OK...I'm new to this forum and have been searching the web for a site like this. I have many questions about my newly acquired 2002 Ram 1500 SLTQuad Cab and hope that someone or many of you may have answers/advice forme. First of all, we purchased it July 4, 2007 and a month later purchased a 26' Travel Trailer.(We used to have a tent trailer and we love to camp) So, thinking that we had all the power we needed to pull this 26' trailer, I wasn't too concerned about what the truck had under it's hood. Well, it has the 4.7L Magnum. I have since installed a Flowmaster muffler and K&N Air Intake System to give it some more power after our trip to Lake Tahoe, towing the trailer in the mountains the truck (I thought) was working too hard. I do switch the OD off when towing.I have also installed Bosch Platnum Plus 2 plugs as I found these plugs had given my Kia Sorento some extra boost when we used to pull our tent trailer with it.
What else can I do, short of pulling the 4.7 and installing the Hemi in it to get more power from this engine?

Part Two:
I have the RBQ 6 disc changer stereo in my truck and have recently changed out the front and rear door speakers to the Infinity 6022 and 6012. To say I'm not happy with the Infinity's would be understated. I thought they would give me a better sound (bass & highs) but just the opposite. Anyone know if this stereo can be retrofitted with an aftermarket amplifier. I see that there are interfaces sold for the Chrysler vehicles that already have the Infiinity Sound System in them but my truck does not have it. It just came with the standard speakers and head unit.

Any advice and solutions to these issues would greatly appreciated!
Many thanks!

 

First of all Welcome,I am also fairly green in the forum but what the hey.I Used to own an 02 4.7L and it was a great truck for the purpose that I had it.You did well putting a new exhaust and intake.I would highly recommend the SUperchips Tuner for your truck.It made a HUGE difference on my 02.Second,I would recommend getting a new set of gears for your rear.If you didn't get the 20's as the OE wheels then you for sure will have the 3.55 gear ratios in the rear.When you can, try to upgrade those to a 4.10 or 4.56,these will help out the engine by putting less stress on it while pulling your trailer.As fopr plugs,I ran the BOSCH platinum +4's on mine and it ran like crap.Fuel Milage actually went downhill.I would recommend the NGK Iridiums,costly but worth every penny.

 

Personally, unless it's a Lightweight travel trailer, I think you're definantly pushing your truck to the limits with the old 4.7. Depending on the gears you got in the rearend, you might be pushing your truck OVER the limit. From what I can find on the internet, your truck is rated at 7,500 lbs towing, and again, unless your trailer is considered a LIGHTWEIGHT trailer, most are well over that...

As far as the radio goes, ditch it and go aftermarket, speakers and all. The infinities are just a touch better than the basic stock speakers. Some cheap aftermarket speakers and headunit will be MUCH better than your stock stuff..

 

for towing... i would say gears should be one of the best things for ya!

 

Thank you all for the advice....very good stuff! My trailer's empty weight is right at 4500 lbs. I don't think it's considered a lightweight trailer. I'm guessing we have about 1500 lbs. worth of our own stuff added to it. (I haven'thad it weighed when fully loaded so this is only a guestimate) 4 people and a dog, stuff in the bed, were probably at another 600 lbs. or so. So, we are probably right at the limit. We don't dry camp so I don't carry any water other than a few gallons in the holding tank so the tank chemicals are pre-mixing before we get to camp. I dump the holding tank before leaving for home so no added extra weight there.This old timmer that used to work for a Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep dealer told me that Dodge overbuilds and under rates their truck line so that consumers will be impressed when they actually haul or tow with a Dodge Truck. I don't know how true that is.He worked for this dealer for over 30 years as a mechanic. Old school stuff though. Overall, I am happy with the truck...other than the gas mileage but hey, it's a truck, not a Prius; Right?

 

lol right OH

What are you getting MPG wise?

I was getting18-20 MPG, A little over 500 to the tank.But I had Intake,Exhaust,Superchips,NGK's 23" Wheels dropped 2/5 and it was a standard cab.

I am guessing your a quad cab.

 

Yeah..it's a Quad Cab with a Camper Shell.2002 Ram 1500 Quad Cab;4.7 Magnum,Standard Transmission, K&N Air Intake and Flowmaster. Mileage stinks....11 when I"m not towing....9 - 9.5 towing. I went with the Ramover a 2003 Ford F-250 Xtra Cab because I wanted the full back doors for the kids and the F-250 was a 4X4 that was raised.I thought the Ram would get better mileage than the F-250. The F-250 was owned by my day care provider and they were very honest that it only got 10 MPG when not towing. Like I said, I'm happy with the truck overall butI think I'm alittle underpowered towing and the mileage is not where I would like it to be.

 

https://dodgeforum.com/m_930619/tm.htm

 

i would deffinitly re-gear and then look at some engine mods to get more power out of it....the 4.7 should handle it but it's always better to have more power

 

The Best combination you could get for a power increase, especially torque (and towing is all about torque) would be to go to 4.56 gears and a set ofKRC 212x Cams, along with either the SCT tuner or a custom tune. You'll gain in the area of 40 HP and 70 ft/lbs. Torque just from the cam upgrade and the tuner will probably give you similar numbers, plus really firm up the tranny shifts. The gears will get the rpms up into the powerband faster and help transfer more power to the rear wheels.
I know Air Ram (a member on this and other forums) has a '02 4.7 and raves about the gains he's gained from the SCT tuner.

This combo would give you the best gains without doing serious headwork and keeping it naturally asperated. It would not be cheap, but not terribly expensive either and the power gains and towing performance would be increased dramatically...