edmunds: ram 1500

[blazerdude20]

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drive...topanel..3.*#20

 

"Pickup truck suspensions have needed help since Day One. After all, one of the most common put-downs used to describe an uncomfortable ride is, "This thing rides like a truck." The all-new 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 Pickup most certainly is a truck, from the tip of its optional 390-horsepower 5.7-liter V8 Hemi to the tail of its 9,100-pound maximum towing capacity, but it no longer rides and handles like the usual sort of truck.

 

A set of gargantuan coil springs now supports the back half of the new Ram, improving ride and stability while miraculously preserving the payload and towing capacity of the 2008 model. If the competition doesn't already have prototypes and test mules running around with this setup at their respective proving grounds, they'd best get on the ball."

 

 

[NickF1011]

I want to see this truck running at a full gallop down Ford's offroad test track before I will tell Ford they "best get on the ball" in changing anything.

[CivicDuty2007]

I want to see this truck running at a full gallop down Ford's offroad test track before I will tell Ford they "best get on the ball" in changing anything.

and then the world will see that that new coil sprung suspension setup is superior to leaf springs........

 

I think Ford finally has a worthy competitor on their hands..........that Hemi just kills the 5.4 Triton......the F150 always looked small parked next to a Ram........and Ford and the others have been tryin to copy the Ram's looks since 1994.........

 

Now all Dodge needs to do is drop the 6.1 Hemi in there(and also in their Heavy Dutys), look out then.

 

And the Cummins engine............best diesel you can get....I drive an 18 wheeler with a Cummins powerplant, so I should know.

[NickF1011]

and then the world will see that that new coil sprung suspension setup is superior to leaf springs........

 

I think Ford finally has a worthy competitor on their hands..........that Hemi just kills the 5.4 Triton......the F150 always looked small parked next to a Ram........and Ford and the others have been tryin to copy the Ram's looks since 1994.........

 

Now all Dodge needs to do is drop the 6.1 Hemi in there(and also in their Heavy Dutys), look out then.

 

And the Cummins engine............best diesel you can get....I drive an 18 wheeler with a Cummins powerplant, so I should know.

 

F-150 and Silverado look like the Ram? Errrrr....yeah. The only thing they have emulated at all is a shift to a somewhat more aerodynamic style, which first appeared on the new Ram in the 1990's. Other than that, I don't see a single styling element that is mimmicked in any way. Besides, why would the #1 and #2 best-selling trucks try to immitate a worse-selling truck? That would be like the Camry and Accord immitating the Fusion. :lol:

 

And how do you know the coil setup is superior? Because Edmunds says it offers a nicer ride? Mmmmkay. I'll wait to see some testing from people who actually know their trucks.

 

The only thing on the Ram superior to the F-series is the Cummins diesel. Even the transmission it mates to is a steaming heap of crap compared to what Ford and GM offer in their trucks.

[P71_CrownVic]

Besides, why would the #1 and #2 best-selling trucks try to immitate a worse-selling truck? That would be like the Camry and Accord imitating the Fusion.

 

Bi-Polar much...

 

And how do you know that Edmunds does not "know their trucks"? They drive and test them all?

[atomaro]

I want to see this truck running at a full gallop down Ford's offroad test track before I will tell Ford they "best get on the ball" in changing anything.

 

 

You mean like in this video?

 

 

 

 

BTW, how do you embed this video in the post?

Edited August 25, 2008 by atomaro

[NickF1011]

Bi-Polar much...

 

And how do you know that Edmunds does not "know their trucks"? They drive and test them all?

 

Bi-polar? Yeah, because you'll find SO many threads on here of me calling the Fusion superior to the Camry and Accord. :rolleyes:

 

And how do I know Edmunds doesn't know their trucks? They make no mention of putting the Ram through a torture track or even testing out its payload capabilities. Based on what was written in the article, they didn't even take the truck off of pavement. :rolleyes: again.

 

 

You mean like in this video?

 

 

 

 

BTW, how do you embed this video in the post?

 

Yes. Like that video. :happy feet:

 

Video embedding isn't enabled on this site.

