How offroad worthy is the RAM 1500?

[Random_Walk]

I'm wondering more towards just the stock RAM's..

Mine is stock in suspension, engine, powertrain, etc. The only two things I did off-road-wise was to add a grille guard and a decent set of Falken Wildpeak tires. I do offroad fairly well the few times I've done a pure off-road run. Normally I stick to logging trails, but occasionally I'll back up off-road for a few dozen yards to get close to a freshly-felled snag (to make loading firewood easier), and driving over rough pasture w/ a horse trailer is no sweat (because one of these days, I might get off my lazy ass and build a proper chute ).

As far as off-roading like an enthusiast off-roads? It depends on what kind you're thinking of. I say this because Ridge-Running is not Swamping is not Baja is not Rock-Crawling. Gonna have to get somewhat specific as to what we're talking about when you say "off-road". I will say that for easy trails and generic off-roading over somewhat gentle terrain w/o too much foliage crowding in, stock will probably do just fine, but I'd suggest actual decent tires and not the craptastic Goodyear SRA's that a Ram typically comes with. Anything more challenging or technical, and you'll want to look at beefing up the suspension, the tires, the powertrain, maybe look into upping the gearing a bit for a bit more 'oomph, and maybe in extreme cases a granny-gear setup might come in handy...

 

[Gary2]

Surprisingly well and capable.
My old 2005 1500 quad SLT went off road quite q few times.
As a reference point I'll say that it made the run to Peacock Flats several times (you can google it, Peacock Flats on Oahu, or Kuaokala Forest Oahu). Fully loaded with camping gear, too.

The video below is all about tacos, not Rams, but it's whatever i googled real quick and you'll see the terrain as a reference point for our discussion, and my stock 05 am 1500 made it past all that in dry weather:





Of course lets be serious, it did NOT go all the side trails where genuine 4 inch lifted jeeps - or 6-inch lifted Tacos - went, but it did go on some tough side-trails more than just the main forestry road. so, middle-of-the-road (pun!) capable.

It is not a jeep, but it is more than a car.

In dry weather, it did the Peacock Flats runs with stock factory tires (in later years I did put more aggressive tires, and it did make a big difference) and most of the time i could keep it in 2WD. In wet weather....well that's not fair to blame any vehicle for not making Peacock Flats in the wet.

The ground clearance (depending on your trim and year model) is as good as a stock jeep or tacoma; obviously the wheelbase is a different argument but we all knew that when we decided to buy a pickup and not a jeep.

With aggressive tires and good driving you will pass things that a novice in a jeep with factory stock tires will get stuck in. But a souped up jeep with skilled driving you will not keep up with.

But to answer your question, it is very, very capable. For its wheelbase, if you stay within the geometry and math of that wheelbase, you will be as capable as any other consumer grade private vehicle out there.

I now have a $Fifty-freaking-K Laramie so it won't see anything like the pics and vids people have been posting - at least not for a few years and until the leather is torn and some quarterpanel dinged up first. No siree, these trucks are too expensive nowadays to take into the bush.

The third gen auto 4wd 44-44 don't have the same pressure setting on the clutch I spoke ( post 28) of than the gen 4's 44-44 hence without the switch I mentioned they are apples to oranges comparison. I had a sport back then too and its a different animal that a stock gen 4 sport. This is only a change in the pressure on the clutch requested by FCA for the gen 4's 44-44 . The simple switch set up from Brandon-W in the post #28 will make it act as the 3rd gen . Read the thread I posted and everyone will understand what a simple fix this is vs swapping transfer case and switch ,AlfaOBD....... end of concern in 15 minutes or less to install

 

[THE HAMMER]

It depends on what you consider "off road worthy" is?

In stock form I was very, very impressed, great wheel travel, awesome traction system despite stock tires and 20" wheels. In the mud, deep mud I was expecting to get stuck but no she pulled through, up hills with lots of suspension articulation and uneven traction surfaces it did well.

This is coming from a guy who jeeped off road in the Pacific northwest with CJs and in the mountain west with Cherokees and in the southeast now with full size pickups. Just as good or better than my 2014 f150 fx4 and I'm in a 2017 ram 1500 bighorn 3.92 gears.

