Should I trade my Ram?
#16
04-21-2017, 08:34 AM
Elder User
#17
04-21-2017, 08:36 AM
Hotshot
2. The headlights will turn on 10 seconds after the wipers are turned on, and turn off 60 seconds after the wipers are turned off. No choice here. But it really doesn't matter since these trucks have day-running lamps which runs the headlights all the time you are in Drive. However, the Ford does not illuminate the headlights when you unlock the truck, like the RAM does. Just blinks the flashers and turns on the parking lights. There is also a program called FORScan (free, but requires a bluetooth OBD2 adapter) which allows a lot of programming changes. You could likely disabled day-running lamps and possibly disable the headlights on with wipers feature. Many of us here use FORScan.
With my Ram, I can enable/disable a host of features just by sitting in the seat and scrolling through the gauge display. The only lights that come on when I lock/unlock/open a door are the puddle lights, dome light, and cargo light. DRL's are a no-go for me. I will not buy a truck with them enabled. The lights on with wipers are very close to being a no-go as well. Thanks for the FORScan info...I'll have to check it out.
The dealer has the ability to turn off day-running lights as part of the stipulation of the sale. Some may be reluctant to do so. Also, FORScan likely can as I mentioned. The Ford menu will also be able to change some features like your RAM via the instrument cluster display, but I don't believe it is as comprehensive as the RAM's screen. My buddy has a 2016 RAM 2500; when he unlocks his truck at night, the headlights turn on...maybe programmable.
5. Not too many 'invasive' safety features. The seat belt light will flash and a chime will sound if you or the front passenger doesn't buckle up. Eventually, the chime will stop. There is also a way in FORScan to disable the chime. As we mentioned, stability control is *mostly* defeatable. These Fords are equipped with a "black box" which records a variety of truck parameters, such as speed, RPM, steering wheel angle, brake pedal input, etc. Nothing is *transmitted* but the info is continuously stored and overwritten. In the event of a crash, the last info frames are stored, and police can review what is on there to see what the driver was doing just before and at the time of the crash. The aluminum body is doing great, no worries there.
The seatbelt is an easy fix. I wear mine, but I don't need the truck annoying me with it while driving around the yard or short trips.
Nearly every vehicle made in the past decade has a black box in it. Some models going back to the late '90's IIRC. I hate the idea...but unfortunately, that is something we cannot get away from.
Not every vehicle. My 2012 VW GTI did not record data.
People have mentioned the lack of a locker...no locker is available in a Ford dually, period. Only an optional limited slip. Those of us who bought duallys seem to be fairly impressed with this limited slip. Previous versions have barely worked...this one seems to perform as advertised.
Yeah, I didn't think the locker was available on the DRW's. I kinda want to stick with the DRW for the hydroboost brakes (SRW's get vacuum booster), and the (imo) better looks. I'm not too fond of the bed profile on the 2017 SRW's for some reason.
The vacuum brakes are more than adequate. It seems to just be a preference thing. All GM HD trucks, gas or diesel, use hydro-boost. Ford formerly only used hydro-boost on diesels, since they don't make intake vacuum. Being honest, I came from 4 different Super Dutys of the previous generation...two gas, two diesel...all had vacuum brakes. My 2017 dually has hydroboost. I don't notice any difference in feel or performance between them.
Although you're looking at a regular cab dually, which is lighter than an extended cab or crew cab dually...I'd still be wary of the 3.73 in a dually. Its a heavy vehicle. The 4.30 would be better. This truck will have an incredibly high payload, though.
Ironically, every modern vehicle I've owned has had 3.73's in it.
My previous truck was a '07 Dodge 2500 with the 5.7L Hemi, 3.73's, 5-spd Auto, and 34" tires. I pulled a '96 F250 Ex cab LB 4x4, 460 for a couple hours here in the hills and was fairly impressed with it. Never really got over 3000rpm but once or twice. Also pulled a '88 F350 4x4 7.3IDI with scrap metal in the bed and did well with that one too. Realistically, that's about as heavy as I'll haul. 3.73's would be OK for now, but I would definitely start a "4.30 w/ selectable locker fund"
With my Ram, I can enable/disable a host of features just by sitting in the seat and scrolling through the gauge display. The only lights that come on when I lock/unlock/open a door are the puddle lights, dome light, and cargo light. DRL's are a no-go for me. I will not buy a truck with them enabled. The lights on with wipers are very close to being a no-go as well. Thanks for the FORScan info...I'll have to check it out.
