Does the Hemi have issues? ie “tick”

[njt07]

Hell yes it's underpowered...



Compared to an F-22 Raptor, that is

Come on, man - you're going to be hauling a light camper, dirt, mulch, and fertilizer. Hell, my Kia could pull any of that in a trailer. If you said you were going to be pulling a 16k pound trackhoe or something all day long, I'd probably go along with it. But you're just doing normal everyday **** with it like most people, and there's pretty much not a vehicle out there that couldn't do that.

lol hey, its a $70k plus vehicle (which is a lot for me). Its also my first truck so I’m just covering my bases. appreciate the info.

 

[RSConsulting]

Not addressing (can't speak to) the "tick" - that aside, it depends on what you're looking for.

The F-150 Platinum with the diesel was a very very close second to the RAM I ended up with. But the comfort, features and price point of the RAM got me into - the RAM (even @ a $67K sticker).

You couldn't really option the Ford as "nicely" as my RAM limited (that came with everything but 4X4 and the kitchen sink at that price-point). The biggest seller for me was the split tailgate - which saves my stuff 5'5" butt much pain getting stuff (and myself) in & out of the bed.

This is not a "racing truck" (get a TRX if you have the $$ & desire). Some might consider 7 second 0-60 "slow", but for a truck this size - it's pretty impressive.

I drove (literally) every offering from everyone. Got the RAM. I was looking for something that was a TRUCK - that felt and drove like (almost) a mid-size SUV (coming from 2 gens of Honda Pilot). I'm not particularly overjoyed with my fuel mileage - but I didn't buy a 7K lb, 5.7 V8 expecting it to come in at hybrid economy.

So it all comes down to what you're looking for and what your expectations are. Without knowing what's important to YOU (towing capacity, luxury, off-road capability, etc.) - really hard to advise much further.

Rick

 

[Rototerrier]

Reminds me of when I went shopping for a midsized tractor. I was comparing Kubota L Series tractors to the John Deere 3 Series. Go to the deere dealer and all they can do is talk about how nice the green plastic hoods are and how they don't dent or bend. Go to the Kubota dealer and all they can talk about is how nice the all metal painted construction is, it doesn't haze or fade or get all those tiny scratches like a deere. Deere claims their 2 hydro pedal system is superior, kubota says the Treddle peddle is better, blah blah. They talk up or down all the crap that doesn't even matter.

I ultimately went with the kubota because, of all things, it was quieter. The Deere was ear piercingly loud. I cared nothing about color or pedals or any other crap they were bagging on each other about. In the end I just needed the correct size and horsepower for my needs and then I made a decision on some other factors....like sound levels.

My feeling about power is this: Both trucks are neck and neck in power in 99% of situations. How often do you drag race at red lights? Me, never. I can pull away from an F150 at any time...because they also aren't drag racing...and I don't have to floor it. I never ever floor it. So the idea that one truck is more "powerful" or "faster" is complete nonsense.

Which truck does what you need it to do and which one checks off more boxes. If you are that a'hole that insists on drag racing like a teenager off every redlight, then I guess the Ford might be for you. But, in the end, that's just dumb also....go get a sports care or something that's actually fast. It's like bragging that your turtle is faster than my turtle....they are still freakin turtles. There's not a single person sitting around giving 2 craps about how fast each other's trucks are...unless they are the a'holes I mentioned. In which case, who gives a crap what they think. That's just childish stuff.

That tick on the otherhand, that's a legitimate concern. My 03 has the tick something fierce. My 19 has 20k miles and hasn't yet developed a tick. I've heard it tick a couple times when firing it up in cold weather but it goes away after a couple seconds of fluid flowing. I'm not exactly sure what the determining factor is on the HEMI tick.

 

[Rototerrier]

lol hey, its a $70k plus vehicle (which is a lot for me). Its also my first truck so I’m just covering my bases. appreciate the info.

And it's not a 70k truck. It's a 59-60k truck masquerading behind a 70k MSRP. Not that 59k is anything to sneeze at....but it aint 70+. Sounds like you might be one of those guys that likes to brag about how much his truck costs and how fast it can go. Might want to steer to the ford. I'm pretty sure you can pay way more than 70k and it'll be faster. You'll be loaded up with bragging rights.

 

[SpeedyV]

btw its gonna be my daily driver (10+ miles), family hauler and (light) camper hauler. Light off road for camping and hiking. Yard maintenance hauler for dirt, fertilizer, mulch, wood for the shop etc.

Sounds like you'll actually use it as a truck...along with the short commute. If you value a simple, proven powertrain (i.e. general engine reliability and ease of maintenance), the HEMI—or one of the V8s from GM or Toyota—are solid choices. Don't get me wrong...Ford makes nice boosted engines. I would just be extra careful with maintenance, as there's "more to go wrong".

Not so many years ago, 400 HP / 400 lb-ft was a rare beast. I guess the question is...how much power do you really need? If I needed more power in my truck, I'd have bought a diesel (or waited for electric). The upcoming electric Hummer (said to have the equivalent of 1,000 HP and 11,500 lb-ft) has piqued my interest.

