AEV Ram 1500 Recruit

[Jtranum]

Seems there is little long term info on the AEV recruits from what I have found. I found a 2018 recruit at a dealership and have a great deal on it worked out but I can not find hardly any real world long term reviews on the it.

My main concerns is how the 8speed trans handles the 35” tires and how well the AEV suspension holds up.

Does anybody here own a recruit that has some input on it?

Truck I am looking at:

 

[Explorerinil]

I have not heard of any issues, probably not a ton of them out there as they came out recently and ram switched to a new design on their 1500. That 8 speed has been very durable, are the axles in the recruit regraded? If so I wouldn’t worry.

 

[ttengineer]

For what it’s worth I ran 35s on my ‘09 1500 for 7 years before I got my 3500. Went through three sets of Nitto G2s and put around 90k miles on it. I didn’t have a single issue with the trans. I ran a leveling kit and never regeared.


I did however have to get a new cam shaft at 50k, a new rack and pinion at 70k, and replaced the exhaust studs 3 times. I had the lifetime warranty and everything was covered except the rack and pinion which cost around 1200 I think. All in all it was a good truck. I’d still have it and would have upgraded it to a recruit had it not been totaled in a wreck.



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[Jtranum]

That 8 speed has been very durable, are the axles in the recruit regraded? If so I wouldn’t worry.

Comes from the factory with 3.92 gears, lowest you can get for the 1500.

 

[Jtranum]

For what it’s worth I ran 35s on my ‘09 1500 for 7 years before I got my 3500. Went through three sets of Nitto G2s and put around 90k miles on it. I didn’t have a single issue with the trans. I ran a leveling kit and never regeared.

I did however have to get a new cam shaft at 50k, a new rack and pinion at 70k, and replaced the exhaust studs 3 times. I had the lifetime warranty and everything was covered except the rack and pinion which cost around 1200 I think. All in all it was a good truck. I’d still have it and would have upgraded it to a recruit had it not been totaled in a wreck.

Gotcha. Thanks. I havent driven a 1500 since I got ride of my ‘08 ram 1500; It had the 5.7 and 3.92s but had either 5 or 6 speed trans, I ran 34s on it. I’ve been in a Ram 2500 diesel for the last few years and run 37s on it, but the torque of the Cummins pulls 37s like a breeze. Good thing about the recruit is if an issue does develop due to tire size or suspension it’s covered under factory warranty.

 

[Explorerinil]

Comes from the factory with 3.92 gears, lowest you can get for the 1500.

Did AEV re gear the truck? I’m not up on the recruit... but given its AEV equipped its ready to go with quality products.

I’m not sure if the 8 speed trans in my wife’s Jeep SRT is the same, but after 5 years of Daly driving with 500 hp, 100k and never having a trans flush it still shifts fine.

 

[Jtranum]

AEV did not regear it. The 3.92s came factory from dodge.

 

[reloaderguy]

You can't regear the 1500's, you're stuck with what it has from the factory. As with almost all of AEV's lifts, you can buy a better lift for the money.

 

[Jtranum]

As with almost all of AEV's lifts, you can buy a better lift for the money.

I have been extremely happy with the AEV lift on my current 2500. 75k miles and never had an issue with it. The allure of the recruit is the whole package is covered under factory warranty.

 

[DzlToy]

The 845RE is based on ZF's 8HPxx series. In Chrysler/RAM trim, modified by Chrysler from ZF, the transmission is only rated at 450 newton meters of torque, or about 330 foot pounds. The 8HP90 on the other hand is rated at 900 newton meters of torque, or about 660 foot pounds. This "series" of transmission is used in junky cars such as Land Rover, BMW, Alfa, Jaguar and Iveco, but is quite robust. ZF Friedrichshafen AG, does not necessarily support aftermarket modifications or tuning, but there are several companies building the transmission for use in SRT8 cars, Track Hawk Jeeps with 1000 BHP and the like. If you were to experience any problems or wanted a power adder, there are options available. Like nearly all slush boxes, heat is a killer, so watch those trans temps if you are off roading or towing.

I am not connected to either of these companies:

https://southernhotrod.com

Paramount Performance:
http://www.paramountperformanceproducts.com

 

[sargeek]

If the dealer is selling it as a new vehicle, then the origional vehicle waranty applies - what you have 60K miles to see how the transmission holds up and they will replace it under waranty. That is the buty of getting a vehicle that has been upfitted by the dealer.

If its a good deal go for it. Better to go this way than install a bunch of aftermarket items that are not covered by the waranty or void it.

 

[Jtranum]

@sargeek thats my view. The deal I have worked out is a killer deal that’s pretty hard to pass up. Plus, I hardly keep my dd vehicle past 60-70k miles.

 

[reloaderguy]

I have been extremely happy with the AEV lift on my current 2500. 75k miles and never had an issue with it. The allure of the recruit is the whole package is covered under factory warranty.

The whole package is not covered by the factory warranty. FCA does not warranty any work performed by AEV. The AEV converted trucks carry dual warranties; the FCA warranty and the AEV warranty. FCA does not cover any warranty claims against any parts made, or effected, by AEV parts and workmanship. Further, the AEV warranty is only good at participating AEV dealer which is not every Ram dealer.

 

[Jtranum]

The whole package is not covered by the factory warranty. FCA does not warranty any work performed by AEV. The AEV converted trucks carry dual warranties; the FCA warranty and the AEV warranty. FCA does not cover any warranty claims against any parts made, or effected, by AEV parts and workmanship. Further, the AEV warranty is only good at participating AEV dealer which is not every Ram dealer.

Correct. Yeah I didn’t make that clear in my statement that I knew that it was two different warranty polices. But over all the entire truck is covered under one warranty or another. It is being sold by an AEV dealership.

 

[Edcircus]

I'm looking at a recruit as well. Used, has some tire wear issues, so I'm curious of anyone who owns one, as I could use some longer term info on them.