Got a new towing rig! ...and mods to 1500 Ram

[Eurocat]

Finally got a chance to take a couple of pics.



We took a little trip to PA to see some friends before heading up north to the Delaware water gap. Put about 200 miles in 2 days. On the way back I reset the mpg when we were leaving the campground, and by the time I pulled up to my house I had 20.7 MPG. I was averaging 65-80 mph on the highway portion. on the backroads I was getting about 21-22 mpg averaging 45-55 mph. (included a couple stops at lights).
Pretty happy with performance overall.

Forgot to mention that I already ordered the Bakflip VP and steps from CarID. they gave me an extra 10% off for calling in the order (vs online). So far nothing but good things to say about them. Thank you @njmr2fan for letting me know about them.
Already put in the mopar rubber mats (an absolute must for the boat ramps), and have the rubber Bed mat on order.
All should arrive next week.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Very nice truck and mileage!

Once you get the cover installed, let me know if yours holds water on top. Mine is puddling in a pretty big section.

 

[njmr2fan]

Thats pretty. Is that Maximum Steel?

 

[veedubtek]

Very nice. Mileage will likely go up a bit as it breaks in. I got 33mpg last time I went anywhere unloaded. Got 17.7 today towing out to Jordan lake and back. I'm starting to like this ED.

 

[Eurocat]

Puddling? Isn't it flat with the panels under it? will have to run the hose over it to test it once installed and report back.

@njmr2fan - yup, maximum steel. had to jump a couple of hoops to get options I wanted in that color. Would have been just as happy with the bright blue one too. ( but then I would have to get graphics for the boat. lol)

@veedubtek - have you been to the ram1500diesel forum? They mention a couple of problems there with busted oil coolers, etc. Also, there is one talking about a crankcase ventilation filter, same used on the jeep. Would like an opinion to see if it's worth getting and avoiding problems down the line.

 

[veedubtek]

I think I was on there when I first bought the truck back in February? or so @Eurocat . Before I hit 900 miles it was back in the shop 4 times for check engine light concerns. I'm up to about 3500 miles now, and the last 2500 or so have really been problem free.

 

[njmr2fan]

If anyone is interested. I just bought the BAK Revolver X2 cover from www.truckmods.com If you use discount code 15REVX2 You will get 15% off at checkout. It also worked for the regular Roll-X cover taking the price down to $594! Best deal for one of these if youre in the market. Expires Aug 31!!!

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Puddling? Isn't it flat with the panels under it? will have to run the hose over it to test it once installed and report back.

@njmr2fan - yup, maximum steel. had to jump a couple of hoops to get options I wanted in that color. Would have been just as happy with the bright blue one too. ( but then I would have to get graphics for the boat. lol)

@veedubtek - have you been to the ram1500diesel forum? They mention a couple of problems there with busted oil coolers, etc. Also, there is one talking about a crankcase ventilation filter, same used on the jeep. Would like an opinion to see if it's worth getting and avoiding problems down the line.

Here's my puddle. I'm going to try and get the edge to sit down a little to allow the water to run off.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Puddling? Isn't it flat with the panels under it? will have to run the hose over it to test it once installed and report back.

@njmr2fan - yup, maximum steel. had to jump a couple of hoops to get options I wanted in that color. Would have been just as happy with the bright blue one too. ( but then I would have to get graphics for the boat. lol)

@veedubtek - have you been to the ram1500diesel forum? They mention a couple of problems there with busted oil coolers, etc. Also, there is one talking about a crankcase ventilation filter, same used on the jeep. Would like an opinion to see if it's worth getting and avoiding problems down the line.

Here's my puddle. I'm going to try and get the edge to sit down a little to allow the water to run off.

View attachment 29273

 

[njmr2fan]

Ooooh that's quite a bit of water.

