New Owner. To-do list?

[Locke N Load]

Hey all. After getting nearly ten years of great treatment from a 2016 Express 5.7, I just purchased this 2023 Big Horn 5.7 Night Edition. Now I am looking for suggestions and ideas on what I should do to it. Specific things like oh, the '23 5.7 needs oil changes every 5-7k, not 8-10k like suggested and only use the Mopar filter or change out the cabin filter every other oil change or make sure to do manual software upgrades regularly. Stuff like that. What general preventive maintenance should I be aware of and do? Paint protection, undercarriage coating, seat cover protection? What modifications are a good idea to improve the ride, transmission shifting, engine efficiency, etc.? Just the topics and I will research it here from there if you do not want to go into the full details.

My first change will be tires. I am not a fan of the Kumho A/T tires it came with and will be switching to Highway all season. Strongly leaning towards the Michelin Defender LTX M/S 2. Only question is stock 275/55-20 or go up to 275/60-20? I just like the 33" look. I know the speedo will be off 1 mph at 30mph and 2 mph at 60. I will get that recalibrated at the dealer.

Thanks,
LNL

 

[tron67j]

Nice ride! First thing to finish enjoy the ride!

Highly recommend the tires you are thinking about, but going bigger is opposite another idea you had about engine efficiency.

Ignore aftermarket cold air intakes, won't do anything but separate your money from your wallet.

Keep gear and stuff to a minimum to maximize fuel efficiency.

Everyone has their own routine for cleaning and general care, I just keep it clean and wax it once in a while with clean soft cloths, still can see myself in it after 7 years. I did put a form fitting front protector on nose of hood to prevent rock chips.

For ride, suggest you get tires first, have suspension checked over and a alignment if necessary. Then see how it rides first before spending money.

Good luck, and keep us posted on your adventures!

 

[Locke N Load]

Thanks fore the reply. I ordered Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3 for tires since they were over $400 cheaper than the Michelins. I did go with the 275/60/20. Protecting the paint is on the list. PPF for the front clip then ceramic coat everything myself a good idea? OR pay the pro to do it if self application never works?

 

[olyelr]

I keep reading posts about cabin air filters…ive been driving for almost 30 years and have never once changed a cabin air filter lol. My power wagon has 10 years and 130k miles…i suppose i should check that filter out haaaa.

Nice truck! Looks a lot like my new work truck, enjoy it!

 

[turkeybird56]

@Burla has a whole thread on oil and filters
Change yer OCI to every 5K. Read up on oil and filters

Your money whether you clean and protect yer ride or pay someone.

Undercoating depending upon where U R. If do Krown or Fluid Film coating.

Seat covers. Personal decision.

I have a Dash Cover and AVS II Bug Deflector.

U can go crazy separating money from yer wallet and forum members be happy to tell U how.

You can see my AVS II DEFLECTOR from side in photo. U can also see dash cover.

Good luck with new ride.

All above IMHO only.

 

[RamDiver]

to Ram Forum.


There are a few options that will allow tweaking your tire sizes, and some apps can customize many other items.


Many of us use AlfaOBD to customize our rides.
Once you buy the required equipment, you're set for tweaking several FCA vehicles without any additional cost. No VIN lock.

AlfaOBD

Use the search utility in the upper-right corner to search AlfaOBD or any topic of interest.

This online wheel comparison calculator shows the difference in tire size and the speedo error.

Tire Size Comparison

Tire size comparison the easy way. Use our tire size comparison calculator to compare diameter, width, sidewall, circumference and revolutions per mile.

tiresize.com

.

 

[KeithP]

I keep reading posts about cabin air filters…ive been driving for almost 30 years and have never once changed a cabin air filter lol. My power wagon has 10 years and 130k miles…i suppose i should check that filter out haaaa.

Nice truck! Looks a lot like my new work truck, enjoy it!

Cabin air filter lifespan is dependent on the ambient conditions you drive in and, if you use recirculate with your hvac. I always recirculate and my driving is 99.9% on concrete/asphalt. I rarely change the cabin filter. My in-laws, when they were still living, lived 4 miles out on rock roads and never used recirculate. They also always wondered why their air conditioner wasn’t blowing much air out the vents. I would change their cabin filter at least 4 times a year or every time we went to visit them whichever was more frequent. I never could convince them to use recirculate when they were on the rock roads. The interior of their vehicles were always coated with dust too.

 

[olyelr]

Cabin air filter lifespan is dependent on the ambient conditions you drive in and, if you use recirculate with your hvac. I always recirculate and my driving is 99.9% on concrete/asphalt. I rarely change the cabin filter. My in-laws, when they were still living, lived 4 miles out on rock roads and never used recirculate. They also always wondered why their air conditioner wasn’t blowing much air out the vents. I would change their cabin filter at least 4 times a year or every time we went to visit them whichever was more frequent. I never could convince them to use recirculate when they were on the rock roads. The interior of their vehicles were always coated with dust too.

