2024 Ram 2500 Laramie 4x4 Crew Cab 6'4 Box on 2040-cars

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Ram boosts Heavy Duty truck claims for 2015 [w/video]

The heavy-duty truck segment boasts some of the tightest competition of any automotive niche in the US. Being able to tout just one best-in-class figure can be a marketing advantage over competitors, and Ram Trucks is adding one more accolade to its tally with a powertrain update for the 2015 Ram 2500 and 3500 Heavy Duty pickups. Ram now claims best-in-class ratings for torque, towing and payload, depending on configuration.
The major change comes for the 3500 HD with a boost in torque for its Cummins 6.7-liter, inline-six diesel engine. It now produces a meaty 865 pound-feet of twist, a boost of 15 lb-ft, which is the best figure in its segment, according to the company. To eek out the extra power, the mill has more aggressive fuel delivery, and the turbo has been recalibrated. Of course, more grunt would be meaningless if drivers couldn't do anything with it, and the tweaks help allow payload to grow to 7,390 pounds, up from a rating of 7,320 pounds last year. The max towing rating remains unchanged at 30,000 pounds, though.
The rest of the powertrain lineup carries over from last year. The base HD mill is the gasoline-fed 5.7-liter V8 with 383 hp and 400 lb-ft and a six-speed automatic. The next step up is a 6.4-liter V8 with 410 hp and 429 lb-ft. There are also three trims of the 6.7-liter Cummins diesel starting with 350 hp and 660 lb-ft with a six-speed manual gearbox. If buyers opt for a the 68RFE six-speed auto, they get 370 hp and 800 lb-ft. Finally, there's the updated, top-rung version with 385 hp and 865 lb-ft with an Aisin six-speed automatic transmission.

Chrysler recalling 2009-2010 Ram 1500, Dodge Dakota pickups over axle pinion nut

Chrysler is issuing a recall for the 2009 and 2010 Ram 1500 and Dodge Dakota pickup trucks due to improper installation of the rear axle pinion nut. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a total of 44,300 trucks are affected by the recall, and there have been 12 confirmed incidents including one crash.
The issue on both trucks is that the pinion nut is loosening on some trucks due to a lack of thread adhesive, and it is causing the rear axle to lock up resulting in loss of vehicle control. NHTSA's recall notice says that eight incidents occurred at speeds over 35 miles per hour and most also exhibited driveshaft failures as well since the loss of the pinion nut would cause the gear to separate from the driveshaft. In one complaint, the driveshaft separated from the rear axle and punctured the gas tank.
Chrysler will begin sending out recall notices to affected owners in November, but scroll down to see the official NHTSA notice.

Is Ram bringing a trick tailgate to the Chicago Auto Show?

Last week featured running jokes and mirth on truck Twitter. It started when the GMC account played off the Super Bowl, posting a short video that started with the caption, "The Rams already lost." Then came a picture of a current Ram tailgate, followed by a short pictorial demonstration of the six-function MultiPro tailgate available on the GMC Sierra (pictured). Ram responded with a pigskin play of its own, calling GMC out for a false start and requesting everyone "Check back with us on 2/7/19." That is the first media day of the Chicago Auto Show. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The easy inference is that Ram has plans to reveal a clever tailgate of its own. The easy question is, will it be the split tailgate we first saw in a patent application in 2014, then in spy photos in 2017? That patent application detailed a gate split down the middle, with a traditional handle on the left-side door. The entire unit could open like a standard tailgate, or, each half could fold down like a tailgate as well as swing out like a door. The Honda Ridgeline has a similar option, but not being split, the Ridgeline's whole tailgate swings out like a door. Another novel feature of the Ram patent application was that the doors could be operated with a touchpad. When spy photographers caught a 2020 Ram prototype in Detroit with a split tailgate, the split was no longer 50/50, but about 65/35. After snapping the silver truck that day, the split tailgate was never seen again. Thursday in Chicago might be the day that changes, since it's fair to expect Ram to show something that will get the 1500 current with proliferating tailgate trickery. GMC and Ram weren't finished, though. The Ram 1500 won the Motor Trend Truck of the Year award at the Detroit Auto Show, and two hours after GMC's first tweet, GMC got around to sending this bit of congratulations: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.