ram 1500 v8 owners, are you happy with your purchase

[geep99]

we have a bambi 22fb and a 2019 tacoma. The tacoma payload is 950, my wife and I and tongue weight of the bambi is 1000 pounds. the towing is ok but we find ourselves considering a larger tow vehicle. the ram 1500 v8 looks like a good fit on paper but i have always driven a toyota truck and am having a hard time wraping my head around buying a ram. If you have ram experience could you pleasw share? traditionally I buy new and keep my trucks for 10-15 years and beside brakes and oil change I have only had to replace one clutch. Toyotas have been extreamly reliable for me. All info is welcome (good bad and ugly), please help me make a decision, thanks

[AirstreamJim]

I’m a RAM 2500 owner and very satisfied, but the 2500 (Cummins diesel) and the 1500 are two very different beasts, so I can’t offer you any helpful insights. One thing I’d recommend, though, is not letting a dealer talk you into the 3.0L diesel. I have that engine in my Jeep Grand Cherokee and it’s been a recurring source of trouble.

That said, since you like Toyota, have you looked at the Tundra instead?

Jim

[Aluminium Falcon]

I have owned two 4th Generation Ram 1500s with no mechanical issues whatsoever. The only thing I would recommend with a 4th Generation Ram (Ram Classic) is to get rust-proofing done upon purchase. It is the only weakness of that truck.

I can’t speak to the 5th Generation Ram 1500s but my friends who own them do not appear to have experienced any reliability issues. They do not have the same rust issues as the 4th Generation models either.

The Hemi 5.7L is a great, reliable and powerful engine that should allow you to tow trouble-free for a decade at least. I would recommend that you opt for a Big Horn or Laramie trim for a 1600-1800 lbs payload.

I have the RamBox system on my Ram 1500 and absolutely love them for camping. I use them to store and organize my tools and all my towing and levelling accessories.

[geep99]

Yes. We have looked at the tundra and think it’s a great option if we could buy one that fits our needs. Unfortunately we can’t get what we want , for example tow mirrors aren’t available in our region and a local dealer tried to get tow mirrors and he waited over a year. We may end up waiting for a tundra but rams are in stock in our area and are 10% below msrp for the memorial Day weekend. Honestly on paper we can get more of what want in terms of payload and amenities in the ram. It seems like they built our dream truck from a manufacturer we aren’t very familiar with, so just looking for some unpaid endorsements. Thanks.

[Boxite]

I have towed, “on the ball” (22’FB Sport) with a 2012 (4th gen) Ram with the small 4.7 V8 with pleasure and zero issues. I’ve never heard of any “rust” problems, but live in Tx where salting-roads is rare. My truck has some “special order” items by the dealer (not me…it was already on the lot) such as wheel-well inner-liners, skid-plates, tow-pkg… but no trailer brake controller.

I installed an after-market brake controller which I have really enjoyed it’s performance as well as it’s installation options (locate controls/displays where you prefer…not where forced by design): https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

Yes, on the RamBoxes! Great Item!

I also added a contractor rack to carry the canoe occasionally, also helpful for trips to the hardware store for lumber, etc.

The ONLY change I’d make: I would have bought the 5.7L V8 instead… but this particular truck was already on the lot and offered with attractive discount. (This small V8 is no longer available, and has served well, plenty of power, …but like most guys… more is …well, more.)

PS: 4WD is also helpful and I’ve used it towing…. 4WD-Low is especially good engine-braking, idling down long, steep, mountain forest roads…. no need to use the brakes whatsoever.. and regular 4WD good for wet boat ramps, mud, sandy-beaches, etc.

[Aerowood]

I have a 2017 Ram Big Horn 4X4 with the 5.7 powerplant. It tows my 71 21' Globetrotter with ease over all of the Colorado passes that I have towed over. 42k on the speedo and have only had minor issues.

