Calling all Dodge Ram owners.... need some advice

[TruckerMatt]

Hello,

I am in the market soon for a different truck. my 1998 Chevy k1500 wont last forever, so i want to have a nice truck picked out sooner than later.

I am looking at the dodge ram 1500 from 2002 to 2007. can anyone give some advice on these? I will probably be the 1500 with the 5.7L "hemi" engine, short box 4 door. I tow a boat (3500lbs) and thats it.

How it the 4.7L engine on fuel and towing?
Any problems with yours?

I have had my chevy for 6 years and had no problems with it other than normal stuff... its been a good truck, just want something with 4 doors and a normal short box.

Thanks for your help.
Matt

 

[Big_Kat]

I know its a truck but all the dodges that ive every driven got less mpgs than a chevy or ford of qual size. Ive driven an 03 2500 hemi four door and they are sweet rigs. I wish I could afford to have and drive one... Mopar or No Car

 

[TruckerMatt]

well with my 98 chevy 350 5.7L i get 13-14 mpg in winter and 15-17 in summer

 

[genynnc]

Honestly, I have to agree with BigKat. I have a 03 Ram 1500 2wd, reg cab and bed. It is a SLT, with the 20" wheels, 5.7, and 3.92 gear. The best gas milage I've seen was 17.5 and that was on a long drive to Charleston, SC from Charlotte, NC down I-77.

I also have long tube headers, aftermarket y-pipe, after market cat, flowmaster, superchips tuner, taylor wires, and synthetic oil. These additions added about 2 mpgs. I normally get 15.5 mixed driving. Do keep in mind, the hemi doesn't make peak torque until 4K (I think) so a Ford 5.4 is gonna feel a whole lot better down low. Heck, even a chev 4.8 might feel better (but maybe my 20" wheels are hurting the final drive ratio, I've heard people put in 4.56 gears and the same truck with 20" wheels gains 1-2mpgs) Also, mine has the 545FE auto transmission and so far, it's been a great transmission. Very impressed it.

Problems...nothing bad. The truck did have problems warping rotors for the first 10K but Chrysler covered them under a TSB. That was it.

I really like the rack and pinion steering and the tight turning radius. Ride isn't so good with the 20" wheels. But I've pulled a trailer holding a solid 4-5k and it didn't flinch or shimmy all over the road with the weight behind it. Out of 65K on the odometer, I've pulled something behind it for 10K.

If I could do it all over again... I would have went with a diesel 3/4 ton because they just get better milage and the truck is more universal in what it can do.

The hemi engine does 'seem' to put out pretty good used oil analysis on here so check that out if that's a worry.

I've heard the 4.7's are sludge prone (could be a rumor not sure) and the ones before 07 I think are little on the weak side (230hp comes to mind). The later ones are 310hp I think.

Hope it helps you out.

 

[Nick R]

The 4.7L is a good engine, pretty solid. I haven't heard anything about sludge problems with it, at least not on the scale of Toyota, and the older Chrysler 2.7L sludge. The 4.7 is probably as close as your going to find from Chrysler to the old 4.0L Inline these days.

 

[97f150]

I bought a 2002 Ram 1500 quad cab, automatic, 4.7 liter a few months back. On the side of replacing various wear items that can be expected to go bad on a 9 year old truck, it has been a decent truck. I have heard that Dodges always have bad mileage but this one gets better mileage than my 2005 F150 4.6 liter. I average in mixed driving 17 mpg, and on a recent trip to GA, all highway yielded 19 mpg. As far as I know the truck is still stock in all aspects. I have heard about the 4.7 liter being sludge prone, but I havent had any problems yet, but do use synthetic oil in an attempt to prevent any problems. This truck is more comfortable than my 05 F150 as well, now thats to say sit in the seat and have a more comfortable driving position. The ride itself it horrible, Im changing the shocks tonight to see if that will help any. Never towed with it, but for unloaded driving, power can be a little better if you want to race from light to light. Normal driving to me, it is just fine, keep in mind though that I come from a Ford 4.6 liter. All said and done though, I do like my Dodge just fine, but I am not impressed enough with it to seek another one out when it comes time to replace it.

 

[Durango]

TruckerMatt,

I have an 01' Dodge Durango with the 4.7 V-8 engine and have had good service from mine. MPG wise I get around 21.2 miles per gallon/highway but because I have an SUV it has different aerodynamics than the typical truck.

If your going to tow a trailer/boat I don't recommend the 4.7 liter. For hauling that stuff you'll want the 5.7 tree stumper! The 4.7 has no problems hauling itself but to tow a trailer is gonna be weak.

The Ram 1500 is a super nice truck and comfortable to boot! For long distances it has a big gas tank like my Durango so for what ever you decide you'll have to face the facts is that a pick-up truck will consume more gas than my SUV.

I suggest you do all the tricks to get the best possible MPG/performance from your engine. Some sort of ram air system and a cat-back muffler system should increase the distance a few miles for sure.

Here in California were not allowed to do allot of that stuff for conervation reasons. You have much more flexability in that section.

Good luck,

Durango