2026 HEMI or Hurricane?

[BowDown]

I appreciate how quiet and smooth the Hurricane is. The truck is an appliance which exists primarily to haul and tow, comfort and daily livability is a close second.
The last thing I need from this truck is an annoying exhaust noise and droning at 70 mph.
Pretending that a 5000# vehicle is some kind of performance vehicle is only valid if the only metric is acceleration.
Making a slow vehicle loud is like is sort of like that bodybuilder which can't compete with the wiry powerlifter.
Or the 1440cc open-piped Softtail which can't outrun the 750 Magna which sounds like a sewing machine.

IDK that I'd call a hurricane truck slow but I get what you're saying. Both the hurricane variants make the truck much more pleasurable to drive, no dead spots in the power curve. I've yet to tow with this truck but my HEMI truck was loud towing a 5500lb steel Maxx D trailer drop n load trailer loaded with my 3Klb car

 

[BowDown]

The only thing I don't like about the HO hurricane is the mandatory 3.92 gear. I think the 3.55 should have been a option and likely a better choice; I understand the reasoning which I believe is to streamline the production line

 

[Ramintime]

Performance in this scenario is power to weight as everything else in the trucks are the same or similar so in this instance, performance is indeed speed. The Hurricane has about 10K of towing capacity vs the HEMIs 11K which isn't a huge difference. If I regularly towing either of those weights, I'm getting a 2500. If I'm regularly towing 8K, I'm probably buying a 2500.

Im not worried about port injection, the truck has a warranty

Yea, acceleration too. But I'm thinking more about long term towing, not so much the amount of weight. The 10 year warranty definitely helps ease minds for sure though...especially since I'd never keep a vehicle for more than 10 years.

 

[RedDevil00]

I can't see a I4 or V6 in a truck..maybe an in-line diesel. I've owned numerous trucks 1/2 & 3/4 tons all with V8's. This is my first Ram V8 and while I'm not wild about the e-Torque I think its' superior to the 2020 F150 5.0 I traded. The Ford had cam phaser issues at 32K, repaired under warranty and 7K later the engine noises started again. The GM & Ford small blocks are just not reliable. So I took a flier on the Ram 1500 5.7. It's not as fast, nor does it have the HP of the smaller turbo engines, but it's a truck. If I feel the need for HP & speed I roll the Vette out of the garage. I'm rolling the dice with the new Ram, but they are giving a 10yr/100K warranty and you won't get that from GM or Ford. Loved my last Ford F150 SuperCrew 4x4, it's big, roomy, comfortable & plush, but that 10spd trans slips & slides like the old Powerglide in my 1962 Chevy. Plus, that 8spd trans behind that hemi shift smooth. So far the Ram is a much better truck then anything the other mfgs are producing -- time will tell.

 

[beetlespin]

I had the Ford 3.5 EcoBeast the first year it came out.
I have a '22 Ram with the 5.7 Hemi now.
Both did/do the job. Pick your poison.

 

[silver billet]

I can't see a I4 or V6 in a truck..maybe an in-line diesel. I've owned numerous trucks 1/2 & 3/4 tons all with V8's. This is my first Ram V8 and while I'm not wild about the e-Torque I think its' superior to the 2020 F150 5.0 I traded. The Ford had cam phaser issues at 32K, repaired under warranty and 7K later the engine noises started again. The GM & Ford small blocks are just not reliable. So I took a flier on the Ram 1500 5.7. It's not as fast, nor does it have the HP of the smaller turbo engines, but it's a truck. If I feel the need for HP & speed I roll the Vette out of the garage. I'm rolling the dice with the new Ram, but they are giving a 10yr/100K warranty and you won't get that from GM or Ford. Loved my last Ford F150 SuperCrew 4x4, it's big, roomy, comfortable & plush, but that 10spd trans slips & slides like the old Powerglide in my 1962 Chevy. Plus, that 8spd trans behind that hemi shift smooth. So far the Ram is a much better truck then anything the other mfgs are producing -- time will tell.

The 5.7 hemi is the only half ton engine in recent history that did severe truck duty in the 2500/3500 trucks for years as the base engine. It's a beast, cast iron block, port injection, strong bottom end. Its history is proven. The only flaw on its reputation has been the lifter/cam issue which is a manufacturing issue, and been addressed somewhere around 2016 or so with new lifters using thicker needle bearings. A lot of us get broken manifolds but that affects other v8s as well and is due to heating cycles with mixed materials.

The 5.7 is no longer fastest kid on the block like it was when it came out in 2009, but it's a proven engine. And the 5.7 is not slow by any means either, anything in the 6 to 7 second range is more than enough, and it tows basically the same amount as the 3.0. At a certain point for me when a truck exceeds what I need from it in terms of power (which the 5.7 does), everything else matters more to me than increasing 0 to 60 times even further.

The ZF is also bullet proof, by far the best transmission in the segment.