Sent from my Lenovo YT3-X90F using Airstream Forums mobile app

[Boxite]

Originally Posted by Boxite

I have towed, “on the ball” (22’FB Sport) with a 2012 (4th gen) Ram with the small 4.7 V8 with pleasure and zero issues. I’ve never heard of any “rust” problems, but live in Tx where salting-roads is rare. My truck has some “special order” items by the dealer (not me…it was already on the lot) such as wheel-well inner-liners, skid-plates, tow-pkg… but no trailer brake controller.

I installed an after-market brake controller which I have really enjoyed it’s performance as well as it’s installation options (locate controls/displays where you prefer…not where forced by design): https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

Yes, on the RamBoxes! Great Item!

I also added a contractor rack to carry the canoe occasionally, also helpful for trips to the hardware store for lumber, etc.

The ONLY change I’d make: I would have bought the 5.7L V8 instead… but this particular truck was already on the lot and offered with attractive discount. (This small V8 is no longer available, and has served well, plenty of power, …but like most guys… more is …well, more.)

PS: 4WD is also helpful and I’ve used it towing…. 4WD-Low is especially good engine-braking, idling down long, steep, mountain forest roads…. no need to use the brakes whatsoever.. and regular 4WD good for wet boat ramps, mud, sandy-beaches, etc.

Too late to edit… should have mentioned…196000+ miles…zero maintenance problems…. batteries & tires only,…. coming up on brakes. That’s it.

[JCRC]

If you get a hemi, I recommend paying for the lifetime warranty if possible. While my truck is not a 1500, I have a 2016 Ram 2500 with the 6.4 hemi (same design, same block size same issues with the 5.7 hemi) that I bought used with 33000 miles in 2019. I bought a 50000 mile warranty which paid for the transmission replacement at 62000 miles. Unfortunately it developed the hemi tick and I am now replacing the entire longblock at 104000 miles. With now no warranty, it will cost $14000 and I have been without my truck for over a month. We fulltime, and this has been a nightmare. It is my favorite truck, and it's paid for, but be aware that Ram has not improved the cam and lifters that can take out the entire engine. There is a class action lawsuit, but who knows how that will go. No recall on a known issue, and it really is just a lottery on who gets a good camshaft vs who gets a defective one. I got so lucky that I got both transmission and engine issues that both took over a month to fix. So, again, get a good warranty.

[JCRC]

Oh, and when I say hemi tick, the #5 cylinder had a misfire because the lifter ate the camshaft and put lovely glitter throughout the engine. I wish I had a time machine to go back and not buy this truck. I've never owned Toyota, but I am jealous of their drivetrain longevity.

[Aluminium Falcon]

Originally Posted by JCRC

Oh, and when I say hemi tick, the #5 cylinder had a misfire because the lifter ate the camshaft and put lovely glitter throughout the engine. I wish I had a time machine to go back and not buy this truck. I've never owned Toyota, but I am jealous of their drivetrain longevity.

You are one unlucky person! The Hemi 6.4L is built to take a lot of abuse and is generally indestructible.

[10Smiles]

I have a 2014 RAM 1500 Longhorn. We love the truck. It tows our 9,000 pound trailer easily. The 8-speed ZF transmission is great. The only issue we have is payload, so we will be upgrading to a 2500 within the year. Wish we could keep it because we love it. The consensus on the RAM forum is to use Redline full synthetic oil in the Hemi; as they say, it is Hemi honey. Could alleviate the cam issues mentioned above (so some on the forum say). We installed a Leer canopy on ours that is very nice for the added dry storage capability.

[Rdavenp3]

I have a ‘23 Tundra Limited and like it. I looked at the Ram 1500 and honestly, the interior is the nicest of all the half tons. The Tundra has the typical cheap plastic Toyota interior, but I bought it because of Toyota’s reputation for reliability. I also got a 10 year 125k mile warranty for under $2k as insurance. The Tundra does pull my 23CB easily and the rear air suspension makes for a comfortable ride. I plan on keeping the Tundra for many years, but if I was planning on keeping a truck for only a few years, I would have gone with the Ram. I’ve owned a few Ram 1500s and just don’t trust them for long term reliability.
Also, the snap zap towing mirror extensions for the new Tundras are supposed to be coming out soon.

