Help with new 2015 RAM 1500

[ShaneRoss37]

Quote:
Originally Posted by ShaneRoss37 View Post
Air intake, immediate exit exhaust, high flow cats

The benefits of these mods is disputed, but generally considered to be low, if any benefit. Likely not enough to pay for itself unless the stock part was complete garbage. If installed mainly for the performance gains, they're not too bad.

Not really what this thread is about. I saw results from these things on my old truck. I am not saying it will work for everyone but it definitely worked for me. And a HP increase is almost always a MPG increase because it results in the burning of fuel more efficiently. A friend of mine put the factory Toyota supercharger on his Tacoma V6 (without the 7th injector option) and actually picked up an extra 2 MPG when driven accordingly. Of course that's not why he did it so he rarely saw the mpg improvement.

Like many people on here say, the biggest mod you can make to your car is to the driver.

Does anyone have experience putting a tub on a brand new vehicle with a warranty?? I can just see the dealership denying a claim because some part doesn't get the air flow it was intended or something stupid like that.

[mikeyjd]

100+ Hypermiling / ecodriving tips & tactics for better mpg - EcoModder.com
65+ Vehicle modifications for better fuel economy - EcoModder.com

[Fat Charlie]

Originally Posted by ShaneRoss37

Does anyone have experience putting a tub on a brand new vehicle with a warranty?? I can just see the dealership denying a claim because some part doesn't get the air flow it was intended or something stupid like that.

It depends on what the claim is. If you've installed a tub that when filled will bring you over the truck's stated payload capacity, I wouldn't waste my time asking them to cover a suspension or driveline issue.

Of course, once we had a half ton in, it belonged to some stoneworking company and the bed was beat all to hell. A snap ring on the axle shaft had dissolved and the shaft was only being held in place by the caliper. A blind man could see that the poor truck had been way overloaded and that they should have had a much heavier duty truck, but the repair got covered.

Then there was the snowplow guy complaining that his rig ran hot when his plow was up (blocking the grille) who got sent away unhappy. So you never know.

[cosmick]

After plenty of experience replacing "economy" axle ratios with the next ratio up, numerically, I can give it as tested and proven fact that lowest possible cruise RPM is NOT always best. Better to have 200 RPM extra than 50 RPM not enough. So you may find a real improvement by going to the salvage yard, getting a 3.54:1-geared axle for $160, bolting it in one Saturday afternoon, then Monday morning getting your local stealership to switch the calibration. Trying to get such a small engine to pull such low RPM in such a draggy vehicle is silly to begin with.
Also, you may need 4WD, but is it just for traction, or do you also need the ground clearance? If not, lower the truck. Cutting coils isn't ideal, but it is cheapest to do, and cheapest to undo, for testing. But you'll need a front end alignment once lowered, and again if you don't like lowered.
Contrary to Mythbusters testing, which was only one truck, some other trucks do benefit from tailgate down, others from tonneaus. You'll have to do your own testing to determine what yours likes.
I'd trade it for a RCLB 5.2L Dakota and work from there. Just the reduced drag would give at least 5 MPG.

[2000mc]

cosmick - referring to a '99 Dakota rated for 12/17mpg?
On an older truck with a 4spd, I would tend to agree, but I don't think having too tall of gears would be as much of an issue if you have a 8speed. Even if it only used 8th going downhill with a tailwind, if it acts like a 7speed most of the time I can't think there's much left on the table

[PaulB2]

I have the same truck, a 2014 (I think) 1500 with 3.21 rear and the V6 (sweet engine, by the way) and the 8-speed box. Mine is a 2wd though.

It's rated at 25mpg (US) on the highway, and I think I can better that with some mild hypermiling. Towing a trailer knocks that way down (14 or so), as does driving in town.

The gas consumption display is very nice in this truck, better than a scan guage in my opinion because you see a bar graph for the instantaneous mpg, so the feedback is as good as it gets.

Mine is too tall; I don't need that height in a 2wd truck. Some day I may lower it a bit.

Putting in a half-tonneau is very easy if you have a RamBox as I do. Supposed to help on the highway...

[bhazard]

ZF 8HP transmission - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

4.71:1 1st gear, I don't think under-gearing is gonna be an issue there. Makes the most of the relatively low torque output of that V6. Unless you're trying to pull a big-boy load.

[Fat Charlie]

Full size ≠ Heavy duty.

Most people never bump into this problem, and the OP seems quite on board with it.

[kir_kenix]

My brother has the same truck as you (regular cab, right?), and he is getting similar results...25ish on the highway. He was rocking a 2wd ecodiesel, but was rear ended by a semi in Battle Creek Mi, last month. He's not really an ecomodder, but hes pretty darn careful to get decent gas mileage as he gets paid a flat rate by the mile. Told me last night that the mileage is absolutely terrible while pulling any sort of weight on a trailer, but otherwise is way more cost effective than the diesel once you consider the premium Fiat wants for that engine.

He's got a generic soft bed cover on it, says snow never gets disturbed in the first 2/3rds of the cover and he has to shovel it off. I'll be watching this with thread with interest to pass on anything you find that works for you. I'm thinking that the era of 30mpg full size trucks is just about upon us.

[ShaneRoss37]

The 3.21 gear ratio is the best for fuel economy. the government makes RAM rate all their engine and gear ratio combinations and this is the best one. I have a cab height cap on the truck. Lowering may be an option. All I've been able to find is a 2"front/4"rear lowering kit which I think is too much but I'm considering it. I will not be cutting coils on my brand new truck.

And I don't tow(at all) or haul anything too heavy so that isn't an issue.

I'd trade it for a RCLB 5.2L Dakota and work from there. Just the reduced drag would give at least 5 MPG.

This is ridiculous... I don't even know where to begin lol.

Still no mpg numbers worth reporting, I've just been doing stop and go and errands. My wife got a Mazda 3 with the unlimited mileage warranty for 5 years in December so we take that everywhere.