The 5th (ish) Gen Ram HD love/hate thread

[STREGA]

I got an automatic after owning a 6-speed manual. My left foot would start tap dancing with nothing to do. There was a spot worn in the side of the cab and on the carpet. If I had a rotary dial for the shifter, then what would my right hand be up to?
Probably no good.

You could retrain your left leg/foot to do the braking, a technique I learned over 10 years ago while off-roading in my FJ Cruiser. Kinda like learning to code after losing a job you loved to do for years. Like Jadmt the dial shifter became a non-issue almost immediately, I still get to shift the transfer case manually though which does require a little finesse to do properly.

 

[nickw]

That gear knob is weird, I’m not sure if I liked it or not, sometimes I didn’t mind it, others I hated it and I don’t really know why. Complaining about bed height… don’t try to reach in the bed of a super duty, it’s allot higher. My 16 ram with a 3 inch carli suspension and 37x13.50 Toyo’s easily fit in my garage with a 7 foot door. My bone stock super duty barely fits and rubs in the weather strip seal on the garage door frame.

Yeah - it's happened more than once, try to turn up the volume and I end up putting the dang thing in park

 

[ttengineer]

I feel the opposite, I hate the dials and console shifters, I am annoyed if I am in a truck and it doesn't have a column shifter. Different strokes....

I like both a column and center console shifter.

The dial or buttons (other brands) are abysmal.


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[ttengineer]

The rotary transmission selector knob on the new Ram has a cool feature- it will put itself in park .

If you are driving and stop the vehicle and shut it off while in drive- the light that shows what position the selector knob is in will flash and then the knob will rotate to park.

Figured that out by accident- maybe all new vehicles do it???


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So back when CFA first released the dial, I do not think that was a feature. And if I recall, once the door is opened while the car is on, the transmission shifts to park.

I believe this all happened after a few accidents. Most notably the actor who played Chekhov ( the Russian navigator) in the Star Trek movie reboots. He hopped out of his Cherokee to open the gate at his house and the car crushed him against the gate killing him.

I believe, all brands have this as a safety feature now, or at the very least the parking break activates.


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[Explorerinil]

So back when CFA first released the dial, I do not think that was a feature. And if I recall, once the door is opened while the car is on, the transmission shifts to park.

I believe this all happened after a few accidents. Most notably the actor who played Chekhov ( the Russian navigator) in the Star Trek movie reboots. He hopped out of his Cherokee to open the gate at his house and the car crushed him against the gate killing him.

I believe, all brands have this as a safety feature now, or at the very least the parking break activates.


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I believe your correct, my 19 would allow me to drive with the door open, I remember backing up a few times with the door open.

 

[jadmt]

I believe your correct, my 19 would allow me to drive with the door open, I remember backing up a few times with the door open.

I can drive with my door open just need my seatbelt buckled.

 

[WAStateOverlander]

It’s interesting that Ford has now fitted this also on their column shifters in the new F-150, as well as the console shifter.

 

[britome]

Love my 2021 pw but my gas mileage sucks compared to what I hear from others. Can't get over 11 around town and 13 on highway.

Does anyone know if the spare rim can handle a 35" tire? That's my next upgrade and deflated it will store under the bed but I would like to not buy a 5th rim.


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[STREGA]

Love my 2021 pw but my gas mileage sucks compared to what I hear from others. Can't get over 11 around town and 13 on highway.

Does anyone know if the spare rim can handle a 35" tire? That's my next upgrade and deflated it will store under the bed but I would like to not buy a 5th rim.


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I’am seeing around 11-12 in town like you but 17-18 on hiway empty. Towing 7500lb tall travel trailer 8 is about it. But I bought it knowing this, actually I was surprised at the hiway mpg the 2005 PW I had never got over 13 mpg.
The spare rim should be able to handle a 35” tire, width of the tire could be a issue. Space for the spare under the bed is limited. Probably will keep stock spare when I go to 35” tires.

