Towing 5,000 Pounds for 5,000 Miles? Part 1 - 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.com

Towing 5,000 Pounds for 5,000 Miles ? Part 1 - 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel Long-Term Road Test

Our long-term 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel takes on its biggest towing assignment yet -- pulling 5,000 pounds across America and back.

Read the full story here

bankerdanny

Why tow? Your Integra should be more than up to the task of driving across country and for less cost than the Ram.

defyant15

LOL!!! Talk about ridiculous excess - And I'm a car nerd. You towed an old Integra on a RAM for 4000+ miles round trip to drive it at the TOD for a few hours??

This is not a race prepped Shelby or something at a track that doesnt have DOT tires!! It's an old economy FWD car that probably cost less than the diesel used to tow it to TOD.

I get it - you all want to use the RAM for towing to showcase its capabilities - but this is a hilarious excuse.

BTW - I used to own an Integra GSR, same color, brown interior. Loved the sweet shifting manual!

cobryson

We complain enough that these guys don't use these vehicles in every possible scenario, don't drive them enough, etc...so I'm more than OK with this excuse to take the Ram on a long towing trip. It's their job to do stuff like this, am I wrong?

tlangness

I've gone cross-country in my Integra twice, it's definitely capable of this journey but I hooked it up for the testing experience. We've got the truck, we want to put lots of miles on it, hence - Dragon.

sxty8stang

bankerdanny said:

Why tow? Your Integra should be more than up to the task of driving across country and for less cost than the Ram.

So that guys who are considering buying one to actually tow their race car have some experiences like this to read about. Pretty simple. And because while driving a 20 year old car across the country is possible, it wouldn't exactly be comfortable compared to this Ram.

This is awesome - Tail of the Dragon is a blast but I hope you guys are hitting up some of the other roads around there too, like the Cherolah Skyway, which has higher speed limits, less people and is just as fun, personally. Looking forward to the next chapter.

stever

Did you misspell the name of the Skyway on purpose @sxty8stang? Probably too late to try to keep it a secret though, I had "discovered" it when I lived in Chattanooga in the 70s. (They were planning/fighting it then and I have family back there so I've driven it a couple of times)

Driving most anywhere on the back roads of N. Georgia is as much fun, unless you are actually trying to get somewhere.

explorerx4

This is a good story. So he's towing and old car that's probably street worthy, but it could be something else.
So on that steep grade in CA with the 55 mph limit, could the Ram reach/maintain it?
I'd like to see some details about fuel mileage, although we'll probably get that in the recap of the trip.
So far, so good and I look forward to the rest of the story.

imperioli

Focus on the RAM's towing - that's what the article is about and what most people are interested in. Most track whores / special / classic cars are towed around by trailer - especially when it's a really long distance like this. You can close your eyes and imagine whatever car you want on the back of that trailer so it makes you a happier person.

darthbimmer

What's with WALL-E in the gas pump picture?

tlangness

darthbimmer said:

What's with WALL-E in the gas pump picture?

I pick up hitch-hikers when I can.

adamb1

I would have taken a slightly more northerly route on I-40 and come through Tennessee to the ToD. Fewer large cities on the way. Better scenery when you reach TN and several grades that would have been a nice test for the Ram.