[Boxite]

Originally Posted by 10Smiles

. The consensus on the RAM forum is to use Redline full synthetic oil in the Hemi; as they say, it is Hemi honey. ...

All modern motor oils meet ILSAC, and API standards/certifications and any efforts/endorsements by special interest groups are merely opinions and without documentation. Use conventional or synthetic oil by whatever choice you will…. if it is on the market and you buy “designer” motor oils….you have lots of money to throw away.

[10Smiles]

Originally Posted by Boxite

All modern motor oils meet ILSAC, and API standards/certifications and any efforts/endorsements by special interest groups are merely opinions and without documentation. Use conventional or synthetic oil by whatever choice you will…. if it is on the market and you buy “designer” motor oils….you have lots of money to throw away.

I appreciate that they all meet the standards. That does not mean they are all the same. If you do the research, there are quite a few documented success stories of people using Redline oil in their Hemi engines. They are a bit more than opinions, maybe not much more, but they are documented. Believe what you want...

[Boxite]

Originally Posted by 10Smiles

I appreciate that they all meet the standards. That does not mean they are all the same. If you do the research, there are quite a few documented success stories of people using Redline oil in their Hemi engines. They are a bit more than opinions, maybe not much more, but they are documented. Believe what you want...

Yes, …Isolated, non-controlled experimental opinions….little different than Mobil 1 proponents and Amsoil multi-level-marketers.

My ‘94 Jeep Cherokee was at 330K miles when it was totalled by being rear-ended by a woman driving a Class-A pulling a race-car on a flatbed while she texted.

The WalMart Supertech oil it lived on for virtually it’s entire life is not what got it to 330K miles without burning oil……but it did not PREVENT it.

No Redline, Mobil, Amsoil Lucas, Purple-oil etc has ever proven to do better…. but I saved many hundreds of dollars.

[JCRC]

Originally Posted by Aluminium Falcon

You are one unlucky person! The Hemi 6.4L is built to take a lot of abuse and is generally indestructible.

The one thing I can say is that this truck has never made me walk. It died at the dealer when the trans went out, there was smoke coming out of the dipstick and the mechanics had to push it. The motor has been giving me signs for months, but I missed what it actually was. It started ticking BAD a month before, but we were nowhere near where we could get it fixed. When it finally started throwing codes, it still pulled our Argosy over 100 miles. It drove to the dealer, but unfortunately the cam was too far gone. The only way it can be correctly diagnosed is to pull the engine apart, which is a tough option when you full-time and this is our only vehicle. When we did do the teardown, the first thing to check before going further is the oil control valve in the intake manifold. If it has glitter, the engine requires complete rebuild or replacement.
But again, didn't make us walk. This is a power wagon that we use in severe offroad environments sometimes a 100 miles from help, so I feel pretty lucky. And now the new engine will have a 3yr 100000 mile warranty. But yeah, the financial hit and being stuck waiting really has sucked.

[JCRC]

OP, did not want to hijack your thread with doom and gloom. Just be aware that the hemi issue is real. It doesn't happen to them all, but it is a well documented issue. There is no magic oil that has been proven to prevent it. It has been documented that fleet vehicles with high idle hours are more prone to failure. I used my truck for search and rescue, and for lots of things that ended up giving me a lot of idle hours. I also don't know how the original owner drove or maintained it. I have counted on this truck in literally life or death situations and it never failed once. It only seems to want major repairs when I am in my home state, so I may just stay away from home. Kidding...
If the lifetime warranty is an option, it's a great idea.
Good luck with whatever you decide.

[geep99]

Thank you for all for your insight. It’s very helpful.

[Ephraim]

After 167,000 miles, I thought my my 2006 dodge 2500 5.7 Hemi quad cab had developed the Hemi tick. Turns out it was just a broken header bolt and the exhaust was leaking making the ticking sound. $350 to fix.

We do run Amsoil signature but what really makes the difference is the Amsoil dual filtration. Same type of system used in aircraft engines. Keep that oil clean and there is no telling how long your engine will last. Dirty oil is what causes most engine wear. You can keep it clean by changing it often or better filtration.

