Hello everyone! I am new to the Dodge Forum and have a few questions for you on 2002-2006 Ram 1500 pickups. I am going to be buying one with in the next 6 months and when I have been looking around for a good used one I see a lot of them have the 4.7L engine. 1. For the people that have a Ram with the 4.7L has it been a pretty good engine for you or have you wished you would have spent the extra money to have the Hemi? 2. Does the 4.7L have enough power to move the truck around pretty good? My experance with Ford F-150's with the 4.6L is the smaller engine is a waste in the pickup and you have to have the bigger one. I like power just as much as the next guy, but in all honesty I will not use the pickup enough to justify a bigger engine, unless the 4.7L is too weak to move the pickup around. 3. How does the 4.7L compare to the Hemi in fuel mileage? Is there enough differance between the two to go with the smaller enginer? If the mileage differance is small I might has well go with the Hemi and have the extra power. 4. I know the 5.9L was used in the 2002's and some 2003's, do you guys have any comments about that engine in those years, or would you recomend staying away from that engine. 5. Is there anything to look for in the frist few years of the 3rd gen Ram pickup, where there a lot of problems or over all a pretty soild pickup? I am looking for a good used Ram that will maybe tow a 16 foot car trailer a max of 5 times a year and 4 wheel drive will be a must. Any info or ideas that you guys have would be appreciated! Thanks and have a great day. Jeff

 

With the questions you have it seems like you might prefer getting the hemi. There is not a big MPG difference in the two engines. A few people have complained about power problems with the 4.7 when towing. Me personally i have not had any problems with mine. I am usually towing a 20ft boat, cattle trailer or hauling hay with a flat bed. I also have a manual tranny and it helps while towing and gas mileage. I usually get 18mpg on the highway and 16 in town. If you were to go with a 4wd i would definatly get the hemi.

 

i have a 4.7 and have no complaints really. i tow a 24ft enclosed car hauler with my 73 240z in it and it does just fine.. if you can, try to find one with the 3.92 gears or whatever the other factory option was other than the 3.55. i will be swapping to 4.56 soon just so i can have more towing power since i plan on adding a 4wheeler to the mix for next year

 

Yes the 4.7 is a great engine. The H/O version ( 05 06 07 ) puts out 260 Hp, Thats = to the pre 04 5.4 Ford, If you stayed with a Reg cab truck and like shifting gears, dodge is the only brand that offers a V/8 with a six speed, But the 5.7 and six speed is not offered in the 1500 Ram.

Once you step into the quad cabs with 4x4 the 4.7 will be just anothier average truck on the road, the 5.7 will use the same amount of flue if respected, will hual and tow better,

If thie truck is going to be a keaper and your not worried abought re selling, the 4.7 and six sp manual will esaily save three grand right out of the box, but you will have to factery order one.

I don't know any thing abought MDS, the 4.7 dosent have it, the 2500 Hemi dosent have it, and I did not want it.

The previous generation 5.7 love gas, I would look into a 06+ 1500 Ram with a Hemi.

 

as far as gas mileage goes for me, pulling something heavy 9 mpg; cruising at 65 on cruise control 20+ mpg; having mixed city/highway driving with a lead foot like mine 13-14 mpg. Keep in mind I have the superchips programmer, which may increase my mileage some.

edit: my 06 has mds, which I feel is responsible for the 20+ with cruise control.

 

Thanks guys for the responses and info on the pickups. I would be getting the Quad Cab 4x4 with the automatic. I see a lot of used Quad Cabs in my area at the dealers that have the 4.7L but see very few with the Hemi and was wanting to find some more info on them. I was just curious as to why they were traded in, for instance if they had a lot of problems with them or too little power ect… From what I have read from you guys the 4.7L has been a pretty good engine and you have been happy with it so I shouldn’t have too much to worry about. I will not be doing very much towing so the extra power isn’t needed but I just want to make sure the 4.7L would have enough to go down the road at 75mph and not have it wound up with the pedal to the floor.

How do the pre MDS Hemi engines do for mileage? Would there be enough of a difference between the 4.7L to the Hemi to make the 4.7 a better deal? Does the MDS make that big of a difference on the Hemi? Thanks, Jeff

 

The 4.7 is a solid engine, it makes enough power to push it down the road without any problems. Gearing is a huge factor, the factory 3.55's are horrible especially if your truck is lifted like mine, but 4.56's will be going in next week. I use mine to tow my 26ft. Prowler camping trailor or my 21ft Maxumboata few times a year getting appx. 10mpg while towing, and around 18-20mpg highway. Fuel economy on the 4.7 and 5.7 are relatively close to eachother so don't let that be a factor in your decision.

I am happy with my 4.7L overall, as it has proven to be a very reliable truck.

The 5.9L is a great engine, obviously Dodge has almost always had a 360 as a powerplant for as long as I can remember, however, the 4.7L and 5.7L alike are superior engines, being that the 4.7L is a OHC design, and the 5.7L with the hemesphyrical head design and about 100HP more. I don't see you being dissappointed either way that you go. Good luck in your decision.

 

well, the 5.7 doesnt really have hemispherical heads. emissions regualtions killed the true hemispherical heads. the new hemis really dont have much in common with the older hemis except valve placement.

now to answer your question i have a 4.7 and its a pretty good little motor. yeah i wish i had a hemi because i just love power, but the truck does what its supposed to do and does it well.

 

Thanks for all the good feed back on the 4.7L engine. I feel pretty good that if I were to purchase a pickup with the 4.7 I would be pretty happy overall with it. Is there anything to look for in the 2002-2006 years of pickups? Are there cretin years that would be more desirable than other? I work with a few people with Ram 1500 pickups and they said they tend to be hard on brakes, changing them every 12,000 miles or so. What is your experience with brakes on the 1500? I am wondering if it is just there driving style or if there was some room for improvement on the Ram brakes. Thanks for all the input. Jeff