 

[Eurocat]

So far I haven't had that problem. I washed it at the campground about 1 month back on a flat surface and there was a little bit of water over it, but nothing like that.
My driveway has a bit of an incline, so if it rains while parked there it just goes out. Yours looks like it has the perfect pitch for that to happen, just a few degrees, but not enough to make it go over. Are you closing your tailgate first and letting the lip sit on the tailgate?

Btw, love this truck, but I do miss the sound of the Hemi v8. Can't really tell on the highway but at take off and around town it is noticeable. Not that the diesel is noisy, but there is nothing "sexy" about it. Great gas performance thou.

PS - your driveway must be very long. driving a tractor to get to the truck. Lol.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Yes, I close the tailgate first and the side rails are adjusted all of the way down. I'm thinking that this puddle is caused by my driveway sloping towards the street and the rear end of the truck sloping towards the front thusly creating a perfectly level area where water sits.... Murphy's law!

 

[veedubtek]

6500 miles on my ED now. Chicago and back last weekend. 1700 mile round trip. Car trailer with car and motorcycle. 4 guys, full gear. 23mpg average. Yeah, I definitely like it now.

 

[veedubtek]

 

[veedubtek]

If anyone else cheaped out like me, rest assured it can all be upgraded. I was super close to trading back in for a Laramie. After some extensive research, I'm glad I didn't!

 

[Murf'n'surf]

That had to cost $2500?

 

[JJ-B-Boatin]

@veedubtek, would like to hear more about the stereo/havc control update that you did. Did you do it yourself? Where did the components come from? Cost if you don't sharing? Etc. The only thing that I would change about my Ram 1500 is I wish I would have gotten the larger screen!

 

[veedubtek]

Virtually everything is plug and play.

For the instrument cluster, I paid a bit more as diesel ones are harder to find. $500 shipped for the cluster. I had it shipped straight to the only guy in the country I could find that can reprogram these (miles/hours). He charged $175 for that service including shipping to me. So, $675 total for instrument cluster, and it's a simple plug and play job.

Radio/center stack was a bit more. Scored a radio on ebay from a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee - $500 shipped. Scored a complete center stack with custom harness needed for $175 shipped. Bought the HVAC module needed for $112 (I get maybe 20% off at the dealer). And a 911 error resistor plug for $30 shipped. Single zone bezels are on ebay all the time for $125 or so and the harness is available from the same place I bought the 911 resistor from for $50 I think? You could likely car-part most of these items much cheaper. In the end, I've got about $815 in it. WELL worth it in my opinion.

I also added a leather steering wheel with radio control buttons for $100 off of car-part. Radio buttons are also plug and play.

I also added a DeeZee tailgate assist for $24? Holy shit, love that and it's so cheap. My Tundra had it stock, not sure why the Ram didn't.

Also added some step bars and OEM 20's. I've got a new upper bumper cover at the bodyshop now getting painted (tradesmen came with a texture black piece), and I'm about to order a set of Bilstein adjustable shocks to level the front. Then, I think I'm done. All in, I'm probably $3000 for everything I've done this past month or so, but I was gonna lose about $8000 trading her back in, so, WIN!

Might look for some sport seats next, but I think I'm gonna give my wallet a break first.

 

[veedubtek]

Also - you could do the RA3 conversion instead which is a little cheaper, but no navigation. Same screen, same other pieces required. (RA3 no nav, RA4 NAV)

Also - there's a steal on an RA4 on ebay right now-

http://www.ebay.com/itm/322067736508?item=322067736508&viewitem=&vxp=mtr&rmvSB=true

 

[JJ-B-Boatin]

@veedubtek, thanks for the info! For me, that might be a bit out of my comfort zone and budget to upgrade everything (I don't need to do the instrument gauges, but the radio/larger screen would be nice especially with the back up camera that I already have). I have been looking into the RA3 conversion. I don't need the navigation, but as I understand it, there are other features of the RA4 that might be nice. There are no plans to do anything just yet, but always gathering information! Thanks again! And please post pics after your other mods get done. Leveling is another mod I would love to do!