Hi I an new to Ram trucks as I we just moved to Canada from South africa.I am looking to get an 4th Gen Ram with a Hemi.
I have a couple of questions.


New or used?

How does the different rearends effect gas mileage and towing?

Is the rambox only avaible in crew cab body?Is it worth it?

Any issues to watch out for when buying a 4th gen ram.

Does headres,exhaust,cai,and chip improve gas mileage and performance.

What mods can you do without losing warranty.

Thanks
Peter

 

I would go with new. With a new truck you get a 100,000 Mile Powertrain Warranty, and a 36,000 Mile bumper to bumper and usually for a little bit of extra money depending on who you finance through you can get a 5 year 100,000 mile bumper to bumper extended warranty that will save you some money in the long run if something breaks. When you buy new you know you're getting something that no one else has had their hands on. Even if a used vehicle has a clear Carfax report you still don't know how the person before you drove the vehicle. I looked at a used 2009 Ram SLT 4x4 Quad Cab Hemi before I made the decision to buy new and found that that truck with only 25k miles had already had two owners. That's a red flag to me. Why would a truck that new already have two owners in 25k miles? It could just be that they wanted something bigger, newer, or different, but it could also be because it had problems. IF you go new make sure you get what you want. Barter with the dealership and never accept their first offer. You the buyer dictate your terms. I did not accept the first offer on my truck, nor the second one, and I told my sales person that I wasn't leaving in a new truck unless they did a spray in liner and a tonneau cover. They threw in an Access roll up tonneau cover, and Line X Spray in liner for free.

As for gearing I believe the higher the numbers say like a 3.92, 4.10, or 4.56 the better the truck will be at hauling. I think though the higher you go the higher the RPMs and therefore gas mileage will likely suffer on the highway. I have 3.55s in mine and have been considering 3.92s. There are some guys on here that should be a lot more knowledgeable in this area than I am.

On the 2009-2011 Ram models the Rambox is only available on Crew Cab pickups if you wait until the 2012 models come out I believe they have made it an option available on the quad cab as well. Remember though with the Rambox you will be sacrificing some of the interior bed space.

As far as issues I think some people have had issues with the 3.55 differentials, and I have read some people describe a surging issues on newer non-broken in pickups. That's really all I have read about issues with these pickups. If you get one with dark interior (I believe Slate is the term) make sure you get yourself some rubber floormats. The carpet ones with the "RAM" lettering in them look nice and all but they get dirty easily and you will see every granule of dust, dirt, grime, and grass that gets onto them from your shoes. The Mopar Slush mats are colored to match your interior and they make them molded for the front and the back. I have heard a lot of guys like the Weathertech ones as well.

Not sure if headers, exhaust, cai, or performance chips will increase your gas mileage. I am sure a tuner would help with that but usually opening up the exhaust or increasing air flow equals less MPGs from my experience. If you want to be sure you aren't going to void some parts of your warranty then buy Mopar authentic parts. Of course if you do that then you will be paying extra money though. Anything aftermarket has a chance of voiding the warranty. You can always check with the dealership to be sure what does and what doesn't though.

Another thing to take into consideration is the fact that the 2012 models should feature the new 6-Speed Transmissions that will be replacing the current 5-Speed transmissions. These will definitely be a step up from the 5 Speed Automatic, and should result in better perfomance, and a little bit better fuel economy. Having the 5 Speed was no big deal for me so I went with a 2011. The incentives were decent on a 2011 when I made my purchase so keep that in mind as well. As the model year closes out dealers will be looking to get rid of old stock, and the incentives will be much better to get the 2011s off of the lot. I got a $5000 Manufacturer's rebate when I bought mine. If you have excellent credit, I believe they are offering a 5 year 0% financing option as well.

 

Welcome on board. I lived in Africa for 10 years...

Shibby927 covered it pretty well.

Some points/corrections/opinions

3.55 rear end does great on the highway but is a dog up hills and around town. 3.92 is the way to go (IMHO); better acceleration and not a huge hit on gas mileage.

Rambox seems a bit of a gimmick to me. On the other hand I use my bed extensively, and I feel that there are enough storage cubbies in the cab.

I would go with aftermarket on floor mats. Weathertech makes an excellent product.

Just because a part says Mopar does not mean it will not void portions of your warranty. The classic example is the stage 2 SRT4 kits from mopar that voided your powertrain warranty.

*******ly no aftermarket part will ever pay for itself in saved gas mileage... you may save a couple a month on gas if you buy some 1500 dollar headers, but you would have to run your truck for over a decade to see break even.

IIRC the 2012 should have an 8 speed not a 6 speed, though I could be wrong.

 

I have found on my 08 that even though I gain about 12hp from my Magnaflow cat-back, I get about 1.5mpg better with the stock exhaust. Partly because I use the MDS with the stock pipes and it feels like it have a little more low end power. I am sure that I drive a little easier too without the pleasant noise of the Magnaflow set-up
I would highly recommend the 3.92 gears. The engine works less to get up to speed. I have them and with the factory 20" wheels, I and only turning 1950rpm @ 70mph.

 

Thanks guys,will keep all in mind when I go test drive some trucks.

 

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2011/06...smissions.html