I HATE electronic "Nannies"

Well, as most of you can tell by now from my many posts, I am LOVING my new Power Wagon.

But, as with everything, there are bound to be little things that annoy.


Several of them have revealed themselves lately while out off road. I guess Ram and their legal team have decided to build the truck to accommodate the lowest skill level of driver out there. I wish everything were manual, or at least have an over ride, such as on the traction / stability control.

Here are my top issues;

Lockers: Why is it that the Locker function is only available in 4Lo? Don't they know that there are plenty of situations (deep sand and mud) where I would like to be "locked up" but travelling at something more than a snails pace?

Swaybar Disconnect: Like the Lockers, why can't I access this feature whenever I want? Like in 2WD or at speeds above 19 mph. There are so many long stretches of washboard "road" and open desert out here, that to get anywhere and avoid the dreaded "washboard shudder" one has to air down and go at least 40-50 mph. During those periods one would like to have the swaybar disconnected, even though I am not in need of 4WD.

Tow/Haul Mode: Why is it that I can run the Tow Haul mode for full power and firm shifting in everything but 4Lo? That is when I want all the timing I can get, and the higher trans pressures and solid shifting. I don't need to "soften" the power delivery when out crawling around! Isn't the drivetrain stout enough to handle a wide open power shift in 4Lo? I would surely think it could handle it.

OK, so enough negativity. There are some really cool features that indicate that the factory really did it's homework and listened to "real" owners / operators. These may be minor issues, but those are the ones that I find either make themselves invisible or can absolutely drive a guy like me nuts.

Here are a few goods;

Light Load Tire Monitor Setting: Not everyone is fully loaded in a 3/4 Ton truck. It is neat that you have a choice of "heavy / light" load so that you can soften the ride when empty. I wish it had one further for Off / Road or Sand. Even coming down to 30Fr / 20 Rr from the Light Load 60Fr / 45 Rr transforms the truck from a wheel hopping shuddering monster to a plush Dune Cadillac. It climbs, crawls and floats over everything just slightly aired down. I am happy the warning chime doesn't go off every ten seconds when doing so. I was concerned about running around "aired down" on pavement, especially at the high speeds and very high temps I see out here in the Southwest Desert. But, watching my psi gauge and inspecting the tire tread for unusual or accelerated wear shows these tires can take it. High Speed running aired down has shown me that temps only rise about 2psi per tire on extended runs. And that may just be from the high asphalt temps rather than tire flex. Good Job!

BackUp Camera / Chime Defeat: Great Idea. When towing a trailer or running with the tail gate down the last thing I need is a bunch of bells and whistles going off every time I go into Reverse. Great little feature. Things like this show that even the gizmo makers are listening to feedback from people who really use their trucks.

Tow / Haul Mode: Another neat thing for firming up the power delivery and getting the most out of the 5.7 when you need it. I don't mind running Premium and cruising at higher RPM's when towing or pulling a load through hilly or windy sections. Nice to have the option of softening things up and going for a little more mileage when empty. Even without the "Cylinder Deactivation" feature found on my Dodge 1500 4x4, I find I am getting right at three mpg less than with the half ton. It isn't much, but it does sting a little getting 14 average on the freeway, rather than 17. I wonder why they avoided that feature on the 2500? Probably thought it would be in 8 cylinder mode all the time. But running to the mailbox on level ground it would be nice to fart along in 6 cylinder mode.

OK, enough for now. I will step down from my Soap Box. I am sure those on here who have owned their trucks for a while have found quick and simple fixes to most of these issues. But, I would like to see them come from the factory with "smart options" so I don't have to cut, wrench and sweat while voiding my factory warranty.

The '14 Power Wagons are going to have the 6.4 with MDS. So there is one of your suggestions being taken care of!

Great looking truck by the way.

Awww man. I hate it when something better comes along the very next year. I was going to mention the lack of bottom end torque, but the fact that the 5.7 and the Six speed make power delivery seamless. I guess it isn't so much that I 'need' more power, but it running along for extended periods at higher RPM's when towing uphill into a wind is a little unusual for me.

That bigger motor with the deactivation system would be great. I would imagine the electronic tricks would just about make the larger displacement a wash in terms of fuel mileage.

I for one, would not have purchased the truck if it came with the Cummins. I simply do not need the Diesel and would not be willing to pay the upgrade premium for that motor. For me the gas motor allows it to off road better, with snappy throttle response and it being a little more balanced with it not having the big iron block further weighting down the nose.

I wouldn't feel too bad. It sounds like with the gain of the 6.4 you are giving up the 4.56 gearing. I had been saying if they would add the bigger Hemi to the Power Wagon's, I would buy one, but I never would have expected them to swap the gears at the same time. Rumor is they will be 4.10's.

Will they still have the 4.56's as an option? I would hope so.

I hope so as well. The gearing was likely the biggest selling point to me. The fear of a lack of the option has me considering rethinking a PW and going with a 1500.

I wonder if the gearing choice is a matter of trying to keep the motor spinning slower, down in it's "sweet spot" rather than running along at higher rpm where the 5.7 starts to work, or if it is pressure from EPA or to bump up the brands federal mpg standings.

Either way, a step "down' from 4.56 to 4.10's isn't that huge that it would prevent me from getting one as a new prospective buyer.

The availability of factory selectable Lockers is much larger a consideration than a small change in gear ratio.

My '07 with the "tow package" 3.92's does feel a bit "softer" than the PW with 56's but in 4-Lo even it gets around just fine (with stock tire sizing).

The issue for me, is I would not be sticking with stock tires. Would go 37" at minimum.

I'm still waiting on someone to make 4.88 or 5.13 gears for the 10.5 rear axle. If not in the future I'm going to have to upgrade the rear axle. Or maybe an atlas transfercase.

I'm going with 4.56 just for towing alone. If I could fit 4.88's I would.