DRAGRCR SRT SUPER STOCK

[NTB]

LETS TALK TOW TRUCKS : REVIEW

ALL 3 Brands are amazing. But if I am not backed into a corner it is going to be a RAM 100%.

What about all this craziness with used vehicles. I paid $45,200 for my Current truck that I just sold, and I got $44,000 for it. I will admit I got a great deal on that Truck, but still............

The Ram 3500 4X4 Tradesman 6.7 HO AISIN that I just sold was amazing. The power was intoxicating at times. If you happened to be right at the good point in the power band and you laid into it, even with the loaded Trailer, it was mind blowing. Torque of 930 will do that.

Here are the reasons I made this move. I tested the water and did the math and I found out I could get a good selling price and then order exactly what I wanted and have a 3 year newer truck that does not need new tires. I am going to be out of pocket a total of $24,000 or less and that is not including any applicable rebates.

#1 Was the old Truck would pull substantially harder with my foot on the gas pedal than it would if it was in cruise control. I tested this many times and in 100 different conditions so it is not something I was imagining. So this forced me to either lock out 6th gear, let the truck downshift all the time, OR use my foot (not use cruise control). I would much prefer to use the cruise control on long trips : New Truck, 1075 foot pounds and 420 HP, AND 373 gears (vs 3.42's). I am hoping it will run cruise control more of the time.

#2 The new Truck has the Electronic Shift-On-The-Fly Transfer Case. Old Truck was manual and I never put it in 4X4 because I was afraid of getting goofed up on the shift. Stupid I know. I am sure if I really needed it, I would have gotten it done, but now I never have to worry. This Truck, it is standard with the Big Horn, which leads me to the third item.......

#3 I wanted to have more room to sleep in the Truck and so I wanted to get back into a Mega Cab. You cannot get a Mega Cab in a Tradesman so I had to move up to a Big Horn. I like to sleep in the Truck to save money but more importantly it's way more convenient when traveling and I am with the Super Stock / Cargo, so I know it is safe from Thieves etc. So, with the Crew Cab I made a really good bed for myself in the back seat area but I literally just lacked a few inches from stretching out the way I wanted to, diagonally. The Mega Cab will EASILY fix this.

#4 Ride Quality. I ordered the Automatic-Level Rear Air Suspension. The more I read about this the more I liked it. The Design and concepts are right on point as far as I am concerned. That and 10" longer wheelbase should make a nice improvement in ride quality.

I went for nicer rims and some better tires. I also added the remote start system because it can be used as a cooldown timer.

OLD TRUCK:
View attachment 37006
NEW TRUCK: View attachment 37007 View attachment 37008

Sounds like a great truck Ron!

 

[DRAGRCR]

Sounds like a great truck Ron!

Thanks Tom. I can't wait to pull with it. I hope the Event in Norwalk OH goes off as planned in July. That is my next long trip I am hoping to attend.

 

[vortecd]

1075 ft lbs of torque? You can tow your trailer house and car trailer to the track

 

[Hellcat Cuda]

Although retired now, I managed fleets of LD and HD trucks as well as cars. I had direct contact with engineers from each of the big three. We had our share of transmission problems and the engineers told me:

"as smart as these transmissions are, they are not smart enough to compensate for the different driving styles, demands and expectations of ALL the drivers out there. If you want your transmissions to last, tell your drivers to turn OD off around town; NEVER TOW with OD on unless you are on flat terrain for a long distance at highway speeds. Definately leave OD off when going over long grades / mountains. This will prevent the transmission from having to "search" for the right gear going over grades."

I never could get all my drivers to care about that kind of chit. For many, it wasn't their vehicle and they did not have to pay the repair bills. However, the trannys DID last in the vehicles driven by the people who did care about the company / municipality who provided their paychecks every week.

 

[DRAGRCR]

Although retired now, I managed fleets of LD and HD trucks as well as cars. I had direct contact with engineers from each of the big three. We had our share of transmission problems and the engineers told me:

"as smart as these transmissions are, they are not smart enough to compensate for the different driving styles, demands and expectations of ALL the drivers out there. If you want your transmissions to last, tell your drivers to turn OD off around town; NEVER TOW with OD on unless you are on flat terrain for a long distance at highway speeds. Definitely leave OD off when going over long grades / mountains. This will prevent the transmission from having to "search" for the right gear going over grades."

I never could get all my drivers to care about that kind of chit. For many, it wasn't their vehicle and they did not have to pay the repair bills. However, the trannys DID last in the vehicles driven by the people who did care about the company / municipality who provided their paychecks every week.

