Dodge Ram - III

davids1

many things. Take your truck to a reputable non-dealer affiliated alignment shop that you trust and ask them to check everything out. I had a similar problem with my 99 quad 4x4. Took it to dealer because it was pulling left. They checked alignment and it still pulled left. They then swapped the front wheels/tires and then it pulled right. Their explanation was that one of the tires was a larger diameter than the other causing the truck to pull. When I got home I swapped the tires again myself and the truck pulled the other direction. 'Nuff said, could be your tires.

RichinKs

My 2001 4x4 2500 pulled to the right. The dealer said the axle was bent and they didn't have the equipment to fix it so they paid for me to take it to a front end shop. I don't remember the technical jargon but they said the axle was not bent but the whole assembly was to far farward on the left side. They fixed it and it drives fine.

Rich

warfish

When I ordered my 2001 2500 QC 4x2 diesel auto with 3.54 in March, all 4 dealers I talked to told me I would need the camper special suspension to tow a fifth wheel. I took their advise and ordered it and have been sorry ever since. Even with the trailer hooked up with 1900 lbs of pin weight, it still sat higher in the back. Of course it rode like it had no springs at all with no load. Last week I took it to a spring shop that I know has a very good reputation and had the rear end softened and had the spacer taken out to lower it a bit. They re-arched the helper springs so they are only being used when it's actually loaded. Between that and taking off the 265 tires and going to 245s the truck is just great now. It rides better than my '98 1500 did unloaded, and still sits level with the fifth wheel attached. After selling the old tires it cost me just $300.00 to get the truck set up right. Now I love my truck.
rockymtn:
I assume you have a 4x4. From what I've been reading Dodge still hasn't resolved the front end problems with that axle.

rockymtn

Well....5 days later dealers still got my truck. Replaced right caliphers, put the front tires on the back, things got better, but still not good enough, or safe. Now it is pulling to the left and the dealer has parts ordered to replace the left caliphers. Worry that I got a lemon? Here we are getting ready to make my first truck payment, and I am driving the dealer's neon, and my truck has been in the shop 1 1/2 out of the 3 that I have owned it. What would you do?? Getting prepaired to talk the GM of dealership on Monday....destroying the excitment of owning the new truck....It will be 8 days in the shop and still counting.

Help!

geno7

have plagued you guys since you got your new 2001 Dodge Rams. Is this indicative of many of the 2001's? Hope not. I nearly bought a new Dodge Ram 2001 SLT with Cummins 24v Quad SB 4x4 last week from Dave Smith Motors in Idaho. Great place to deal with for a truck. The one I drove had no pull or wander in the front end, but only had 70 miles on it. It also had a Dr. Performance Phase II kit that upped the HP 70+ and the torque 150+. It was so smooth on acceleration and gave you the extra power to pull those big trailers with. Had to walk away from the purchase cause it didn't have power seats, travel convenience group(overhead console), or trailer tow group. Color was one other hangup. Still may work out a deal. These various problems on the front ends, brakes and tranny's make me wonder if DC's quality control is slipping in some factories. Granted, not everyone is having these problems, but enough are that it makes you think they may have sent out some Rams through the GM factory!

phatdan

My 98 1500 QC pulled to the right when I drove it off the lot. Swapped the front tires and cured the problem.

sorcerer

I am looking at buying a '01 1500 Quad Cab Ram, I have not yet had the opertunity to drive one, as the dealer in my area did not have any in stock.

Can anyone tell me if the rear seat is useable?
I go camping alot, & would like to be able to haul all our gear in the bed, & have room for 4 in the cab. I am talking about 4 full sized adults.

Please let me know if it would be a comfortable fit for a several hour ride, or if I should be looking down to the Dakota Quad cab.

