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Nissan Titan vs. Dodge Ram Hemi
Which one will you drive? Why?
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Right now there are more Nissan products in my immediate family than anything else. My '93 Sentra was the most perfect automobile that I had ever owned. If I were to need another small sedan I don't think I'd even bother to look at something else. It was such a real pleasure to own and operate. I also think that Nissan as a company is not adequately recognized for their engineering, and underrated in most other aspects as well, especially reliability and low cost of ownership.
Now I traded my 10-year old Sentra for a Dakota. I needed a truck, some were too big and others too small. Much to my surprise it has been an even better built vehicle than my Sentra. I would've liked to have bought another Nissan but the Frontier just didn't make the cut, mostly because of size. I drove almost every truck made. One other opinion that I have is that the Dodge RAM -- regardless of the engine -- is also vastly underrated. When my shopping was done there was no doubt that if I would have desired a fullsize truck the RAM would've been my first choice, followed closely by the F150.
I imagine the Titan is one heck of a vehicle. I've looked at the specifications and I'm mighty impressed. Maybe the Titan would be my first pick if the decision was made today. I don't know. But to say the RAM can't hold a candle makes me suspicious. All of the truck models sold today are so vastly improved and civilized in so many ways that its difficult to have such a commanding lead in any one category, much less as a whole truck. I might add that such an emphatic statement might lead some to think that it's the result of exaggeration and brand bias.
Hopefully I will have a chance to drive one soon. A good friend of mine is looking for a new truck and the Titan was the first one I mentioned that he should look at.
Regards,
Dusty
The 2500 ran more solid and the exhaust rumble was noticeable on 2003.The 1500 had 20 inch wheels and rode much smoother...
I am on verge of buying Dodge, but want to wait till I take a Titan for a spin... will share the experience tommorrow.
bowke28, How about yourself, since you initiated the discussion and also you work for makers of Titan, what are your thoughts about the comaprison between Ram and Titan. Actually I would like to hear your opinion....
opinion:
the titan is MUCH more refined, and has a nicer ride. the exhaust rumble is unmatched by anything this side of a viper! the backseat in the crew cab is bigger and more comfortable, and the utilitrak bed system is unmatched by any other truck.
fact:
they put a crew cab hemi next to a crew cab titan, dropped a trailer with an altima on each, and drag raced them over about 1/8 mile. the titan won all 3 times by AT LEAST a truck length. they also switched drivers and everything. the difference is that, while the hemi is so powerful, its not USABLE power when it counts, which is the low end. of the titan's 379 ft. lbs. of tourque, 90% is available below 2500 RPM.
I saw the F-150 beat the Hemi in the same type of trailer drag race by about a truck length. Does that mean that the Titan and F-150 would tie in such a race? That wouldn't be a bad showing for the "anemic" Ford.
The interior is well appointed and does not feel like the cab of a Kenmore/Frieghtliner like the Ram1500 does.
The low end torque is very impressive,starting from a stop light and accelerating up feels pretty good.Having said that the intensity of fun levels off when it reaches say 80MPH.
Where as on RAM HEMI if it is at say 75 to 80 MPH and you flatten the accelerator,you get the same kind of feeling as you would before a Boeing takes off from the runway...
Titan does not have this...
Now it maybe debateable whether one would need a sports car like performance from a full size pick up, for me the more performance the better.
I would put it this way,Titan has a impressive motor which is powerful and will do all it is asked of to do,but HEMI motor is more fun to drive.
Hemi motor in Titan would be the truck to dream of..
landru...the titan comes thru about 1/2 truck length. the difference between the dodge and ford and nissan is the fact that the gear ratios are all different, and the trannies are also different. nissan gets the same power to the rear wheels as ford with only a 3.36:1 gear ratio, where ford uses a 4.10. this is because of the 4 speed vs. 5 speed trannies. the difference in acceleration is the fact that nissan uses a drive-by-wire system that gets the engine revving a split second before the ford's engine does. the titan's win against the dodge is attributed to the same reason.
Here in Atlanta, daily driving can consist of 80 - 90mph on the freeways or you get ran over....
Try to make up as much time as you can between traffic jams. LOL!
The Dodge RAM with hemispherical engine is also a 5-speed transmission and drive-by-wire system.
Dusty
Also, although minor, the Nissan does have more torque. This could account for the better acceleration and strength from the start. And if the Dodge is much heavier, both combined would make the difference. HP means passing power and torque means starting/towing power - at least that is what my high school shop teacher use to say.
Just a thought.
Hey Bowke, it seems you know a lot about the F1550 and Nissan, but you better brush up on the Dodge...Dusty got ya! hehe.
An hour of detention bowke.
Bob
im not sure about the dodge, but the nissan training people told everyone it didnt.
So much for your certification. (you brought it up)
I wonder what else the Nissan trainers were wrong about?
Here is a question.. everyone feel free to chime in.
The Titan has a towing package called "Big tow package" which increases the std towing capacity from 7400 Lbs to 9500 Lbs of a SE Crew cab.
The big tow package does it by
"Lower final gear ratio (3.36:1)**; similar to a four-speed automatic 4.10:1"
Thats how its described on Nissan site.
The question...
Does it mean the final gear ratio for big tow package is 3.36:1 or 4.10:1 ?
If it is 3.36:1 what is the gear ratio without the "Big tow package".
It would make sense if the ratio is 3.36:1 without big tow package and 4.1:1 should be with big tow package, would that be the right statement?.
The reason I ask is, if the axle ratio is 3.36:1 it will result in lower drive shaft rotations for every axle rotation resulting in lower engine rpm and in better fuel economy, longer engine life and quieter running. But it won't be good for quick acceleration, climbing grades, carrying loads or pulling a trailer.