[dunebuster]

I want to see this truck running at a full gallop down Ford's offroad test track before I will tell Ford they "best get on the ball" in changing anything.

 

 

Since Cerebrus bought APG, I'm sure Dodge has ran Silver Creek(s) and learned from that for the 2010 re-launch...

 

The1500's interior is very nice and it handles the rough stuff quite well and still has nice manners on the highway (Hemi with MDS @ 70MPH = 24.2MPG for about 100 miles down I-75 last week in a test vehicle) And wait until the Hybrid Hemi comes out with better highway and city milage than that!!! (the Durango Hybrid can get 26+ MPG highway...

[armadamaster]

F-150 and Silverado look like the Ram? Errrrr....yeah.

 

Errrr...yeah:

 

 

 

And GM robbed some F-350 headlights from the Ford bin before Ford uglied them all up:

 

 

 

And 1994 Dodge Ram hood meet Superduty hood:

 

 

 

That is all.

Edited August 26, 2008 by Armada Master

[taxman100]

The Toyota was kind of scary to watch.

[twintornados]

and then the world will see that that new coil sprung suspension setup is superior to leaf springs........

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_C/K#1967-1972

 

Go to the 1967-72MY description area......

I remember my uncle had an old Chevy (1967-72MY) and it had a coil spring setup in the rear....so much for Dodge breaking new ground here....

[NickF1011]

Errrr...yeah:

 

Still haven't gotten those eyes checked, have you?

[V8-X]

and then the world will see that that new coil sprung suspension setup is superior to leaf springs........

 

I think Ford finally has a worthy competitor on their hands..........that Hemi just kills the 5.4 Triton......the F150 always looked small parked next to a Ram........and Ford and the others have been tryin to copy the Ram's looks since 1994.........

 

And the Cummins engine............best diesel you can get....I drive an 18 wheeler with a Cummins powerplant, so I should know.

 

The coils maybe better for ride comfort, but check out the Silverado 1500 (1965lbs max) & F150 (3080lbs max) payload compared to the Ram 1500 (1640lbs from what I can find). You'll notice the payload is significantly less in the Ram and almost always has been. So if you mean superior by ride quality, I'd agree. If you mean superior by payload ability, I'd say no. The coils were tried before and failed horribly. Now we are a few decades worth of improvements since the initial test, so we'll just have to wait and see how they truly hold up to the demands.

 

Here's a link and blurb by cars.com regarding their Ram review.

 

While the rear coil-spring suspension won't misbehave on the road, the single-stage spirals showed the vertical strain of 1,000 pounds of payload, letting the back end sag noticeably (see picture). The weight in the cargo box was still 640 pounds shy of this configuration's maximum 1,640-pound payload capacity.

 

http://www.cars.com/go/crp/research.jsp?se...p;revlogtype=22

 

HEMI 5.7L does kill the 5.4L in HP, not nearly as much in the lb-ft dept., but the Ram still tows less and has a lesser payload. So if you're about speed, sure the HEMI is better (Ram also weighs much less than the F150 helping the speed aspect), but even then the Toyota 5.7L is better than the HEMI in the speed dept. If you're about the ability of a motor, the 5.4L still trumps the HEMI 5.7L as a work horse.

 

Had and '02 F150 and now an '06 F150. Friend had an '03 Ram 1500. The '02 was smaller on the exterior, but not by much, and that F150 still had more interior space. The '06 F150 actually looks bigger than the Ram from the exterior parked next to each other, with only the larger rims option pushing the Ram to look larger (ground clearance height aspect). The F150 is still larger on the interior though.

 

Cummins is the best diesel on the road in these HD trucks, no doubt. But that isn't built by Dodge. The rest of the truck is second rate compared to the SD's in all other aspects. Especially the build quality and fit/finish. We'll have to wait and see how the '09 Rams compare to the '08 SD's though.

 

Errrr...yeah:

 

 

 

And GM robbed some F-350 headlights from the Ford bin before Ford uglied them all up:

 

 

 

And 1994 Dodge Ram hood meet Superduty hood:

 

 

 

That is all.

 

Only similarities I see between the rear of the Silverado & Ram are the tail lamps, maybe the 3rd brake light. Otherwise the entire setup looks significantly different.

