2025 Ram 1500 coverage

testerdahl said:
Oh I don’t believe for a second that you are “done.” LOL.

So, I went back and forth with Terrence last night. Basically, the summary of his argument is this: he sees carbon buildup to be an engine design issue. He doesn’t believe DI or port to completely negate the issue, nor does the PSI from the high-pressure rail system. He also doesn’t believe the new “modern synthetic” oil reduces carbon buildup either.

He also owns a 2013 Ford EcoBoost and that is one of his examples of poor engine design.

IMO - the carbon buildup issue resolution is two-fold - high-pressure direct injection atomizing all the fuel. This prevents any leftover fuel from being an issue. The second resolution is the new oil with additives meant to reduce carbon buildup.

It seems to me carbon buildup will happen. It is just impossible for it not to with an engine’s combustion and the need for better performance and emissions - GDI.

The question then isn’t about IF it will happen, it is to what extent this happening is a problem. I tend to believe the engine designers have done what they can and the oil company scientists have done what they can. I also believe this issue will fade away in future years with future engine tear downs showing either clean or relatively clean intake valves.

I remember when I did the tear down story on the million mile Tundra. Those intake valves had very little to no carbon buildup on them. That was a 2007 truck - https://www.motortrend.com/features/million-mile-tundra-the-tear-down/
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I promise, scouts honor...Whoops, I wasn't ever a Boy Scout.

Yeah, port injection only on that Tundra and the Ford Tech in the video I linked showed a port only engine being very clean. I can imagine this may have happened in the days after PCVs were mandated (1960s) and detergent gasoline wasn't common; wonder what the back of my '75 Buick 350's intake valves looked like in the early 80s?

https://ftloscience.com/chemistry-of-detergents-in-gasoline/

The manufactures and oil companies worked together to make sure the surfactants didn't harm the engine, so maybe they can team up some more to add something to the fuel to resist fuel dilution in crankcase oil.

GDI is not going away anytime soon, so it may be something where the old "Tune-up" is now the periodic walnut shell blast.
 
testerdahl said:
EDIT: the 2UZ-FE engine had indirect fuel injection. It is sprayed into the intake valve and not the combustion chamber. A nuance that I’m sure is very important to some.
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Great engine, but the starter location in the valley of the "V" and under the intake manifold is a bear, especially with the secondary air injection system:

 
testerdahl said:
Honestly, I never really noticed. It did make some sounds when you turned it off, but I never did film it. I should have. I should have demanded answers.
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Thanks Tim, I like the fact the Hurricane has a cooldown sequence, that got me wondering about the LZ0, it would require an electric motor to drive coolant, but not that big of a deal for me as I would be using the Banks idash to keep an eye on the turbo temp, I also don't have a problem sitting and waiting for things to cool down before I shut down.
 
Rogue Rkunk said:
Thanks Tim, I like the fact the Hurricane has a cooldown sequence, that got me wondering about the LZ0, it would require an electric motor to drive coolant, but not that big of a deal for me as I would be using the Banks idash to keep an eye on the turbo temp, I also don't have a problem sitting and waiting for things to cool down before I shut down.
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The 2.7 Turbomax also has an electric water pump that can run after the engine shuts off. Learned that from the 2.7 GM engineer vid.
 
Rogue Rkunk said:
Thanks Tim, I like the fact the Hurricane has a cooldown sequence, that got me wondering about the LZ0, it would require an electric motor to drive coolant, but not that big of a deal for me as I would be using the Banks idash to keep an eye on the turbo temp, I also don't have a problem sitting and waiting for things to cool down before I shut down.
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Unless you are really pushing the turbos like max towing or towing at high elevation for a long period of time, you shouldn't need to idle to cool off the turbo. I looked through the owner's manual and this is what I found. Keep in mind all the towing I did with the LZ0, I never had any issues with overheating.


Trailer Towing


When towing at high elevation on steep uphill grades, consider the following:

Engine coolant at higher elevation will boil at a lower temperature than at or near sea level. If the engine is turned off immediately
after towing at high elevation on steep uphill grades, the vehicle may show signs similar to engine overheating. To avoid this, let the engine run while parked (preferably on level ground) with the transmission in P (Park) and the parking brake applied for at least five minutes before turning the engine off.
 
