Is The 426 HEMI-Powered Ram 1500 TR Dead On Arrival?

[redriderbob]

Is The 426 HEMI-Powered Ram 1500 TR Dead On Arrival?
New V8-Powered Performance Might Not Be Coming...

5thGenRams.com broke the news last year that there was two versions of the upcoming high-performance Ram 1500 Rebel coming out. The first of which (the HELLCAT-powered Rebel TRX) has already been announced by Ram during its 5 Year Plan Presentation at the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Capital Markets Day event last June. The second would be a more affordable option calling for a new performance 7.0-liter (426 cubic-inch) HEMI V8, codenamed Banshee for a Rebel TR trim.

2021 Ram 1500 Rebel TR Prototype. (SpiedBilde).

Well we are sad to report that according to our sources that the Rebel TR project has been shelved. Instead Ram is going full out on the 6.2-liter Supercharged HEMI HELLCAT version. While the project has not been totally cancelled, it looks like the Ram brand is evaluating its options for TR.

The 7.0-liter HEMI V8, was rumored to be a heavily modified version of the current 6.4-liter (392 cubic-inch) SRT HEMI V8 as known internally as the “Apache”. According to sources, the Banshee would have made around 525 horsepower and 535 lb.-ft of torque.

For more information, click the link below...
https://5thgenrams.com/is-the-426-hemi-powered-ram-1500-tr-dead-on-arrival/

 

[Chippy]

I think the 1/2 step in power would just dilute the line. Make the Hellcat version properly and it will sell. Look how many people buy Raptors and have never been off the pavement

 

[Truckin]

I hope to hell they bring the 426 Hemi to all trims...The Hellcat will be awesome of course, but just think...A 426 Hemi with a Whipple sitting on top!

 

[SpeedyV]

I hope to hell they bring the 426 Hemi to all trims...The Hellcat will be awesome of course, but just think...A 426 Hemi with a Whipple sitting on top!

Shoot...a 5.7L with a Whipple will still be fun

 

[Rustydodge]

Could this news on the heels of Fords new 7.3 indicate Ram thinks Ford may bring that to the Raptor/F150...and that the 426 wouldn't compete well against it?

I'll be very disappointed, if Ram goes turbo I6 and starves the 1500 of a large displacement V8

 

[Truckin]

Shoot...a 5.7L with a Whipple will still be fun

That is something I am thinking about...It's just that warranty 'thingy', not too worried about something that was actually caused by the Whipple-there is just sooooo many other things that could fail that would be blamed on the Whipple...

 

[Vegas_Sirk]

The problem is there is no way I would want to fork out the cash for the Hellcat version. The 426 Hemi version I was assuming would be priced similar to the Raptor and at that price point is already more then I want to spend but would do it.

At this point, I might just go get a Raptor since I don't see the point in waiting anymore. At least the Ford has had a lot of kinks worked out of it by now.

 

[Electrical]

That is something I am thinking about...It's just that warranty 'thingy', not too worried about something that was actually caused by the Whipple-there is just sooooo many other things that could fail that would be blamed on the Whipple...

Axle shafts, hub splines, CV joints, rear diff, driveshaft, U joints, and a thousand parts in the tranny and engine. Not to mention the expensive catalytic converters that might get burned up.... and you'll need a new fuel pump and injectors to accommodate the Whipple. If worrying about those isn't enough, you're almost guaranteed to NOT have the smoothness of OEM forced induction.

It'll cost you $10,000 at the end of the day. Save your money

 

[whsk12]

what me worry?-build it and they will come!

 

[Gkmathiesen]

Is The 426 HEMI-Powered Ram 1500 TR Dead On Arrival?
New V8-Powered Performance Might Not Be Coming...

5thGenRams.com broke the news last year that there was two versions of the upcoming high-performance Ram 1500 Rebel coming out. The first of which (the HELLCAT-powered Rebel TRX) has already been announced by Ram during its 5 Year Plan Presentation at the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Capital Markets Day event last June. The second would be a more affordable option calling for a new performance 7.0-liter (426 cubic-inch) HEMI V8, codenamed Banshee for a Rebel TR trim.

2021 Ram 1500 Rebel TR Prototype. (SpiedBilde).

Well we are sad to report that according to our sources that the Rebel TR project has been shelved. Instead Ram is going full out on the 6.2-liter Supercharged HEMI HELLCAT version. While the project has not been totally cancelled, it looks like the Ram brand is evaluating its options for TR.

The 7.0-liter HEMI V8, was rumored to be a heavily modified version of the current 6.4-liter (392 cubic-inch) SRT HEMI V8 as known internally as the “Apache”. According to sources, the Banshee would have made around 525 horsepower and 535 lb.-ft of torque.

For more information, click the link below...
https://5thgenrams.com/is-the-426-hemi-powered-ram-1500-tr-dead-on-arrival/

That looks more like a limited just with different wheels and larger tires.