Now that's its leveled 2.5 inches with Icon suspension stage 2 and 35" Falken Wildpeak mud terrains it is crazy what this thing can do.

Look up Auto Edits YouTube channel

 

[JoeCo]

My in-laws have a Trail Rated Cherokee and I wouldn't take it where I've taken my truck....
.

Is it just the new ones that are trail rated or were the older ones too? I don't recall the older ones having that moniker, and that's what I pictured when he said Cherokee, like an XJ.


I'd be surprised if the newer "Cherokee's" were worth very much off road, but I don't know anything about them.

 

[Marshall]

You’re funny. Maybe with stock tires but they do haul butt with these 8 speeds. Put some ATs or MTs on and they do pretty well off-road for a stock truck.

 

[Marshall]

I did not find it funny, sounded more like a put down to me , as a truck for work, I don't go beating over rocks, but have been in lots of mud when now way around it. I do haul grocery's in it as well.

 

[crazykid1994]

I did not find it funny, sounded more like a put down to me , as a truck for work, I don't go beating over rocks, but have been in lots of mud when now way around it. I do haul grocery's in it as well.

My main use of my truck is getting groceries. Lmao. It’s my only vehicle minus my work van. But it’s definitely seen it’s use.

 

[kurek]

I'd be surprised if the newer "Cherokee's" were worth very much off road, but I don't know anything about them.

It's a long and incredibly stupid story but the reason I have a Ram today is because I first made the mistake of buying a KL Cherokee, after previously owning a built WJ (and previous to that a slew of other built "real" off-roaders) . I knew the KL would not be very good off pavement but I was shocked at how bad it truly is, on pavement, off pavement, parked in a driveway. If I used the worst words I can come up with they would still be much too kind for that vehicle. Like our newer 1500's they have electric power steering but unlike 1500's... I was able to overheat the power steering system just by driving on normal roads and uhh.. steering too much?? My brother somehow didn't heed my warning, and bought a Trailhawk one which gets bright red tow hooks and a rear diff lock. It was still a joke.

I don't even have anything against little cheap cars like the Compass they used to sell for $16k, giving you almost 30mpg and an awd manual transmission car. Freakin cool. But the modern Cherokee is twice that money, doesn't get fantastic mpg, the 9 speed transmission is an abomination that ruins every car it gets stuffed into, has zero off-road chops and the only thing on Earth it would be good for is stuffing up the tailpipe of all the people responsible for making it a reality.

 

[rule18]

It's a long and incredibly stupid story but the reason I have a Ram today is because I first made the mistake of buying a KL Cherokee, after previously owning a built WJ (and previous to that a slew of other built "real" off-roaders) . I knew the KL would not be very good off pavement but I was shocked at how bad it truly is, on pavement, off pavement, parked in a driveway. If I used the worst words I can come up with they would still be much too kind for that vehicle. Like our newer 1500's they have electric power steering but unlike 1500's... I was able to overheat the power steering system just by driving on normal roads and uhh.. steering too much?? My brother somehow didn't heed my warning, and bought a Trailhawk one which gets bright red tow hooks and a rear diff lock. It was still a joke.

I don't even have anything against little cheap cars like the Compass they used to sell for $16k, giving you almost 30mpg and an awd manual transmission car. Freakin cool. But the modern Cherokee is twice that money, doesn't get fantastic mpg, the 9 speed transmission is an abomination that ruins every car it gets stuffed into, has zero off-road chops and the only thing on Earth it would be good for is stuffing up the tailpipe of all the people responsible for making it a reality.

But how do you really feel?

I know a few people who foolishly bought the modern Cherokee, all of them have come down with severe cases of buyer's remorse. Conversely, before my JK and a few TJ's , I had a great XJ, mild build that always served me well.

 

[ultivssl]

HAHA, I traded in my KL for my outdoorsman with 3.92 lsd.

I didn't have buyers remorse because I got the extra warranty, but I know they lost a lot of money off that deal from all the times it was in the shop. I had another vehicle so didn't mind. But the trans wasn't for much longer in the world and neither was the cv joint in the driveshaft.

