5.7 liter hemi oil

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I am a new owner of a 09 Dodge ram 5.7 liter HEMI. Just wondering if there are any suggestions on what oil to use? Right now i think that I'm going to do one more oil change with conventional oil and a mopar filter. Then after that maybe go with a Wix gold or stikc mopar filter and penz platinum. With 5K oil change intervals. I'm open to suggestions or input thanks in advance.
 
My son and I each have an 06 Hemi Ram. We have used 5-20, 5-40, and 0-40 Mobil 1 oil with good results. Some people say the multiple displacement won't work with oil heavier than 5-20 but I don't notice any differance in fuel milage betwen the 5-20 and the 5-40. We use only Napa Gold (Wix) filters. Enjoy your Hemi!
 
yeah I'm thinking of just going straight to the golds. They seem to have the most solid construction compared to purolators and other various filters.

How have those Rams treated u guys? I was kinda weary buying a ram but i just love the way it handles and looks and the power is uncomparable to Chevy and Ford. the ram felt the best by far.
 
I have an 03 Ram 5.7. You'll want to stick with the 5w-20 due to MDS and warranty. Any SM type oil will serve you well to the 5k interval. However, if you are going by warranty, I would just use the yellow bottle to 5K, save money and it's arguably on of the best, if not best, conventional oils on the market.

I personally use Pen. Plat. and a NAPA Gold filter to 9K.

Hemi's seem to be relatively easy on oil for a V8.

Enjoy the truck.
 
I will deff be sticking with 5w-20 i had no intention of using any other weights
 
My son and I love our Hemi Rams. No problems and fun to drive. My other son has a 2008 Ram 5500 2 ton with a diesel and it is a great one too! You will really enjoy your hemi Ram and it has more power than our 06's!
 
Looks like a Napa Gold Filter and conventional Penzoil will be going in for the first change. Thanks guys, if anyone else wants to add anything else about oils or the rams please do. So far i love it. We have a 2000 silverado 4x4 and that thing doesn't compare in any aspects to the ram.

What kind of MPG's are you guys seeing in your rams?
 
Originally Posted By: SIURXP
Looks like a Napa Gold Filter and conventional Penzoil will be going in for the first change. Thanks guys, if anyone else wants to add anything else about oils or the rams please do. So far i love it. We have a 2000 silverado 4x4 and that thing doesn't compare in any aspects to the ram.

What kind of MPG's are you guys seeing in your rams?


I. OIL:

Glad to see you are going to stick with the 5W-20. Don't mess around with other weights. MDS needs 20 weight oil. You can run a 0W-20 in winter if you live in a cold climate but stay with a 20 weight.

5K OCI's is within the max allowed 6 month/6000 mile time frame in the owner's manual. I too follow a 5K OCI schedule. I just ignore my OLM and reset it if it comes on early. You are aware that your 09, like my 08, has some form of Oil Life Monitor(OLM)right? The 09 has 2 different ways of alerting you that it is time for an OC, depending on what trim level you have, but they both will work the same way. Based on how you use the truck a message will flash telling you it is time. Don't be surprised if your OLM kicks on every 2500 up to 7500-10K or so. Seems to be how it was set up on the 08's by Dodge. Once it hits 7500-10K it starts to extend the mileage. I know my 08 tripped RIGHT AT 2500 and then 5000. I would just do your 5K OCI plan and reset the OLM if it trips.

As far as oil recommendations. You need a 5W-20 as said. The oil also must meet or exceed Chrysler oil spec MS6395 and it must carry the API Starburst symbol on the bottle. I personally would run one of these oils I will list below. They are all synthetic, all easy to find, are barely more than a premium conventional oil when purchased on sale( someone almost always has a sale )or at places like Wal-Mart in bulk( remember you need 7qts to do an OC so buying in bulk is a good thing
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), and all meet/exceed your warranty requirements...

1 - Kendall GT1 Full Synthetic( $4.50-$4.99 regular price most places - less than $4 on sale )
2 - Valvoline Synpower
3 - Penzoil Platinum
4 - Quaker State( Horsepower or Ultimate Durability )

** - Amsoil XL 5W-20 meets all your warranty requirements as well but is more $$$ and harder to get. It is another option for you however.

If you want to run a conventional oil then I like these...

