Creamsicle
Active Member
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2019
- Messages
- 30
- Reaction score
- 43
This post is intended mostly for the new forum members and those who have landed here through the mighty powers of Google.
The forums are pretty jammed with issues with these trucks - as is the nature of Internet forums. In order to combat the perception that these trucks may be particularly problematic, I thought I’d share my experience.
I came from a 2017 Ford F-150 Special Edition equipped with Ford’s best luxury and tech packages. It was a great truck that put a smile on my face for two and a half years. My biggest complaint - and ultimately sent me shopping - were the ridiculous door latch issues and the dealers response to the problem.
The moment I sat in the new Ram with its big, sexy screen, sumptuous interior materials, and amazing ride quality I was hooked. I tow at least once a week and want a luxury vehicle that is jammed with cool tech toys - the Ram more than fits the bill.
Before taking delivery of my new vehicle, I poured through the forums looking for issues that may crop up and experiences people had. In my particular vehicle, I could find only a couple very, very small imperfections. Paint work was as good as modern cars get (lots of orange peel these days!), body panel alignment and panel gap was consistent and excellent, no scratches on the exterior, materials inside were (as noted) exceptional.
All of the electronic doo-dads work perfectly. Air ride works perfectly (man I love that feature and play with it a lot). The Harman Kardon stereo is exceptionally good for a stock unit - and I have a reference level system at home for a benchmark. And UConnect has been great with respect to usability and customization - you can really set it up the way you want.
I’m a modification junkie and within a week made several changes:
* Edge Pulsar tuner - WAY better than expected. My expectations were quite low for a tuner on an NA vehicle and I am blown away with the improved driveability and responsiveness. Totally surpassed my expectations. Ease of installation and integration with the built-in electronics are class leading. I wish my track car was this easy!
* Nitto Ridge Grappler, 33.5 x 12.5 x 22 - Look amazing and make the truck look appropriately butch. The stock tires just don’t look like truck tires. Ride quality did decrease but by a smaller margin than expected. A totally acceptable compromise in my opinion. They are very, very quiet for a kickass looking tire. They don’t rub except in Entry/Exit mode with lots of steering angle.
* Magnaflow 19429 cat back exhaust - Coming from a twin turbo V6 that went like stink but sounded pretty lame, I wanted some V8 rumble. As others reported, the Magnaflow added some authority and a wonderful burble at idle but remains drone free a vast majority of the time. At 1500rpm it is a bit drone-y, but everywhere else it’s just great. There is no drone when MDS kicks in and out - a big point of concern on the forum. I love when I’m at a stoplight and the truck is completely silent until I begin to release the brake and then the thunder begins. Makes me love the start/stop. A constant reminder of the joy of that big ole V8.
* Tuxmat - Upgraded floor mats that fully cover carpeted areas even up the sides of the footwell tunnel. No more salt stains EVER. A buddy introduced me to the brand and they are way less expensive than the Weathertech I used to run, provide massively improved coverage, and look better to boot. Cleaning is also super easy. It’s always cool to find something new and different.
So...bottom line: Build quality appears excellent, features are best-in-class, and the truck looks sleeker and more sophisticated than any other truck on the road in 2019. I only hope that reliability is better than FCA is renowned for.
Hope this sets some people’s minds at ease and that the mod information proves useful.
Cheers all - and thanks to the many forum contributors that made my parts decisions easier!
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
The forums are pretty jammed with issues with these trucks - as is the nature of Internet forums. In order to combat the perception that these trucks may be particularly problematic, I thought I’d share my experience.
I came from a 2017 Ford F-150 Special Edition equipped with Ford’s best luxury and tech packages. It was a great truck that put a smile on my face for two and a half years. My biggest complaint - and ultimately sent me shopping - were the ridiculous door latch issues and the dealers response to the problem.
The moment I sat in the new Ram with its big, sexy screen, sumptuous interior materials, and amazing ride quality I was hooked. I tow at least once a week and want a luxury vehicle that is jammed with cool tech toys - the Ram more than fits the bill.
Before taking delivery of my new vehicle, I poured through the forums looking for issues that may crop up and experiences people had. In my particular vehicle, I could find only a couple very, very small imperfections. Paint work was as good as modern cars get (lots of orange peel these days!), body panel alignment and panel gap was consistent and excellent, no scratches on the exterior, materials inside were (as noted) exceptional.
All of the electronic doo-dads work perfectly. Air ride works perfectly (man I love that feature and play with it a lot). The Harman Kardon stereo is exceptionally good for a stock unit - and I have a reference level system at home for a benchmark. And UConnect has been great with respect to usability and customization - you can really set it up the way you want.
I’m a modification junkie and within a week made several changes:
* Edge Pulsar tuner - WAY better than expected. My expectations were quite low for a tuner on an NA vehicle and I am blown away with the improved driveability and responsiveness. Totally surpassed my expectations. Ease of installation and integration with the built-in electronics are class leading. I wish my track car was this easy!
* Nitto Ridge Grappler, 33.5 x 12.5 x 22 - Look amazing and make the truck look appropriately butch. The stock tires just don’t look like truck tires. Ride quality did decrease but by a smaller margin than expected. A totally acceptable compromise in my opinion. They are very, very quiet for a kickass looking tire. They don’t rub except in Entry/Exit mode with lots of steering angle.
* Magnaflow 19429 cat back exhaust - Coming from a twin turbo V6 that went like stink but sounded pretty lame, I wanted some V8 rumble. As others reported, the Magnaflow added some authority and a wonderful burble at idle but remains drone free a vast majority of the time. At 1500rpm it is a bit drone-y, but everywhere else it’s just great. There is no drone when MDS kicks in and out - a big point of concern on the forum. I love when I’m at a stoplight and the truck is completely silent until I begin to release the brake and then the thunder begins. Makes me love the start/stop. A constant reminder of the joy of that big ole V8.
* Tuxmat - Upgraded floor mats that fully cover carpeted areas even up the sides of the footwell tunnel. No more salt stains EVER. A buddy introduced me to the brand and they are way less expensive than the Weathertech I used to run, provide massively improved coverage, and look better to boot. Cleaning is also super easy. It’s always cool to find something new and different.
So...bottom line: Build quality appears excellent, features are best-in-class, and the truck looks sleeker and more sophisticated than any other truck on the road in 2019. I only hope that reliability is better than FCA is renowned for.
Hope this sets some people’s minds at ease and that the mod information proves useful.
Cheers all - and thanks to the many forum contributors that made my parts decisions easier!
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
. Now get those front windows tinted!