I've been very happy with my ram, the stock tires do suck, got 3 punctures on the grid road to my acreage before I replaced them for some BFG KO2's which have been amazing. I do take my truck offroad and have been surprised everytime I do. I've plowed snow as deep as the headlights with no issues. I did find a trick to make these things a bit more capable, put in neutral and press and hold the traction control off button until it dings. This turns traction and stability off but keeps BLD active.

Here's a pic of the old KL with the new ram when I picked up the truck.

A little over a month after I got it I took it flexing down a Jeep trail, the pic doesn't do it justice, but holes are about 3ft deep and I've seen guys with built trucks get stuck along this stretch.

 

[JoeCo]

It's a long and incredibly stupid story but the reason I have a Ram today is because I first made the mistake of buying a KL Cherokee, after previously owning a built WJ (and previous to that a slew of other built "real" off-roaders) . I knew the KL would not be very good off pavement but I was shocked at how bad it truly is, on pavement, off pavement, parked in a driveway. If I used the worst words I can come up with they would still be much too kind for that vehicle. Like our newer 1500's they have electric power steering but unlike 1500's... I was able to overheat the power steering system just by driving on normal roads and uhh.. steering too much?? My brother somehow didn't heed my warning, and bought a Trailhawk one which gets bright red tow hooks and a rear diff lock. It was still a joke.

I don't even have anything against little cheap cars like the Compass they used to sell for $16k, giving you almost 30mpg and an awd manual transmission car. Freakin cool. But the modern Cherokee is twice that money, doesn't get fantastic mpg, the 9 speed transmission is an abomination that ruins every car it gets stuffed into, has zero off-road chops and the only thing on Earth it would be good for is stuffing up the tailpipe of all the people responsible for making it a reality.

Haha well I guess sometimes assumptions are correct...so they off road about as good as they look they would. Sad, but not surprising. Hate that the Cherokee name became that, like chevy and the "blazer" aka another equinox. Thanks for the info and the entertaining read.

 

[LowboyKW]

Compared.to my older trucks with normal.transfer cases and none of the traction control or other gizmos it's nowhere near as good. Compared to a prius it's great. As long as you turn traction control off when it gets steep so you don't get slowed to a crawl and stuck and your transfer case doesn't.overheat and shut down the fwd it'll get you most places.View attachment 201891

No one can say you don't use your truck! Must be half an acre of dirt on that rig.

 

[ram1500rsm]

Untitled by RAM RSM, on Flickr
I see you are running Maxx swaybar end links, I am not trying to hijack this post, but would be interested in what you think of them!



Have fun.

[/QUOTE]
Love them. The bushings are poly so they can take a hell of a beating, there is no BJ in this ones to get messed up as a result of you having too much fun with the truck.

 

[ram1500rsm]

They are crap.
I come from Cherokees where $500 in mods will get a you a very worthy rig.

I broke my front bumper on my RAM the first time I went rabbit hunting.
I have come to terms that my truck is not for off roading.
I did do a front level to get some clearance..but not going to invest too much more.

Please let me know what "$500 in mods will get a very worth rig ?
I have an 01 myself, there is more than $500 in her and believe my RAM will mop the floor with my WJ and bring her home too when needed. sure she can flex a lot harder than my RAM, but D35 rear is BS, and front and rear are fully open, so unless i beat the crap out of her giving her gas she's not moving well going through rutted hills going up. Donwhil eveything is a champ
Untitled by RAM RSM, on Flickr

 

[misfit77]

Please let me know what "$500 in mods will get a very worth rig ?
I have an 01 myself, there is more than $500 in her and believe my RAM will mop the floor with my WJ and bring her home too when needed. sure she can flex a lot harder than my RAM, but D35 rear is BS, and front and rear are fully open, so unless i beat the crap out of her giving her gas she's not moving well going through rutted hills going up. Donwhil eveything is a champ
Untitled by RAM RSM, on Flickr

Budget boost $90
Homemade disconnects $5 or none at all
235/75r15 all terrains $300
Remember XJs came with full skids and a limited slip.