 

[Jared B]

That looks more like a limited just with different wheels and larger tires.

It's a powertrain mule.

 

[redriderbob]

That looks more like a limited just with different wheels and larger tires.

It's a mule... a prototype truck made from left over parts bin stuff...



Just like this was a mule for the 2019 Ram 2500...

There are several stages to engineering through the testing phase... there are mules, then early prototypes, then pre-production, then fast feedback, then production-spec...

 

[redriderbob]

That looks more like a limited just with different wheels and larger tires.

There is a few difference between the TR and TRX besides powertrains that we can tell...





Both TR mules we have seen feature 6-bolt rear wheels and 6-bolt front wheels



Now this Limited with a Rebel hood, body flares is a TRX mule with 8-lug rear wheels and 6-bolt front wheels

 

[VoiceOfReason]

So the rumor persists that the 426/7.0L Ram Rebel TR is shelved (no contradictions since that report). Perhaps they decided that . . . the 426 Hemi (as cool as that sounds) just wasn't enough? Maybe, what we will get are the following:
- Ram Rebel TRX (Supercharged 6.2L)
- Ram Rebel TRX Redeye (800+ horsepower due to air intake designs)

They're putting the Redeye in everything else that has the Hellcat engine, with the lone exception of the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk (or, I should say, it is the only vehicle lacking an official announcement and/or a credible rumor). I can see an argument for the Redeye in both the Jeep and the Ram - namely, the things are so heavy, the extra ponies will help - toward the back end of the quarter mile on the Trackhawk, where it starts to lose steam compared to the lighter sports cars it competes against and well, everywhere a 6,000 lb truck goes. That's a lot of vehicle to be lugging around, so there is no limit to the usefulness of more horsepower. Credible sources have effectively poo pooed the prospects of a streetable Hellephant variant (Bastards!).
A Ram Rebel TRX would already own the off-road. A Ram Rebel TRX Redeye would also own the on-road.

No insight on this, just thinking (dreaming) out loud, but I do wonder if the powers that be just said screw the naturally aspirated route altogether and instead will still have two levels of TRX: crazy and outright insane.

Can anybody poke a source and judge from the look on their face what they're hiding?

 

[devildodge]

It is funny, I was thinking the same thing. With the charger redeye firmly declared, I can see your dream being reality.

I also think if there is a 426 Hemi it is being reserved for the 50th anniversary of the Challenger.

This year at Chrysler @ Carlisle is the 50th anniversary of 1969...gonna be a good time...and last year the challenger redeye was hiding in plain sight as the race car for, well I will have to get back on that info.

Gonna be awesome to see what FCA and SRT release at Woodward Dream Cruise.

 

[Rustydodge]

I have zero source, but the following opinion:

A NA 426 is all but confirmed and will be released in challenger/charger and supposedly wagoneer/grand wagoneer (or so i've read from others). The W/GW (or upcoming durango?) are on the SUV version of the 5th gen ram platform after warren is updated.

Therefore i strongly believe the NA 426 (or a truck version of it) will be coming to Ram as well. It just may not be in the "TR" like we were previously expecting (a not-quite-as-hardcore-offroad-TRX). More of just a premium engine option instead in limited/longhorn/Rebel or as an alternative to the also rumored and upcoming turbo I6. I'm guessing 529 hp out of the NA 426 in the cars (using 392 as a guide and the clock reading towards the end of the respect the beast commercial....or maybe that meant nothing)

That leaves the 707 hp version of the hellcat for the TRX (7:07 was listed on the clock in the concept images, correct?). Of course now that standard hellcat is at 717 it may be that instead.

No question they could do the 797 redeye version but they don't have a reason to, at least not from the start, until they see what competition decides to do (Raptor),

 

[VoiceOfReason]

they could do the 797 redeye version but they don't have a reason to, at least not from the start, until they see what competition decides to do

Good point - of course, that would be just my luck to sink a crap load of money that I can't really afford into something only to have something else better come out two years later. As to the competition, I don't get the impression they're interested in a horsepower performance war. They recently refreshed their offerings and, despite the TRX lurking in the shadows, made no effort to defend against a performance attack. However, that is not to say that Ram won't offer the TRX at 700~ horsepower, then come back in a couple/few years with 800 or so horsepower to give sales a new jolt. If they built the drive train to handle 800 or more ponies from the onset, the jump from 700 to 800 would be less of a hassle.

I'd love to see the 426 in a Ram, but that potato shows no buds since the report was tossed.

We're mid way through Q2 2019 and the leaked presentation showed a Q3 2020 date, so we're a little over a year away from the suspected release date if that project is still on track (which I suspect it is given Mike Manley's comments at a town hall several weeks ago). That would mean we are what about nine months from teaser videos? Six months from camouflaged pre-prod spy shots in the wild? Maybe something toward the end of this summer?

