Trying to buy a 2020 Limited

[Ram_Bobby]

For the OP, what struck me most importantly was your comment about loving good gas mileage and 26 mpg with your current vehicle. With a full size, V8 5.7 liter, you will never see anywhere near that except coasting.

Just suggesting you really decide how important that is to you.

 

[tmletourneau]

<SNIP>
Limited slip is now a fraud by Ram and Toyota and possible other truck manufacturers as it is not the limited slip with a clutch in the rear differential as in the past but actually "traction control" where the brakes are applied to limit how much the slipping wheel spins but does nothing to provide more power to the wheel that does have traction.
<SNIP>

Do you have documentation to support that on the RAM? The latest exploded view R&R manual I saw clearly indicated the LSD has a clutch pack in it so I'm curious about it.

 

[beepster]

I've had my 2019 1500 Laramie similarly equipped (5.7 Hemi, e torque, 3.92 rear, anti spin diff., etc) for a little over a year now and avg 14.5 mpg city and 18-18.5 mpg. highway. Had to make the same adjustment as you because I was used to Toyota type mpg. Luckily, gas is now fairly cheap...If you want the truck, get your mind right...it is what it is.

 

[alexcomp]

1. If you're going to tow get the higher gears. You'll be glad you did and with an 8 speed transmission the gas mileage difference will be virtually nothing. On my Titan (I had two, one with tow gears, one without) and a 5 speed transmission the fuel difference was 1 MPG.

2. Yes, I would get a limited slip for $500. It turns your 2 wheel peg-leg truck into a 3-wheel bad weather/off-road monster. I have a LSD on my old Miata, and I used to drive it in the snow if it wasn't too deep because it was a better performer than a traditional two-legged 4WD that I always had.

3. I'm not sure what options are on the Limited but I like the Level 2 trim group, I remember from when I was shopping. It had more useful stuff than the Level 1 for me. But this is from memory more than a year ago.

4. I don't have E-torque. Guys that have them here either love them or hate them. If you are a techie it's probably right up your alley. For me, I'd rather not have that layer of complexity. If I lived in the city I would probably feel different.

5. Best way to get what you really want is to order it. You pay a little bit of premium, usually, if you're getting stuff the dealer feels like will be hard to resell, but then you get the truck you want, not what the dealer thought you wanted. I did not order mine, but I got the options I wanted and really don't care about the rest of the stuff.

Bonus question: don't order the tow package if you want the power fold mirrors. You can't have both.

It's on order! I spent a lot of time researching various configurations and learned one very important fact. If you want the Laramie Level One equipment group, and, you want the safety group don't even think about doing it with the Laramie Longhorn it will cost you more money than the limited and the Limited includes the four corner air suspension at no charge!

 

[crash]

Do you have documentation to support that on the RAM? The latest exploded view R&R manual I saw clearly indicated the LSD has a clutch pack in it so I'm curious about it.

I'm not near as technical as Elkman but I'm in agreement with virtually everything he's stated in his last couple of posts.

I had my 2010 Sport in after an e-brake shoe friction material became unbonded and locked up the left rear wheel (jamming in the hat of the rotor). un-sure of what the problem was, I assumed something broke in the rear end. I had towed to my trans/rear end shop, also a Ram owner. he found the issue and fixed the problem. rear end was fine. when I picked it up I'd asked about the LSD. he explained it exactly as Elkman said. it's 'simulated' and the brakes are applied one one wheel or the other in an abs style function to reduce the slipping.

as for ordering in specially optioned trucks. I feel ya @alexcomp be thankful you aren't in Canada, or at least Ontario. dealers here do not know how to order properly optioned trucks here. of course just my opinion. frustrating when I typically by used 1 - 2 yrs old with low mileage and remaining warranty. used is difficult enough to find as most trades get sent to the states for re-sale, the few that do stay here are optioned poorly.

if I was to built a 2020 Ram here's my list. any local dealers would laugh loudly and say "you can't get all those options and not others" .. then they'd say, here's what you can get and here's full list price.
(even color options I'd settle any color but black or grey) . don't even mention 2 wheel drive to them. as far as they're concerned they don't exist. 4x4 or nothing. you'll be told what you will take. bs.