The 10 year warranty is incredible, I wish Ram Canada would have offered something like that but honestly I'd still pick the Ram with 0 warranty over the other 2 brands at this point.

I get the attraction of the hurricanes for those that love 0 to 60, but we just want different things from our trucks. I've stopped arguing about it, those who get the hemi know why it's such a great buy still, those who don't care about that can buy the hurricane and we're all happy.

The only thing that p|ssed me off about the hurricane was when they initially offered it they yanked the hemi out. That was infuriating and drove a lot of hate in the direction of the hurricane, but now that the hemi is a choice I couldn't care less, now there is an option for every Ram buyer and we can all be happy with our trucks. Win win.

(though still not offering the 6.4 is ... stupid beyond reasoning).

 

[BowDown]

Yea, acceleration too. But I'm thinking more about long term towing, not so much the amount of weight. The 10 year warranty definitely helps ease minds for sure though...especially since I'd never keep a vehicle for more than 10 years.

I don't see why long term towing would be an issue, towing puts more wear and stress on the transmission than the engine but like I said above, if I towed with any regularity, I likely wouldn't buy a 1500. The 10 year/100K mile warranty most definitely eases the mind though

 

[BowDown]

The 5.7 hemi is the only half ton engine in recent history that did severe truck duty in the 2500/3500 trucks for years as the base engine. It's a beast, cast iron block, port injection, strong bottom end. Its history is proven. The only flaw on its reputation has been the lifter/cam issue which is a manufacturing issue, and been addressed somewhere around 2016 or so with new lifters using thicker needle bearings. A lot of us get broken manifolds but that affects other v8s as well and is due to heating cycles with mixed materials.

The 5.7 is no longer fastest kid on the block like it was when it came out in 2009, but it's a proven engine. And the 5.7 is not slow by any means either, anything in the 6 to 7 second range is more than enough, and it tows basically the same amount as the 3.0. At a certain point for me when a truck exceeds what I need from it in terms of power (which the 5.7 does), everything else matters more to me than increasing 0 to 60 times even further.

The ZF is also bullet proof, by far the best transmission in the segment.

The 10 year warranty is incredible, I wish Ram Canada would have offered something like that but honestly I'd still pick the Ram with 0 warranty over the other 2 brands at this point.

I get the attraction of the hurricanes for those that love 0 to 60, but we just want different things from our trucks. I've stopped arguing about it, those who get the hemi know why it's such a great buy still, those who don't care about that can buy the hurricane and we're all happy.

The only thing that p|ssed me off about the hurricane was when they initially offered it they yanked the hemi out. That was infuriating and drove a lot of hate in the direction of the hurricane, but now that the hemi is a choice I couldn't care less, now there is an option for every Ram buyer and we can all be happy with our trucks. Win win.

(though still not offering the 6.4 is ... stupid beyond reasoning).

5.7 was introduced in 2003 in both the 1500 and the 2500. 2009 was the introduction of the VVT & Eagle headed 5.7 which have been the only upgrades to the HEMI in 23 years. In that same time frame GM has introduced the Gen 1, 2, 3 & 4 LS V8's and Gen 1, 2 , 3, 4, 5 and currently has a new variant being released later this year or early next year.

This has and will always be the issue with Dodge, they sit on their donkeys too long and don't update their drivelines/powertrains for decades then wonder why they are left behind

 

[HSKR R/T]

5.7 was introduced in 2003 in both the 1500 and the 2500. 2009 was the introduction of the VVT & Eagle headed 5.7 which have been the only upgrades to the HEMI in 23 years. In that same time frame GM has introduced the Gen 1, 2, 3 & 4 LS V8's and Gen 1, 2 , 3, 4, 5 and currently has a new variant being released later this year or early next year.

This has and will always be the issue with Dodge, they sit on their donkeys too long and don't update their drivelines/powertrains for decades then wonder why they are left behind

And actually towing with the Hurricane is done at lower RPMs. With the Hemi, it has to kick down a few gears to get the RPMs up to pull heavier loads up any moderate grade. So while people think the Hurricane is "high strung" or maxed out, the Hemi is the engine working harder to move the same load.

 

[Tyee]

My last truck was a 2021 limited 5.7 Etorque with 3.92 Each summer we would do a road road trip from the SW to the NW typically up the east side of Nevada, this route has some fairly high elevations 7000 ft+. At that elevation the hemi didn't have much poop ( had to have a little more distance to pass) and struggled to get much better that 16 MPG.... The new truck with an HO hurricane has plenty of grunt to pass even at altitude and still gets over 22 MPG..... The only advantage the hemi had was cheaper fuel and oil changes....

 

[pensfan]

The 5.7 hemi is the only half ton engine in recent history that did severe truck duty in the 2500/3500 trucks for years as the base engine. It's a beast, cast iron block, port injection, strong bottom end. Its history is proven. The only flaw on its reputation has been the lifter/cam issue which is a manufacturing issue, and been addressed somewhere around 2016 or so with new lifters using thicker needle bearings. A lot of us get broken manifolds but that affects other v8s as well and is due to heating cycles with mixed materials.

