You are right there Quaddak, stock lightnings run about 13.8 but please lets get back to the main topic here.

 

Quaddak, I think you are a very reasonable truck owner.

I was referring to the way alot (not all) of guys with 5.7L Rams just call their trucks "Hemis"! I know Dodge doesn't do that. It just strikes me as a little odd that some owners refer to their pickups by the engine's brand name instead of just calling it a Ram or "my Dodge" etc.

Also I party agree with you on the thing with Ford's exxagerative commercials. That's just marketing and it's stupid no matter who does it. The thing that's a little off the wall with Dodge's ads is how they all mainly seem to have racing other trucks as a theme. I think it causes alot of the owners of them, especially younger ones, to leave the Dodge dealership with a chip on their shoulder and something to prove. Here's an example of what I mean:

I actually had a kid in a Dodge 1500 5.7L with the 20" wheels at a gas station wait incongruously along the parking lot after he was done at the gas pump until I was done filling up just so he could pull out right behind me onto a two lane road. He tailgated me a short distance to the next light, then pulled up to see if he could tempt me into racing with him.

I have my wife and my 19 month old kid in the truck with me & my truck is 7000lbs 3/4 ton! Why in the world would any idiot with a V8 1/2 ton think he needed to race me? I let him squawk his tires and go away without a contest. Good riddance and I hope he gets a few speeding tickets.

 

Yeah, I think you have a good point. Do you know how many times that has happened to me???? Kinda funny you mentioned it. When you go to a dealership you don't normally go there and say "give me the fastest truck you have". People want an overall good package, not just quarter mile times. If somebody sets down in one brand and doesn't like the interior quality or the ride compared to another brand they aren't going to drive away with that truck just because it has more power. I haven't seen a new dodge interior or ridden in one so I can't say how they look or ride but that will be the selling point for the unbiased consumer.

Most people are brand loyal and that is just the way it is. My mopar buddies have owned mopars all their lives (even in the horrible 70s) and just won't change. At least they're happy!

I still wish I knew what channel these commercials are all being aired on.

 

I was driving down the street and I pulled up next to an F150 with a vortech supercharger pulling a boat.

He was mashing the petal hard enough to pickup the front end.

I wan't power like that in my truck!

 

MoutainHound and Ratsmoker, I believe we could all agree that we do not need to have Ford, Nissian nor Dodge drive our emotions with these commercials.

Being on the dodges side of the fense, it did upset me to see that ford commercial so I can understand why people would be acting crazy. At the same time, it made me proud of Dodge when they demostrated a high level of confidence in their product to come back at least with an "independent study".

I would like to see these comparision commercials go away. There is no way to validate any of them so they are meaningless.

 

They most certainly did make small block Road Runners. Starting in 1971, the 340 was available on the Road Runner as an option. Starting in 1973, the standard motor in a road runner was a 318.

 

those had the bumpergrille lmao nice, my uncle has a 70 383/4 speed/8.3/4 pretty nice car, love the air grabber

 

I can agree with you 100% on the first part. There is a way to validate these tests but I don't have $70,000 worth of care to go find out for myself.

 

Actually what I have is a 77 Volare T-Top Road Runner with a 360. The challenger I have has a 510 ci big block mopar. Stroked and bored 400. Fastest 1/4 is 9.47 with no power adders, all motor.

 

There is no amount of confidence with an independent study. Independent studies are biased. It is like O.J. Simpson telling us he is hireing investigators to find Nicoles killer......come on...

The simple point is, you buy what you like. I personally dont like the new F-150, but I had a 94 F-150 that was awsome. It took alot of abuse and never broke down on me, ever. I was about to buy the Dodge "hemi" but I was really disapointed in the interior and the lack of power. Therefore I bought the Mighty V-10, which completly blows away a "Hemi" and actually gets better mileage......go figure.

I feel that Dodge and Ford are pretty compareable on the 1500's. However, when you talk about the superdutys, Dodge clearly loses that race.

 

Don't let the pathetic truck commercials taint the name of the truck itself. Just cause a commercial is silly and stupid shouldn't reflect badly on the truck, just that the advertising team is stupid, albeit those ads probably do sell trucks, even if worthless.

With that said, I have a Hemi, & recently got a '90 Bronco. It's true that the Hemi is not as great as some other vehicles at part throttle.

However, overall I personally like my '03 Dodge better than the pre-'04 Fords. (Haven't gotten into an '04 yet).

My friend drove a new King Ranch and then my Hemi, and in his words, "Man this truck is so smooth and quick... damn."

Does that mean Dodge is better than Ford? NO. You'll find people who like Ford better too, it's all a matter of preference. As far as racing goes... it's true, stock for stock the Hemi is quicker, but you do sacrifice part throttle driving.

However, someone said part throttle is all that really matters, but that's not true either. To he who made that statement it may be, but to a lot of people, even if they aren't flooring the crud out of their truck, still prefer to have that quickness when they need it. Overall, I think my 4.56 gears make up for any part throttle sluggishness... but maybe not, it's been so long since I got 'em, all I know is... I like it!

 

Well, the Dodgie boys needed something from their Glory days and they only had 2 real things too hang their hat on, the Hemi and 440 Magnum.

The HEMISHERICAL heads of the MOPAR era were hemispherical and the new alleged hemi don't appear to be hemispherical . . . could be that the Dodgie engineers flunked geometry. Its merely a advertising campaign, and a very effective one. Its also deceipt. A true Hemi should be in the General Lee and not a garbage truck.

 

Premium fuel? you must think magazines are the bible.

 

sorry i was refering to the real muscle car 'runners that only came with 383's and 440's and if you knew the right person, a 426 REAL hemi. starting in 73 the road runner became a sorry smogged out version of the awesome muscle car we all call the road runner. best motor you could get was a low compression smogged out 440. having raced some of these (when they were brand new) with my (almost new) 70 Super B, i know first hand they were a slug. i did race a 73 duster with a 340, it ran pretty good , couldn't take the 'bee' though. i if yours is heavily modified it might run ok. in case anyones not sure i'm a huge mopar fan from before i could even drive. dodge calling these new 5.7 motors 'hemi' makes me sad.

 

What motor did your Bee have? I've got a 69 with a 383 and an automatic. Pretty quick, but my 71 340 4-speed Demon will out run it. Both are stock save for electronic ignitions and larger than factory exhaust's.

I don't really agree with you calling the new Hemi a disgrace. It is true that it may not be completely hemispherical, but it is close. It also makes great power. Are some people going to confuse it with the mighty 426? Sure, but if they don't "get it" now, they probably never would anyway.