5.7L
sport
crew
6.4' bed
split tailgate
3.92
electronic diff locker
full leather, black - heated cooled
pano roof
sport hood
harman/kardon audio
12" screen
larger fuel tank
remote start

that's it, that's all.

no parking sensors, no park assist, no cross path/blind spot. no air suspension.
a hitch a tonneau a spray in liner I can add on my own later.

/soapbox and cries.

 

[Fieldoc]

Ecodiesel

 

[Floyd1979]

The dealer is trying to sell what they have on lot

I ordered 2015 Ecodiesel Longhorn Rambox Crewcab 4wd Air Suspension
Took 10 weeks to come in

when truck hits the ground that is the rebates you will get .

get the 3:92 rather then the 3:21
Can’t be more than 1-2 mpg difference

I’ve had both for towing . intown driving through 3:92 does well
The 3:21 will struggle on take off and shift a lot going up hills .
The 3:92 is a lot better

 

[alexcomp]

Thanks for the input. Ordered 3.92 after a lot of soul searching. Now trying to decide on bumper pull or fifth wheel for the larger camper

 

[E-DAWG]

I only tow about 3-4k when I tow. have 3:21, the mileage is fantastic on the hwy. still has a capacity of well over 7k I believe. If you're only towing that much occasionally you might regret the mileage loss for the other 95% of your driving especially if its hwy but its peanuts for the 3.92's. At times I've wondered if I should have pulled the trigger on that one but for the driving I do I think I've saved a decent amount on fuel over the last 4.5 years. 11.2 hand calculated fuel mileage from Toronto to Chicago doing about 120kph most of the way. If I had been easier on the pedal I'm sure I would have easily hit high 10's. Several backroad trips doing 80-90kh on flat ground I have seen low to mid 10's on a gas Hemi. Not bad imo.

 

[alexcomp]

For those of us stuck in the stone age, that's 21.38 miles per gallon. Pretty good! Of course I am trading my 2013 Touring L which on Interstate miles will often do 26 - 27. Pretty big difference in weight though.

 

[Vgbu56]

Yes. I got whatever rebates/incentives that were in place at ordering then upon delivery if they are better at that time I will get those instead. So I have a written number that may or may not get better for me but won't get worse. I'm about two to three more weeks away from taking delivery. Very excited!

Red

what dealer did you use, I've been looking for a limited but can't find with the color & options i want, about to order from Dave Smith Ram

 

[KeithP]

Do you have documentation to support that on the RAM? The latest exploded view R&R manual I saw clearly indicated the LSD has a clutch pack in it so I'm curious about it.

I’m curious too. My truck has both Anti Spin and traction control. So did my 2017. If they are virtually the same, as you say, how could this be?

 

[Elkman]

Get the truck for the heaviest trailer you are likely to want to tow. It gets expensive if when you find a travel trailer that weighs in at 11,000 lbs to have to sell your current truck and buy a new one.

A truck for towing should have 3.92 gears and should have a Class IV receiver and tow brake controls and tow mirrors and the transmission cooling that comes with the tow package. I would also want the 33-gallon fuel tank as stopping for gas with a trailer in tow is no fun and if you can make fewer stops you will also be worrying less about fuel consumption.

Whether a truck gets 20 MPG or 18 MPG in terms of its EPA rating based on the rear differential, it is going to get 15-16 MPG around town and around 12 MPG when towing a trailer (weight and added air drag). Ram likes the extra 0.5 mpg gain of 3.21 gears as it helps them to meet their fleet fuel usage targets.

With the EPA doing its testing on a dyno and not outdoors and with trucks have a lot more than 4 speeds with their transmissions the actual fuel economy of a 3.21 versus a 3.92 set of gears is not going to be measurable. If fuel encomy is truly important then drive a little bit slower (air drag increases with the square of velocity so going twice as fast means the engine has to overcome 4 times as much air drag.

The anti-spin for which Ram hits its customers for an extra $495 is not nearly as effective as the electronic locking differential that costs only $50 more.

Personally I like having 4WD and knowing that I will not get stuck someplace. I have pulled quite a few vehicles stuck in sand or mud on the shoulders of the highway. I f they had trailer attached I would not have stopped and let them hire a tow truck.