Dusdaddy said:
I don't have that option. Definitely helpful sometimes but I always pull from the rear never the front. It's just how I was trained in the military; the drivetrain is just stronger in that direction. I thought of chopping up the front bumper to add some but just left it alone. And honestly have never needed them. The one time I had to get recovered from a snow-ditch, the pulled me out by my rear hitch. Which is probably more than most street trucks will ever encounter.
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I have a 2023 Ram 1500 Sport (Sport is its own trim in Canada). Mine has the small plastic fake vents in the low front bumper. According to videos I’ve watched there are aftermarket kits that will bolt in and come with Bezels to replace the vents. But, if you don’t have those fake vents I guess that’s not an option. I haven’t decided if I want to make the change or not. I’ve had trucks since 1994 and haven’t needed to use the front tow hooks. But, there is always a first time.
 
James-kd2cm said:
I have a 2023 Ram 1500 Sport (Sport is its own trim in Canada). Mine has the small plastic fake vents in the low front bumper. According to videos I’ve watched there are aftermarket kits that will bolt in and come with Bezels to replace the vents. But, if you don’t have those fake vents I guess that’s not an option. I haven’t decided if I want to make the change or not. I’ve had trucks since 1994 and haven’t needed to use the front tow hooks. But, there is always a first time.
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You can buy the factory tow hooks off of amazon, and they either come with replacement vents or you can also cut the inside out. That's what I did to my truck, took me 30 mins to install them and the hardest part was pounding out the factory bolt first (I forget why, was almost 5 years ago but I remember it being a bit of effort).

Tow hooks are like 4x4. You never need them till you need them.
 
Tim great job! I feel the video was one of your best. I could see that he was very proud of his engine and the direction that Ram is going to in the future. I almost wish they spent that much time on a diesel engine. still haven't seen any information on the MPG of the engine? have I missed something or are they just holding onto that information? I'm still looking at the Rebel and would love that Diesel. so I just might end up with the AT4X with the diesel. great job Tim
 
carhaulereastcoast said:
Tim great job! I feel the video was one of your best. I could see that he was very proud of his engine and the direction that Ram is going to in the future. I almost wish they spent that much time on a diesel engine. still haven't seen any information on the MPG of the engine? have I missed something or are they just holding onto that information? I'm still looking at the Rebel and would love that Diesel. so I just might end up with the AT4X with the diesel. great job Tim
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My guess is they are waiting on the EPA to release their mpg numbers.
 
carhaulereastcoast said:
Tim great job! I feel the video was one of your best. I could see that he was very proud of his engine and the direction that Ram is going to in the future. I almost wish they spent that much time on a diesel engine. still haven't seen any information on the MPG of the engine? have I missed something or are they just holding onto that information? I'm still looking at the Rebel and would love that Diesel. so I just might end up with the AT4X with the diesel. great job Tim
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No EPA numbers like others have said. It isn't that the automaker doesn't have them, they have to wait for the EPA to certify them. They also can't sell trucks until those numbers are certified.
 
testerdahl said:
No EPA numbers like others have said. It isn't that the automaker doesn't have them, they have to wait for the EPA to certify them. They also can't sell trucks until those numbers are certified.
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after my wife sat in the at4x she was like if you can get this in the diesel get it. she wants to go to the mountains in NC and not fuel up with a warm back and massage.
 
carhaulereastcoast said:
after my wife sat in the at4x she was like if you can get this in the diesel get it. she wants to go to the mountains in NC and not fuel up with a warm back and massage.
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I would bet the MPG will be similar to the Tundra w/o hybrid and the HO worse. I know I'm biased, I own a GMC AT4, but the ride and feel of 2021 AT4 was the best, and not close for me, compared to the Rebel and Ford. I took a co-worker to another branch of ours yesterday in my truck, it's about 45 miles, all 65-75 hwy. He has a 2024 Platinum Tundra and we talked about trucks the whole way up. As we compared he preferred the infotainment on my truck, the ride and the sound of the 6.2 with the GM performance exhaust. The 3.0 AT4X is damn near the perfect truck imo. He was also shocked at just under 20mpg in the 6.2 on 35's for the trip. His V6 turbo/hybrid Tundra is worse than that on the hwy on the stock tires, we were talking about how much of a hit he'll take when he goes bigger.
 
