Rams new 6.4 HEMI

ib516 wrote:
Sorry to post on topic :B

But here's a "review" of the Ram 2500/6.4L Hemi. Ya, it's only one magazine writer's opinion, but I'm a little dissappointed. I hope other magazines/test drivers have a different opinion as I was seriously thinking this would be my next truck.... ARTICLE

It's from a "four wheeler" mag, so the big Ram loses points for less axle articulation, etc that wouldn't matter a hill of beans to RV haulers, but the part that left me unimpressed was this:

"If there was one on-road aspect all judges could easily agree on, it was the underwhelming power from the 6.4L Hemi. With a rating of 410hp and 429 lb-ft of torque, we all felt like there should have been a better power-on-tap feel. Instead, the truck constantly downshifted to provide extra gearing to compensate for the power that just wasn’t there. An eight-speed transmission might be a good answer to the underwhelming power problem, or you could always opt for the torque-rich Cummins diesel option if your funds allow." :(

The test truck was equipped with 3.73 axles, so maybe if one chooses the 6.4L Hemi, 4.10 might be the way to go...which is probably what I would have ordered anyway.

Take it FWIW.

OH, almost forgot:
Recommended fuel - REGULAR UNLEADED according to the spec sheet :S

My friends from PUT.com like the 6.4
"If 2013 was the year of the Ram 3500, which we’ll be testing against the 2013 Ford F-450 in our upcoming King of Beasts story, than 2014 looks to be the year of the Ram 2500."


Truck Trend likes it also
"The 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 joins the 2014 Ram 2500 HD lineup straight from Chrysler's SRT group, where the 396 cubic inch Hemi powers the Dodge Charger SRT8, and Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT, among other things. For truck duty, Ram detunes the engine to make it less high-strung, and thus capable of handling the abuse its owners will no doubt throw at it."

As for the ZF eight speed I suspect it is not stout enough for use behind the SRT-8 6.4 liter v-8. I say this because the only auto-trans you can get with it is the 5 speed. This is across the lines Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep, the only exception is the Ram. In the Ram you can only pick the 6 speed auto and it is NOT the AISIN but the in house 66RFE.

I have not seen nor can I find at this time any information on the joint venture between Ford and GM with their 9 and 10 speed transmissions. I bet it also will not go behind the big block HP engines as there is just why to much power for that many gears. Think about it, I drove an 8 speed Charger and when you punch it, it shifts so fast in through the first 3 gears that it's kind of scary. Imagine a 6.4 liter SRT-8 engine in front of that trans. Nope I don't think you will be seeing an 8 or 9 speed behind any of the big block engines IMO.

Don