For those that don’t know, the typical oil filter only removes particles > ~20 microns. You can’t really use a smaller filter because you can’t get enough flow through a finer mesh. The dual filtration systems have two filters. One standard 20 micron and one 2 micron. Only about 10% of the oil goes through the smalller filter. This allows the main filter to provide the volume needed but over the course of time, all of the oil gets fine filtered.

This means you no longer have to change your oil because it’s dirty. You change it because it starts to breakdown. Every three months I send a sample of oil to a testing house and they give me the breakdown of contaminates and a recommendation to change or not. Yes synthetics are expensive, but when you only end up changing your oil every two years or so it works out. Cost wise, it’s about the same as changing your standard oil/filter every 4000 miles or so, but the engine is in much better shape over time.

I installed the system when I bought the truck. 360,000 mile later it’s still going strong. When they fixed the header, the mechanic said the engine looked almost new inside.

[Boxite]

Originally Posted by Ephraim

After 167,000 miles, I thought my my 2006 dodge 2500 5.7 Hemi quad cab had developed the Hemi tick. Turns out it was just a broken header bolt and the exhaust was leaking making the ticking sound. $350 to fix.

We do run Amsoil signature but what really makes the difference is the Amsoil dual filtration. Same type of system used in aircraft engines. Keep that oil clean and there is no telling how long your engine will last. Dirty oil is what causes most engine wear. You can keep it clean by changing it often or better filtration.

For those that don’t know, the typical oil filter only removes particles > ~20 microns. You can’t really use a smaller filter because you can’t get enough flow through a finer mesh. The dual filtration systems have two filters. One standard 20 micron and one 2 micron. Only about 10% of the oil goes through the smalller filter. This allows the main filter to provide the volume needed but over the course of time, all of the oil gets fine filtered.

This means you no longer have to change your oil because it’s dirty. You change it because it starts to breakdown. Every three months I send a sample of oil to a testing house and they give me the breakdown of contaminates and a recommendation to change or not. Yes synthetics are expensive, but when you only end up changing your oil every two years or so it works out. Cost wise, it’s about the same as changing your standard oil/filter every 4000 miles or so, but the engine is in much better shape over time.

I installed the system when I bought the truck. 360,000 mile later it’s still going strong. When they fixed the header, the mechanic said the engine looked almost new inside.

More Amsoil hype.
After almost 48 years maintaining aircraft I have never seen any aircraft which uses an Amsoil type system. Many aircraft don’t even have filters..they fly quite fine using only oil Screens. This is due to the decreasing-benefit of filtering particles so fine they are harmlessly smaller than the lubricating film of the oil itself.

Even Amsoil’s own literature admits that the bypass system only filters a fraction of the oil…the most they claim to further filter is 10%….which it then dumps back into the sump with the other 90% of ordinarily-filtered oil….and that is their BEST performance. Furthermore, they state universally that other filters only catch 20 micron and larger…an actual falsehood…. ignoring that 100% of All Mfr’s categorically design/approve and warrant original systems.

https://www.thebestoil.com/products/...-666fc1d8-ca8b

My renter, a fabrication business owner, has a Dodge 5.7 hemi approaching 400K miles (of which he is very proud) that has only suffered a water pump and a head gasket in it’s life…using only the orignal spin-on filter system and conventional oil brand he swears-by. (Shell…at least the versions bought here in central TX, is likely identically-refined in the same Deer Park plant as the QS and Supertech…just placed in a different labelled bottle.).

https://vehiclefreak.com/who-makes-s...s-it-any-good/

PS: Comparisons with aircraft engines can be misleading. Aircraft engines are not commonly run until they fail…. They are time-limited for mandatory repair and/or overhaul and undergo periodic detailed inspections mandated by regulations, often involving extensive disassembly for that purpose.

I love my Ram 1500. I just wish it had a 5.7 hemi instead of this very reliable but slightly underpowered 4.7 V8 it came with.