Hey everyone, I'm new here but owned Dodge/Chryslers for years. I recently bought a 2007 Dodge Ram 1500 quad cab with the 5.7 hemi in it. Sadly, it wasn't the truck I wanted. I wanted a 2500 quad cab long box with the 6.9 cummins. I work on a drilling rig, and we get free diesel fuel at work, sadly, no free gas. Plus the cummins has better power numbers than the hemi. I'm a huge fan of the old 426 hemi, and while I thought this small 345 seemed like a disgrace to the name, I took the truck anyways to build credit, so in a year or 2 I can trade it off and get the diesel like I want.
Now before anyone gets up in arms that I called this hemi a disgrace, heres what happened to me a couple nights ago driving home from work. I was racing the another guy home with his truck, and he has a 2003 Ford 350 superduty with the power stroke diesel. We never raced off the line, he was ahead of me and I tried to pass him figuring he had no chance. I got past him, and then he gave me a moment to think I'd won, and blew my doors off. His truck is stock, no chip. I found out when we got to the bar after and I nursed my bruised ego with a beer that he turned his key to the start position and on the diesels, that overrides the top speed limiter and he was able to run full out unrestricted. As far as I know, the hemi has no factory way to disable to top speed limiter on the fly, and my top end is 172km(yeah, I'm Canadian) so he was able to stomp all over me.

So heres what hurts. My brand new half ton truck with a hemi got its *** handed to it by a one ton diesel. Now I know its not exactly a fair comparison because his diesel has a turbo from the factory and my hemi is naturally asperated, but come on. He's like 9000 pounds to my 6000 pounds and this is Dodge's legendary Hemi reborn. Very sad in my book, made me really wish I had the credit to get the 6.9 cummins.
I was looking at an STS turbo charger for $4200 to get the power up and have it be half decent. http://www.ststurbo.com/ram_hemi_dynoBut thats a lot of money and a lot of work to install it. True it would take me to 417 rear wheel horsepower and 460 lbs/ft of torque from 262 hp and 284 lbs/ft and thats no small jump. I was looking at chips for it, but a superchip only adds 17.8 horsepower and 26.3 lbs/ft for $400. I'll probably get one anyways just so I can remove that damn top speed limiter. Does anyone know of any better chips that give more power/torque?

Thanks!

 

My daily driver 4 cylinder car will stomp your *** if I disable the speed limiter and you can't, and grow the hell up and stop racing people on the highway before you kill someone!

Don't waste money on a tuner, sell your Hemi, you'll never be happy with it, you should look into a diesel, 1-2 year old low mileage CTD 2500's are all over the placefor around the price you'd pay for a new Hemi.

 

+1
take it to the track!

 

Puleeezz........... topcop and hammer Z - leave the guy alone and stop acting all high and mighty.

 

People spend the extra money for a diesel for the huge gains in performance. I have a 2004 Hemi Durango and a 2007 Ram 6.7L diesel. I love the hemi Durango, very strong engine but the diesel will easily run away from it. The 5.7L Hemi has far more power than my older 2001 Ram 5.9L gasser.

 

I understand what its like not being able to get the truck i wanted.... but a couple things here... first why wouldnt you get a used cummins for the same price as your new hemi..... if you plan on getting rid of the truck why do you wanna put money into it? and if the f350 beat you in top speed doesnt mean hes faster..... it seems to me you gotta pick what truck you truely want.... i have never been beaten by a stock ford diesel 250 or 350 and my truck doesnt have much done to it... so idn

 

Don't be too hard on yourself. Diesel power is obviosuly superior with the turbo and the high boost they are running. Don't get me wrong there are extremely fast gas vehicles but diesels are not as slow as they were a couple decades ago. AS far as street racing. Just be careful. if it is wide open and no one around. why not. just be prepared if the blue and red lights come on behind you.

 

Welcome to da Forums.

My tuner lets me increase the speed limiter to 140 MPH not that I have ever gotten anywhere close to that. Me thinks one of the reasons Dodge limits the top speed is due to tire ratings, I could be wrong.

Didn't someone post a thread recently about Canadians getting there vehicles impounded for street racing, with like very heavy fines?

 

[sm=exactly.gif]

 

Do you own a truck for its drag racing prowess? I sure don't. I couldn't give a rat's *** if some guys diesel truck is faster, and I am not sure why anybody else would either. If you want to buy a new rig every time you get beat, that's fine, but you are going to need a fat wallet. If you want the fastest truck on the planet, why not buy a Ford Lightning or something? This all seems pretty silly to me. There is always somebody faster.