Fightnfire said:
I would bet the MPG will be similar to the Tundra w/o hybrid and the HO worse. I know I'm biased, I own a GMC AT4, but the ride and feel of 2021 AT4 was the best, and not close for me, compared to the Rebel and Ford. I took a co-worker to another branch of ours yesterday in my truck, it's about 45 miles, all 65-75 hwy. He has a 2024 Platinum Tundra and we talked about trucks the whole way up. As we compared he preferred the infotainment on my truck, the ride and the sound of the 6.2 with the GM performance exhaust. The 3.0 AT4X is damn near the perfect truck imo. He was also shocked at just under 20mpg in the 6.2 on 35's for the trip. His V6 turbo/hybrid Tundra is worse than that on the hwy on the stock tires, we were talking about how much of a hit he'll take when he goes bigger.
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I had a post on the tundra and talked about how I didn't like the way it drove and felt. I have a 2015 XP and there wouldn't be a question on what I would be getting if Toyota didn't change the truck. I would buy a trd pro and be done. I drove a 2024 platinum and it felt like I was in my 2015 and I was so sad. now I did drive a 2024 trd pro and the ride was different. but the mpg was just 3 miles better than I'm getting now in my 2015. so 78K for a bigger info package and just a couple of miles a gallon better? its not worth it. I was set on the AT4 till the wife saw the AT4X that was the game changer. I did find a golden nugget and that I work for a company that supplies GMC and when I built that truck on the page for the discount I saved 6K on a AT4X. I was like wow so after my surgery I'm going to order the truck and just wait the 3 months and get a great deal on it
 
Good video, my god it's overpriced. Not a fan of the bro hood. How many fake vents do we need?

Other than that it's always a good looking truck My favorite in their lineup.

@testerdahl any fear or concern on your end that with RAM struggling and being the last to refresh they're going to get caught in the wind with their prices? It just seems that all of the news I'm reading lately is that prices are a big concern and starting to turn around a little, I don't know if RAM can pivot as quick as Ford and GM.

Also, I don't believe air on four corners was standard when I was looking in 2021 there were several that didn't have it I believe it was an option package back then.
 
testerdahl said:
Woo-hoo! I finally got the last video out from the Ram drive. F me that took way too long to publish. Sorry to keep you waiting.

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Definitely going to be a bit of a push at that price point and even at the base MSRP. Here is the salary of someone this truck appeals to IMO:

https://www.salary.com/research/salary/alternate/plumber-journeyman-salary/kansas-city-mo

A full years salary for the base?!?

https://www.calculator.net/auto-loan-calculator.html?csaleprice=70,000&cmonthlypay=750&cloanterm=84&cinterestrate=7.5&cincentive=0&cdownpayment=1,000&ctradeinvalue=15,000&ctradeinowned=6,000&cstate=MO&csaletax=8&ctitlereg=2,300&printit=0&ctype=standard&x=Calculate#autoloanresult

I guess food, clothing, and other consumables (laundry detergent, tooth paste, shaving cream, etc.) are overrated and the SST isn't so efficient as to not need fuel. Oh, the recommended fuel?

https://media.stellantisnorthamerica.com/newsrelease.do?id=23660&mid=1

"With a focus on fuel economy, the Hurricane SO uses cast aluminum pistons with cast iron top ring land insert, running with a 10.4:1 compression ratio. It’s use of cooled EGR helps reduce engine pumping losses and manage in-cylinder temperatures. Premium fuel is recommended."

Again, hard sell to me...May have a few or more on the lot in 2026.
 
It's amazing how much into debt people will go for vehicles. Then again, it's nothing for many to spend a grand every year for a new phone....

I really like the Rebel model but not sure why they made it a premium. They should have an entry level Rebel around the Big Horn pricing with all the 4wd specific features without all the pricey luxury stuff.
 
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