Hay all . new to the forums .. anyhow I just bought a 2011 RAM 2500 Heavy Duty with the 5.7L HEMI to pull my 29.5 foot Travel Trailer .. When I am going up steep grades or canyon roads the the truck LOVES to rev up .. thats OK however makes me wonder what is considered the "Red Line" on this engine? I have seen my truck down shift and hit 4,500 RPM .. I know that should be OK .. and I don't want to push anymore than that (I have much more peddle to use if I wanted to) ..

One other Question .. whats makes this truck the "Heavy Duty" .. I don't think I have ever seen a 2500 with out the "Heavy Duty" badge .. lol

Thanks for any replies in advance!

 

especially in the tow haul mode it will rev up pretty high before shifting. and for your heavy duty question, there is a thread going right now called something like "differences between 1500 vs 2500" that will explain what makes it heavy duty. but yea all 2500s are heavy duty. beefier frame, beefier suspension, beefier brakes, tranny cooler, oil cooler, etc etc, just hit up the thread when you have a minute

 

im sure you are using the tow/haul button when towing right? and you are NOT using cruise control when towing and hills either right?

 

Correct .. I use the Tow/Haul mode and never use the cruse while towing at all ...

Was just wondering if pushing 4500 RPM while climbing up a canyon was a bad thing ..

 

It's not a bad thing. You just will just obviously burn more fuel at higher rpms

 

there is a chart floating around somewhere that shows the HP and torque at different RPM levels, and the hemi is definitely an engine that is expected to rev up there

that is one thing I like about a diesel though, it just "feels" less stressful when you are pulling a heavy load up a long mountain pass and you aren't revving so high, but I have done it with a hemi before with no problems but it does add to the "white knuckle" feeling of a long climb when the engine is roaring for you

 

The Hemi is a high rever for sure. I would not worry in the least. I have my 1-2 set to shift at 6200 and my 2-3 at 6000. When towing my 5500lb trailer I use the tow Mode on my programmer and it hangs around 2800 to 3000 on our steep Colorado grades. The Tow mode really brought the RPM's down, just my .02.

 

Well to be honest .. i never really worried about it too much .. I figured the computer would not let me red line the engine .. I don't have it chipped or anything .. its fully stock right now ...

I should have bought the diesel .. but I had a hard time with the price tag .. lol .. however I have found out that I am paying the difference in fuel mileage while towing my trailer lol .. O well .. hindsight is 20 / 20 .. and my next dodge will for sure be the Cummons ...

right now while towing I am getting around 6 MPG .. not very good .. I hope to bring that up with a CAI and new catback system.

 

haha, i am right there with you brother. I couldnt fork out the extra 5-10 grand up front, but I am getting raped at the gas pump, especially when i throw a trailer on and load it up

 

Guys don't feel to bad about your hemi. I uses to have a 2008 6.7 with a cummins and my 5 previous trucks were cummins dodge trucks as well. This hemi (after 2009) is not that bad at all for towing. I pull a 7Klbs fifth wheel and get anywhere from 10 - 12 mpg, I don't know how you get 6 mpg. You must have some really big hills, or you drive fast. I live in Iowa, so we don't have to many big hills.

All my Dodge cummins trucks were great except for my 2008 6.7 was a big pile of junk. In less then 3 years I had put over $5,000 in that thing just to keep is on the road. Lots of emissions issues DPF EGR junk. I then deleted all that stuff, and my clutch went out followed by my transmission. I got about 12 - 14 mpg with my 6.7 after the emissions equipment was deleted and about 10 - 12 mpg before stock pulling the same fifth wheel.

If I get a diesel again it would be a 5.9 no question about it. They are very good with little to no issue just like the hemi's are.

If I was buying a new truck and did not pull more then 10K lbs I would get a hemi 2500 again no question about it plus they will have a 6 speed next year. Otherwise a used 2007 or older 5.9.