2013 Dodge Ram gets Pentastar V6, 8 speed trans

[Saiyan66]

The weight difference was negligible between the two trucks. However I did have 3.73's in the Tahoe and he had 3.42's in the Silverado. That probably had alot to do with it.

I have heard alot about this torque management thing nowadays. Supposedly my new Dodge diesel has it (feels doggy off the line). I was just curious what the point is? Didn't we do just fine before this brilliant software upgrade?

 

[Buliwyf]

Im not so sure about that. I drove a 99 Tahoe for a while with a 350 Vortec motor in it. It made 255hp and 330ft/lbs of torque through a 4L60E 4spd auto. From about 0-50mph that thing would walk on a new 2011 Chevy 5.3 V8 with 315hp and a 6spd auto because of the torque curve. I was amazed when my buddy and I tested them. Once you get a vehicle that weighs over 5000lbs, horsepower numbers really dont mean much. It is frustrating for me to drive the newer low displacement gas motors with a trailer behind them. They always feel like they are working way too hard and revving to the moon. Another friend has a new 5.0 Ford V8 in his F-150. Empty it feels really strong, but hook a trailer up to it and it sounds and feels overworked.

True, but how an engine sounds and feels has nothing to do with how well it works.

I've found that the newer engines are very tolerant of lower rear end gear ratios and higher RPM's. In fact, they seem to thrive on it. Even the lowly 4.6L in a POS Ford E350 van can get the job done anywhere without mountains as long as you have the correct axle ratio.

The flip side of the coin is that the smaller more effiecient engines will be working harder with higher EGT's than the larger engines. There is a reason that hube GM 8.1L's and Ford 6.8L's make such low power outputs. Low power output per CID equals a tough reliable engine that won't cook itself pulling a heavy trailer up a hill.

 

[RoyJ]

The weight difference was negligible between the two trucks. However I did have 3.73's in the Tahoe and he had 3.42's in the Silverado. That probably had alot to do with it.

I have heard alot about this torque management thing nowadays. Supposedly my new Dodge diesel has it (feels doggy off the line). I was just curious what the point is? Didn't we do just fine before this brilliant software upgrade?

Weight diff may not be as small as you think, Edmunds list 4525lbs for the 1999, and 5636 for the 2011 model. That would definitely swing things in your favour!

 

[lstzephyr]

The weight difference was negligible between the two trucks. However I did have 3.73's in the Tahoe and he had 3.42's in the Silverado. That probably had alot to do with it.

I have heard alot about this torque management thing nowadays. Supposedly my new Dodge diesel has it (feels doggy off the line). I was just curious what the point is? Didn't we do just fine before this brilliant software upgrade?

I know with bikes a small difference in rear end gearing makes a big difference in the feeling of torque and acceleration. I have a habit of gearing my bikes fairly low because I like the feeling of torque and responsiveness of the low gears.

I've haven't heard of torque management before. It sounds like another "great" way for the engineers to protect us from ourselves. I would guess the reason it is there is to protect the transmission from too much stupidity or too much power breaking things in the warranty period.

 

[Saiyan66]

You are right, I looked it up and got 4867lbs for the Tahoe, and 5267lbs for the Silverado. That is plenty to make the acceleration difference noticeable.

 

[Buliwyf]

I know with bikes a small difference in rear end gearing makes a big difference in the feeling of torque and acceleration. I have a habit of gearing my bikes fairly low because I like the feeling of torque and responsiveness of the low gears.

I've haven't heard of torque management before. It sounds like another "great" way for the engineers to protect us from ourselves. I would guess the reason it is there is to protect the transmission from too much stupidity or too much power breaking things in the warranty period.

Torque management is quite popular.

If you have bought a White base model work truck, you may want to have it tuned on a dyno and reprogrammed. The XL base model trucks do have wimpy setpoints. All the newer diesels would nuke themselfs quickly if there wasn't some sort of fuel/rpm algorithm. (Too much fuel at low RPM spikes EGT's)

White Chevy work vans don't make full power until you're past 25mph. You can feel them hold back, and then let go. But they seem to work ok when shifted manually.

 

[Redline]

snip...
Transmission
ZF 8HP45, 8 speeds
1st, 4.71:1 -- exceptionally low
2nd, 3.14:1
3rd, 2.10:1
4th, 1.67:1
5th, 1.29:1
6th, 1.00:1
7th, 0.84:1
8th, 0.67:1

snip...

