Turns out I need a real truck. Kindly help me choose one!

[Todd780]

I actually had no idea Toyota went away from 4.30 rear. Too bad. Remote start subscription is just stupid. 🤣

Guessing cause they went with a 3.5 Twin Turbo V6 and a 10 speed transmission.
So 3:31 would probably work well for most. But I wanted the extra grunt for towing....
Max Tow came with 3:55. If I had went with a PowerBoost I believe it would've been 3:73's.
Pretty sure HDPP F150's also have 3:73's.

Anyway... Back to Rams....

 

[hdas]

Going back to the AEV package, this is the breakdown:



The Diesel Exhaust Tip and the plate for winch cover are mandatory for diesel and for people not opting for a winch, also I need a spare. There are some optional items like the black branding (I hate chrome) and the Front Skid Plate, which seems prudent:


Since this pursuit is and endless drain of money, there could be some potential AEV upgrades in the future (in yellow), but definitely not right now:



The leather option is interesting, but I do wonder about the quality. Nowhere you can access leather without going 2 or 3 trim levels up and paying for a bunch of other crap.

 

[hdas]

Finalize options list including deciding between Standard Diesel or High Output Diesel

For those following this is a thread concerning this specific issue in HDRams forum

 

[hdas]

Something Important: Talking to my wife yesterday, it seems that it is a priority for her to be able to partially use the back seat when we are travelling the 3 of us (so a seat delete is not the answer). In this video, around 3:25 timestamp, It shows the ability to do this. I need to figure out what trim level (if any) offers this, or if there are any good aftermarket equivalent solutions.



I appreciate If anybody has any insight.

 

[chet6.7]

What is difficult for me to establish at this point is, what is the balance of cost/benefits in order to choose properly?: It seems that for my specific application, the SO engine is sufficient and It could even be a better experience in terms of shifting and MPG, however I'm giving up a bit more power and a very robust transmission in the AISIN. Is this a wash then?.

I haven't been keeping up on the Cummins Forum like I did in past years, but I have read more complaints on the 68 trans than the Asin. A smooth shifting weaker trans VS a less smooth shifting stronger trans, I would pick the Asin.

 

[hdas]

Of course, this is what I have always done. Submit a detailed list of exactly what you want to the dealer and ask them to respond with a price. Over the years what I have done is select maybe 5-10 regional dealers, submit my list, and they reply with their best offer. I then visit one or two local dealers in my area and ask them if they are able to beat the best price. If so, I place my order there and wait 6-8 weeks, if they do not match, I deal with the regional dealer with the best price and place my order there. I have always ordered new vehicles exactly how I wanted them.

Just spoke with a dealer, it sounds that If I custom order I should expect a wait time between 4 and 6 months.

 

[Todd780]

Just spoke with a dealer, it sounds that If I custom order I should expect a wait time between 4 and 6 months.

It took 5 months for my F150. Does that timeline include the AEV conversion? If so that's not too bad....

 

[IdaSHO]

Dave Smith is a solid bet. They are just north of us. And its udder ridiculous just how far people are traveling to purchase trucks.

 

[hdas]

Dave Smith

They have 0 vehicles with a build even closed to my preferred.

 

[phsycle]

Have a dealer do a country wide search.

Or simply use cargurus.com and do a nationwide search with the parameters you want. It doesn’t get down to the nitty gritty but should get you close enough. Then fly and buy.

 

[Todd780]

Or:

2022 Ram 2500 AEV Prospector XL, Mega Cab w/OEV CampX : Fishers, IN

Up for sale is my turn-key adventure Rig. With my family expanding and life/work getting busier I just have not had the opportunity to get a lot of use out of the Rig. The PXL sits just under 6,000 miles. The truck was initially ordered back at the end of 2021, It was very hard to find...

forum.expeditionportal.com

2022 Black Series HQ19 and 2021 Ram Prospector XL for Sale.

Gonna miss this setup but I'm selling my 2021 AEV built Prospector XL and 2022 Black Series HQ19... 2021 Ram Prospector XL 95,000 OBO 2022 HQ19 $59,000 OBO 150K for the package. Located In Phoenix Arizona. Would love to sell these together but will separate, camper just has to go first. Ram...

forum.expeditionportal.com

2015 AEV Prospector Crew Cab, Excellent Condition, Low Miles, Lots of Extras (PRICE LOWERED on 10 Sept 2023)

Original Total Vehicle Cost New with All Extras Listed in the Following Ad: $86,000-plus For Sale Now at: $49,500 (New Price as of 10 Sept 2023) Up for sale is a fully badged and outfitted 2015 AEV Prospector RAM 2500 Crew Cab 6.4 Hemi with low mileage and many extras added to it that make...

forum.expeditionportal.com

22' RAM 3500 AEV Prospector XL w/ Four Wheel Camper Hawk

Finally had chance to put together the ultimate truck I’ve been dreaming about for a while. Picked up the Prospector @ Glendale RAM, working with Jackson was very smooth and effeicient. 2022 RAM 3500 Big Horn Sport AEV Prospector XL Took delivery 7/22 @ Glendale RAM (great experience, highly...

forum.expeditionportal.com

 

[hdas]

if you are even slightly interested in one

I need to do some research. I do plan to do a fair amount of riding in the Utah desert. Thanks.