My hvac has never once been in recirculate mode.

 

[oe542bob]

I keep reading posts about cabin air filters…ive been driving for almost 30 years and have never once changed a cabin air filter lol. My power wagon has 10 years and 130k miles…i suppose i should check that filter out haaaa.

Nice truck! Looks a lot like my new work truck, enjoy it!

If I remember correctly, the ‘16 didn’t have a filter, so nothing to change or check! In fact, the truck may not even have the removable cover where the filter would be. There was a cover kit you could get, but you had to cut the opening on the air box. Then a filter could be installed. I did it once and it wasn’t fun, but doable. Maybe your ‘16 might already have a cover installed OEM, but there was quite a few years that there was no filter installed from new.

 

[RamDiver]

My hvac has never once been in recirculate mode.

Mine stays in recirc most of the summer.

I don't see the point of drawing humid warm air into the cab while I'm trying to maintain a comfortable temperature.

YMMV

.

 

[CanuckRam1313]

Hey all. After getting nearly ten years of great treatment from a 2016 Express 5.7, I just purchased this 2023 Big Horn 5.7 Night Edition. Now I am looking for suggestions and ideas on what I should do to it. Specific things like oh, the '23 5.7 needs oil changes every 5-7k, not 8-10k like suggested and only use the Mopar filter or change out the cabin filter every other oil change or make sure to do manual software upgrades regularly. Stuff like that. What general preventive maintenance should I be aware of and do? Paint protection, undercarriage coating, seat cover protection? What modifications are a good idea to improve the ride, transmission shifting, engine efficiency, etc.? Just the topics and I will research it here from there if you do not want to go into the full details.

My first change will be tires. I am not a fan of the Kumho A/T tires it came with and will be switching to Highway all season. Strongly leaning towards the Michelin Defender LTX M/S 2. Only question is stock 275/55-20 or go up to 275/60-20? I just like the 33" look. I know the speedo will be off 1 mph at 30mph and 2 mph at 60. I will get that recalibrated at the dealer.

Thanks,
LNL
View attachment 582807

Beauty of a rig!

You will like the Micheline Defender LTX tires. Great in the rain, quiet, and great to balance.
They also have excellent wear rating and warranty support as well.

I run their LT295-65-R20 (equivalent to 35s) E-Range on my stock Warlock 20x9 rims for the summer and they smooth.

Perhaps also consider the @caulk04 transmission cooler bypass upgrade to drop those transmission temps.
I would also check the transmission fluid level and condition as well.
Follow this green sheet guide to a T as it is very important for the 8spd transmissions.

Then I would enjoy the ownership experience.

 

[olyelr]

Mine stays in recirc most of the summer.

I don't see the point of drawing humid warm air into the cab while I'm trying to maintain a comfortable temperature.

YMMV

.

I dono. Never once had an issue with moisture or cooling my truck in the summer. Freezes me out.

 

[Zoe Saldana]

Get some flat black Rustolium an hit up all things on the undercarriage.

Then get some Fluid Film and spray it on the undercarriage.

Get Lubegard for:
Oil
Transmission
Power steering

 

[olyelr]

If I remember correctly, the ‘16 didn’t have a filter, so nothing to change or check! In fact, the truck may not even have the removable cover where the filter would be. There was a cover kit you could get, but you had to cut the opening on the air box. Then a filter could be installed. I did it once and it wasn’t fun, but doable. Maybe your ‘16 might already have a cover installed OEM, but there was quite a few years that there was no filter installed from new.

Thats it. I gotta go check now haaaa

 

[olyelr]

If I remember correctly, the ‘16 didn’t have a filter, so nothing to change or check! In fact, the truck may not even have the removable cover where the filter would be. There was a cover kit you could get, but you had to cut the opening on the air box. Then a filter could be installed. I did it once and it wasn’t fun, but doable. Maybe your ‘16 might already have a cover installed OEM, but there was quite a few years that there was no filter installed from new.

Welp, there is no cover to remove. Does that mean it dosnt have a filter at all?

OP, sorry about muddying up your thread! Again, beautiful truck!

 

[olyelr]

To get back on track with the to-do list…. i say tint for the front windows to match the backs.

 

[Locke N Load]

Excellent! Now to do the research on all these suggestions. Just ordered some new brake pads too. Pedal takes too much push to get any slowing. Went with Powerstop Z23 since I do not tow.

 

[Gary Fields]

I had the Michelin Defenders and got about 65K out of them. Rode and drove nice on highway and were good in Colorado snow. As far as recalibrating the speedo you may not need to do it. I have a 2020 with navigation. Apparently (read on the internet-and that's never wrong) the vehicle will auto calibrate the speedo to match the navigation's GPS over a few hundred miles when it determines a discrepancy with the miles and the GPS. I don't know if this works or not but it's worth a try. Get new tire and drive a few hundred miles and check it on an interstate with a stopwatch and 20 miles odometer. Good luck.