2025 Ram 1500 coverage

[Rogue Skunk]

Where they "accelerate rusting"? Holy crap, I think Ram is making them rust fast enough, they don't need to accelerate it anymore! For testing it would be easier and cheaper to just let the employees drive them home, they are in Michigan so that should work quickly.

There is defiantly irony involved here, my Ram is 07, it had a couple of small issues with rust, but got fixed and thats after rust proofing, it was all good and settled, the 2014's seemed to be the kick off of bad rust, a friend of mine had many panels replaced under warranty, Im kind of wondering if the actual testing has been slowed down, Chelsea had everything, they even had radar to keep an eye for small aircraft as back then automotive espionage was huge, a car on the track were warned and told to take cover in one of their many hiding locations, my experiences visiting Chelsea was from late 1990's to mid 2000's, as for espionage today, Im sure they have drone killers. Chelsea was quite the place and very busy, perhaps they have cut back?. Back then there were 2 flat black PT Cruisers outside under Camo nets, this is before they were released and actually had a name, what was different with what was released is you could see the drivetrain was beefed up with bigger wheels, turns out they had 4.7 V8's in them, One automatic the other a 5 speed manual, but the saying is true, automotive OEM testing facilities is where the bean counter becomes boss.

​

 

[zonedout]

They also extended the warranty to 100k miles to reduce the anxiety over owning a small turbo engine.

The problem as I see it though, I don't forsee many cases where a turbo engine fails even before 100k. It's built strong, from the ground up to be a turbo engine in a heavy truck and they do seem to have crossed every T when designing that engine. But the real test is in the real world and we don't have any strong data yet for these engines when they're worked hard every day. I want to like that 2.7, as a base engine in a cheap truck I'd probably take it over the 3.6 pentastar as towing performance there would be huge in favour of the 2.7. But I'd never spend good money on it yet in a nice truck that I want to keep.

Compare that to the 5.7 hemi which did many years of duty in the 2500, abused by every high schooler on a maintenance crew or other trades people that just drive the snot out of them and it's still coming back for more (as long as they didn't get shipped a bum lifter and keep their maintenance up).

So I don't ever look at the warranty (Kia does long warranties too), it's more about the history of the engine and time will tell!

 

[Dusdaddy]

There is defiantly irony involved here, my Ram is 07, it had a couple of small issues with rust, but got fixed and thats after rust proofing, it was all good and settled, the 2014's seemed to be the kick off of bad rust, a friend of mine had many panels replaced under warranty, Im kind of wondering if the actual testing has been slowed down, Chelsea had everything, they even had radar to keep an eye for small aircraft as back then automotive espionage was huge, a car on the track were warned and told to take cover in one of their many hiding locations, my experiences visiting Chelsea was from late 1990's to mid 2000's, as for espionage today, Im sure they have drone killers. Chelsea was quite the place and very busy, perhaps they have cut back?. Back then there were 2 flat black PT Cruisers outside under Camo nets, this is before they were released and actually had a name, what was different with what was released is you could see the drivetrain was beefed up with bigger wheels, turns out they had 4.7 V8's in them, One automatic the other a 5 speed manual, but the saying is true, automotive OEM testing facilities is where the bean counter becomes boss.

The first thing I had rust was the painted rear bumper. In two years, I could see quite a bit of rust on the inside surface. Cleaned and treated it but in three years the paint started bubbling around the back-up sensors. Chromed bumpers didn't seem to have the issue as much. The Ram fenders always started rusting because of how they are built with the exposed seams. Fender flares can help but sealing the seam would be best. Rocker panels with their exposed "pockets" were next. Just a silly design to have that area that can trap moisture.

 

[GMT 900]

When did the those nice Hardesty Brothers from Lexington, with the happy bitten donut logo, turn into auto reviewers analogous to the brothers Kray:

(Yeah, Gary and Martin Kemp from the new wave/sophistapop band, Spandau Ballet, in a heel turn worthy of the WWE)

I mean Vader Chrome hasn't been slapped around this bad since '82s Return of the Jedi.

Maybe it was meeting Jill and Tim in Chicago had them go from smooth bourbon to notches in the reviewer belts!

