New to the Ram crew

Well, not brand new. I bought the truck in January. But this is the first Chrysler product I've owned. Always been a GM guy. Wanted to try out one of these Ecodiesel Rams. I intend to use this thread as an intro, as well as a rolling record of what I'm hoping to do, have done, will do, etc. Hopefully some folks will chime in!

Truck is a 2015 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 Ecodiesel.

Things I really like -

• Ram boxes - man I love these things.
• Ride is pretty decent.
• Body style.
• Keyless operation - enter and go I think they call it?
• Remote start - all my stuff was older so this is a cool feature
• Heated steering wheel - what a yuppie thing to have, but it is nice in the cold!

Things I don't like -

• Not enough leg room - seat doesn't go far enough back.
• Not enough head room - I'm not a giant, but even with my seat dead to the floor, I hit my head on the roof going over speed bumps quite often.
• Seat heaters only work on the seat bottom, not lower back like my GMC did.
• Safety motion controls with the radio.
• A grinding noise in my dash when the truck is off - blend door?.
• Cost of maintenance.
• Fuel mileage - I've been disappointed compared to everything I read online about the ecodiesel.
• POWER - it has basically none, I've driven faster mini vans.
• Stupid molded floor design under the back seats.
• Chime when key fob isn't in the truck
• Dome lights are flickering
• On Bluetooth, when my phone is connected, it won't play audio from youtube or facebook or whatever. Video plays on the phone and no audio from either phone or radio.

Things I've done so far -

• Tint on all window glass 20% and I regret not going darker. 70% on the windshield to protect the dash from the New Mexico and Texas sun.
• Husky floor mats - Amazon much cheaper than weathertech and just as good.

Things in progress -

• Working on a sub box/stereo upgrade - looking to cram 2 giant 8" subs under the back seat.

Things I'd like to do -

• Add a cargo and front facing camera.
• Bypass the radio safety functions.
• Tune with GDE.
• Get the bed lined.
• Figure out a way to make my seat go back further.
• Find remedies to the things I don't like about the truck!

Welcome to the Herd. Or Ramily depending on who your talking to.

Can't speak to the Eco as I don't have one. I'm wondering about the heated seats - I have an '09, and the back of the seats heats as well. I also have the cooled seats so I don't know if that makes a difference.

Most of the other issues I'm not sure I'm qualified to speak to - my '09 doesn't have most of the same electronics. But if the dome lights are flickering, there are several threads here about that issue.

As for ride quality, I love it. Head room - I'm 6' even and I never bump my head, and my street has several speed bumps on it. Leg rooms is good too, but I also have the adjustable pedals.

The Eco is supposed to be pretty good on MPG so not sure what's up with that. I've got the Hemi so MPG is always an issue.

Welcome!

Congratulations
Welcome to the site

welcome

Welcome, let's see some pics! A couple of buddies have Ecodiesels, they're getting around 27mpg. You didn't mention what mileage you're getting?

Welcome! Why buy ecodiesel? go big or go home! lol
The big cummings is the way to go!
I have 5.7 Hemi, blows away 5.3 GMC I had, yes gmc was better mpg But I did not buy a Hemi for mpg!
I buy a truck for a truck.

RamHondo said:

Why buy ecodiesel? go big or go home! lol
The big cummings is the way to go!
I have 5.7 Hemi, blows away 5.3 GMC I had, yes gmc was better mpg But I did not buy a Hemi for mpg!

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Why did you stop at the 5.7? Why not the 6.4 Hemi..Go Big or Go Home???

I'm guessing similar to me, the OP has no need for a 2500/3500 truck but wanted a diesel. Not to mention the 1500 rides better and is a whole lot quieter than HD version. The fact the EcoD can outrun a Hemi between fuel stops is an added bonus!

my roush stang takes care of the need for SPEED! lol

Rebel will get muffler delete and then a tune!
It will do the Rebel Yell! lol!

to the Forum!

MikeG71 said:

to the Forum!

Click to expand...

Hows weather up in WA?
60 AND SUNNY IN NC

RamHondo said:

Hows weather up in WA?
60 AND SUNNY IN NC

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All last week was sunny and in the mid - upper 60’s. It was rainy yesterday. Today is overcast but will be mid 60’s .

Well thanks for the warm welcome guys!

Yeah I said I came from GM, but didn't give much more back story. I have owned and driven Duramaxes for the last 10 years or so. Most recently an EFI Live tuned 2006 crew cab SLT. 475hp daily driving and I sold it at 316,000 miles still running strong. So I didn't jump brand for loyalty reasons. Initially, I wanted a Mega Cummins. But turns out, since I hadn't financed a truck in over 10 years, the bank said I was too high risk for a $60k loan. Stupid. So, I figured since I drive around 30k a year for work, and everyone touts amazing mileage in the ecodiesel I'd give it a shot since I could grab a lower mileage used one for about $30k.

MPG and Power - I read glory stories of 30 mpg highway trips and 23 mpg in town and 16 towing a small trailer. So far, the only one I've seen is the trailer mileage. I average 18 mpg in town, 23 on the highway and according to fuelly, about 22.5 overall. Now don't get me wrong, that is good for a truck, just not as good as I had hoped. And I got 16.5mpg in town in my Duramax and 19.5mpg on the highway, but sacrificed 200 horsepower doing so. I'm waiting on the verdict on the Ecodiesel class action lawsuit, then I intend to tune with GDE to see if it makes the truck any less sad to drive and more economical.

I have the cooled seats as well. I do feel a slight bit of heat on the heaters on the lower back, but nothing like the GMC or my Escalade. Those have a full blown element on your lower back.

I also have the adjustable pedals. Maybe I'm just built strange? I'm about 6' with my boots on. But night and day difference from my Escalade to my Ram. I can put the seat not quite all the way back in the Escalade and just be hitting the gas with the ball of my foot. In the ram, with the seat clear all the way back, I'm full foot on pedal with knee bent. Drives me nuts. And I don't sit upright like a grandma, but when I'm in my normal driving position, I have about 2" from the roof. In my Escalade I've got about 5-6".

I'll start doing some digging around on the forum to see if there are any remedies to my complaints.

Thanks again for everyone checking in.

*Edit* - I forgot about pictures. It is filthy right now. I'll probably wash it today or tomorrow then I'll post a couple pictures. Nothing fancy. Just a stock truck, but I know how it goes. Everyone likes photos!

Welcome

Well this afternoon I built a mock up sub box to see if I can get my subs in this thing. What a stupid design with these little cubbies. Why in the world would they mold tin throughout just so you can have tiny little bowls to put a couple things in. Has anyone ever pulled everything out and seen how hard it would be to cut out the molded cubbies so you could have the entire space to use?

Anyway, here is the mock up box

Gave up on the box building, ordered a box from Fox Acoustics that I'm going to modify slightly to work with my speakers. Hoping the box is good quality. Any of you use them?

Washed the truck. Got some pictures. This is the first real wash I gave it. Found some scuffs and scratches which makes me irritated, but oh well. That is what you get with a used truck.

Welcome! Go to the Member Trucks section to post up your build.

Welcome!
Im sitting here asking myself how the heck at 6’ tall your 2” from the headliner!?!? Does that thing have a sunroof?
Im 6’4” and 265lbs with a size 16 boot. I find my seat is amazingly spacious. But, I have cloth, manual seats...maybe my weight squishes the cushion down more