 

[Littlehouse]

Years ago prior to finalizing the details on my AEV Prospector I spent a few years considering every possible suspension system available for the HD Ram. I selected AEV because they were the absolute best - no one else even came close and I knew this because I had been lifting vehicles since the early 90s. I promote AEV without apology since I wish for others to enjoy the highest level of safety and premium performance also. If Carli, Thuren, etc., begin building a superior system that is a "well-engineered, properly tuned suspension system that is designed for the people who rely on their truck every day in the real world and the people who also don’t want to sacrifice payload, ride quality or handling just to fit larger tires," I will be happy to promote a superior system.

On that note, please reply in excruciating detail how Carli is able to improve OEM steering and handling. And just for kicks, include how they also preserve OEM payload and towing capacities. Heck, toss in how Carli is covered by the OEM warranty. Or provide a list of what Carli parts are installed on the assembly line of a major manufacturer.

These are facts - AEV improves steering and handling, preserves payload and towing capacities, and if installed by AEV or an authorized AEV upfitter, the system or components are covered under factory warranty. AEV parts also have Mopar part numbers, and AEV components are installed on the assembly lines in Detroit. Spoiler alert, Carli, Thuren, etc. are unable to deliver on any of the aforementioned. I have absolutely nothing against either of the companies - I simply selected the best and for the past decade, AEV has reigned supreme. It's not even close folks.

Here are pertinent details regarding the Ram HD DualSport Suspension:

This explains the history of AEV:

Hey, as long as your happy, that’s all that matters.

I’ve seen the videos, and it’s been discussed many times. You can believe it’s not a fancy spacer lift with stock springs, and cheap 5100 series shocks or not. Doesn’t matter to me.

Yes, AEV has a solid relationship with manufacturers, but that doesn’t mean they have the best performing system. I’ve ridden in a stock ‘22 SD tremor and one down the street with a Carli pin top. It’s light years ahead of stock. I’ve never ridden in a prospector, but I can’t imagine how a spacer lift and cheap shocks makes the ride better. I’ve also seen plenty of Carli trucks towing 5th wheels to the dunes. Properly equipped, towing/payload isn’t an issue.

In the end, if you think $20k is worth it, it’s your money….

 

[hdas]

and cheap 5100 series shocks

You can upgrade to 8100's

 

[UglyViking]

A short note on torque and diesel versus gas engines - when I selected my gas engine one of the calculations I used to compare the engines used published engine torque x 1st gear x axle ratio which equaled a value I called calculated torque. Now this did not include the transfer case since the high and low range numbers were identical, and this also considered the trucks were running identical sized tires.

Of course the diesel has a much broader torque curve compared to the gas but this is just a snapshot of some real values that paint a slightly different picture. If only considering engine torque we can say the diesel produces 88% more torque but if we include gearing then the diesel powertrain is only producing an additional 17% torque.

	engine torque​	transmission 1st gear​	axle ratio​	calculated torque​
6.4L Hemi​	429 lb.-ft.​	4.71​	4.10​	8,284​
6.7L Cummins​	805 lb.-ft.​	3.23​	3.73​	9,699​

While these numbers look pretty accurate, I'll call out that the Hemi makes that torque @ 4,000 rpm, where as the Cummins makes it's torque @ 1,700 rpm. Obviously, torque curves being different and all that, you'd need to find apples to apples dyno sheets or manufacture provided data, the Cummins is still going to make a noticeable amount of additional torque, if it didn't then there would be no real need for it right?

Whether that matters to each person or it's worth the price of admission is another question, but it does have the clear apper hand in a way that your chart alone doesn't account for.

In order to fit 37'' tires, the AEV bumper is necessary.

This is 110% incorrect. Many Ram HD owners, most in fact, install 37s without any aftermarket bumper. Guys put them on stock Cummins and Power Wagon trucks, so I've got no clue why they would tell you this, it's just flat out wrong.

Found another solution. This one seems a bit cooler. but it's a full bumper system from Expedition One. It will set you back $3.5k aprox.

View attachment 799309

I commented on this on the HD thread, but I'll say that their CS is still not fantastic. One guy had recently purchased this rear bumper for his truck, and turns out they made a change to the mounting latch to have it bolt together instead of be welded on (presumably to allower greater flexability for difference in manufacturing tollerance across Ram trucks) and they hadn't included the new metal brackets in his order. He had to fight with them over two weeks to get the brackets.

I've also got my own tale on their front bumper.

That all said, it's by far one of the nicest looking bumpers (front and rear) that are available. At least to me.