The dealer has the ability to turn off day-running lights as part of the stipulation of the sale. Some may be reluctant to do so. Also, FORScan likely can as I mentioned. The Ford menu will also be able to change some features like your RAM via the instrument cluster display, but I don't believe it is as comprehensive as the RAM's screen. My buddy has a 2016 RAM 2500; when he unlocks his truck at night, the headlights turn on...maybe programmable.
5. Not too many 'invasive' safety features. The seat belt light will flash and a chime will sound if you or the front passenger doesn't buckle up. Eventually, the chime will stop. There is also a way in FORScan to disable the chime. As we mentioned, stability control is *mostly* defeatable. These Fords are equipped with a "black box" which records a variety of truck parameters, such as speed, RPM, steering wheel angle, brake pedal input, etc. Nothing is *transmitted* but the info is continuously stored and overwritten. In the event of a crash, the last info frames are stored, and police can review what is on there to see what the driver was doing just before and at the time of the crash. The aluminum body is doing great, no worries there.
The seatbelt is an easy fix. I wear mine, but I don't need the truck annoying me with it while driving around the yard or short trips.
Nearly every vehicle made in the past decade has a black box in it. Some models going back to the late '90's IIRC. I hate the idea...but unfortunately, that is something we cannot get away from.
Not every vehicle. My 2012 VW GTI did not record data.
People have mentioned the lack of a locker...no locker is available in a Ford dually, period. Only an optional limited slip. Those of us who bought duallys seem to be fairly impressed with this limited slip. Previous versions have barely worked...this one seems to perform as advertised.
Yeah, I didn't think the locker was available on the DRW's. I kinda want to stick with the DRW for the hydroboost brakes (SRW's get vacuum booster), and the (imo) better looks. I'm not too fond of the bed profile on the 2017 SRW's for some reason.
The vacuum brakes are more than adequate. It seems to just be a preference thing. All GM HD trucks, gas or diesel, use hydro-boost. Ford formerly only used hydro-boost on diesels, since they don't make intake vacuum. Being honest, I came from 4 different Super Dutys of the previous generation...two gas, two diesel...all had vacuum brakes. My 2017 dually has hydroboost. I don't notice any difference in feel or performance between them.
Although you're looking at a regular cab dually, which is lighter than an extended cab or crew cab dually...I'd still be wary of the 3.73 in a dually. Its a heavy vehicle. The 4.30 would be better. This truck will have an incredibly high payload, though.
Ironically, every modern vehicle I've owned has had 3.73's in it.
My previous truck was a '07 Dodge 2500 with the 5.7L Hemi, 3.73's, 5-spd Auto, and 34" tires. I pulled a '96 F250 Ex cab LB 4x4, 460 for a couple hours here in the hills and was fairly impressed with it. Never really got over 3000rpm but once or twice. Also pulled a '88 F350 4x4 7.3IDI with scrap metal in the bed and did well with that one too. Realistically, that's about as heavy as I'll haul. 3.73's would be OK for now, but I would definitely start a "4.30 w/ selectable locker fund"
#18
04-21-2017, 08:36 AM
#20
04-21-2017, 09:04 AM
The vacuum brakes are more than adequate. It seems to just be a preference thing. All GM HD trucks, gas or diesel, use hydro-boost. Ford formerly only used hydro-boost on diesels, since they don't make intake vacuum. Being honest, I came from 4 different Super Dutys of the previous generation...two gas, two diesel...all had vacuum brakes. My 2017 dually has hydroboost. I don't notice any difference in feel or performance between them.
Yes, they are more than adequate to stop these heavy pigs. In my experience, HB brakes have a better, firmer pedal feel though, and they do provide more line pressure. But mainly...you can get your hand into the engine bay to change spark plugs, mount a relay, or run wires through the firewall without a huge vacuum canister stuffed in there
#21
04-21-2017, 09:09 AM
The guy made a mistake. It happens. To all of us.
