off topic much?

 

I was out of town all weekend, time to get back on topic. The Hemi was a 2003 winner of Wards 10 Best Engines as seen here (not an easy feat for a two valve pushrod engine):

http://subscribers.wardsauto.com/mic...1004&siteid=26

Despite all the smoke and mirrors Ford has employed for the 5.4L 3 valve advertising, it just comes up short when compared to the Hemi. It is probably a good engine (time will tell) and the F150 is well liked, but if you look at engines alone, the Hemi has the 5.4L 3 valve beat.

Also, comparing a force fed engine to a naturally aspirated counterpart is idiotic; an argument better suited for perhaps some Honda Forum. How much is the Lightning rated to pull? I commend Ford and all other manufacturers that have brought force fed engines to market in true Hot Rod fashion, but I thought we were talking high volume work trucks here. When comparing an engines ability to make torque & power, lets keep it an apples to apples comparison.

If you still want to discuss Fords force fed V8, it should be noted that an engine that can meet or exceed another engines ability to make power in NA (Naturally Aspirated) form will generally meet or exceed performance when boosted. That is, all indicators would support that a boosted Hemi will outperform a boosted 5.4L 3 valve. The Hemi ingests more air naturally aspirated and if both engines are boosted the same amount, the Hemi will still ingest more air, ie more torque/power (simplified, but generally true statement).

It appears Dodge sees a market in the Sport_Truck segment and is combating the Lightning with Displacement, the SRT-10 Ram with 8.3L of naturally aspirated power. I see several aftermarket companies offering supercharged and turbo kits for the Viper engine with power and torque well over 1,000 hp / ft lbs. These 500+ hp stock trucks and much more modified will be loads of fun, but hardly work trucks.

 

"hemi " pickups marketed as work trucks? i don't think so. who cares how they make the power. when i bought my L the s/c was already there (thanks Colletti) if some dodge boy wants to buy a new truck then go dump a bunch o money in it to make more HP than a STOCK f-150 let em. by the way,i've seen several lightning around here used for work trucks, and my L hauled the jetboat to the lake just fine. it also came with a reciever hitch and trailer light plugs. i'm sure the srt will too......NOT!!!!

 

Perfect, right on cue. Congrats to your "work truck" and it's ability to haul a jetboat to the lake, a monumental achievement no doubt. Last time I checked, the Lightning wasn't rated for the task I mentioned on page one, i.e. haul a 6,000 lb trailer/car combo from point A to B (I think the Lightning is capped at 5,000lbs). A task both the Hemi Ram & and 5.4L 3 valve can handle for much less $$$$.

At no point did I say the supercharged Fords were dogs, they are fine rides that deserve respect. They just don't belong in our Hemi vs 5.4L 3 valve discussion.

 

i never said the lightning was a work truck. i was making the point that it can handle pickup tasks with no problem. your true colors are showing. why are you really here?

 

A v-10 because the hemi can't be built to match a lightning? Don't go to vegas.

 

i know where your brand loyalty is.

 

A little info for all you guys "thinking" the HEMI can't be built to compete with the "L" truck-

A HEMI with only a supercharger (not centrifugal but scew type) made 517HP. The exhaust was also aftermarket, but the "L" truck also comes with a freer flowing exhaust.

The only problem the aftermarket is having is making a new computer to allow more modifications, they have piggy back systems but consumers would rather have a complete computer to allow for better upgrades.

1500 HEMI RAM 2WD SB RC well equiped- $28,000 (345HP)
Supercharger-$2500 to $3000=$30-31,000 (517HP)

SVT Lightning- $35-37,000 (385 HP)

Apples to Apples, Dodge wins, Again.

By the way, my 3000GT was able to pull my 14 Sea Doo Jet Boat, that says nothing for a truck

 

Who really cares as long as you like your truck? I like the fords better for their fit and finish, durability, and gas mileage. But Dodges are nice to. And so are Chevys for that matter. The only thing I have against Dodge is thier bad gas mileage and auto trannies. I mean a v-10 cc dually f350 auto gets better milege than my dads 4.7 s-cab 4x4 five speed. And Dodge autos plain stink.

We had a 1983 Ram though and it was a TANK! That thing was so tough. 225 slant six, 4 speed, manual everything. I miss that truck.

Mike

 

I agree, all of todays trucks are excellent IMO.

 

While sticking his foot in his mouth, bigbluebronco43 said:

Quote:

1500 HEMI RAM 2WD SB RC well equiped- $28,000 (345HP)
Supercharger-$2500 to $3000=$30-31,000 (517HP)

SVT Lightning- $35-37,000 (385 HP)

Apples to Apples, Dodge wins, Again.

????
exsqueeze me? not that this is on topic any longer....but....c'mon!
a hemi with a s/c does not a lightning make!

you left out a few mods needed to address the following...
brakes ?
handling?
looks? (ok, subjective....)
interior?

not to mention value in three years??? 5 years???

you need to add to this hemi the following to compare:

brake upgrade- $1300-1800 ??
interior upgrades $2500-5000 ???
handling (wheels/tires/bilstiens/lowering) $3500
value -can't help ya there, the dodge will always depreciate faster than an L, even a '99 L is worth a grip still.

now, do the math, and tell me if your "cheap lighting" is really a value......

i digress

 

umm ok, for starters handling-The dodge already has that covered-20" wheel&tire package, rack and pinion steering, for brakes-13" up front, not positive on the rears but I expect 12", Interior upgrades? Please all the lightning has is a set of seats and whitefaced gauges, guage overlays are $20 on ebay, you can live with the seats, Check out the tests on the HEMI at Motortrend or Truck trend and see how it already handles stock. As for depreciation, I wouldn't go so far as to say it depreciates faster, Dodge trucks hold their value extremelly well and it will obviously be of less value since it already was a cheaper truck to start with. Its components are up to par, foot removed from mouth inserted into mattsf250's ......

 

Figures-Taken From Truck Trend, and Ford-

Dodge Ram 1500 RC SB HEMI
13.2" Front Brakes/13.8" Rear
60-0=132 Feet
Slalom MPH=62.3
Skid Pad Lateral G's- .80g's
Curb weight-4800lbs.

Ford F150 Lightning
12.1 Front/13.1 Rear
60-0- 137 Feet
Skip Pad Lateral G's- .81g's
Slalom MPH-63.6
Curb Weight-4670lbs.

Off topic, But I was originally answer to a post saying that Dodge couldn't get the Hemi into the "L" s performance range and needed the Viper V10 to do it.

 

Wow, who stuck their foot in their mouth now? Basically this, If I wanted a vehicle that went fast and handled good I'd buy a car. If I wanted a vehicle to work, I'd buy a truck. As to the jet boat thing, I sure hope that your 350+hp truck can tow a jet boat, cause my old 155hp truck did it just fine as well.

 

Thanks bigbluebronco43 for saving me a lot of time. It really is amazing how much content you get with the Ram that is one up on the competition. I heard the sales numbers for the month of October and the 1500 Ram was up 46% from last October while the Ford F150 was up 17% (or something real close to that). Now the F150 is all new vs last year (powertrain and body) and likely accounts for the sales increase. The Ram on the other hand already had the new body style. The only difference the Dodge has versus last year is the availability of the Hemi in the 1/2 ton. Thanks to the Hemi, the The Ram is enjoying a similar growth spurt to the mid 90s when the "Big Rig" styling was introduced. I just hope they can make enough to meet the demand.

This wont make me favorities with many of the board but I'd like to ask you about your 3000GT. Nice car, is it a VR4? I have a couple turbo Stealths myself.