2500/3500 Ram: The Next Generation
The long wait is finally over, the next generation of the 2500 and 3500 Dodge Ram was introduced at the 2002 Chicago Auto Show. We can now put aside all the speculation and rumor and deal with the facts. After the initial press introduction, myself and TDR editor Robert Patton spent a couple of hours grilling the design engineers and crawling all over and under the trucks to bring you the inside story! There are a few details that I will need to fill in next week as they didn't have the information on site and I will update this document when I get those.
At the end of this document is a link to the entire press release straight from Daimler Chrysler as well.
CLICK ON ANY OF THE PICTURES FOR A LARGER VERSION
Body and Interior
The body and interior is the same as the 1500 series that was introduced last year, with the exception of the clearance lights and the rear wheel fenders on the dual rear wheel 3500's. The good news is that the body and interior has now been on the streets for a full year and should have all the bugs worked out. So if you want to see what the body or the interior of the new truck looks like just go down to your local Dodge dealer. The bad news is that there isn't going to be a true crew cab available for now. You might have noticed that I mentioned dual rear wheel 3500's, that's because there is now a single rear wheel 3500 option as well! Body configurations on both the 2500 and 3500 include a Quad Cab short bed (not available on the DRW 3500), Quad Cab long bed, and regular cab long bed. Some of you may remember a poll we did on the TDR site about a year ago asking whether you wanted numbers on your engine gauges (oil pressure for example), or if you would prefer a colored bar showing hot or cold such as on Ford trucks and also on the new Ram 1500. The overwhelming response was that Cummins Turbo Diesel buyers wanted actual numbers on the gauges. The good news is that D/C listened to us and instead of the blank color coded gauges of the 1500, the 2500 and 3500 still gets numbered gauges. The 7 pin trailer plug has been relocated to the bumper right next to the license plate as opposed to being down on the hitch pointing sideways as before. In addition, there is a 4 pin trailer plug underneath the bed now - so you won't have to carry around that 7 pin-4 pin adapter in the glove box any more.
Chassis
The frame is extensively hydroformed and is one of the stiffest ever on a pickup truck. 2 wheel drive models get an all new rack and pinion steering system, and 4 wheel drive models get an all-new recirculation ball system with the quickest steering ratio in the industry. With a 13.4:1 steering ratio and 2.75 turns lock-to-lock manuevering in tight quarters will be easier. There is now what looks like a power steering cooler as well, which unfortunately is at the very bottom of the cooler assembly behind the lower bumper fascia and the lines running into and out of it point straight down in what I consider a very exposed location for anyone that will be off roading their trucks. Anyone doing serious off roading will most likely have to relocate that cooler or risk ripping the lines off of it. I will be verifying that it is a power steering cooler next week and will update this document then (it was hard to see exactly where the lines ran because of tight packaging and lack of a flashlight). A GCVWR of up to 23,000 lbs and a GVWR of up to of up to 12,000 lbs sets new standards in it's class. All 2500 and 3500 Ram's equipped with the CTD come with 4 wheel disc brakes with 13.9 inch rotors front and rear with 4 wheel ABS. Four wheel drive trucks now come standard with very usable tow hooks up front. As far as I could tell the only differences between the 2500 and the 3500 is the spring package, other than that everything else looks identical.
Drivetrain
Transmission options are mostly carried over from last year. Manual transmission options include the NV4500HD 5 speed with the standard output diesel or the NV5600 6 speed with the high output diesel. For an automatic you can get the 47RE with the standard output diesel. A mid model year introduction of the new 48RE will allow you to finally have an automatic behind the high output diesel. Transfer case options are all new. You have the choice of the NV271 that comes with the ST package which is manually shifted or the NV273 that comes with the SLT package which is push button electrically shifted. Both transfer cases have a 2.72 low range ratio. Your choice of differential ratio's is now 3.73's (replacing the 3.55's of previous models) or 4.10's. Both front and rear axles are now supplied by American Axle corporation as opposed to the Dana axles of previous models. Four wheel drive trucks continue to have a live solid axle front.
Engine
I bet you thought I'd never get to this! A little teaser first. They have re-introduced the infamous Hemi (5.7L) as the base engine in the 2500 and 3500 Rams. Since this is going out to a diesel audience I'll just leave it at that. You can go to the D-C press release below for more information on the Hemi.
There have been 850,000 Cummins powered Rams sold between 1989 and September 2001 with diesels outnumbering gas engines by 3 to 1 in the 2500 and 3500 series. Power has been steadily increased over those years beginning with 160 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque in 1989 to the new 305 horsepower and class leading 555 lb-ft of torque with the new high output engine. Two thirds of the parts are new or redesigned on the ISBe as compared to the ISB. Trucks sold in California will get a 235 hp/460 lb-ft (CARB) version of the engine. This lower rating was necessary because of a tighter 3 gram nox carb standard and was achieved through the use of an oxidation catalyst, programming, and smaller injectors. The standard 49 state engine will have 250 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque and the high output option will get 305 hp and 555 lb-ft of torque. The increased 305 hp rating is acheived through programming alone so there may be uprated ECM's available in the future to give the higher output to the standard engine. Beginning January 1 of 2004 (2004.5 models) the engines will be equipped with cooled EGR and at that time the CARB version of the engine the same output as the 49 state models. This engine has been available in Europe now for over 2 years so like mentioned above with the body, they should have all the bugs worked out.
The biggest change is the new High Pressure Common Rail (HPCR) fuel system. Designed and manufactured by Bosch it uses the CP3.3 injection pump running at a rail pressure of 23,200 psi (1600 bar) on the high output engine. This is the primary change that allowed a reduction of 8-10 db of noise along with a block redesign to help keep sound levels down. Additionally, the ability to better control injection timing along with pilot injection provides an extended rpm peak torque band over previous engines (200 rpm lower and higher). The lift/supply pump is located on the side of the motor right next to the fuel filter and is an all new design supplied by Federal-Mogul. The turbo on all versions of the engine is an HY35 with a 10cm exhaust housing (although to this reporter it looked like a 9cm housing). This turbo has been redesigned from previous HY35's and I will be verifying the changes to the turbo and exhaust housing sizes next week. The exhaust is now a full 4 inch system from the downpipe to the tail as opposed to the previous 3 inch system.
The new body style provided packaged challenges for Cummins. Underhood space is 30% smaller on the new generation Ram. One challenge will be oil filter changes - it's very tight in there. The recommended method to change the filter is from below the truck with a long extension and an oil filter socket. However, it looks like you will be able to remove the intake tube from the airbox to the turbo and have enough room to change it out from above like most do with the current truck - but it IS going to be a lot tighter in there. The good news is that oil change intervals have been increased to 15,000 miles from the previous 7,500 so you won't have to change it as often. The engine is also tucked up deeper underneath the cowl. On previous models it was difficult to access the injector on cylinder #6. On the new model it looks like that will become #4, 5, and 6. Adding underhood accessories or putting on different turbos is going to be difficult simply because there isn't much room. Clearance between the compressor side of the turbo and the shock tower is about 3/4 inch so a larger turbo will most likely necessitate exhaust manifold and exhaust changes.
In Conclusion
I've tried to give you a good picture of the overall package with it's pluses and minuses. I'll be gathering information from my sources in the aftermarket industry based on this information and the pictures I've taken and I will include their comments soon. Hope you enjoyed it!
-Steve St.Laurent
Daimler Chrysler Press Release(requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)
Product OverviewPowertrain/ChassisDesignSpecifications
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