Desertbull's Dodge Ram: Questions and Answers

Jul. 01, 2004 By Tim ""Desertbull""
Face your Fears ~ Live Life

July 2004 - I'm happy to report that due to technical difficulties, Julio Toyota has not been seen raging the highways in his Dodge Diesel since he was allegedly "nerfed" somewhere in Utah. I'm sure we will see more of him on the American highways soon.

The Dodge Question and Answer section continues to be beseiged with readers constant quest for the more information.

Wow, this past month has been a whirlwind of excitement in the off-road racing world. Starting with the Baja 500 held in, of course, Ensenada, Baja California and then off to Jellico, Tennessee for the UROC Pro-National rock crawling event and then all the way back across the nation to the longest off-road race in the United States, Best in the Deserts - Vegas to Reno Off-Road race. We have been some traveling maniacs this month and being on the asphalt and dirt roads of America and Baja mean we are out with the fans of Off-Road.com

Case and point:

Parked with the MotoSat satellite system working it's magic at the UROC Pro-National rock crawling event, a Kentucky reader walked right up to the front bumper of The Desert Tank and immediately starting giving his buddies the full tour of each and every accessory on the truck.

From the T-Rex Suspension to the Off-Road Tech bumper to the Mastercraft seats, MotoSat Satellite, BFGoodrich Tires, Robby Gordon Off Road wheels and more. This guy knew it all!

He scored the last of the ORC decals we had in the truck as we've been preserving them until the next batch is delivered. We were fresh out of the cool Off-Road.com t-shirts so the decal was the next best thing. He left with a big smile and told us he was bringing his wife back on Sunday for the tour.

In the various truck stops around the nation we garnered much attention and many waves from readers and fans alike. Look for us throughout the nation in the next couple months as we traverse back and forth a couple times from the West Coast to the East Coast in search of the next big off-road event!

The Malarimmo Highway...beat the tide and drive safe in Baja!

 

Bob Stack asked: I've been driving a Ford for 6 years and been reading The Desertbull's column for a couple years and I'm thinking about finally giving up on my Ford for the new Dodge Ram 600 CTD. What are your thoughts?

Desertbull says: Perhaps I have a somewhat biased opinion, however the bottom line is that the Dodge CTD (Cummins Turbo Diesel) has some 28% less moving parts than any other comparable truck diesel motor on the market. It's worked for me for a very long time and I've been very happy with the performance over the past 180,000 miles. I'm looking for another 300,000 miles before we start worrying about doing an overhaul.

Liz J. said: I have a 2001 Dodge Ram 4x4 shortbed and was wondering what options are out there for aftermarket wheels.

Desertbull says: Good question and it really depends what you're looking for. For example, on The Desert Tank we are running 17" wheels. Reason being is the various BFGoodrich tires we run are all 35x12.50.x17. Most recently on the trip back to the East Coast we put a set of BFGoodrich All-Terrains on.

We noticed a tremendous difference in handling and manuervability while in the mountains. The tire really handled well under rain, sleet, ice and high-speeds without any hesitation at all.

The wheel options at this size are limited, however Robby Gordon Off-Road, Alcoa Forged Specialty Wheels and Walker Evans Racing all manufacture wheels that may work for you.

Sergio said: What stereo system do you have in The Desert Tank?

Desertbull says: We have a Kenwood MP3/CD stereo complete with SIRIUS Satellite Radio for listening to tunes wherever you are in the United States and/or Baja! Backed up with Alpine Speakers...The Desert Tank tends to rock out pretty heavy down the dirt roads of Baja.

On a recent trip, Jeff Cummins from BFGoodrich Motorsports navigated our trip into the wilds of Baja while directing Santana across the airwaves for hours on end. Yup, a little bit of old school will never hurt ya!

Larry M. asked : Do they make fiberglass for a Dodge Ram?

Desertbull says: I thought this may have been the same question from last month...but it's a different reader...go figure! Check out www.GlassworksUnlimited.com They are located in Huntington Beach, California and have great prices to go along with some quick turn around times.

Clean and ready to rage...once again!

 

Barry Stevenson asked: What rear end gear ration do you recommend for towing.

Desertbull says: This is another tough question to address. If you leave your stock OEM wheel & tire size on the truck you can get away with 3.73 rear end towing a decent load. However, when you increase your wheel/tire size the rear end ratio is changed and you need to make the adjustments. We run 4.10 gears with 35 inch tires on 17" wheels which allows us to tow at about the same ratio as a stock 3.73 would tow with. Check with Randy's Ring & Pinion for a gear ration chart and select what is best for your towing capacity.

I'm always questioned about how we can find so much adventure in Baja...check this out!

 

Dennis & Cheryl asked : We are experiencing slippage in our automatic transmission after towing a small camper trailer on a 2000 mile trip. We have heard much about the Dodge stock transmission and we have to make some decisions, can you help?

Thanks,

D & C.

Desertbull says: One thing to say....www.ATSDIESEL.com

ATS Diesel provides the highest quality heavy duty transmission on the market. It's Baja Proven and continues to perform as if it was brand new!

Dodge Ram Q & A at Off-Road.com


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