before i got my ram i test drove a dakota with the 4.7 and i was terribly dissapointed with the power. it was a slow turd. didnt have any take-off or anything .

 

we ive got the 4.7 in my truck and my trucks an 03 which means ive only got 245hp and 300 lb of torque with 3.55 gears and im impressed i mean its a 6000lb truck and its far from a slow turd. Anyone who gets in my truck and i floor it is like wow this things actually pretty quick.

 

It is funny....my 2008 4.7 averages about 17-17.5 in the city which is not bad for 310hp. Dodge claims the Hemi will get close to that as well with the MDS. But that is only if you drive like a granny! Who here has the Hemi and babies it??? I bet no one! I wouldn't if I had one. I drive the crap out of my 4.7 now because I like the sounds it makes. I am still getting in the 16mpg range. But then again, I didn't buy a V8 truck because of mileage. I bought it so I could run over the people in the Toyota Prius'!!! 'nuff said...

 

Had to be downhill and backwind because my 2000 Silverado was getting 10city and 14highway consistently. I averaged 260miles a tank for every 22/23gallons. I usually got around 310-330miles ALL highway on 22/23gallons

GM's claim to 21mpg is on their 2wd 5.3L FlexFuel truck that is otherwise compared to Dodges 4.7L with 315hp

GM's 6.0L would be a more comparative line-up to the Hemi. When you compare those 2, Hemi gets all around better mpg's and has more power.

 

I tried to babie mine, but that only lasted two days. lol. Ya, you can not babie the HEMI. it's just got to much power and sound.

 

I liked my old 5.3 in a 99 4x4 RCSB stepside, it's peppier than some of you give it credit for...and the aftermarket for the LS engines dwarfs the hemi and 4.7 combined. In the mpg department the hemi wins that one but the 5th gear has a lot to do with that.

 

MDS SUCKS IS RIGHT. i posted about this mds thing a long time ago and i knew there would be more complaints,as i have friends who have it on their rams, one works but rattles like heck, the other one stopped working entirely a few months ago. Guys gm tried this crappy technology before and it didn't work then and it won't stand up to it now, a truck is a truck leave that mds crap for cars just give me 8 cylinders humming down the road , all the time, and i am happy
THIS IS WHY I CHOSE THE 4.7, WHEN I SOLD CARS WE HAD ONE CADDY COME IN WITH THAT CRAP ON IT AND WE KEPT THAT CAR FOR 6 MONTHS ON THE LOT! NOBODY WANTED IT!!

 

The old V8-6-4 was a totally different animal then MDS. It was crap.
The main concern that I have with it is that when it engages on the highway, it also partially unlocks the lock-up torque converter to 70%. This is why the rpm's jump up when it kicks on. This seems like a lot of wear on the lock-up clutch if allowed to slip 30%.
I'm going to turn mine back off and try again. These trannys are weak enough without the converter clutch constantly locking and unlocking.

I wouldn't buy the 4.7L just to not have MDS!!! I would get the much needed torque of the Hemi and a programmer to turn the MDS off. I did.

 

Like lxman said, the 8-6-4 isn't even close to the same thing as MDS...computer tech alone has made leaps and bounds. The 8-6-4 by itself was actually a very good engine but it was way ahead of it's time...if caddy stuck with it cylinder deactivation today would've been even more advanced. Most people just bypassed the 8-6-4 anyway with that wire/switch mod.

 

well anyways i have a ram with the 4.7 and i will keep it, i am pleased with the performance, besides when i want to raise hello, i just get in the wifes jeep with the 318 and go blow a few camaros/mustangs doors off, not top speed of course, the jeep is geared too low for that, but it does a very good job in1/8 and 1/4 mile stuff.