I agree. Whomever programmed that Trans should be fired. That thing would downshift at the hint of any increased load such as a small hill. Once I got back on the gas pedal I eased up to get it to upshift back into 6th and then just roll into it and take off up the hill or whatever. I can't stand the trans downshifting all the time. It got to where I would either take it off cruise any time there was a small hill or just not use it at all. Using your foot all the time the thing would pull really well. I will admit the faster I went the better it would pull. But I am not really into pulling that fast especially since I have plenty of time........ Older Rams you could get a 4.10 ratio with the SRW. That would be the answer but not available any more. So, I will settle for the standard 3.73's.

 

[Hellcat Cuda]

So you know what I'm talking about. You have to accept what is and just turn OD off when going up a big grade. You get it down into the next lower gear and it will probably not have to search. I was with a neighbor after I'd talked to the GM engineer. We were in his GMC Jimmy towing his ski boat with his kids, ski and camping gear. There was no way the 350 had the torque for the job. On a long grade, my friend just left the selector in D/OD and let it keep searching up and down half way up the grade and he was clueless to it. Without saying anything, I reached over and pushed the OD Off button. It dropped down into the final drive gear (3rd I think) and it just breezed up the incline without a problem. No extra pedal pressure and no lug down.

I taught my wife a couple of these tips when driving her Grand Cherokee. You just have to let go of how you think the trans SHOULD operate and interact a little more with the trans when necessary. After the situation is past, you just shift back into OD.

 

[DRAGRCR]

It's been long enough.

 

[HWDan]

ouch! I felt the pain completely watching this.

 

[NTB]

It's been long enough.

View attachment 37942

Ouch....

 

[TNREDEYE]

P4D my friend.

 

[Octanewide]

Well that's a debbie downer..Hopefully no body damage.

 

[Hellcat Cuda]

Sorry for your situation. Let us know how Dodge responds with warranty coverage...

 

[DGatzby]

Well, it hooked.

 

[Dutchman]

@DRAGRCR What are the metrics for the broken rears at the Legion of Demons event?
How many cars that broke had a brace?
And what model brace?
What ratio 2.62 or 3.09?
What tire size 315/50/17 or 305/45/17 ?

 

[The Englishman]

Didn’t like to ask,it’s been on my mind to pm you about it.Have Dodge done the right thing yet?

 

[DRAGRCR]

Well, it hooked.

The Track was amazing. If you study that pic, the surface was 10X better than Irwindale. Plus I heard he was spraying the PJ1 straight up for us.

 

[DGatzby]

The Track was amazing. If you study that pic, the surface was 10X better than Irwindale. Plus I heard he was spraying the PJ1 straight up for us.

Oh, Ron, I could darn near feel it in your video!

I have a good reference, I was one of the few who have busted a CF DS. So the video brought back nearly the same thing I remember happening.

 

[DRAGRCR]

Didn’t like to ask,it’s been on my mind to pm you about it.Have Dodge done the right thing yet?

They have had my car for 3-1/2 weeks. I am thinking if there was bad news they would have told me by now. I hate to talk about this because everybody does not always get treated the same. There are too many people involved in this whole process. It seems you can have a service advisor that wants to work for you and help get your car fixed and then there are the ones that are against you from first sight. That can have a big effect on what happens. What about the Tech taking the Pics to authorize a claim? Does he show rubber all over the quarter panel in the pics? Etc. What about the Area Rep. What does he think? Etc. What about the Powertrain Engineer that recieves the Pics at FCA. What does he think? What questions do you as the owner get asked? How do you answer?

I will tell you what I think the attitude is. The car is marketed for Drag Racing. It COMES factory equipped with big sticky Drag Radials on it. So, if there is no misuse or abuse or negligence in the operation and use of the car, I think they will end up fixing it. As long as they are working for you and not against you. Hope that makes sense.

 

[Markp]

@DRAGRCR What are the metrics for the broken rears at the Legion of Demons event?
How many cars that broke had a brace?
And what model brace?
What ratio 2.62 or 3.09?
What tire size 315/50/17 or 305/45/17 ?

THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO KNOW^^^^^^

 

[Hellcat Cuda]

What was the actual damage, ie. Ring/pinion; case; drive shaft; axle shaft ? Did you clean the rubber off the quarters and put street tires on it? I'm thinking if that were to ever happen to me, I'd have it towed home where I'd change out to street wheels / tires and clean up the car of the drag radial burnout mess. Then have it brought to the dealer...