Sorcerer

warfish

I'm assuming these steering problems are all 4x4 related. The question that comes to mind when I read about the dealer swapping tires around to cure the problem is. What happens when it's time to rotate the tires? I don't think I'd let the dealer off the hook that easily, you may end up paying big time to cure a factory problem later on when the dealer can claim you damaged the front end yourself.
This appears to be a factory defect that is being missed by QC at DC.

warfish

Yours is a tough problem to answer because everyone has a different opinion about rear seat comfort. I have a Quad cab 2500 and have toted people around quite a bit in the back seat with no complaints. If the people are REALLY large it may be a problem, but any back seat may be also. Check around with other dealers and sit back there yourself. The problem with the Dakota is the box is tiny compared to a full sized truck, but if you don't plan on carrying much back there it may be a good choice.

mictro

For what it is worth, I have had several people (adults) tell me that the back seat in my 2500 Ram is much more comfortable than the back seat in a Ford F-250.

warfish

I hate to mention this when we're talking about Rams, but the new Chevy and GMC have the best backseat of them all. If backseat comfort is of utmost importance, at least give it a try.

sorcerer

Can't stand the styling of the GMC/Chevy, Ford's are pretty plain as well, IMO.

Really love the dodge style.

lariat1

If back seat room is of upmost importance then you need a crew cab with a 6.5' bed.They are the same length as an extended cab with a 8' bed and you have the room for 6 BIG people anybody who says that it is comfortable in the back of an extended cab is eitherr 4'5" tall or they are a contortionist.To me back seat comfort was not a factor I just wanted the 4 doors to fit a car seat for my son in the back so I got a 2500 quad cab.One adult can ride back there but I think 2 adults would be very uncomfortable.

sorcerer

I guess I'll just have to go with the Dakota Quad cab. It's still a very nice truck, but I love the size & stance of the Ram 4x4.

Thanks everyone!

Blong1

Any help is appreciated, I have a 98 Ram 1500 2 wheel, I currently have 245x75x16 tires, I would like to add a little wider tire without screwing up the speed guage, any thoughts on what would work?

wwhite2

a wider tire wont bother the speedo..... a larger diameter tire will

geno7

The new Ram pickups arriving at the dealers in the 3/4 and 1 ton size have 4 wheel disc brakes, 4 wheel ABS and Halogen headlights. There is word that the automatic transmission has been beefed up to handle more torque along with the drive line. Driftwood color has been dropped for this year. Colors added for the 2001 1/2 were Bright Silver and Amber Fire(the Dakota orange). Still to be confirmed is the Allison auto in the trucks. Does anyone out there know for sure if the new trucks arriving have the Allison transmission in them?

Blong1

Sorry I guess I didn't make myself clear. What I was hoping for was someone that could recommend a size that would be the same diameter as the 245 but wider. I was thinking along the lines of 255x70x16 or sometning like that.
Thanks

tysons4cars

The 2001 Rams do not have the Allison transmission. Allison did have a hand in helping to design the new transmission, however their name is not present. However the new 2002 models will have the Allison Trans.

davids1

Check any of the tire manufacturer's web-sites. They will have the technical specs (sizes, etc.). Just look up the diameter of your present tire and find a wider tire that matches the overall diameter of your present tire.

tesmith22

I am considering purchase of a 2001 2500 quad cab 4X4 with the HO diesel, 6 speed & 4.10 rear end Does any one know what kind of mileage I should expect at 60 mph running empty. My 96 cummins 5 speed gets a pretty consistent 20 mpg.

tesmith22

lariat1

I have a 98 with the 24v and I get 20-24 mpg empty and it does not matter how fast I drive its the same at 85mph as it is at 60mph.A guy I work with recently bought the same truck you have from Dave Smith in Idaho,he got every option possible I think,the truck is blue and absolutely gorgeous he said he gets about 19mpg but the engine is not broke in yet.

dman2

Can anyone tell me what the maximum tire size I can put on my truck. I have a 2001 Dodge Ram 2500 Quad Cab 4 x 4 with Michelin LT265/75 R16. I'd like to increase both the diameter and width, if possible, to fill up the wheel well a bit without having to change the rim size. What size can I go up to without rubbing? Also, if I increase the diameter of the tires how much will that throw off the speedometer?

