How much better is the 5th gen ride?

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Jim113

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I'm on my third RAM Longhorn and all of them had the air suspension ... I live in Canada and we have some pretty cold temp's up here, but I have to say I have had absolutely no issues with the air susp. ... (Present truck is a 2020 5'th Gen) Smooth ride, especially on the highway as it also adjusts to an AERO mode ... You still can feel the potholes in the road, especially in the city at lower speeds, but not quite as bad as a standard suspension ... This has been my experience on the air suspension ... Good luck on your decision ...
 

HEMIMANN

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I'm on my third RAM Longhorn and all of them had the air suspension ... I live in Canada and we have some pretty cold temp's up here, but I have to say I have had absolutely no issues with the air susp. ... (Present truck is a 2020 5'th Gen) Smooth ride, especially on the highway as it also adjusts to an AERO mode ... You still can feel the potholes in the road, especially in the city at lower speeds, but not quite as bad as a standard suspension ... This has been my experience on the air suspension ... Good luck on your decision ...

How long did you run them? Reportedly the air suspension developed freezing issues over time, not right away. I don't know, just read about it which kept me from getting another half ton. I went with straight 3/4 ton instead.
 

ramffml

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My experience is somewhat similar, the drivetrain is dicey but then again, I've read bad things about GM engines and transmissions lately as well. In fact, a bad GM engine design I owned led me to Ram after a buddy bought a Ram. Then the test ride and interior of Ram sold me.

I think I'd buy the Ram again since the transmission was upgraded (but a complete PITA to change oil on), and baby the Hemi rather than have another GM with failing engines and transmissions with crude interior and ride?

I'm on the GM forums (daily) for a number of years, GM's 5.3 and 6.2 have a very bad batch of lifters between a certain set of dates, far more so than normal. But yeah their AFM/DFM system doesn't seem to have a great reputation, so I'd never trade my hemi for a 5.3 or 6.2

I'm also not a fan or turbos. But as a base engine, GM's 2.7 is far better than the pentastar and Ford NA v6; more power, better MPG. I was shocked at how good it felt when I test drove one, it had loud AT tires on so I couldn't hear the engine at all and I was constantly thinking "this has got to be the 5.3" but when stopped and listening to it idle, no doubt it was the 4 banger. So I'd have a hard time paying for the 2.7 as an upgrade, but as a base engine in an entry level trim...?

It is also tuned really well, the transmission is very quick to both downshift and upshift which means you get your power instantly and the RPMs are where they need to be to spin the turbo but it upshifts as soon as you get off the gas. Makes the ride a little more "busy" than in my truck which is more relaxed and smooth which may upset me more if I drove it longer than 10/15 minutes, hard to say.

So IF: big if, I went to GM, it would be either the 3.0 diesel or the 2.7. I'm not going to jump from the hot pan (hemi) into the fire (5.3/6.2) as that's pretty pointless and gets me knowhere; it's a side move that doesn't get me any better MPG, nor is there any guaranteed I get a more durable engine, and I get a worse transmission and ride and interior.
 

HEMIMANN

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@ramffml - you and I think much alike & have similar experiences.

Do you know who is making their 3.0 diesel for them? I kind of got turned off on diesels during the great bankruptcy shuffles of 2008. Cummins was set to put a light duty diesel in Ram, FCA bought out of bankruptcy and put in the Italian diesel.

Cummins had already spent millions readying the new diesel, and went to Nissan without. A since-discontinued disaster. They made it too big anyway. I was pushing for the ISB4.5L turbo I4, developed and in production here in USA. Nope - they weren't having any of it. I worked for Cummins for 22 years.
 

ramffml

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@ramffml - you and I think much alike & have similar experiences.

Do you know who is making their 3.0 diesel for them?

I believe it's just GM + Isuzu, same as their big 6.6. That 6.6 is consistently underrated as with "only" 900 and change lb/ft of torque it is rated to pull just as much as the powerstroke and cummins; though cummins recently took that crown again.

Hey, if Ram put a 3.0 cummins in their truck I'd be all over that too! I bet FCA regrets going with VM Motori instead of cummins.
 

HEMIMANN

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Isuzu engines are rock solid. The bad rep the 6.6 had with injectors was a universal bad injector problem from Bosch, regardless whose engines they went into. My brother had one of them, which is how I know. He is a certified diesel mechanic, too.

I just worry Isuzu might have out-sourced this newer 3.0 engine to a cheapo mfg.

Also, I don't see any Fiat 0500 cheap-mobiles on the road anymore either. I'm old enough to remember the last time they failed with their crappy junk in the USA in the late 70's and left. Hard to believe they had the finances to buy Chrysler.
 
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HEMIMANN

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Don't mean to hijack OP's thread, just to finish up......GM 3.0 diesel is joint venture with Isuzu to the point where it is assembled at a GM plant in Michigan. This surprised me.

It is all aluminum as well (except cylinder sleeves, of course). That's pretty amazing if they can make it stiff enough not to fatigue crack with many miles. Being an I6 with independent journal bearings gives it low end towing strength - a true truck diesel (such as Cummins). But......aluminum? Really?

 

turkeybird56

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Quite helpful actually… I love the 6… super quiet, great gas mileage, and i Tend to drive a bit more relaxed… but will likely get the hemi just to check that box.