 

[JF19Longhorn]

I had a 2017 Limited F150, Gen II 3.5L w/ 10spd and 3.55s (before they went with the Raptor motor) and went to a RAM Longhorn with the 3.92's. I had alot of issues with my F150 and was going to go back to a F150 again.. but Ford basically said, your truck is a Lemon and we don't want it.. offered me ALOT less than RAM did as a trade. So I switched.

Right now (2020 vs 2020) the RAM rides way nicer, has a much nicer interior, and sounds waaayyy better. You can't beat a V8 rumble in a truck. I do not have the Hemi 'tick', but I only have 9,500 miles on the truck so far, not really worried about it as I rarely keep them out of warranty. That being said, the F150 would run circles around the RAM both empty and towing. I can only guess the difference would be way more with the Raptor motor in a Limited. The gas mileage is worse too, but I wouldn't say it's because it's under powered. It's just a heavy, giant brick, with a thirsty 20(?) yr old Hemi engine. The Hemi isn't slow for a truck, it's just the Ford is fast for a truck.. if you get what I'm saying.

 

[Timeless]

It is only under powered in regards to racing other 1500 trucks.

It is beaten by the 3.5 EB and the 6.2. Would be nice for bragging rights but that's it.

 

[piening2150]

I just love that we live in a time when a normal-a$$ (non-performance) pickup truck has nearly 400 HP and we're debating if it's "underpowered"

I remember not that long ago when the 400 HP V8 M5 and CTS-V were introduced and the same amount of power (in a high performance sedan) was a big deal.

Granted they didn't weigh as much as a Ram 1500 but still....

Good times!

 

[brian42]

I just love that we live in a time when a normal-a$$ (non-performance) pickup truck has nearly 400 HP and we're debating if it's "underpowered"

I remember not that long ago when the 400 HP V8 M5 and CTS-V were introduced and the same amount of power (in a high performance sedan) was a big deal.

Granted they didn't weigh as much as a Ram 1500 but still....

Good times!

I'm even older...I remember when you had to get a high end sports car if you wanted 300Hp.

Every truck will have it's selling points and issues. It all boils down to what you like and are willing to pay for.

It would be nice to beat a Ferrari while towing a trailer, get 50 mpg, have a HEMI, and have the truck cost $300...but that just isn't going to happen. You're going to have to make some choices which everyone prioritizes differently, which is why you will get a lot of different answers.

I've only had used vehicles up to this point and I researched them to death before I found what was the best vehicle. This is my first new vehicle so I bought what I wanted since no matter what I got it was going to have a warranty.

No manufacturer is perfect. Do you want to deal with cracked windows or frozen doors? Do you want to deal with a potential 'tick' or front end failures? And the list goes on.

Of course the Ford guys are going to bash the RAM guys, who are all going to bash the GM guys. You can also throw Toyota and Nissan in there too.

I've had a truck in my driveway for 20+ years and they have all been Fords until now. I was certain that I was going to get another one but when I went to drive them they were uninspiring to me. Sure they had get-up-and-go but it felt like I should take the kids to the mall or soccer practice. I took one test drive in the 5th gen RAM and it felt like my old Fords...ready to work and get dirty.

In the end the new RAM had the personality of my old Fords so I switched. Regardless of any potential issues that the truck might have I would not have been happy in any other truck.

To answer the title: yes and no (is the HEMI underpowered):

- Yes if you are looking strictly from a straight-from-the-factory performance standpoint. There is drive-by-wire delay built in so will feel a bit soft off the line and takes a bit to get to the power peak since it's normally aspirated and "only" has an 8-speed transmission (compared to an EcoBoost or a 10-speed transmission). There are things you can do to overcome that (Pedal Commander or equivalent, supercharger, etc.)

- No if you are looking at is the truck powerful enough. 395Hp and 410 lb-ft of torque is nothing to sneeze at. I don't plan on any stoplight races and only compare myself to other vehicles when I'm getting on the freeway (and I usually beat them to the merge ).

It has more than enough power to make me happy and, as has been mentioned, it is not hard to get the TCS light to come on, even in stock form.

Just my .02

 

[mikeru82]

I don't think the Hemi is under powered. There is plenty of power for my purposes. If I ever think I'll need more I'll look more closely into the TRX. If I need to tow something heavy I'll move up to a HD. What I won't do is own any truck with a small engine that uses a turbo to make up for displacement, at least as long as I have the option not to. Sure, they may be faster, but it's asking a lot out of three and a half liters. Like the old saying goes, there's no replacement for displacement. I'm a believer of that, at least as far as durability goes. And like several people have already said, there's nothing like that healthy V8 sound to get the blood pumping.

 

[piening2150]

I'm even older...I remember when you had to get a high end sports car if you wanted 300Hp.

Hell, I had a Taurus SHO back in the day. 220 HP from a 3.0 V6 was a big deal then too, and only 5 HP shy of the almighty 5.0 Mustangs of the time. Loved the 'bundle of snakes' intake runners on the SHOs. Need to find one in a junkyard for some garage wall art.