RichinKs

acceleration? A larger diameter tire will slow it up a tad. Which rear end do youu have? The 3.54 it would leave you awfully high for towing anything but a light load. No acceleration to merge on freeway ramps with a tow.

warfish

if you go to larger tires. My 2001 2500 QC Cummins came with LT265/75 R16s and I went to a smaller tire, LT245/75 R16, mainly to get a few more RPMs for towing in OD. Much to my surprise, the truck rides and handles so much better it was shocking. Maybe it was the brand change, Michelin to Uniroyal, but I think it was the combination of both size and brand.

dman2

I've got the V10 with 4.10 rear end. I'm pretty happy with the acceleration. As far as handling goes, the 265/75 seem to handle sufficiently. Mainly, I'm just trying to fill the huge wheel wells with a larger diameter tire, this is more for appearance than anything else.

warfish

I understand how you feel about the huge wheel well, but you will have to go to an extremely large tire to make that much difference. The radius of a 265 tire is only 1/2 inch more than a 245. and when I went to the smaller tire I can't really see any obvious difference. I put a mark on the inside of the well at the top of the tire before the change, and it's just barely visable now. I have often wondered why DC has such huge wheel wells when so many people don't seem to like them.

RichinKs

Maybe I'm the only one, but the large wheel wells give the truck the appearance of being taller than it accually is. I have a similar setup to dman2, v10, 4.10 and LT265's. Of course to small a tire looks out of place. But the LT265 is a good size to me. Perhaps one size larger might be better looking, but not worth the money for appearance only to me. ... Due to unforseen circumstance we have not towed our 5th wheel much this year. This weekend I am taking a 800 + round trip. If I continue to have troubles with it staying in overdrive I might consider larger tires and towing in 3rd. But I don't think that will be nessasary nor will one size larger make much difference performance wise anyhow. a larger tire will cause rougher ride if no compensation is made to springs etc.

davids1

the size of the wheel wells was due to numerous customer requests. Folks don't want their tires hitting the wheel wells when loaded.

dman2

I agree with your comments. I think the 265/75 R16 look a little small on such a big rig. I don't mind the large wheel well, I'm just trying to fill it a little more with a larger tire. I may try the 285's but I was actually looking for a little larger diameter to put on the 16" wheel rims.
As far as mileage goes, I consistently get 10 mpg with the automatic V10 4.10. Mostly highway miles.

jmh0354

I would like to know what fuel mileage people are getting on the 2500 quad cab 4X4 cummins diesel with the 410 gear rear end. I have seen a lot of information on the mileage on the 355 gear, but none on the 410 gear. I would appreciate any information I could get on this, because I am thinking about purchasing one with the 410 gear.

ldh2

WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR INFORMATION ABOUT THE DODGE 2002 COMMING OUT WITH THE ALLISON TRANS?
WILL IT HAVE THE CUMMINS MOTOR OR THE MISUBISHI MOTOR? WILL IT BE THE NEW BODY STYLE THAT IS SUPOSE TO BE RELEASED IN 2003? I HAVE ASKED MY DEALERS ABOUT THE TRANS AND NO RESPONES. ANY INFORMATION WOULD BE APPRCIATED. THANKS

jcmdie

The 1/2 ton models get redone for model year 2002 and that will be out next year. The 3/4 and 1 ton models will have a different body style than the 1/2 ton models and they will not get redone until the 2003 model year. I heard that new transmissions are in the works but I don't know if Allison has the contract. The gas engines are all being replaced with new models within the next two years.

ldh2

I WANT TO BY A 2002 WITH THE OLD BODY STYLE WITH the NEW TRANS . AND theCUMMINS MOTOR. IS THIS POSSIBLE?

