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

[ramblinChet]

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

View attachment 799398

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:

View attachment 799399
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:

View attachment 799400

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.

Two quick notes - if you look at the labor and break it apart they are charging you for forty hours at $130 per hour which is not bad at all when you consider everything being done and the level of quality.

Taking a look at your options - the one I would recommend you take a second look at would be the snorkel for $1,100 since the snorkel alone costs $650. At $1,100 you are paying for the snorkel plus 3.5 hours of labor. Here is the warning - if you wish to add the snorkel later, you will be lucky to find a shop to perform the work for twice the labor. Maybe you never will consider a snorkel and that if perfectly fine but an installation after the fact is much more work. My recommendation is that if you are even slightly interested in one, have it installed now. The AEV snorkel was not available when I built my Prospector so unfortunately I performed the installation after the fact - here are some details:

2021 RAM 3500 Tradesman | AEV Prospector | FWC Grandby

Again, taking time and having the proper tools is the correct way to do things every single time. I am not going to become philosophical here but now is the time for American men to "get up, dust off, reload, re-calibrate, re-engage, and go out on the attack." The future of humanity depends on...

expeditionportal.com

And here is a picture of my Prospector having the snorkel installed. The instructions also specify the front bumper should be removed or slid forward - we were fortunate enough to work around that additional work.

 

[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.

 

[hdas]

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.

I see what your are saying, but my interpretation of what they said (and I could be wrong), is that AEV wouldn't do trimming/cutting or other stuff to the stock bumper. It wasn't a general statement about fitting 37's in a 3500. Maybe I worded my comment incorrectly to begin with.

commented on this on the HD thread, but I'll say that their CS is still not fantastic.

Yep, outfitter here in Colorado didn't recommend using them. Seems that they have bad experiences.

 

[UglyViking]

I see what your are saying, but my interpretation of what they said (and I could be wrong), is that AEV wouldn't do trimming/cutting or other stuff to the stock bumper. It wasn't a general statement about fitting 37's in a 3500. Maybe I worded my comment incorrectly to begin with.

For what it's worth, I am running 37s on AEV wheels and I didn't have to trim my bumper at all. My buddy is also running the same. Stock bumpers on both, 0 trimming to the bumper.

If you like the look and want to run the winch, then by all means, but it's not strictly necessary.

 

[No Ma]

We've ended up in a Ram 3500 built along the lines you're considering. We've been off-road traveling and camping for 15 years in Colorado and Utah with built Jeep JKURs and ground tents or off-road trailers. We wanted a rig that could carry a small off-road popup camper but still be capable of running 90-95% of the trails we normally visit these days.

After much research, we bought a 2022 Ram Big Horn 3500 crewcab short bed with SO Cummins. Suspension is 3.25" Carli Pintop. 37" tires on 18" Method HD rims. AEV front bumper w/16.5k Warn winch. White Knuckle sliders. Chassis Unlimited rear bumper and a Rigd Ultraswing tire carrier. FWC Hawk front dinette slide in camper.

The Carli suspension makes the truck the best riding/handling vehicle we've ever had. Very smooth and controlled both on pavement and off-road. I wasn't expecting that from a truck with a 4,009lb payload and rear leaf springs.

Choice of diesel was for low rpm torque on the trail and for the extra miles per gallon. The 31 gallon tank plus slightly better mileage has eliminated the need to carry extra fuel tanks for our travel style. Was the diesel required for our build? No. It was a preference. After 2 years, 15,000 miles and 2 full travel seasons, it's been a great combination for us. I test drove a '22 with HO/Aisin. Drove fine, didn't notice any hard shifting. For our use, including any towing we might do in the future, I didn't see the need for the extra horsepower, torque and expense.

 

[hdas]

Buying the truck is proving to be more difficult than anticipated. Here are the highlights:

1. Exact configuration is near impossible to find. If I order the car, I'm looking at 4-6 months potentially more. I could be patient, but the wife wants to start overlanding in late April.
2. I will use AAA service
3. Some of the dealers in Colorado said they would only do trades within Colorado.
4. The dealer I visited last weekend, salesman doesn't seem interested in following up or asking me what I want. It seems that I need to chase them.
5. Dealing with car sales people is truly annoying.

That's where I am.......And I need to do some research into:

1. How difficult is to install (through a dealer) the Front LED Headlamps to replace the crappy lights these trucks come with.
2. How difficult is to install (through a dealer) the Rear Wheelhouse Liners



These people are not interested in any discount beyond the general $2500 bonus. So I'm looking at 72k.......for a barebones truck missing some comfort and safety features, which is not optimal.

 

[hdas]

We've ended up in a Ram 3500 built along the lines you're considering.

Thanks a lot for you feedback!. If I could ask you, what have been the negatives, or relevant issues you wish were better ? Is there anything you would have bought/configured different in your setup?

I appreciate any insight you could share. Thanks

 

[Todd780]

View attachment 799480

Buying the truck is proving to be more difficult than anticipated. Here are the highlights:

1. Exact configuration is near impossible to find. If I order the car, I'm looking at 4-6 months potentially more. I could be patient, but the wife wants to start overlanding in late April.
2. I will use AAA service
3. Some of the dealers in Colorado said they would only do trades within Colorado.
4. The dealer I visited last weekend, salesman doesn't seem interested in following up or asking me what I want. It seems that I need to chase them.
5. Dealing with car sales people is truly annoying.

That's where I am.......And I need to do some research into:

1. How difficult is to install (through a dealer) the Front LED Headlamps to replace the crappy lights these trucks come with.
2. How difficult is to install (through a dealer) the Rear Wheelhouse Liners

View attachment 799481

These people are not interested in any discount beyond the general $2500 bonus. So I'm looking at 72k.......for a barebones truck missing some comfort and safety features, which is not optimal.

Wow. Didn't think it would be that hard to find an in stock truck right now.
Just out of curiosity have you searched for a Tremor with the 6.7 diesel? Or are you set on the Ram?

 

[PirateMcGee]

Crazy money just to go places base model stock trucks drive around on all the time.

This is a long thread but why diesel? They are so heavy offroad on an already heavy truck...

 

[hdas]

Just out of curiosity have you searched for a Tremor with the 6.7 diesel? Or are you set on the Ram?

We are set on the Ram. I'm not opposed to it, but my wife heard the story of our friend who had one and sold it because of many issues, and that has colored her opinion strongly.

 

[hdas]

This is a long thread but why diesel?

In a nutshell: Torque, fuel economy and robust engine.

 

[PirateMcGee]

In a nutshell: Torque, fuel economy and robust engine.

Fuel savings is non existent. Most places it's more expensive fuel and maintenance costs out weight it. I would really reconsider the diesel if you are planning on any sort of wet conditions. The weight makes a huge difference.