 

[Alter Ego Trip]

Don't get me wrong; you can never have too much power. That being said; what in the world are you doing with it that you need more? I can pass anyone at will (I live in the land of 2 lane roads) and never have a problem pulling reasonable loads. More power would be great; but not because it's needed. Just for the times I feel like being a hooligan.

 

[spiG]

My 16 2500 6.4 didn’t have the tick but my 17 Hellcat did after about 10k miles. Didn’t bother me as I knew about it and never even noticed it.

have the 5.7 in my wife’s Durango R/T and it’s about to hit 100k miles, no ticK and plenty fast for the family hauler.

have the 5.7 non-torque in my Ram now and is plenty fast with the 3.92 rearend. I need the truck to do truck things not drag race. Like most have said, test drive and buy what you want, not what people tell you to buy.

 

[Aseras]

Reminds me of when I went shopping for a midsized tractor. I was comparing Kubota L Series tractors to the John Deere 3 Series. Go to the deere dealer and all they can do is talk about how nice the green plastic hoods are and how they don't dent or bend. Go to the Kubota dealer and all they can talk about is how nice the all metal painted construction is, it doesn't haze or fade or get all those tiny scratches like a deere. Deere claims their 2 hydro pedal system is superior, kubota says the Treddle peddle is better, blah blah. They talk up or down all the crap that doesn't even matter.

Those plastic hoods are nice until they dry rot and shatter in a few years. The shipping on a replacement is just as exorbitant as the cost of a new hood. I went with a deere 4105 with a 300cx loader. Got it before the tier4 stuff came out. It's the biggest dumb as dirt tractor I could get and aside from a couple busted radiators and hydraulic lines that are well known faults for their placement is has not had a lick of trouble. It'll run for days on 6 gallons of diesel.

I was shopping the K and M series Kubotas. They were nice but all were tier4, had expensive emissions and computers and stuff thats just asking to break. They were about the same price though. The green tax is real and not worth it. Just go buy a yanmar directly today.

 

[njt07]

And it's not a 70k truck. It's a 59-60k truck masquerading behind a 70k MSRP. Not that 59k is anything to sneeze at....but it aint 70+. Sounds like you might be one of those guys that likes to brag about how much his truck costs and how fast it can go. Might want to steer to the ford. I'm pretty sure you can pay way more than 70k and it'll be faster. You'll be loaded up with bragging rights.

... had a whole sarcastic response written out, but deleted it. You do you, and have a great day!

 

[njt07]

I “may” have used the wrong title. Sorry bout that. I am not look to race my truck or anything related to it. I would however, like to have the ability to pass on a 2 lane road without a significant pucker factor, particularly if the JA in front starts to speed up. I’d also like the ability to load up the bed with a load of dirt (landscaping my backyard) and not worry about the payload (so not really power question).

the potential for the “tick” and other issues is concerning, but the turbos on the Ford EB also needs some research.

thanks for all the input everyone. Gonna go change that title if I can...

 

[Alter Ego Trip]

This is my 4th or 5th Ram since the body style change in 09. Everyone of them has had the "Ram tick" with zero issues arising from it. Some are definitely worse than others. Cold start after sitting for a couple days is the worst.

As I mentioned; I live in MT where all of our travel is on 2 lane roads. I've never had an issue with passing (and we're not talking passing cars doing 45). On our mtn passes if you get stuck behind someone it's a long time before getting an opportunity to pass. I've passed strings of cars at, umm, high rates of speed, and have never run out of steam. In fact a couple times I've hit the high speed cut out before realizing how fast I'm moving.

If you feel you need more down the road invest in a tuner. I hemi fever tuned my 15 and it really woke the ol girl up.

I “may” have used the wrong title. Sorry bout that. I am not look to race my truck or anything related to it. I would however, like to have the ability to pass on a 2 lane road without a significant pucker factor, particularly if the JA in front starts to speed up. I’d also like the ability to load up the bed with a load of dirt (landscaping my backyard) and not worry about the payload (so not really power question).

the potential for the “tick” and other issues is concerning, but the turbos on the Ford EB also needs some research.

thanks for all the input everyone. Gonna go change that title if I can...

 

[brian42]

I am not look to race my truck or anything related to it. I would however, like to have the ability to pass on a 2 lane road without a significant pucker factor, particularly if the JA in front starts to speed up.

The 5.7L will take care of that no problem.

 

[brian42]

I am not look to race my truck or anything related to it. I would however, like to have the ability to pass on a 2 lane road without a significant pucker factor, particularly if the JA in front starts to speed up.

The 5.7L will take care of that no problem.

My truck scoots pretty good for a smidge over 5600+ lbs before I climb into the driver's seat...and sounds great doing it.

 

[silver billet]

I would however, like to have the ability to pass on a 2 lane road without a significant pucker factor, particularly if the JA in front starts to speed up.

As has been mentioned; almost 400 hp and 410 lb/ft of torque is very healthy, you're worrying over absolutely nothing, and nothing we can say here will change your mind. Just drive it, you will soon realize how powerful and capable it is.