I went anywhere moderately modified f150 silverado and tundras went. I love watching these guys with 6" lifts eat their words after doubting my ride.


We can argue prices and how big our ***** are but deep inside you know the ram is not an offroader unless u drop good money. Hell a suzuki can wheel if you drop enough money.

Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk

 

[ram1500rsm]

Budget boost $90
Homemade disconnects $5 or none at all
235/75r15 all terrains $300
Remember XJs came with full skids and a limited slip.

I went anywhere moderately modified f150 silverado and tundras went. I love watching these guys with 6" lifts eat their words after doubting my ride.


We can argue prices and how big our ***** are but deep inside you know the ram is not an offroader unless u drop good money. Hell a suzuki can wheel if you drop enough money.

Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk

Ill agree with you an XJ is prob one the best cheaper platforms to built for offroading. I'll also agree a RAM 1500 is not that type of offroader nor wasnt designed to be a Jeep. And yes anything with enough money can wheel
You lured me into responding to you with the $500 comment. I'm cheap but no college student cheap. shes got a 4" long arm RC lift, rock sliders and couple of skids.

 

[kurek]

All I see is an apples-to-macaroni comparison. When was the last time you could buy an XJ with less than a quarter million miles on it? What XJ are you going to dump swap meet $300/set "all terrains" on and trust to drive farther than you feel like walking home? When was it ever common to take any fullsize truck on skinny jeep trails? Why not compare how good a Ram 1500 pulls water ski's across a lake as long as we're comparing it against things it doesn't realistically cross paths with?

Wouldn't it make more sense to compare 4th gen 1500's with other fullsize pickup trucks instead of vehicles a foot narrower with almost four feet less wheelbase? I get it, XJ's are narrow and lightweight and since you can get them for under two grand people don't feel bad smashing them against rocks. And they get about the same gas mileage as a Hemi, they overheat like crazy unless you cut holes in the hood and convert them to open reservoir cooling systems, they're practically clothing for big men with how tiny their interior is, getting rear-ended just a little will buckle their roof and make them into an instant part-out, D30 front axles are made from make believe peanut butter, they can be incited to death wobble if you pass gas too loudly and they're about as safe as an iron maiden in a collision. Sweet, XJ's are awesome.

 

[Tahoebronco]

Is it just the new ones that are trail rated or were the older ones too? I don't recall the older ones having that moniker, and that's what I pictured when he said Cherokee, like an XJ.
View attachment 202436

I'd be surprised if the newer "Cherokee's" were worth very much off road, but I don't know anything about them.

I used to own a 1988 Jeep Cherokee Pioneer that had the 4.0 Liter Inline 6 (pre-High Output). I loved it! It was a very capable off roader. The engine was strong from 0 to 75 MPH and crawling over rocks or up steep inclines was no problem. I lived in Boise, ID at the time I owned it and 4-wheeled the Owyhee Mtns west of Boise and the hills and mountains north and east of Boise as well. I really regret trading it away. It was one of the best 4-wheelers I've owned.

 

[Tahoebronco]

I understand that lsd(LSD) stands for Limited Slip Differential, but what does BLD stand for?

 

[kurek]

I understand that lsd(LSD) stands for Limited Slip Differential, but what does BLD stand for?

"brake lock differential"

It's traction control that 2013 Rams (and most Jeeps starting some time in the mid 00's) have.. also some other vehicles do a similar thing like 2004-2006 Monteros have a really similar scheme.

Our Rams (4x4) have three different stability/traction control modes. One of them is mostly braking control and uses motion/yaw sensors to determine if what you're doing might flip the truck, and works to keep the rubber on the ground. That's electronic stability control. The next one is to keep you from spinning tires, so you can gain traction on ice it uses both engine throttle control and brakes - that's traction control and it's what you can disable with the button in your dashboard. The last one is BLD, and it's active at low speeds all the time. It doesn't manage engine throttle at all, it just tries to keep both wheels on either axle turning the same speed so if one wheel starts spinning, it grabs the brakes on that wheel hard to send torque to the other wheel. This same action also causes the limited slip differential to bind up tighter and work better than it would on its own.