 

[testerdahl]

When did the those nice Hardesty Brothers from Lexington, with the happy bitten donut logo, turn into auto reviewers analogous to the brothers Kray:

(Yeah, Gary and Martin Kemp from the new wave/sophistapop band, Spandau Ballet, in a heel turn worthy of the WWE)

I mean Vader Chrome hasn't been slapped around this bad since '82s Return of the Jedi.

Maybe it was meeting Jill and Tim in Chicago had them go from smooth bourbon to notches in the reviewer belts!

Great, now I want to watch the Krays. LOL

I meet the Hardesty brothers a few years ago at some event. They are pretty nice guys and Mason was talking with my wife about a recent hearing loss he has developed. My wife is hard of hearing and works in Deaf Education. Nice guys like I said.

 

[Rogue Skunk]

When did the those nice Hardesty Brothers from Lexington, with the happy bitten donut logo, turn into auto reviewers analogous to the brothers Kray:

(Yeah, Gary and Martin Kemp from the new wave/sophistapop band, Spandau Ballet, in a heel turn worthy of the WWE)

I mean Vader Chrome hasn't been slapped around this bad since '82s Return of the Jedi.

Maybe it was meeting Jill and Tim in Chicago had them go from smooth bourbon to notches in the reviewer belts!

Thanks for the video, I watched it a couple of times trying to figure out how these guys come to their conclusions, both have beautiful interiors and fun electronics, I say don't take your eye off the ball, its under the trucks and under the hood that are the big deal, these guys were all about eye candy.

 

[GMT 900]

Great, now I want to watch the Krays. LOL

I meet the Hardesty brothers a few years ago at some event. They are pretty nice guys and Mason was talking with my wife about a recent hearing loss he has developed. My wife is hard of hearing and works in Deaf Education. Nice guys like I said.

Make sure to watch this before the Krays movie, especially from Time Stamp 4:40...Gary And Martin Kemp really transformed for the roles.

As mentioned in the last Hardesty thread, they are some of the better auto YT'ers, but that doesn't mean they are immune from doing the dreaded "access piece." They got an early dib on the 2025 RAM (last Hardesty thread) and maybe it is subconscious, but they definitely benefited from the early access to the tune of a 100K view video. So human nature being what it is:

- Didn't compare them together, as is their normal practice
- Dynamically superior by air shocks alone against Magna ride?
- 10 Speed superior to eight speed in most every compare why such paltry scoring?
- A large console by an inch or so gets a full point?
- NVH for a high winding 3.0 vs a smooth 6.2?
- You get .5 for the RAM for a 7% bigger screen?!?

This probably belongs in the Journalism thread, but put it here since it was a review. Sure a lot of humor in my original comments, but what won't be humorous is when the they go back to go to Don Franklin GMC in Lexington for the new 2025 Acadia...And get a cold shoulder; access works both ways.

 

[testerdahl]

Make sure to watch this before the Krays movie, especially from Time Stamp 4:40...Gary And Martin Kemp really transformed for the roles.

As mentioned in the last Hardesty thread, they are some of the better auto YT'ers, but that doesn't mean they are immune from doing the dreaded "access piece." They got an early dib on the 2025 RAM (last Hardesty thread) and maybe it is subconscious, but they definitely benefited from the early access to the tune of a 100K view video. So human nature being what it is:

- Didn't compare them together, as is their normal practice
- Dynamically superior by air shocks alone against Magna ride?
- 10 Speed superior to eight speed in most every compare why such paltry scoring?
- A large console by an inch or so gets a full point?
- NVH for a high winding 3.0 vs a smooth 6.2?
- You get .5 for the RAM for a 7% bigger screen?!?

This probably belongs in the Journalism thread, but put it here since it was a review. Sure a lot of humor in my original comments, but what won't be humorous is when the they go back to go to Don Franklin GMC in Lexington for the new 2025 Acadia...And get a cold shoulder; access works both ways.

Nah dealers don’t give a crap about hurt feelings. They only focus on the view count and selling vehicles.

 

[Dusdaddy]

Thanks for the video, I watched it a couple of times trying to figure out how these guys come to their conclusions, both have beautiful interiors and fun electronics, I say don't take your eye off the ball, its under the trucks and under the hood that are the big deal, these guys were all about eye candy.

For those models, at those price points, that's all those buyers care about. They'll bring it to the dealer for every little thing and many wouldn't be able to tell you how many cylinders it has let alone how many gears the tranny has.

