Forced induction makes this average-looking Ram 1500 significantly exceed stock figures of 390 to 395 horsepower.
The video above comes to us from the Drag Racing and Car Stuff YouTube channel and it features a fourth-generation Ram 1500 exercising at the track. While this looks like your average half-ton truck, it is clear as soon as it leaves the starting line that this Ram is definitely not stock. Not only does it get down the track a whole lot quicker than any stock truck, but it beats some solid competition in the process.
Insane Ram Truck
There aren’t many details on this fourth-gen Ram 1500, but we know that it is a four-wheel-drive Crew Cab with the short bed. Based on the sound and the badging, this truck is powered by the 5.7-liter Hemi V8, but the output has been increased – possibly by a significant amount – over the stock figures of 390-395 horsepower and 407-410 lb-ft of torque. That increase is achieved by adding some form of turbocharger setup, but we don’t know anything else about the forced induction system aside from the fact that we can hear it whistling as the truck rockets down the track.
Battling the Competition
In the video above, this mild-mannered Ram 1500 takes on a diesel-powered Chevrolet Silverado, a Hellcat Challenger, an old straight-axle drag car, a Mercury Marauder, a Chevy Tahoe and a 1969 Ford Torino GT. With the exception of the supercharged Challenger, the half-ton truck beats them all.
In the races against the straight-axle car, the Tahoe and the Marauder, the turbocharged Hemi Ram blows them away. The best races come against the Torino, with the two crossing the line within a few tenths of each other and the diesel Chevy put up a decent fight while losing by more than a half-second.
Impressive Times
While it is fun to watch a stock-looking Ram 1500 beat all of those different vehicles, the most impressive aspect of this video is the elapsed times being recorded by this half-ton truck. The first run is a 12.90, followed by a 12.82 and a 12.68. Against the rough old drag car, the Ram runs a 12.47 at nearly 111 miles per hour – a run which the YouTube channel surmises may be the quickest by a Crew Cab.
After that 12.47, the turbocharged Ram runs a 12.65, a 12.75, a 12.57 and a 12.52, all of which are great times for a full-sized truck that looks completely stock when at rest.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
