logic a bit off?
Really, would you allow your truck to climb steep incline like that? I know they had to keep all things as equal as they could for the test, but in the real world, are you going to let the truck slow down to 30mph? No! you are going to manually downshift and let the truck rev! The Chevy was certainly at 5k for long periods of time, and that is most likely why it got to the top faster.
A more accurate test would have been to set points along the route where you designate down shifts for both trucks and see how they fair. the fact that the Ram held second for far too long doesn't bother me because I would never have let that happen in the real world.
IMO the only thing you could knock the Ram for is failure to downshift on an tough grade. BIG DEAL!
oh, one more thing for the guys bashing the Ram, watch the Chevy video @ 19:45 they start talking about how the truck should have downshifted and is holding the gear for way to long and they are down to 35mph.
So I would say if you have no clue know how to drive a truck pulling a heavy trailer, you would be better served buying a Chevy as it will downshift for you in case you fell asleep.
and no I'm not a RAM lover, I'm a Tundra guy looking at all the options for my next truck and I really think all of the big 3 are so close you just have to pick the one that appeals to you or fits your needs the most and you can't go wrong.
would you really say 2nd gear is the wrong ratio, or is the shift logic a bit off?
Really, would you allow your truck to climb steep incline like that? I know they had to keep all things as equal as they could for the test, but in the real world, are you going to let the truck slow down to 30mph? No! you are going to manually downshift and let the truck rev! The Chevy was certainly at 5k for long periods of time, and that is most likely why it got to the top faster.
A more accurate test would have been to set points along the route where you designate down shifts for both trucks and see how they fair. the fact that the Ram held second for far too long doesn't bother me because I would never have let that happen in the real world.
IMO the only thing you could knock the Ram for is failure to downshift on an tough grade. BIG DEAL!
oh, one more thing for the guys bashing the Ram, watch the Chevy video @ 19:45 they start talking about how the truck should have downshifted and is holding the gear for way to long and they are down to 35mph.
So I would say if you have no clue know how to drive a truck pulling a heavy trailer, you would be better served buying a Chevy as it will downshift for you in case you fell asleep.
and no I'm not a RAM lover, I'm a Tundra guy looking at all the options for my next truck and I really think all of the big 3 are so close you just have to pick the one that appeals to you or fits your needs the most and you can't go wrong.