 

[Dusdaddy]

You know what. I'll share with everyone my list of questions and you can chime in if there is something I'm missing. Another big benefit to being a forum member!!

Just to be clear, I don't normally put together a list of questions beforehand. However, the software I use, let's people add their own slides and videos. This means it is actually a better video overall if they, the engineers, can see the question and gather the relevant charts or video/s before the interview. Like the durability video I reference below. Wait until you see that one!

Questions:

History - I'd like to start with going back in time first.
- when you knew the Hemi was going away and you had a blank slate for a new engine to be developed, why go with an inline 6? Why not say an inline 4 or a V-series?
- why couldn't the Hemi V8 be updated to meet emissions?
- How long was the development process for the Hurricane?

Durability - let's see that video again he showed at the presentation!
- I know automakers don't like to talk about durability in terms of miles and I won't be asking that question. Instead, I'm wondering what can be shared about the durability process without giving away corporate secrets. For example, I know you run the engines at red hot temperatures to see how they perform. Can he speak more in-depth into that process? Also, I'm keenly interested in the turbos since their durability continues to be a big concern.

Cooling
- speaking of turbos, I know cooling is a key part of turbo longevity. And I know there has been a lot of engineering put into cooling. Frankly, I'd like to just ask the question and let Alan go with whatever charts, images and what not to share. I know I missed part of a discussion he was having with another journalist about cooling and I'd like to get that on camera. IIRC there was something about a cooling setup on the passenger side of the engine using water. Hopefully that sounds familiar.

- I'd also want to discuss cooling with regards to towing and the J2807 standard. My understanding is cooling is the really limiting factor for most engines and not HP or torque to meet the towing standard. Is that correct?

Oil type, intervals
- It never ceases to amaze me how people are ok spending tens of thousands of dollars on a new truck and then want to argue about what oil to use. Let's discuss that.

- What oil type do you recommend? I've heard the lighter weight oil is for fuel economy and I've also talked with mechanics who state the lighter oil is also due to advancements in engine design. I'm going to assume both are right and I'm wondering where Alan is with this thought. Also, maybe share what oil type was recommended when he started and discuss why the change over the years.

I'm also curious how much interaction there is between oil companies and engine engineers. Without naming names, do they come to you and try to pitch you new oil types?

- What oil interval do you recommend? Frankly, I can't believe the arguments over this item as well online. Can he shed any light on why we are doing longer intervals?

- Is there such a thing as break-in oil? What is the engine break-in process and what is the goal of the engine break-in process? For example, can I damage the engine if I tow immediately?

Starter

The concern is the starter reliability with start/stop systems.

- is start/stop bad on the engine? Will it cause the starter to die faster?

I've been led to believe the starter is a lot different than it used to be. I wonder if there's a photo of say a 2010 starter versus a 2024 starter.

Final question

This is a fun one. What is one thing Alan has seen online about old school engine thinking that just doesn't apply anymore?

Examples I came up off the top of my head:

- Carbon buildup is a massive issue and you MUST have direct and port injection to clean it.
- cylinder deactivation uses oil and is bad for the engine.
- turbochargers are a ticking time bomb
- new turbo engines don't need that much cooling
- light-weight oil will damage the engine due to not being thick enough

Some other things I thought about or heard others talking about:

Since this new engine is GDI, have they done anything to minimize the fear of carbon build-up on valves/turbo or has their testing shown it not to be an issue?

Is it true that with the new electrical architecture that the airbag suspension is tied into the "drive-modes"? In other words, shifting to "off-road" on the drive mode automatically raises the truck without doing anything else or "sport" modes stiffens the suspension up. Anything else get incorporated or combined because of that new data-bus?

 

[GMT 900]

Some other things I thought about or heard others talking about:

Since this new engine is GDI, have they done anything to minimize the fear of carbon build-up on valves/turbo or has their testing shown it not to be an issue?

Is it true that with the new electrical architecture that the airbag suspension is tied into the "drive-modes"? In other words, shifting to "off-road" on the drive mode automatically raises the truck without doing anything else or "sport" modes stiffens the suspension up. Anything else get incorporated or combined because of that new data-bus?

