What did you do with your 4th Gen this week?

[BuschLatte420]

Upgrade from basic cluster to premium. View attachment 531865

Isn’t this the basic cluster?

 

[metalchewy]

Isn’t this the basic cluster?

Same cluster that's in my 2010. I thought I had the basic cluster. Mine is a very low optioned truck on the inside. Im Surprised mine doesn't have window cranks..

 

[BuschLatte420]

Same cluster that's in my 2010. I thought I had the basic cluster. Mine is a very low optioned truck on the inside. Im Surprised mine doesn't have window cranks..

I think I have a one of a kind tradesman classic the way I built mine, as loaded as it could get!

 

[ILLXJ]

Changed the oil & rotated tires.

 

[Fnord]

Hauled a moose out of bush in northern BC.

 

[ralphsmithiii]

Oil change, cleaned the interior, and used it to haul some furniture a couple hundred miles =).

 

[Black-Wolf]

Fully tested and verified the speaker channels that are present with the Alpine OEM stereo system (8.4). Basic setup for my truck is as follows (note: I have upgraded the speakers as shown or am planning to where noted).

Some quick notes about the system:

The Amplifier is an Alpine - supposedly a model 506W. I have found almost ZERO info on it (capabilities/specs). Much of what is known is educated guesses. I do know it has 12x channels. I used AlphaOBD to test each channel. The only channel I don't know about (where it is tied to) is channel 12. AlphaOBD reports that Channel 10 is Channel 0 IF you are doing short testing - but it is channel 10.

The original speakers are all junk made in China - as well as the Alpine Amp. They are 2-ohm speakers as verified by using a mulitmeter to test across the connectors.

You WILL get better sound with the setup below - though I can't swear to the three speakers shown in Orange as they haven't arrived yet. (EDIT: They are in... See my follow on post below)

The SUBWOOFER is amazing. They don't make that model anymore (find the comparable updated one with DUAL voice coils) as I bought it back in 2019. Tips/tricks for HUGE bass (w/o distortion):

1) If you have a 2-Ohm dual voice coil sub, wire your sub's dual voice coils in series. Plug the pigtail for channel 7 into the (+) positive of either one of the voice coils on the sub, and then run a wire from the (-) negative of THAT voice coil to the (+) positive on the other. Run the other pigtail to the (-) negative of the other voice coil. Your sub will be running 1x channel @ 4-Ohms across both voice coils, but the thump - well, you'll probably have to tune it down using your EQ.

2) If your bass sounds HOLLOW to you (which it most likely will if you haven't uprgraded your subwoofer's box), get some fiberfill (most Hobby Lobby's have this) for pillows, and LOOSELY fill the subwoofer box with it. Put your sub back in the box and test. Too much boom or muddy? Remove some fill. Still too hollow - add some fill. I use the stuff that looks like shredded foam fill, but you can also use the actual fiberfill that looks like threads/string - just try to keep it out of the sub's frame.

3) Note that the FRONT DOOR speakers only play sub 5000 Hz - meaning buying three-way speakers is almost a waste there - that's why there are three 2-way speakers in your dash (if you're still running OEM). They fill in for the lack of highs on the front doors.

4) OEM configuration uses five 2-way speakers: 1 in the center dash (channel 8) , 2 in the corners (channels 1 & 2), and 2 in the headliner (channels 9 & 11). The doors use some type of 6x9 woofers (channels 3 - 6), but you can put three ways in the back doors and they'll play ful range.

I don't know the OEM specs for the Subwoofer either, but it is a dual voice coil running @ 2-Ohms/channel, and uses channels 7 & 10.

5) Channel 12 is not used anywhere from what I can see/have been able to find. If you were in a higher end car, it might be a rear-dash center channel.

6) Put some sort of sound dampening in your doors - you'll need about 48 square feet of dampening material to properly seal off the doors, but you can get away with using just 12 sq. ft. if you're on a budget. Just follow the directions. If you're going to go all out, it'll take about 160 sq. ft. of material to do your roof, doors, floor, firewall, and engine hood. If you're going to do a bit at a time, Do the doors. Later, do the rear firewall behind your rear seats. Then do your roof. Lastly do the front firewall and the floor.