But now he's looking to compound the mistake with another mistake. Not a good move.
If he can't do what he needs to do right now (get a Power Stroke) then he should wait until he can. Don't make a mistake trying to fix a mistake. Bad news.
#22
04-21-2017, 09:11 AM
#23
04-21-2017, 09:27 AM
#24
04-21-2017, 09:30 AM
Hotshot
Yes, they are more than adequate to stop these heavy pigs. In my experience, HB brakes have a better, firmer pedal feel though, and they do provide more line pressure. But mainly...you can get your hand into the engine bay to change spark plugs, mount a relay, or run wires through the firewall without a huge vacuum canister stuffed in there
#25
04-21-2017, 09:41 AM
#26
04-21-2017, 09:50 AM
Hotshot
Ford also de-rates, both gas and diesel. On the gas, for example, Ford only gives you 85% throttle even though your foot is to the floor...until the engine reaches 3,000RPMs. For 2017, the Ford diesel is torque-limited in gears 1,2, and 3 on single rear wheel trucks...and 1st gear on dual wheel trucks.
I realize the RAM manual is the lowest rated output of the Cummins, and that is to protect the transmission and clutch. But de-rated or not, the Cummins is still going to be producing a heck of a lot more torque at low RPMs than the gas engines - Ford 6.2L or RAM 5.7 / 6.4L. I'm not aware of the RAM's de-rating procedure on the manual transmission - I know how it works on the Aisin transmission.
I'd make sure to test the Ford thoroughly if that is your plan. Sometimes its easy to get blinded by something "new" and "different"...but after that wears off, you miss some things about your old vehicle and maybe realize the new truck is not as great as you had hoped.
One last thing - a gas, regular cab dually pickup is a rare vehicle, and probably hard to re-sell. Your diesel RAM is going to have a lot more resale value, and will be easier to sell.
#27
04-21-2017, 10:32 AM
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#28
04-21-2017, 10:34 AM
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I would keep the Ram. I went from fords to my current Ram 3500 cummins. as for the dead pedal try a superchips or Edge tuner. my truck has zero dead pedal and will light up the tires from a dead stop if you real want to. still has all emissions on it. The tuner will modify the torque management and eliminate the dead pedal, You can also pull the torque mgmt fuse if you want to just shut it off but on some years it will disable the ABS as well just a FYI. My ram has been rock solid for 113000 miles so far just normal maintenance witch i can not say for my last 2 fords. just my .02
#29
04-21-2017, 11:05 AM
They don't have to on the gasser because it doesn't make enough torque to worry about.
And yes, Diesels cost more to own and maintain than gasoline engines.
Just the way it is.
#30
04-21-2017, 12:10 PM
If you really hate your current truck that much then I think you should trade it, as owning a vehicle should not be a detriment to your happiness. Having said this, it seems like most of your complaints are with the dead pedal and torque management. The cheaper option for you would be to install some custom tuning with efilive, mm3 or ezlynk (by hpp, anarchy, etc.) and either delete it or run emissions intact tuning. If you wanted to throw a lot of power at your truck just add a valair triple disk clutch and you would be golden 600-650 rwhp without bracing the g56 case. The chassis cab 6.8 v10 I would say is a bit more reliable than the 6.2 but down a lot in power. The v10 has been defaced again this year at 288hp and 424 ft lbs of torque. The 6.2 is a stout engine and I wouldn't worry about it but I think you will be disappointed moving from a Cummins to a gasser. The 6.7 powerstroke is a good engine and even being this is a new platform this year, they are proving to be quite reliable. Lots of guys on here and on powerstroke.org have over 300,000 miles basically with just regular maintenance done to them and even the emissions system does not see problems until then or higher. If you are going to trade I would definitely look into a 6.7 with 3.55's or even 4.10's but as you said you don't tow much I would opt for the higher fuel economy of the 3.55's. The 6r140 has a great manual mode. Unlike the gm and Ram that only have electronic range select on their automatics the ford has a true manual mode which lets you hold a gear and won't shift out of it unless it will do harm to your truck by exceeding red line or going to stall the vehicle as it is basically locked up (tcc) as much as it can in manual mode. You can even start out in 2nd gear. Good luck with whatever your decision is.