Many good, educated, comments in this thread guys, a classic, healthy portal discussion :victory:

Nice to see those numbers posted here Chip. You're correct, exceptionally low for an automatic. The 3.5:1-ish first gears in my Toyota automatics are/were considered very low, but 4.7:1 would be a normal first gear for a manual tranny. Starting a load is important, and so is keeping it going...the tight spacing of those 8 gears should help. I like that the top gear is not overly tall, as long as one specs a low enough axle ratio. The 6-speed Tundra trans with it's 0.58:1 ratio is a bit tall for my preference (even with 4.30 gears) for a truck that drives hills, pulls loads, and lives at altitude, while running only a 33" tire. Of course the tall top gears will tolerate very low diff gears.

I agree about the low gears, I love them on trucks and motos, particularly on modern vehicles with one or more overdrive top gear(s) that keeps the RPM down and the MPG up at moderate speeds. While newer engines are likely more tolerant of lower gears/higher RPM as stated, I would observe that the very tall (and/or multiple) overdrive top gears are a very real part of why newer truck platforms are tolerant of low diff gearing.

Even with low differential gearing, many trucks will turn very reasonable (even low) RPM at freeway speeds due to tall overdrives.

 

[Prjktjho]

A lot of good info here! I am kind of a newb in the truck/suv world but it seems like offering a fuel efficient truck for those who don't really have "truck" duties is an awesome idea. I mean, still offering all of the normal Hemi and cummins options in the trucks does not affect normal truck buyers. Most truck owners I know hardly use them for intended purposes anyways. I understand the "technology" fear but that comes with any advancement. Yesterday's crazy ideas are today's norm! I mean I'm typing this on my iPhone which does more then my old desktop ever could. am definitely going to look into this since I honestly only need a truck for hauling camping gear, my mountain bike or the occasional trip to lowes as I am sure most truck owners use theirs similarly. I also completely understand how a group of off roading enthusiasts could be skeptical of it's capabilities too since a fix in the middle of nowhere could be ALOT harder if it involves a computer rather then a mechanical part that's familiar.

 

[haven]

Lots of details about the 2013 RAM on the Allpar.com page
http://www.allpar.com/model/ram/2013-ram.html

And here's the first published test I've seen of a production RAM 1500
http://www.insideline.com/ram/ram-pickup-1500/2013/2013-ram-1500-full-test.html

 

[DoMiNiC1]

Truck is in the shop for a stuck injector... I am renting a 2013 6speed auto 1500 4x4 RAM. It is super slow! Granted I drive a dmax but this thing is a slug. It is no eco boost. VERY quite and has a nice sound system. I cant wait to get my truck back. Tempted to go wheel the rental but will prob rim the air dam off so never mind.

 

[Larry]

Truck is in the shop for a stuck injector... I am renting a 2013 6speed auto 1500 4x4 RAM. It is super slow! Granted I drive a dmax but this thing is a slug. It is no eco boost. VERY quite and has a nice sound system. I cant wait to get my truck back. Tempted to go wheel the rental but will prob rim the air dam off so never mind.

A 2013 Ram already in a rental fleet? The first ones just rolled off the assembly line September 6th. It would be odd that dealers are screaming for them while one already got into a rental fleet? Hmmm, are you sure your rental isn't really a 2012?

 

[lllateralus]

I agree with many people on this post. New technology is just better. You can change elevation without worrying about your carburetor killing your engine. In addition, you can drive across the country with confidence, going over 70mph, with the ac on, not worrying about the vehicle overheating. 100,000mi is no long a milestone, its an expectation. The new stuff is getting better and better.

True, with exceptions... (relating to new EPA laws and regulations mostly)

100K miles for a diesel 6.0 (without a major, or at least EXPENSIVE failure) is a milestone, in my mind. I think that's true for the newer 6.4's, as well.

Any old abused 7.3 will run past 100K miles without any failures.

So, newer is not always better when it comes to reliability. Increased complexity = increased chances of component failure.

 

[DoMiNiC1]

A 2013 Ram already in a rental fleet? The first ones just rolled off the assembly line September 6th. It would be odd that dealers are screaming for them while one already got into a rental fleet? Hmmm, are you sure your rental isn't really a 2012?

lol. no I am not sure, but it has 6 speeds with the +/_. I believe last year have the 4 speed... I will check.

 

[Larry]

lol. no I am not sure, but it has 6 speeds with the +/_. I believe last year have the 4 speed... I will check.

Hehe, it's probably a '12. 6 speed rolled out in late ‘11 while 8 speed autos are the big thing for '13. The bad thing is the 8 speed autos are shifted by a stupid electric rotary knob. Hopefully by the time the 8 speeds make it into the RAM HD trucks they will have a column shifter with a cable connected to a true selector shaft on the transmission

 

[DoMiNiC1]

I checked and you were right, its a 12, and back to the rental place, it was smooth and quiet, I hated it. lol