 

The '07+ Sierra did copy the '99-'07 SD's grille shape, head lamp shape, the bumper cover and even the hood shape.

 

The SD's did copy the Ram hood and head lamp setup, but have a very slight difference in look and feel. The front bumper is similar as well, with minor differences.

[NickF1011]

Only similarities I see between the rear of the Silverado & Ram are the tail lamps, maybe the 3rd brake light. Otherwise the entire setup looks significantly different.

 

The '07+ Sierra did copy the '99-'07 SD's grille shape, head lamp shape, the bumper cover and even the hood shape.

 

The SD's did copy the Ram hood and head lamp setup, but have a very slight difference in look and feel. The front bumper is similar as well, with minor differences.

 

What it boils down to is this: How many ways are there to skin a cat? Fullsize pickups are pretty limited in how they can be shaped. The back halves of ALL fullsize pickups share at least some common traits. It's just the nature of fullsize pickups. As for the fronts, the grilles have gotten bigger over the years to increase their ability to breathe as stronger engines are added year after year. The headlights are placed lower to meet federal lighting standards and to avoid blinding other drivers. The result is a shape that looks familiar from truck to truck. It's not a matter of a copied design. It's much more a matter of form-follows-function.

[CivicDuty2007]

Still haven't gotten those eyes checked, have you?

why should he? anyone with a brain can see that since 1994, Dodge's competition have been using the Ram as an inspiration for styling....ESPECIALLY THE FORD SUPER DUTIES.....Don't forget the Silverado/Sierra and the new Tundra as well. Dodge had the bright idea of styling their truck after the real trucks........18 wheeler anyone?.... :poke:

 

And are you calling the Cummins a piece of crap "Nick"? :blah: :blah: :blah: Mind you, I haven't seen a Cummins crap out like the Powerstrokes and Duramaxes do....and the old GM 6.5? most useless example of an engine if there ever was one!!

[atomaro]

At the end of the day, its still a Dodge...it will never be as good as anything from Ford or GM...enjoy your 390hp Hemi and 8 mpg. Too bad that so innovative styling never helped it sell enough to even come close to GM, let alone Ford.

 

I beg to differ, the most useless diesel ever was the 350s GM had converted from gas to diesel.

Edited August 26, 2008 by atomaro

[NickF1011]

why should he? anyone with a brain can see that since 1994, Dodge's competition have been using the Ram as an inspiration for styling....ESPECIALLY THE FORD SUPER DUTIES.....Don't forget the Silverado/Sierra and the new Tundra as well. Dodge had the bright idea of styling their truck after the real trucks........18 wheeler anyone?.... :poke:

 

See my response above.

 

And are you calling the Cummins a piece of crap "Nick"? :blah: :blah: :blah: Mind you, I haven't seen a Cummins crap out like the Powerstrokes and Duramaxes do....and the old GM 6.5? most useless example of an engine if there ever was one!!

 

Can you read? I wrote, and I quote:

 

"The only thing on the Ram superior to the F-series is the Cummins diesel."

 

Does that sound like I'm calling the Cummins a piece of crap? Seems like the COMPLETE OPPOSITE to me.

 

What I did refer to as crap was in this quote:

 

"Even the transmission it mates to is a steaming heap of crap compared to what Ford and GM offer in their trucks."

 

The transmissions are crap. Complete crap. You cannot possibly disagree with that.

[J-150]

why should he? anyone with a brain can see that since 1994, Dodge's competition have been using the Ram as an inspiration for styling....ESPECIALLY THE FORD SUPER DUTIES.....Don't forget the Silverado/Sierra and the new Tundra as well. Dodge had the bright idea of styling their truck after the real trucks........18 wheeler anyone?.... :poke:

 

And are you calling the Cummins a piece of crap "Nick"? :blah: :blah: :blah: Mind you, I haven't seen a Cummins crap out like the Powerstrokes and Duramaxes do....and the old GM 6.5? most useless example of an engine if there ever was one!!

 

 

sorry to tell you this Chico, but Ford had that sculpted hood on the 87-92 F-Series.