7) If you're using tweeters in the dash corners, make sure you can adjust their angle! They are meant to "reflect" their sound off the front windshield at the front seats. Test the sound and adjust incrementally till you get the sound you want from both the driver's seat and the front passenger seat. Same goes for rear tweeters - aim them at the rear passengers for best sound.

8) I recommend tweeters that come with some sort of passive attenuator - that way, if they're too loud, you can move the (+) wire over to the next connector on the crossover (see the Rockford Fosgates below) and reduce the volume by 2dB or 4dB. Other tweeters can do -3db, or even -6dB. The front ones won't probably need this, but for the passengers in the rear, you'll find it's good to have options if they're too loud!

9) If you lose a channel, you can use AlphaODB to connect to the Radio and amplifier and run the tests to see which channel is acting up. If it says "open" for that channel, pull the associated speaker and use an ohm-meter/multi-meter to see how many ohms it's got. If you don't get a reading close to the rated ohms (it'll probably be VERY HIGH in that case) for it - i.e.: 4-ohm impedance on a speaker should give 4-ohms (+/- 10%). Anything else is suspect. If your ohms are good, check your wiring harness. Shorts to ground are no-bueno either. You can check by connecting the negative lead on a multi/ohm-meter to ground and testing the + and - wiring leads at the speaker site.

10) Use Metra connectors when putting in aftermarket speakers. It'll save you from having to cut the OEM connector out. They're also correctly configured for +/- on the speaker and in the harness.

Hope that helps!

Here's my setup:

 

[04fxdwgi]

Did my 1st oil change on this truck. Had a fresh change when I bought truck at the end of May of this year with 91k on the clock. Put in 5W30 full synthetic and Lube Guard. Only noise I hear now is the injectors cycling. Before change, engine oil ran at 51 PSI cold idle and 34 PSI hot idle. Now it's at 58 and 40. Very pleased.

Also replaced the tailgate backup camera. Old one got water in it from car wash.

 

[Black-Wolf]

Fully tested and verified the speaker channels that are present with the Alpine OEM stereo system (8.4). Basic setup for my truck is as follows (note: I have upgraded the speakers as shown or am planning to where noted).

Some quick notes about the system:

The Amplifier is an Alpine - supposedly a model 506W. I have found almost ZERO info on it (capabilities/specs). Much of what is known is educated guesses. I do know it has 12x channels. I used AlphaOBD to test each channel. The only channel I don't know about (where it is tied to) is channel 12. AlphaOBD reports that Channel 10 is Channel 0 IF you are doing short testing - but it is channel 10.

The original speakers are all junk made in China - as well as the Alpine Amp. They are 2-ohm speakers as verified by using a mulitmeter to test across the connectors.

You WILL get better sound with the setup below - though I can't swear to the three speakers shown in Orange as they haven't arrived yet.

The SUBWOOFER is amazing. They don't make that model anymore (find the comparable updated one with DUAL voice coils) as I bought it back in 2019. Tips/tricks for HUGE bass (w/o distortion):

1) If you have a 2-Ohm dual voice coil sub, wire your sub's dual voice coils in series. Plug the pigtail for channel 7 into the (+) positive of either one of the voice coils on the sub, and then run a wire from the (-) negative of THAT voice coil to the (+) positive on the other. Run the other pigtail to the (-) negative of the other voice coil. Your sub will be running 1x channel @ 4-Ohms across both voice coils, but the thump - well, you'll probably have to tune it down using your EQ.

2) If your bass sounds HOLLOW to you (which it most likely will if you haven't uprgraded your subwoofer's box), get some fiberfill (most Hobby Lobby's have this) for pillows, and LOOSELY fill the subwoofer box with it. Put your sub back in the box and test. Too much boom or muddy? Remove some fill. Still too hollow - add some fill. I use the stuff that looks like shredded foam fill, but you can also use the actual fiberfill that looks like threads/string - just try to keep it out of the sub's frame.