"Waiting is suffering."
- Henry Ford Health System orientation statement

If things were different, I'd be livin' La Vida Loca in a Trackhawk right now as I await the arrival of the TRX beast. However, things are what they are and I'm paying down debt to prepare for the arrival . . .

 

[Rustydodge]

I would not want to underestimate what team Raptor is working on. The F150 is due for a refresh around the same time the TRX will come out and although the first F150 prototype i've seen looks pretty mild on the exterior I very much doubt they are going to just let the TRX come in and eat the Raptor's lunch.

And that's just the nature of things....better things always come out a few years later (unless "better" turns out to be abandoning V8s...). I would look at this a little like i look at the early challenger SRT8s in light of the more recent hellcat/redeye. They are still awesome and desirable to me, regardless of not having 700+ HP. Or early Vipers -which are always going to be one of the coolest cars ever made in my book.

It's the benefit we get from them getting a product right.

I still hold out hope that just because the 426 TR is dead, that doesn't mean there wont be a 426 Rebel. Or at least a higher end 1500 trim option with the 6.4 (to combat the GM 6.2 and Ford 3.5 HO ecoboost). Or a replacement to the 5.7 (that's not an I6) which gives the base hemi V8 a bump.

 

[VoiceOfReason]

I would not want to underestimate what team Raptor is working on. The F150 is due for a refresh around the same time the TRX will come out and although the first F150 prototype i've seen looks pretty mild on the exterior I very much doubt they are going to just let the TRX come in and eat the Raptor's lunch.

And that's just the nature of things....better things always come out a few years later (unless "better" turns out to be abandoning V8s...). I would look at this a little like i look at the early challenger SRT8s in light of the more recent hellcat/redeye. They are still awesome and desirable to me, regardless of not having 700+ HP. Or early Vipers -which are always going to be one of the coolest cars ever made in my book.

It's the benefit we get from them getting a product right.

I still hold out hope that just because the 426 TR is dead, that doesn't mean there wont be a 426 Rebel. Or at least a higher end 1500 trim option with the 6.4 (to combat the GM 6.2 and Ford 3.5 HO ecoboost). Or a replacement to the 5.7 (that's not an I6) which gives the base hemi V8 a bump.

You may be right, but I get the impression Ford is more interested in playing with their battery powered toys than big V-8s. Mike Manley is also on record as saying the future of the Dodge performance brand will not be 700 horsepower gas engines. Some are predicting the current/next generations are the last gasp of fossil fuel fury (I think they are basing those predictions on very flawed assumptions).
As far as the 426 goes, we'll see. Not sure where I read it, but if I recall rumors abound that the 5.7 goes away (replaced by a more powerful Turbo I-6). My guess is, that will become the new base Ram engine and if you want a Hemi (presuming the I-6 does not use a hemispherical cylinder head), it would be the 392 similar to what the Power Wagon has (an old engine, may be different by the time all this comes to pass).
There were rumors that Ford had their own NA 7.0L in the works, but that hardly poses a threat to rumored TRX dominance. Perhaps the report about shelving the TR was little more than a ruse to cause Ford to react to a feint. Ford got a lot of bad press from their V-6 decision, but they didn't stop selling them, so there is little reason for them to make a drastic change at this point. They've made their money and then some on that project. They don't need to overdevelop to perpetuate bragging rights. Even if they lose their performance crown, they'll still make enough money to more than justify the project. Some people pay attention to horsepower, reviews, etc. Chief Financial/Executive Officers typically don't. Only if the effect on sales compels them to act.
Regardless what the competition does, the TRX is going to be an amazing vehicle - just like the Vipers and 392s you mentioned. I'll be getting one no matter what the competition puts out (given what they've done in the past, I don't expect to feel compelled in those directions).

 

[Rustydodge]

That's all very possible.

I believe the NA 7.0 Ford rumor turned out to be the upcoming pushrod NA 7.3 that's going in F250 and up super duties. That has been rumored to be able to fit in F150 as well but i think that is all just fan's wishing they would do it...not any actual plans that it will happen. There was a recent report that the 5.0 is winding down production...so that does beg the question what will they replace it with? Will they drop V8 entirely from F150? doubt it, seeing as how they offer the largest variety of engines, and like to brag about that. But will they put the upcoming GT500 "700+ HP" engine in the Raptor? I honestly don't follow anything Ford related.

I will say, that for a 5000-6000 # truck thats rated to tow 10k-12k i dont think much more than the current 5.7 hemi output is needed especially with 3.92 and 8 speed, so i would have no problem with the 5.7 remaining indefinitely as the base V8, the HD 6.4 and the turbo I6 as an upper tier options, and the hellcat/redeye as a premium tier TRX only option. If ram can swing that with CAFE standards (or just keep paying the fines) utilizing etorque and keeping the 3.6 etorque they will really have all the bases covered with entry , fuel efficient V6, base V8, premium V8, premium turbo I6, and ultimate blown V8.

I have no idea what hybrid or electrified offerings Ram has planned but that is all well after 2022