I brought this up awhile ago but wanted to know about it again. My friend and I have pretty much the same dodge ram with 1 year difference, both 1500, 4x4, ext cab, but mine has a 5.9 and his has a 5.2 engine. I drove his truck today for a little bit and can immediately feel the difference in acceleration compared to mine, his actually moves with relatively little gas. He looked on his registration and the weight was roughly 5000 while mine is 5246 so I don't think that weight is the problem here. I looked at our gears and both say 3.55. He is using P245/75R16 tires and I have LT275/75R16 (I believe I have both of those correct), could that be an issue there? Also I looked into deathflash. I don't see a sticker anywhere that says that message so I'm not sure if it is that. My truck, I'm not sure if they all have it or not, but mine has a Power Control Module right by the passenger side under the hood, does that have anything to do with it? Also, could a bad catalytic converter have any affect on this? I've noticed rattling under my truck when I accelerate and then sometimes again when my truck hits overdrive and I know Chrysler admitted they had faulty ones in 96-01 i believe, mine is a 98, could that noise I'm hearing be that problem?

Any other info would help, thanks.

 

A bad cat could cause that for sure, get it checked out asap! If they won't replace it for some reason and its ratteling, get a High flow cat, cheaper and better power. Your tires are quite a bit larger then his, but I dunno how much that would effect it. Also whats the millage on both? Any mods? When I did my t-chain last month with 113k on it I noticed a bit of a diffrence, nothing AMAZING but it was there.

 

the diameters of the 275's will make a difference if you guys really have 3:55s. Pick a speed (60 mph) on the same piece of road. What does the (his and yours) tach read. Plugged converter, had it happen twice because of faulity computer. When they plug up the motor will idle, but when you push on the gas it'll just bog down.

Kayakman
1998 quad cab
360 V8 - 3:55 axle - 2 wheel drive
towing package.
245/75-16 kellys

 

His odometer is higher than mine, he probably is around 110k while I'm at about 88k. Idealy, if everything was working correctly, should I have the better acceleration/top speed because of the advantage of engine size?

Our trucks both have dual exhaust, not the true kind, just one muffler.

I'll look into that cat problem. Is there any way for me to have that work done for free if Chrysler admitted it was their fault?

 

What size is his piping? And yours? What muffler?

 

I'll try to find his out tonight and tell you both of ours when I get back

 

My dads old 97' Ram 1500 with the 5.2 seemed the same performance wise as my 98' with the 5.9[:@]....both were the exact same models. I think its because the 5.9 is more meant for towing and HD use than the 5.2, thus its not as peppy(if that makes sense). IMO dodge should have powered up the 5.9 to something more like 275-300 Horses and 350-375 Ft-Lbs torque. I mean come on, its a 360 CID !!!!!! Why offer 2 V8 engines very close in HP and fairly close in Torque, when one is .7 More CID displacement??? I guess i dont understand.

 

Too many variables there. Have a compression test done on both. Check the pcm (deathflash)? Mine didn't have this, but I've heard it can kill the magnum configs. Plenum gasket problems (this is a main concern with 2nd gens)? You didn't specify, but from your pic, I assume. I have a 5.2 and it runs with the best of them, probably would have rathered a 360, but I got a gem of a truck with the 5.2 so that's what I have to work with. With 4.56 gearing, CAI, powertrax, ported TB and hi-flow cat/headers/3' exhaust, the 5.2 will RUN in standard cab config.

 

Go to your dealer and have them check your VIN to see if your elegable for a free cat, easy as that!!

 

We did this tonight at 55mph and he said his was at 2000 rpm on the dot while mine was at about 1400 rpm. However he rushed to get it to 55 so it could have been inaccurate, I will find out for sure tomorrow.

He also said when he gets into overdrive, rpms go down but then his truck gets a boost and takes off while mine, the rpms go down, and I can practically floor it with very little acceleration.

His piping is about the same as mine, mine is in better condition. Mine is I believe 2 1/4" with 3" tips. He is not sure what muffler he has and I have a flowmaster 40 delta series.


Tomorrow I am going to take his truck out on the highway and see how it compares to mine and report back. Thanks for the help so far guys.