3) Note that the FRONT DOOR speakers only play sub 5000 Hz - meaning buying three-way speakers is almost a waste there - that's why there are three 2-way speakers in your dash (if you're still running OEM). They fill in for the lack of highs on the front doors.

4) OEM configuration uses five 2-way speakers: 1 in the center dash (channel 8) , 2 in the corners (channels 1 & 2), and 2 in the headliner (channels 9 & 11). The doors use some type of 6x9 woofers (channels 3 - 6), but you can put three ways in the back doors and they'll play ful range.

I don't know the OEM specs for the Subwoofer either, but it is a dual voice coil running @ 2-Ohms/channel, and uses channels 7 & 10.

5) Channel 12 is not used anywhere from what I can see/have been able to find. If you were in a higher end car, it might be a rear-dash center channel.

6) Put some sort of sound dampening in your doors - you'll need about 48 square feet of dampening material to properly seal off the doors, but you can get away with using just 12 sq. ft. if you're on a budget. Just follow the directions. If you're going to go all out, it'll take about 160 sq. ft. of material to do your roof, doors, floor, firewall, and engine hood. If you're going to do a bit at a time, Do the doors. Later, do the rear firewall behind your rear seats. Then do your roof. Lastly do the front firewall and the floor.

7) If you're using tweeters in the dash corners, make sure you can adjust their angle! They are meant to "reflect" their sound off the front windshield at the front seats. Test the sound and adjust incrementally till you get the sound you want from both the driver's seat and the front passenger seat. Same goes for rear tweeters - aim them at the rear passengers for best sound.

8) I recommend tweeters that come with some sort of passive attenuator - that way, if they're too loud, you can move the (+) wire over to the next connector on the crossover (see the Rockford Fosgates below) and reduce the volume by 2dB or 4dB. Other tweeters can do -3db, or even -6dB. The front ones won't probably need this, but for the passengers in the rear, you'll find it's good to have options if they're too loud!

9) If you lose a channel, you can use AlphaODB to connect to the Radio and amplifier and run the tests to see which channel is acting up. If it says "open" for that channel, pull the associated speaker and use an ohm-meter/multi-meter to see how many ohms it's got. If you don't get a reading close to the rated ohms (it'll probably be VERY HIGH in that case) for it - i.e.: 4-ohm impedance on a speaker should give 4-ohms (+/- 10%). Anything else is suspect. If your ohms are good, check your wiring harness. Shorts to ground are no-bueno either. You can check by connecting the negative lead on a multi/ohm-meter to ground and testing the + and - wiring leads at the speaker site.

10) Use Metra connectors when putting in aftermarket speakers. It'll save you from having to cut the OEM connector out. They're also correctly configured for +/- on the speaker and in the harness.

Hope that helps!

Here's my setup:
View attachment 532280

So, regarding my above setup: I got the new speakers yesterday, and installed them. Rockford's in the headliner sound awesome! They fill in the high notes from the back, and sound great even for passengers back there. Of note: I didn't need to use the -2dB or -4dB attenuation, and I put the (+) input wire into the "off axis" connector on the crossover (since they are not inline with the rear door speakers - technically they're "off axis".) If you are putting these within six inches of a woofer/midrange/2-way, then you need to make sure you aim them correctly and put the (+) input wire in the "on axis" port of the crossover. I peeled the tape off the back of the crossover and stuck directly to the roof of the cab. You can get access by pulling the weather stripping out a little and pulling down on the headliner - gives you enough room to get your hand in without damaging your headliner.