The 5.7 is no longer fastest kid on the block like it was when it came out in 2009, but it's a proven engine. And the 5.7 is not slow by any means either, anything in the 6 to 7 second range is more than enough, and it tows basically the same amount as the 3.0. At a certain point for me when a truck exceeds what I need from it in terms of power (which the 5.7 does), everything else matters more to me than increasing 0 to 60 times even further.

The ZF is also bullet proof, by far the best transmission in the segment.

The 10 year warranty is incredible, I wish Ram Canada would have offered something like that but honestly I'd still pick the Ram with 0 warranty over the other 2 brands at this point.

I get the attraction of the hurricanes for those that love 0 to 60, but we just want different things from our trucks. I've stopped arguing about it, those who get the hemi know why it's such a great buy still, those who don't care about that can buy the hurricane and we're all happy.

The only thing that p|ssed me off about the hurricane was when they initially offered it they yanked the hemi out. That was infuriating and drove a lot of hate in the direction of the hurricane, but now that the hemi is a choice I couldn't care less, now there is an option for every Ram buyer and we can all be happy with our trucks. Win win.

(though still not offering the 6.4 is ... stupid beyond reasoning).

When I ordered my truck 2 months ago I went Hurricane for 1 reason, eTorque. I've had no issues on 2 Hemi trucks over 210000 miles other than the manifold bolts on my '16.
I don't need a driveway ornament for months while waiting on a replacement eTorque unit.

 

[silver billet]

When I ordered my truck 2 months ago I went Hurricane for 1 reason, eTorque. I've had no issues on 2 Hemi trucks over 210000 miles other than the manifold bolts on my '16.
I don't need a driveway ornament for months while waiting on a replacement eTorque unit.

This is why I ordered mine without ETorque. Even still, I'd take a 2026 hemi over hurricane, it's not even a question for me. From what I can see, ET is easy to DIY a repair. I don't lease or swap trucks every few years, I purchase for the 15+ year long haul.

 

[RHO]

Thoughts?

Hemi , the six is small and pushed to the limits , it is the newest tech, but asking so much out of a 3.0

 

[HSKR R/T]

Not sure if that quote was actually your reply @RHO

 

[PetePA]

Hemi?

 

[Ramintime]

5.7 was introduced in 2003 in both the 1500 and the 2500. 2009 was the introduction of the VVT & Eagle headed 5.7 which have been the only upgrades to the HEMI in 23 years. In that same time frame GM has introduced the Gen 1, 2, 3 & 4 LS V8's and Gen 1, 2 , 3, 4, 5 and currently has a new variant being released later this year or early next year.

This has and will always be the issue with Dodge, they sit on their donkeys too long and don't update their drivelines/powertrains for decades then wonder why they are left behind

Although you make a valid point....look what's happening to all of the newer GM engines. Theres something to be said by sticking to a more reliable and older design while still offering an additional engine choice. I think thats smart of Ram. Are there quirks with the Hemi? Sure. Is it old? Sure. But its not gonna grenade itself when keeping up with proper maintenance.

 

[Ram1500OwnerMaybe]

I have been enjoying this thread and find myself thinking....
Good point, Hemi is the way to go.
Good point, SO is the way to go.

 

[HSKR R/T]

Although you make a valid point....look what's happening to all of the newer GM engines. Theres something to be said by sticking to a more reliable and older design while still offering an additional engine choice. I think thats smart of Ram. Are there quirks with the Hemi? Sure. Is it old? Sure. But its not gonna grenade itself when keeping up with proper maintenance.

It's not smart of Ram. The current Hemi design is obsolete by today's standards. If Dodge/Ram want to stay competitive, they need to do more than just offer a supercharger for more horsepower. Thebo my thing going for the Hemi is name recognition.

 

[BowDown]

Although you make a valid point....look what's happening to all of the newer GM engines. Theres something to be said by sticking to a more reliable and older design while still offering an additional engine choice. I think thats smart of Ram. Are there quirks with the Hemi? Sure. Is it old? Sure. But its not gonna grenade itself when keeping up with proper maintenance.

Its happening to one GM engine in the trucks, not all of them. There's no joy in making one update to the HEMI in 23 years and the excuse of it won't blow up is just that. There's numerous changes they could have made that would have improved the HEMI and kept it competitive; DI, increase the cubic inches, streamline the intake manifold but instead, dodge did nothing.

The only thing selling Ram trucks since 2019 is that the styling, transmission and suspension was and is superior to both GM and Ford. We accepted the weak uncompetitive HEMI because we had to, not because it was superior; I know I did.

 

[BowDown]

This is what Dodge/Ram does, slaps a whipple on a 5.7 then charge you $90K for a $40-50K Bighorn with a blower