On the other hand if its 4.1:1,it is better for quick acceleration, climbing grades, carrying loads or pulling a trailer. However, it results in lower fuel economy and is noisier when running at high vehicle speeds.
If so, I think what the information is saying is that the increased ratio is being made up in the transmission on the Titan. It most certainly could be done that way, but it would be a departure from what's normally done in the industry.
In the case of the Dodge, the 45RE and 545RFE transmissions will have the same gear ratios regardless of the axle ratio.
I hope this helps.
Best regards,
Dusty
My apologies. In the above the the two transmissions used with the Dodge RAM are 45RFE and 545RFE. In addition, only the 545RFE version automatic transmission is available with the Hemi.
Regards,
Dusty
I will go back to the Dodge dealer and sit in a Ram Quad Cab again to give it another try. If the Dodge had a nice back seat with a proper setback angle, it would be very hard to beat.
1.Lets assume
"3:36 axle ratio is used on the Titan whether it has the "Big Tow' or little tow package" Is it possible if yes,how will the incresed ratio be made up in transmission.?
2.According to Nissan site the The big tow package increases the towing capacity because it has "Lower final gear ratio (3.36:1)**; similar to a four-speed automatic 4.10:1"
What I am interpretting from the NISSAN SITE's above statement is,the big tow package has a lower ratio of 3.36:1 and does what a higher ratio like 4.10 will do i,e tow MORE.If thats the case would'nt the little tow package have even a lower ratio than 3.36..?That does'nt seem right does it?
Regards.
-Titans little tow package which is standard tows 7400Lbs and has final gear ratio of 2.94:1 (similar to a four-speed automatic 3.73)
-The Big tow package which tows 9500 Lbs has a final gear ratio of 3.357:1 (similar to a four-speed automatic 4.10:1)
So what I am comprehending is if the ratio's are increased on Titan to Follow the Detriot built truck i,e 3.73 or 3.92 for lower towing and 4.10 for higher towing..Titan would have more capabilities ?
sardaz...
would the nissan gain capabilities with a 3.55 or 3.73 or 4.1? yes...but you would get about a mile to every 10 gallons of gas...lol.
Bob
What we really need to know in order to understand the way it's been described is the rear axle ratio and the transmission gear ratios for both the "Big Tow" and "Little Tow" versions.
In the Hemi RAM there are two rear axle ratios available: 3.55:1 and 4.10:1. The gear ratios with the 545RFE automatic transmission for the Hemi are as follows:
1st gear = 3.00:1
2nd gear = 1.67:1 (1)
2nd gear = 1.50:1 (2)
3rd gear = 1.00:1
4th gear = 0.75:1
5th gear = 0.67:1
rev gear = 3.00:1
Nissan could have most certainly used a lower numerical axle ratio and made up the drive ratio difference in the transmission gearing. One of the reasons why most manufacturers use a higher numerical axle ratio in trucks, besides increasing/decreasing vehicle load capability and the comensurate power band -- is to reduce gear loading. It also offers a mechanical advantage for increasing the available torque to the ground through the rear wheels. In addition when using higher ratios in the transmission it reduces gear noise which is more easily heard in the cab because the of the proximity of the transmission (its harder to isolate transmission noise than rear axle noise).
So Bowke, what are the rear axle and transmission ratios on the new Titan?
Regards,
Dusty
again, the power on the ground is an equation as follows: torque X average tranny ratio X tranny speeds X axle ratio.
the bottom line comes out almost identical with the ford and nissan, since the ford has only 4 speeds. i would assume the dodge uses higher ratios in the gearing, since the power on the ground is also almost identical.
Here in Houston my local dealer is telling me to wait for a while before they can sell one to me at VPP (a month)...I just want to see if I am gonna get the same response form every dealer i,e WAIT FOR A WHILE.. or should I be calling around to other dealers around here to see who volunteers for VPP..
1st .... 3.827
2nd .... 2.368
3rd .... 1.520
4th .....1.000
5th .....0.834
reverse 2.613
Final Drive 2.937/3.357(tow & off road package)
They are all higher than the Dodge 5 speed which shows why the rear-end can be lower in the Titan.
As to the noise thing - no person who has reviewed the Titan has ever mentioned a noise issue so that is probably old thinking - that is technology has solved that problem.
ill buy you a labatts anyway, ay! ;-)
FYI, neither do I have access to any of that stuff. Takes a little research. I should be a Nissan Salesman!! Go to Nissannews.com and check out the specs there. I told another guy how to find them. I printed the specs and it was 12 pages long. You should print them, then you will have more answers for your prospects.
pretty easy, eh?
<<<
I wasn't implying that the Titan or any other truck has a noisy transmission. Even with today's technology, it's just more difficult to reduce and isolate noise from the transmission than it is the rear differential.
Regards,
Dusty
Tundra has never been accepted as a true full sized truck by most posters here, however; The amount of interest generated here in these last few weeks indicates the opposite is true for Nissan Titan.
Yes, there's some skepticism, as there should be, but there aren't scores of us laughing like we did when Toyota announced thier "full sized" T100 or Tundra.
In fact, the only thread our host deleted was comparing Titan to Tundra.
Your "prospects" are right here.
kip
Harry
Most Tundra owners are interested in Tundra for reliability, quality, and Toyota service & reputation.
For most(>50%) of truck owners our trucks are for city errands. Big loads or pulling a several thousand pound trailer are infrequent occasions.
Tundra fills a niche, just like smaller compact trucks.
I had a co-worker who insisted his Tundra was almost a one ton because it had a gross payload of over 1800 lb.
We've gone over the Tundra debate ad nausium. There's a large majority of truck owners that don't consider Tundra a viable option and you don't hear them saying much against the Titan. Just speculation about it's merits.
kip