Carbon build up? Well despite some BS about only "Five percent being shared"

https://www.autoweek.com/news/a39525460/stellantis-hurricane-engine-details/

Stelllantis still referred to it as a GME Engine:

https://www.motortrend.com/news/stellantis-dodge-ram-jeep-chrysler-turbo-i6-engine/

Same architecture as the Jeep 2.0T: Here is what a catch can installed on that engine caught:

https://www.mishimoto.com/engineering/2019/07/jeep-wrangler-catch-can-kit-2018-rd-pt-4

"To our surprise, the small portion of oil that we collected in the can at 1,000 miles had grown tremendously by 10,000 miles. Pouring the contents of the can into a graduated beaker revealed 25 ml of black oil in the can. That amount of oil is enough to thoroughly coat all 16 valves of the Hurricane engine in no time, and that's just 1/13th of the average driver's yearly commute."

Yeah, the 3.0 SST will be the automotive equivalent:

 

[Rogue Skunk]

For those models, at those price points, that's all those buyers care about. They'll bring it to the dealer for every little thing and many wouldn't be able to tell you how many cylinders it has let alone how many gears the tranny has.

Ive been watching many videos on new vehicles and how much time is being spent on explaining the infotainment systems, Im wondering how long till the buyer starts caring more about receiving some useless message about somebodies marriage or getting a pic of somebodies junk from the other side of the world, I think that time is here now, drivetrain seems to be low on the list for tech junkies. There has been an increase in accidents because people have their noses in the infotainment instead of watching the road, the cops up here even say distracted driving surpassed drunk driving by a huge margin, and its going to get worse, just look at the insurance increases lately.

 

[Dusdaddy]

Stelllantis still referred to it as a GME Engine:

https://www.motortrend.com/news/stellantis-dodge-ram-jeep-chrysler-turbo-i6-engine/

I have no idea what you mean by GME engine? Should that mean something different?

 

[Dusdaddy]

Ive been watching many videos on new vehicles and how much time is being spent on explaining the infotainment systems, Im wondering how long till the buyer starts caring about more about receiving some useless message about somebodies marriage or getting a pic of somebodies junk from the other side of the world, I think that time is here now, drivetrain seems to be low on the list for tech junkies. There has been an increase in accidents because people have their noses in the infotainment instead of watching the road, the cops up here even say distracted driving surpassed drunk driving by a huge margin, and its going to get worse, just look at the insurance increases lately.

Sadly, if it ain't the car, it'll be the phone so it doesn't really matter.

 

[GMT 900]

I have no idea what you mean by GME engine? Should that mean something different?

Stellantis Global Medium Engine. This is the company name for the Hurricane Engine Architecture the 2.0L and 3.0L both belong to as part of their engine portfolio.

 

[Dusdaddy]

Stellantis Global Medium Engine. This is the company name for the Hurricane Engine Architecture the 2.0L and 3.0L both belong to as part of their engine portfolio.

Oh, I was saying GDI as in Gas Direct Injection. I thought you were saying they had some different name other than GDI.

 

[testerdahl]

FYI - just finished the interview with Hurricane engineer. I'm going to get it ready and publish it Saturday morning. I forgot I wanted/needed to do a truck news recap this afternoon. I've heard from many fans who really like the truck news recap.

The interview went very well and I can't wait for everyone to watch it. Oh and he brings up some rather controversial things that I'm sure people are going to be firing off comments like crazy. I can't wait to see those fireworks. LOL

 

[carhaulereastcoast]

afternoon Tim. I'm wondering, did I miss the video of you driving the Rebel? its in my top 3 and I'm wondering about it. I saw the videos from the others but want your thoughts.

 

[testerdahl]

afternoon Tim. I'm wondering, did I miss the video of you driving the Rebel? its in my top 3 and I'm wondering about it. I saw the videos from the others but want your thoughts.

No you haven't missed it. I'm just struggling to get that video out. I basically only have a walk around, some driving impressions from my drive partner and some b-roll. I need to include a build and price to round it out. It just doesn't excite me to put together if that makes sense as well after putting out all the other Ram videos. I'll work on it this afternoon though. I need to just get it done.

 

[zonedout]

FYI - just finished the interview with Hurricane engineer. I'm going to get it ready and publish it Saturday morning. I forgot I wanted/needed to do a truck news recap this afternoon. I've heard from many fans who really like the truck news recap.

The interview went very well and I can't wait for everyone to watch it. Oh and he brings up some rather controversial things that I'm sure people are going to be firing off comments like crazy. I can't wait to see those fireworks. LOL

Any news on the questions I put together about the hemi?