 

[jadmt]

Love my 2021 pw but my gas mileage sucks compared to what I hear from others. Can't get over 11 around town and 13 on highway.

Does anyone know if the spare rim can handle a 35" tire? That's my next upgrade and deflated it will store under the bed but I would like to not buy a 5th rim.


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I have a 35x12.5-17 Toyo R/T on the steel spare wheel and tire shop said they had no problem mounting it and balancing it for me. You just need to use some technique to maneuver it into place. there is a satisfying POP when it pops into place. fortunately they come out easier than they go in. I have personally installed 2 35" spares on PW both 2020's mine the Toyo and my buddy's went with Nitto Ridge Grapplers. Both run a bit larger than many brands ie larger than BFG 35's and cooper 35's. I have heard people say they worry they will hit the track bar but they can't. In order to hit the track bar they would be hitting the factory installed heat shield. I have been to Moab and no issues.

 

[ricoisme26]

somewhere further up in this thread there was a comment about turning off the MDS, if you hit the "+" on the shifter to display gearing it would deactivate the MDS?

Is this true for the 1500 RAMs as well? I ask because my fiancé had a 2020 RAM 1500, I drive a Ford and come from all manual vehicles before it. I like to know what gear I'm in. So ever time I'd drive her truck it would be the first thing I did hit the "+" to see my gears. took her truck on a few road trips/vacations and never saw better than 16 on the highway, was this because I was deactivating the MDS? Compared to my 5.0 F150 16-17 is about right for highway driving, so I could see a 5.7 RAM 1500 getting about the same if the MDS was deactivated. In a Powerwagon I'd believe 13 to be right for truck always running on all 8 on the highway.

 

[britome]

I have a 35x12.5-17 Toyo R/T on the steel spare wheel and tire shop said they had no problem mounting it and balancing it for me. You just need to use some technique to maneuver it into place. there is a satisfying POP when it pops into place. fortunately they come out easier than they go in. I have personally installed 2 35" spares on PW both 2020's mine the Toyo and my buddy's went with Nitto Ridge Grapplers. Both run a bit larger than many brands ie larger than BFG 35's and cooper 35's. I have heard people say they worry they will hit the track bar but they can't. In order to hit the track bar they would be hitting the factory installed heat shield. I have been to Moab and no issues.


View attachment 697605View attachment 697606

Perfect. Thank you!


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[ripperj]

I think I’m starting to swing back towards the hate side on the shifter dial.
-
I had a column shifter on the old one and didn’t like a the dial at first, but almost immediately started liking it.
However, after driving the truck for a couple thousand miles now I realized that in the beginning I was watching the knob as I rotated it.

If I don’t watch it(like when making a rapid 3 point turn, and you are looking in the mirror or backwards, the detents for the position are not really positive, ie I end up in N instead of R etc, now I have to pay attention more than I should for a simple thing

I’m still playing with tire pressure , down to 35 in the back- the ride is pretty darn good, never mind the fact that I can have almost 4300# in the back

Still loving the truck overall- the stuff I’m grumbling about is pretty minor.

I’m still keeping an eye on the water in the door thing. I had cut notches in the lower rubber gaskets on all doors-I have seen no water in the doors, but it’s getting pretty cold and dry here. We have had some rain though, so don’t know if the lack of rain or the mod was the reason


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[ttengineer]

In all honesty, for me, the shifter is such a huge fail.

I guess it comes down to nostalgia really. There is something I enjoy about feeling the gears as I shift. Either on the tree or in the center console.


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[britome]

In all honesty, for me, the shifter is such a huge fail.

I guess it comes down to nostalgia really. There is something I enjoy about feeling the gears as I shift. Either on the tree or in the center console.


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One hundred percent agree. Not having direct linkage to the tranny also hurts you when trying to time your shifts as you rock the vehicle back and forth when stuck off road.


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