 

And the wraparound rear lights are courtesy of the 88 Chevy C/K

 

As far as the restyle, anything would be an improvement on the D150s.

 

Thanks for playing.

[Extreme4x4]

Civic, my husband drives big truck also.............. and yes the Cummins is an excellent diesel engine.

 

That said, the Dodge HD is what it has always been, a great engine wrapped in a crappy truck. Anybody that uses trucks as trucks, knows this............... and readily admits it. Even alot of Dodge fans. This is why you rarely see Dodges being used to work. All the refineries use Superduties. The electrical companies............. Superduties. Ranchers............... mostly Superduties. Construction sites............. yeppers................ Superduties.

 

They know they hold up to the work, and know they will keep going, no matter what they do to them. I have crawled all over our '08 F250, and it is so overbuilt as to be comical. However, I know that I certainly will not be able to kill it. This is why it will be with me forever............... and will be able to do anything I ever ask of it.

 

This is also why Fords are the heaviest trucks.

 

That said, Dodge 1/2 tons have always been known as "driveway" trucks. This new rear suspension set-up just confirms it. While they may garner more of the "driveway truck" clientell........... that market has shrunk rapidly. Going forward, people who buy trucks, will more often buy them to be trucks.............. not cars with beds.

 

"That a hemi???" LOL

[351cid]

I drive an 18 wheeler also...and I'll take a Detroit 60 series or a C-15 CAT anyday over an ISX Cummings...so much so, that our company rid itself of all Cummings engines all together.

 

The old Big Cam Cummings were good engines, but kinda like the small block Chevy of truck engines. Parts were cheap and plentiful...they had to be.

[suv_guy_19]

I drive an 18 wheeler also...and I'll take a Detroit 60 series or a C-15 CAT anyday over an ISX Cummings...so much so, that our company rid itself of all Cummings engines all together.

 

The old Big Cam Cummings were good engines, but kinda like the small block Chevy of truck engines. Parts were cheap and plentiful...they had to be.

 

 

I know the transportation director of a large school division in my province. He said that he would never put a Cummins in a bus. He preferred CAT also. Anecdotal maybe, but there are a great many people that in fact don't like that engine.

[V8-X]

I think the point being on the Cummins, is it is the best Diesel offered in these Light Duty trucks, bar none. Then again, there aren't many manufacturers in this market either. Once you get into the Medium/Heavy Duty applications, you have many more contenders. Sure would love to see a CAT in any of the Light Duty trucks, but don't foresee that happening anytime soon. So we have to pick and choose from the options available. Which sometimes the best motor isn't in the best truck, which is the dilemma with the Light Duty trucks currently.

[Blueblood]

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drive...topanel..3.*#20

 

"Pickup truck suspensions have needed help since Day One. After all, one of the most common put-downs used to describe an uncomfortable ride is, "This thing rides like a truck." The all-new 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 Pickup most certainly is a truck, from the tip of its optional 390-horsepower 5.7-liter V8 Hemi to the tail of its 9,100-pound maximum towing capacity, but it no longer rides and handles like the usual sort of truck.

 

A set of gargantuan coil springs now supports the back half of the new Ram, improving ride and stability while miraculously preserving the payload and towing capacity of the 2008 model. If the competition doesn't already have prototypes and test mules running around with this setup at their respective proving grounds, they'd best get on the ball."

 

 

 

 

Best truck out right now, Ford could have if they didn't let 3 year olds design the 09 and actually put and engine made for anything but a tractor in it.

[NickF1011]

Best truck out right now, Ford could have if they didn't let 3 year olds design the 09 and actually put and engine made for anything but a tractor in it.

 

And I'll take a wild stab in the dark and venture a guess that the '09 F-150 will gobble up more market share while the Ram continues to lose it...

[BigBadBflo]

I'm amazed how some will say the '99 SuperDuty looks too much like the '93 RAM but then deny the similarities of the the '10 Taurus and the current Sonata.

 

My favorite truck rear ends were the late 70's early '80s Chevy/GMCs. Maybe it was beacuae I was a big "The Fall Guy" fan as a kid....

 

I am curious how well this "driveway" setup will do for Dodge now that the p/u market is hurting.