1 - Castrol GTX
2 - Valvoline
3 - Penzoil

For filters the Napa Gold( relabeled Wix )is a good filter and will do a good job for you if that is your choice. You can also look at a MOPAR filter which is fine for 5K and will be cheap at Wal-Mart. Purolator filters are affordable and excellent quality as are Bosch( Purolator made ). Basically any of the above for 5K is fine. If you want to step up to a premium filter the K&N, Mobil1, and Royal Purple filters are the ones to look at IMO.

NOTE - Be advised on the filter for your truck that starting in 2008 Dodge went to a metric thread filter on the 5.7L. The filter used on the 5.7L from 2003-2007 will not work( SAE thread )yet many parts stores continue to sell the old style filter to guys with 08 and 09 trucks. Here are some filter #'s that work for your truck. You can use any of these #'s and have the parts guy cross referrence them if you want to use a different brand...

Wix - 57899 or 51372
Napa Gold - 7899 or 1372
Purolator - L24651
Bosch - 3410
MOPAR - 4884899AB( OE # - don't have short aftermarket MOPAR # )
K&N - HP-2010
Mobil 1 - M1210
Royal Purple - 20-820( I use this filter on my 08
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If you asked me to recommend a specific setup for a 5K OCI that is easy to come by and affordable then I would probably say the Kendall GT1 with the Napa/Wix filter. Would be a great choice.

II. GENERAL COMMENTS/FEEDBACK:

Congrat's on the new 09. I am very jealous. I wanted an 09( Deep Water Blue )but the deal I got on my 08 could not be passed up. The newest generation Rams are an amazing truck. Going to be hard for anyone to really give you much ""reliability" feedback though as the 09 is a brand new model in it's debut season. Kind of hard to give you much from the 02-08 Rams( previous model to yours )that can be applied to your truck as your truck is completely new from the ground up. Even the 5.7L HEMI has been reworked for a bump in power and fuel economy. Better handling, more power, better MPG( so they say ), more comfortable, much nicer interior, and on and on. Just can't really compare an 09 to earlier models.

Overall the previous model Ram was a great truck. I owned an 04 and now have an 08, both with the 5.7L, and they have been very reliable. No problems with either truck other than something very minor like a reflector lens falling out of the door( 04 ). NOTHING of substance with either truck.
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Here are a few general obersvations however that can/may apply to your 09...

1 - MDS is VASTLY overrated. Real world on the 06-08 trucks that have MDS it does not seem to produce the MPG gains that they claim on paper. I don't know if that will translate to your 09 model? They carry a higher fuel economy rating than the 06-08 Rams with MDS but will it actually show up driving?
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My 04 w/o MDS( same truck overall as my 08 )got better MPG than my 08 w/ MDS does.
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2 - The tranny. On the 03-08 5.7L Rams it was really the one weak link in the truck. I would assume with the big power increase for 09 5.7L's Dodge reworked the tranny in the truck as well to take it? Not that everyone had problems in earlier years but when guys started increasing the power using handheld tuners that altered the factory tranny programming, beat on the trucks all the time( ie; burn out's, racing, etc... ), towed a lot without doing regular maintenance, etc.... the tranny's failed. Just be sure to keep an eye on the fluid and do regular ATF service( every 2 years or 30K is extremely wise )and you will be fine.

3 - LSD rear axles. On the earlier Rams that had the 9.25" rear LSD axle they have a real problem( or did - may have finally been corrected as I don't see much about it on 07-08 trucks??? ). Dodge uses 2 little clips to hold the LS clutches in place during assembly. Once everything is installed in the differential housing they are not needed. Over time these clips are known to work loose/break off and then fall out. They get cauught in the gears and trash the rear end. Many guys with the LSD are now pulling the rear diff covers off and pulling the clips out to prevent this from happening. I have never had a Ram with the LSD rear axle myself but it is a well known and common problem.

4 - The overhead console average MPG is not even close to accurate! Not sure if they are still using the same one they have since the 90's-08 but if they are don't believe what it tells you. I have had 5 Dodge trucks with the same basic overhead( 97/01/03/04/08 - my 94 may have had the same one too but can't recall )and not a one of them was even close to accurate. Anywhere from 1-3 MPG off and it varies as to whether or not it is high or low. Usually it shows high though. Just mentioning this because a lot of people see say 18 MPG on the overhead and think that is great but if you do the math it generally is more like 15.5-16.5 MPG actual. My 08 is no more accurate than my 97 was.