jcmdie

The cummins only comes in the 2500 and 3500 series and theese will not change in 2002. I do not know when the transmissions will be redone.

ldh2

THANKS FOR THE RESPONSE. THE PERFECT TRUCK,3500 SERIES DULLY,WITH THE ALLISON TRANS LIKE GM IS REALSING THIS YEAR. IF SOMEONE KNOWS THIS FOR SURE,LET ME KNOW.

geno7

Different dealers and salesmen at dealers have said that Allison helped with the beefing up of DC's (Dodge) auto transmission for the 2001 1/2 pickups arriving at dealerships now. These are dealers in Oregon, Utah & Idaho. They get training tapes etc. that updates their knowledge. They seem to think Allison will play a big part in the auto transmission for 2002/2003. On 9/4/00, a salesman said he heard that for the 2500 & 3500 there will be an option for diesels between the Cummins and the Mercedes Benz for 2003 & maybe 2002. Also, rumor has it Dodge may offer pickups/trucks over the 1 ton range, such as 1 1/2 or 2 ton. Who knows for sure. We will just have to wait & see.

firemandave

Who would choose a Mercedes diesel over the Cummins???

ldh2

THANKS FOR RESPONSE. I WANT TO BUY BUT WAITING FOR THE PERFECT COMBO. THE CUMMINS HAS BEEN AROUND FOR EVER,WHY WOULD DODGE WANT TO CHANGE TO CHANGE A GOOD THING? KEEP ME INFORMED ON UPDATES.

426hemi

Looking to order a new truck and I'm hoping that someone can answer the following questions:

- What option gets you the black molding on the lower half of the tailgate? I've seen many trucks w/ and w/o it, but it doesn't appear to be option dependent.
- Are lighted vanity mirrors available anymore? What option will give you these?
- What option will get you locking glove compartment and/or locking storage compartment?

Thanks.

racefan9

i have a 99 1500 quad cab slt 5.2L from what i've heard they haven't changed them,they are going to change them for 2002, anyway the black on the tailgate comes with the slt not the st or sport, lighted vanity mirrors are only on the passenger side and i don't have a locking glove box or storage compartment strange hmmm.
Here's a link to the 2002 may be old news to some:
http://www.car-truck.com/chryed/buzz/b081700.htm

racefan9

here's a link to the engines:
http://www.car-truck.com/chryed/buzz/b080100.htm

racefan9

ok sorry if this is all old news:
http://www.car-truck.com/chryed/buzz/b090700.htm

obyone

so what about the 426 hemi? post #100. 6.1 doesn't equal 426 cu in.

racefan9

426hemi is a response to the dude who posted #99

nascar6

I have both driver and passenger side on my truck.

nascar6

firemandave

I don't know about the 1500, but the 2500 (and 3500, I think) don't have the taigate molding on the "2001.5". My 2001 2500 SLT has the molding, but I got it in April. The "newer" 2001 3/4 and 1 tons don't have it, but they do have rear disc brakes now. There are a few other small changes as well. I don't know how any of this applies to the 1500s (no rear discs on 1500s, I don't think). Also, I think the SLT and SLT+ options give you the dual vanity mirrors.

andy68

Has anybody had troubles with their transmissions? I have talked to several people that said they had to replace the rear ends in their 1500's especially after towing. My 1500 with 5.9 has 82,000 miles on it, and the transmission fails to downshift or upshift once in a while. It I think is starting to go.

racefan9

http://www.pickuptruck.com/html/stories/03ram/ram_render.html

geno7

You're right about the tailgate molding not on the 3/4 & 1 ton Dodge Rams for 2001.5. They do have the 4 wheel disc brakes and they are bigger also (9.5 to 11). They have also upgraded the auto tranny's and made them stronger. Some of the electronics (although not specified) were upgraded too. The base price took a jump as well as some specified option packages. I have my SLT+ ordered and was told 3 to 8 weeks for delivery. Trying to plan now on how many after market options I want to add to this truck.