MDS

[texasfan88]

I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this yet or not on this site but I'm trying to figure out what people are talking about when they mention the "notorious" MDS drone they supposedly experience. I've had my 2018 ram 1500 for about a year now and even with a flowmaster muffler installed I have never heard any weird noise or felt any weird thud when the engine goes from v8 to v4 mode and back again. The only way I can tell if it's even working is if I see the eco light on the dash. I mean obviously if I ease off the gas pedal, the engine and sound from the exhaust is going to get quieter but it would be that way with any vehicle. Am I just lucky that it's completely undetectable on my truck or is it possible that the people who do experience it have something wrong with theirs? After all, people will spend hundreds of dollars on a tuner just to alleviate this one issue.

 

[huntergreen]

Like you, I haven't experienced any drone in either my 11 or 16. Both ran stock exhaust though.

 

[texasfan88]

Like you, I haven't experienced any drone in either my 11 or 16. Both ran stock exhaust though.

Thanks, glad to know I'm not the only one. It's just weird reading all of these comments from people on various sites and even posting videos about this topic on YouTube, talking about how annoying this feature is and yet I've never experienced it for myself, thankfully. Also, when you think about it, there really is no such thing as MDS drone because the transition from v8 to v4 mode only lasts a split second so any drone you hear while the mds is active and the engine is in 4 cylinder mode is just regular exhaust drone.

 

[averageguy]

X3. Maybe we can start a club or support group. I have never seen this ECO light either. By the time I end up driving it I forget to look for it. If my truck makes the sound everyone hates then I must like it because my truck with a Flowmaster always sounds good to me.

 

[texasfan88]

X3. Maybe we can start a club or support group. I have never seen this ECO light either. By the time I end up driving it I forget to look for it. If my truck makes the sound everyone hates then I must like it because my truck with a Flowmaster always sounds good to me.

You've never seen the eco light or you've never heard the MDS sound? I'm not sure if you know this or not but you can turn the eco light display on or off in your settings. Yeah, I have a Super 44 muffler myself and it's pretty sweet.

 

[averageguy]

I think I read that it could be shut off but to be honest I don't mess with any of the tech stuff to much I just drive it. It hasn't seen the light of day for three months either so I'm not in it enough to explore any of the gadgets.

 

[Crawgator]

2017 Rebel. If I didn't know my truck had the MDS system, I sure can't tell by the way the truck performs or sounds. Stock exhaust..

 

[JS1500]

The Eco light can be disabled -- it's somewhere in the settings. And the Eco light can be on with the truck running on 8 cylinders, so the light doesn't necessarily mean that MDS is active. If you really can't tell when MDS activates/shuts off then you're lucky. On mine there's a noticeable change in sound that can only be described as a drone. Sometimes it's quick, sometimes it lasts for several seconds. It does make me wonder if it's supposed to be that way. I'm not too worried about it though, because I usually disable MDS unless I'm driving on the highway.

 

[Truck Fun]

From a previous question I posted, the ECO light and the MDS are not the same. The ECO light can be turned off/on through the menu system. I had it on for a while then turned it off; didn't need a light to tell me that things like going down hill or taking my foot off the accelerator was better for mileage.
As for the MDS drone, this is my first Ram so I would need someone who knows what the drone sounds like to ride with me and tell me when it was on/off and droning/not-droning.

 

[texasfan88]

From a previous question I posted, the ECO light and the MDS are not the same. The ECO light can be turned off/on through the menu system. I had it on for a while then turned it off; didn't need a light to tell me that things like going down hill or taking my foot off the accelerator was better for mileage.
As for the MDS drone, this is my first Ram so I would need someone who knows what the drone sounds like to ride with me and tell me when it was on/off and droning/not-droning.

This is my first ram as well so I'm just going off my own experience of what I hear or feel which is nothing out of the ordinary.

 

[texasfan88]

The Eco light can be disabled -- it's somewhere in the settings. And the Eco light can be on with the truck running on 8 cylinders, so the light doesn't necessarily mean that MDS is active. If you really can't tell when MDS activates/shuts off then you're lucky. On mine there's a noticeable change in sound that can only be described as a drone. Sometimes it's quick, sometimes it lasts for several seconds. It does make me wonder if it's supposed to be that way. I'm not too worried about it though, because I usually disable MDS unless I'm driving on the highway.