5 - If your truck has the 20" tire option than it is about 99% certain you have the Goodyear Wrangler HP tires. Dodge used a few others on rare occassions( like Michelin LTX M/S )but the overwhelming vast majority of 20" tires were the GYW HP's and they stink! Actually, they are HORRENDOUS.
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Horrible on any kind of slick surface( ie; rain, snow, ice, sand, etc... )so watch out with the power you have in that HEMI Ram. The slightest tap of the throttle on a slick surface with those tires and you will be sideways and/or facing back the way you came.
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Other issues are they give a poor ride and they wear out very, VERY, fast. Do what I did and swap them out right away for a better tire and sell them to recoup some of your money. They are HORRIBLE tires. Dodge has used them from day one of the 20" tire option and 99% of owner's with them hate them.

Well, there you go. Hope this helps you out? Shoot me a PM if you would like some addresses for some good Dodge truck web sites that can help you out further. Enjoy the truck and best of luck.
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Dude awesome post its highly appreciated. I will be sticking with Pennzoil conventional for the first couple thousand miles 5w-20 maybe a Mobil filter or Wix for sure. I would rather do 3K intervals with conventional i just flat out don't feel comfortable with the extended intervals

i love this truck, i drove ford chevys and Toyotas nothing compares to how this thing feels. I'm really glad i got the truck i did nothing has disappointed me about it yet. i Dont have a lsd so I'm not worried about that but i do have the 20's and the tires your talking about. BUT i work for Firestone so i get 50% of all bridgestone tires so ill be purchasing a set of Revo 2's very soon.

What are the addresses for the forums ure talking about? Thanks again dude youve been a big help
 
Originally Posted By: SIURXP
Dude awesome post its highly appreciated. I will be sticking with Pennzoil conventional for the first couple thousand miles 5w-20 maybe a Mobil filter or Wix for sure. I would rather do 3K intervals with conventional i just flat out don't feel comfortable with the extended intervals

i love this truck, i drove ford chevys and Toyotas nothing compares to how this thing feels. I'm really glad i got the truck i did nothing has disappointed me about it yet. i Dont have a lsd so I'm not worried about that but i do have the 20's and the tires your talking about. BUT i work for Firestone so i get 50% of all bridgestone tires so ill be purchasing a set of Revo 2's very soon.

What are the addresses for the forums ure talking about? Thanks again dude youve been a big help


5K is considered a normal OCI these days. Even conventional oil is good for that long. Obviously do what makes you comfortable but you can go to 5K without any worries with a quality oil and filter.

Revo II's??? They have redesigned the Revo? I haven't heard of that or seen anything about it on Bridgestone's site. Are you sure about that? The Revo is a very good tire, and is my AT of choice, but man they have become expensive. Have you thought about the new(er) Dueler AT D695 tires? They seem to be the Revo's little Brother and everything I have heard on them has been positive. Lot less $$$.

I put some Firestone Destination LE's on my Ram( had them on last 2 vehicles as well )to replace those god awful HP's. I live in NH so I see some nasty winters and they have performed amazingly well for an all season tire. Not even any issues launching my boat on snow and ice covered ramps( waterfowl hunting )nor muddy ramps( fishing ). IMO MPG is bad enough in the Ram's without going to an aggressive AT which will make it even worse.

I will PM you the addresses.
 
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Originally Posted By: NHHEMI

Revo II's??? They have redesigned the Revo? I haven't heard of that or seen anything about it on Bridgestone's site. Are you sure about that? The Revo is a very good tire, and is my AT of choice, but man they have become expensive. Have you thought about the new(er) Dueler AT D695 tires? They seem to be the Revo's little Brother and everything I have heard on them has been positive. Lot less $$$.


Revo II's were in the latest Tire Rack newsletter I received last week. Unfortunately, I already threw it out so I have no info (might be on the TR website??)

I'm an early adopter of the D695's. I've got maybe 20k on them and would buy them again in a heart beat. They really are a great compromise tire. Good mannered (and quiet) on the highway, wet and dry, as well as good on dirt roads and snow.

Plus, when they first came out, Sam's Club had some ridiculously low pricing which has since been corrected.
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Originally Posted By: Canawler
Originally Posted By: NHHEMI

Revo II's??? They have redesigned the Revo? I haven't heard of that or seen anything about it on Bridgestone's site. Are you sure about that? The Revo is a very good tire, and is my AT of choice, but man they have become expensive. Have you thought about the new(er) Dueler AT D695 tires? They seem to be the Revo's little Brother and everything I have heard on them has been positive. Lot less $$$.