I was looking at the ED 3.0 however too many horror stories and don’t have time to be mr maintenance.

speaking of maintenance… the local Ram dealer charging $100 for a full syn oil change. Time to go back to changing the oil myself!
I brought filter with me, and my Full Synthetic oil change Mopar 5W 20 which is rebranded PUP oil was $46.00.
 

Dusty

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Detroit Diesel was a consolidation by GM of Winton Engines and Cleveland Diesel before WWII. In 1970 GM combined Detroit Diesel with the Allison division, then sold it to Daimler/Chrysler in 2000. It's now owned by Daimler Truck North America.

Winton made US submarine engines prior to WWII.

Regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33 gallon fuel tank, factory dual exhaust, 18” wheels. Build date: 03 June 2018. Now at: 065595 miles.
 

sam darakjy

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Have a new 2021 Warlock that I LOVE… and it was my perfect truck… however now a little one on the way and the warlock while pretty darn smooth riding in the summer…seems to be a lot stiffer in the cold mn winter… or maybe it’s more road heave in the winter (or both). It’s still new (under 10k mi) and the warlock has hd shocks from my understanding so not sure how much that factors in.

Looking at options for a smoother ride. Not sure if 5th gen makes that much of a diff?… big Horn or Laramie would be the way I’d lean if it’s a significant improvement…however not if it’s just a small improvement.

As well I’d switch from quad to crew… not sure if that impacts the ride.

Ill have to drive one to see for myself, however welcome any and all thoughts from the wise folks of the forum!
I had to drop from a Crew Cab to Quad Cab since it was the last truck on the lot. Not happy with the lost space for sure.
 

Jim113

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How long did you run them? Reportedly the air suspension developed freezing issues over time, not right away. I don't know, just read about it which kept me from getting another half ton. I went with straight 3/4 ton instead.
I had the first one for 4 winters, second one 3 winters and my present one I am on my second full winter with it ... Purchased it January 31, 2020 ... No issues with any of them freezing up ... I actually know the guy who bought the first truck and I asked him how he liked it, as he showed up at the dealership when I bought the 2020, (his wife works there), and he said he has not had any problems and that he will never get rid of it ...
 

HEMIMANN

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You think they might of improved the design? Those I recall reporting failures did not fail right away either.

You'd think they could get it right - all the big trucks have pneumatic brakes and suspension and go all over. A robust air dryer system, etc. Same with rail cars.
 

Stavinksi

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Go drive one of those GM trucks and let us know what you think. My last two new GM trucks rode terribly. Really firm and you could feel every pebble you drove over. If I know GM the suspension under their new trucks is probably the same as the previous gen judging by how little else they’ve changed minus the sheet metal.
I drove all 3. The ram rides the best and it seems like the cost is payload and towing. The Chevy has one neat feature I wish the ram had. Heated seats controls individually for lower and back portion. My back aches daily anymore and I would love to run the back heater but not the **** section. Other than that, Chevy interior felt kinda cheap and rental car-ish to me for a 60k vehicle. The ford was ok too, rode hardest of the bunch in my view but by no means harsh. Truck people seem to have religion in that no matter what happens their brand is superior when any objective person can point to many faults of any of them. It’s barely worth discussing, just like religion. In the end they are all fine machines I suppose. All will have issues out of warranty. Those issues will be a bunch less expensive to fix than a new truck so there it is. My ‘17 ram backup camera went out around 37k miles. Convenient. I blamed it on all the gravel I crushed in the tailgate and moved on.
 
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Ramtastico

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I drove all 3. The ram rides the best and it seems like the cost is payload and towing. The Chevy has one neat feature I wish the ram had. Heated seats controls individually for lower and back portion. My back aches daily anymore and I would love to run the back heater but not the **** section. Other than that, Chevy interior felt kinda cheap and rental car-ish to me for a 60k vehicle. The ford was ok too, rode hardest of the bunch in my view but by no means harsh. Truck people seem to have religion in that no matter what happens their brand is superior when any objective person can point to many faults of any of them. It’s barely worth discussing, just like religion. In the end they are all fine machines I suppose. All will have issues out of warranty. Those issues will be a bunch less expensive to fix than a new truck so there it is. My ‘17 ram backup camera went out around 37k miles. Convenient. I blamed it on all the gravel I crushed in the tailgate and moved on.
Amen to the split seat heat… I had a Buick rainier that I ran that back heat on 3 bars even in the summer….GLORIOUS for a sore back!

I don’t think I ever used the bottom heat.
 

DB Cooper

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I have just finished an article about the Ford F150 on the 25 issues you need to be aware of before buying one. Just a few things that were brought up were engine issues, handling issues, poor ride quality, noisy interior on highway driving, poor fuel mileage,steering issues, suspension problems and the many problems with the aluminum body and bed! I do not care for Ford but was surprised at the large list of issues that they have. Funny thing though a Ford owner will tell you what a wonderful truck they are .
In fairness, I owned three different Ford trucks all in sequence early 2000's. I was so irritated with the quality, and failures, I swore that I would never own a Ford product ever again. If I won a Ford GT in a raffle, I wouldn't bother to put it in my name. I'd just sell it.
 
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