What year is your truck? I wonder if it's just more noticeable on the older models and was just improved on the later models so it's much less noticeable.

 

[texasfan88]

The Eco light can be disabled -- it's somewhere in the settings. And the Eco light can be on with the truck running on 8 cylinders, so the light doesn't necessarily mean that MDS is active. If you really can't tell when MDS activates/shuts off then you're lucky. On mine there's a noticeable change in sound that can only be described as a drone. Sometimes it's quick, sometimes it lasts for several seconds. It does make me wonder if it's supposed to be that way. I'm not too worried about it though, because I usually disable MDS unless I'm driving on the highway.

Oh never mind, I saw from your profile it's a 2015.

 

[JS1500]

From a previous question I posted, the ECO light and the MDS are not the same. The ECO light can be turned off/on through the menu system. I had it on for a while then turned it off; didn't need a light to tell me that things like going down hill or taking my foot off the accelerator was better for mileage.
As for the MDS drone, this is my first Ram so I would need someone who knows what the drone sounds like to ride with me and tell me when it was on/off and droning/not-droning.

Get to around 30mph from a stop and hold that speed. Wait for the exhaust to quiet down, and you should hear (if your truck is anything like mine) a noticeable change in pitch of the exhaust and maybe even some vibration.

 

[texasfan88]

Get to around 30mph from a stop and hold that speed. Wait for the exhaust to quiet down, and you should hear (if your truck is anything like mine) a noticeable change in pitch of the exhaust and maybe even some vibration.

You know, now that you say that, I DO hear a noticeable change in sound when I coast at low speeds. However, it's not an issue for me at all and I definitely don't hear anything at highway speeds.

 

[tones2SS]

Get to around 30mph from a stop and hold that speed. Wait for the exhaust to quiet down, and you should hear (if your truck is anything like mine) a noticeable change in pitch of the exhaust and maybe even some vibration.

Yeah, it's horrible.
And by horrible, I mean, absolutely horrendous for me. I'm not sure if the Flowmaster Outlaw is making it worse, but I doubt that. It's absolutely great after disabling the MDS though.
I wish the MDS was never even a thought on our trucks.

 

[JS1500]

Yeah, it's horrible.
And by horrible, I mean, absolutely horrendous for me. I'm not sure if the Flowmaster Outlaw is making it worse, but I doubt that. It's absolutely great after disabling the MDS though.
I wish the MDS was never even a thought on our trucks.

I can tell every time it activates and it makes me cringe. If I’m going on extremely long highway trips it definitely helps to save on fuel, but in the city it drives me crazy and it’s completely unnecessary. I wish Ram had put it as a menu option to have it enabled/disabled. The roundabout way to disable it (using the +, - gear buttons) is fine, but just annoying to have to do every time.

 

[averageguy]

I wonder if driving style and or type of muffler/exhaust makes it worse? Like some newer camaros and mustangs I've heard that cackle back through the exhaust every time they shift? I have owned and heard other newer V-8 cars that sound great and don't do that, making me think its their choice in exhaust.

 

[JS1500]

My truck has dual exhaust tips, so maybe that makes the sound worse. The exhaust is stock, but it would still make sense that dual tips amplify the sound of MDS going on/off. Maybe the guys that don’t seem to notice it only have the single exhaust pipe?

 

[texasfan88]

My truck has dual exhaust tips, so maybe that makes the sound worse. The exhaust is stock, but it would still make sense that dual tips amplify the sound of MDS going on/off. Maybe the guys that don’t seem to notice it only have the single exhaust pipe?

My truck is a sport so it's got the dual pipes. Perhaps I just have a higher tolerance for it than most

 

[Fatbob Frank]

I only notice it at about 35mph in 5th gear in town.
Vibration through the pedal was my first indication.
Kinda like driving on grooved concrete.
Never notice it much at highway speeds.
I started shutting it off too...