THE NUMBER ONE RESOURCE FOR RAM TURBO DIESEL OWNERS • ISSUE 89 AUG/SEPT/OCT 2015

TURBO DIESEL R E G I S T E R

50 www.turbodieselregister.com TDR 89

TIMELINE

So, TDR faithful, now that the dust has settled from the February introduction of the Ram Laramie Limited trim package, well, what do you think?

The reactions posted on internet forums and magazine print were—how best to say it—overwhelmingly negative. However, perhaps a dramatic reaction, albeit negative, is what the Ram folks wanted?

Well, they got it.

Really. And, for me it is “Ram PR Mission Accomplished.” All of the press chatter reminded me of the reporting that was going on last fall when Ram, Ford and GM (specifically Ram and Ford) were in the news daily bickering over SAE testing and tow ratings. If you need all the details, Issue 86, pages 46-48, has the data. Again, PR Mission Accomplished.

Now, what’s behind all of the Laramie Limited/ugly truck/looks like an Edsel clatter?

Ram is just buying time.

Kinda like the lyrics to the country music song “Let’s Give ‘em Something to Talk About,” by Bonnie Raitt. You know how the chorus line goes:

“Let’s give ‘em something’ to talk aboutA little mystery to figure out…”

So, what’s the tie-in between buying time and mystery?

The Ram folks are simply on schedule for the product introduction matrix they shared with the public back in September 2014. To save you from pulling out the timeline from Issue 88, here is the schedule:

2015(second half)

2016 2017 2018

1500 refresh

2500/3500 refresh

1500 reengineer

2500/3500 reengineer

For this correspondent, there is no mystery, Ram’s just buying time.

In late June the PR folks at Ram surprised the marketplace with an announcement about our 2500/3500 trucks. A summary of the announcement is on the next page.

BITW is a forum to report on industry trends and vehicle development. Compiled/written by Robert Patton.

TDR 89 www.turbodieselregister.com 51

BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND . . . . Continued

In late June the folks at Ram grabbed the spotlight in the pickup marketplace with some exciting news about their Heavy Duty trucks for 2016. Normally this press release information comes in late August and coincides with the official model year change. The data and short 2-minute video were posted at our website.

Here are the bullet points from the press release:

2016 Ram Heavy Duty Widens its Leadership Gap – Best-in-class Towing Best-in-class Power,

Best-in-class Payload Capacity

• 2016 Cummins 6.7-liter calibration hits a best-in-class 900 ft-lb. of torque. The most torque ever offered in a mass-production vehicle

• 2016 Ram 3500 crushes the competition with up to 31,210 pounds of SAE J2807-spec. towing capacity, beating the closest competitor by more than two tons

• 2016 Ram 2500 holds best-in-class 3/4-ton towing title with 17,980 pounds of capacity

• Ram 3500 maintains best-in-class payload of 7,390 pounds with 6.4-liter HEMI V-8

• Ram 3500 raises its best-in-class gross combined weight rating (GCWR) to 39,100 pounds

• Ram maintains credibility and customer confidence as the only automaker to align with SAE J2807 towing standard across its entire pickup truck line

• Fuel economy is top of mind for Ram 1500 customers and the exclusive 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V-6 engine continues to crush the competition with an amazing 29 miles per gallon (mpg)

• The first 2016 Ram Heavy Duty trucks begin rolling off the factory line third quarter of 2015

• Unsurpassed powertrain warranty – five years/60,000 miles on gas engines and Five years/100,000 miles on diesel engines

Ram Engineering and Cummins developed a new fuel delivery and turbo boost calibration for the 6.7-liter I-6 diesel that produces an additional 35 lb.-ft. of torque. This improvement raises the bar from Ram’s current title at 865 torque to 900 torque — a number never achieved in a mass-produced vehicle.

The previous heavy-duty towing title also belongs to the Ram 3500 at 30,000 pounds. The 2016 Ram 3500 brings that stat to 31,210 pounds, further distancing the closest rival by more than two tons. To handle the increased towing capacity, Ram engineers beefed up the rear axle ring gear hardware from 12 to 16 bolts on all trucks equipped with the 11.8-inch axle. The additional hardened bolts and stronger material are used in the differential case to assure long-term durability.

(Editor’s note. In the 2-minute video Ram Head of Engineering, Mike Cairns (a really great supporter of the TDR) commented on the 900 torque rating. He reiterated that the 900 number was a fuel delivery recalibration and the folks at Cummins tell me that no engine hardware changes were done to the “iron.” In the video Mike also emphasized that no changes were necessary to the frame, chassis or suspension to achieve the higher tow/payload numbers.)

RAM ANNOUNCEMES THE 2016 HD TRUCKS