Revo II's were in the latest Tire Rack newsletter I received last week. Unfortunately, I already threw it out so I have no info (might be on the TR website??)

I'm an early adopter of the D695's. I've got maybe 20k on them and would buy them again in a heart beat. They really are a great compromise tire. Good mannered (and quiet) on the highway, wet and dry, as well as good on dirt roads and snow.

Plus, when they first came out, Sam's Club had some ridiculously low pricing which has since been corrected.
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There is nothing I can find on the TR web site and there is nothing even on Bridgestone's site??? I am very curious to see what they changed. Change is not always good.

I like the looks of those D695's. Very similar to the Revo but not quite as aggressive( as you said ). I almost went with those instead of the LE's I have but had such good luck with them, plus had a 35% off coupon, that I went with them.
 
there out there dude but they are special order for the most part we dont carry them in our store and were a bridgestone firestone store. im starting to lean more towrds the a/t 695 myself i doa lot more highway driving then anything else so i think the revo is to aggressive for me.
 
Originally Posted By: SIURXP
there out there dude but they are special order for the most part we dont carry them in our store and were a bridgestone firestone store. im starting to lean more towrds the a/t 695 myself i doa lot more highway driving then anything else so i think the revo is to aggressive for me.


I am not doubting you. Just pointing out there is zero info out there on them even on the MFG's web site. Nothing even comes up with a search on ANY site?
 
i noticed that too but everyone in my store has heard of it and seen them i personally still haven't seen them our store literature hasn't been up to speed

we have a program that if you work for Firestone and buy a new car with 500 miles or less u can swap ure tires for bridgestone tires so i swapped my wrangler hp's for Dueller A/T 695 there basically revos just not as aggressive not noisy and they handle great in the rain i was amazed at the traction over the Goodyears in the rain it was night and day
 
Originally Posted By: SIURXP
i noticed that too but everyone in my store has heard of it and seen them i personally still haven't seen them our store literature hasn't been up to speed

we have a program that if you work for Firestone and buy a new car with 500 miles or less u can swap ure tires for bridgestone tires so i swapped my wrangler hp's for Dueller A/T 695 there basically revos just not as aggressive not noisy and they handle great in the rain i was amazed at the traction over the Goodyears in the rain it was night and day


Another member PM'd me a link to photos of the Revo 2's. Not sure exactly what is different???? They appear to be the same. Probably a tweak of the compound or perhaps the tread was slightly altered. Maybe if I had one of each side by side I could tell better than trying to go back and forth between 2 photos to see any difference?

Yeah, I know about the D695's. Basically a Revo Jr for about $30-$40 less p/tire. I "almost" went with them on my truck but stuck with the LE's. The LE's really do a great job for an all season tire and MPG in the Ram's is bad enough without adding aggressive AT tires. The D695 is not as aggressive as a Revo I know but it is still pretty aggressive. Revo's have hurt my MPG in the past( is my AT tire of choice ).

Do you work at one of those Firestone Service Centers( Firestone Complete Auto Care )? That is where I usually get my tires as I run Bridgestone and Firestone 99% of the time. I always seem to luck out and get a coupon right around the time I need/want new tires. I got a 35% off a set of 4 tires coupon that I used for the LE's back in Feb. Under $500 out the door for 4 20" tires is a steal these days.

Yes, those Junkyear Wrangler HP tires are god awful. Worst tire I have EVER used. I did not want the 20" wheel option to start with. I wanted 17's. Unfortunately, all the 08 Ram's left in my area w/ a HEMI had the 20's. I am hoping at some point to swap out for 17's. Those 4 months I waited for a deal from Firestone/Bridgestone that I ahd to drive on those HP's in the bad weather were a nightmare.

Good luck with the truck.
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Yes I'm a service adviser at a Firestone complete auto care center on the south side of Chicago. Yeah 35% off a set is pretty good right now duellers are 25 percent off so but for 275/60/20 even with 25% its still a big price tag. Well how it works is i swap the tires and they keep the wranglers and sell them if anyone comes inside and wants them but [censored] if my tires wear out in lets say 3 or 4 years chances are those wranglers are still going to be there and i can probably buy them back for cheap price. I've been there for a month and i haven't seen anyone buy a tire that even comes close to that size.
 
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