As for the Infinity REF-3032 in the center dash: It might not be able to handle the load from the amp... Not sure - but on checking, I realized that the speaker is rated for 25W RMS @ 3 Ohms, and the amp is 42W - but these speakers run at 4 Ohms with the capacitor (see below) - which changes the RMS value. SO FAR, it SOUNDS GREAT - really puts out some volume and it's CLEAR as a bell - without being shrill or tinny. The REF-3032's come with a bi-polar capacitor, that you need to wire into your system. Easiest is to crimp connect and then cover with electrical tape, but I have some special automotive type posi-twist connectors that I got from CustomDynamics: Using one Metra connector, plug it into the factory wire harness. Snip the (+) white wire off about 1/2 way down. Strip the wire a good 1/4", and using a posi-twist (twist the wire together with the capacitor lead) or crimp type connector, connect. On the other end of the capacitor, take the piece of wire you snipped off the Metra, and connect it to the other capacitor lead, then plug it into the (+) terminal on the speaker. Make sure you use some quality electric tape to cover the ends of the capacitor leads to prevent shorts. The Metra's (-) black wire is fine the way it is - no need to cut it - just plug it in to the negative terminal on the speaker.

So far, the system sounds 1000x better than the factory crap, even when the truck was brand new.

PM/message me if you have questions or need advice.

Hope this helps any aspiring speaker upgraders out there!

 

[NETim]

Did my 1st oil change on this truck. Had a fresh change when I bought truck at the end of May of this year with 91k on the clock. Put in 5W30 full synthetic and Lube Guard. Only noise I hear now is the injectors cycling. Before change, engine oil ran at 51 PSI cold idle and 34 PSI hot idle. Now it's at 58 and 40. Very pleased.

Also replaced the tailgate backup camera. Old one got water in it from car wash.

Just out of curiosity, did you use a different oil filter and if so, what is it?

 

[CanuckRam1313]

Ordered up a pair of Fahren 9006 LED bulbs for my fogs.

 

[04fxdwgi]

Just out of curiosity, did you use a different oil filter and if so, what is it?

Used a Mobile 1 filter

 

[WY-Dave]

About 8" of snow, single digit over night temps, plugin block heater and battery tender. Remote power outlet for the block heater, 2hrs got the coolant to 72° (alpha OBD)

 

[czervika]

Took my oldest camping for three days. Truck did awesome.

 

[PA Ram]

Finally install footwell lights. Why they don't just install from factory since they are wired and active is mind boggling. Ordered led ones off Amazon and also a blue set. They're not replaceable bulb ones, they have multiple LEDs. Super cheap and if they die I'll just swap a new one in there.

 

[NETim]

Installed a NOCO adapter on the battery for the maintenance charger. Also firmly seated ALL the fuses in the TIPM. Most all of them weren't seated quite all the way home.

 

[Dave Haddon]

Put in exit lights around front doors..hooked into footwell lights that come on when door opens and 15 sec delay when door closes..

 

[Kid's HEMI! !!]

Well thanks to cyber Monday I’m $1500 poorer but saved 600 on a set of 37s nitto recon also made the switch from 35 to 37

 

[czervika]

35's got delivered the other day. After weeks of looking at various tires and reviews I decided on the Gladiator QR900s in 35x12.50x20. I like the X comp more but the shoulder lugs are aggressive enough that I was afraid of rubbing. From what I read it's a roll of the dice if I'll even need the spacers but I got them just in case. I don't care for tires sticking out of the wheel well, and I don't plan to put fender flares on either. So I guess I'll find out once I get an appointment for them to get mounted. A co worker thought I ordered too big of a tire until he rolled one up to the truck and we both thought I should've ordered 37s if I was ok with trimming. (which I'm not)

View attachment 244391

View attachment 244392

So how did the Gladiators hold up over time? Did they get noisy?

 

[Black-Wolf]

So how did the Gladiators hold up over time? Did they get noisy?

I personally like the aggressive look that tires sticking out a LITTLE (like no more than 2") from the wheel-well gives, but mostly I see people running around with them sticking out like 4" or 5". Looks to be too much in my PERSONAL opinion. So do ultra-slim tires on a truck. I can appreciate show vehicles and such, but for daily drivers, tone it down a bit. Subtlety goes a lot farther than being overbearing.