2015 Ram truck lineup is here, and the company is happy to announce several best-in-class figures. Torque war is going into overdrive as Ram and Cummins update the familiar 6.7L Cummins straight-six to 865 lb-ft of torque @ 1,700 rpm for the “high output” version of the motor. Horsepower remains the same at 385 hp @ 2,600 rpm. This torque monster is available in the 3500 series Rams and is still backed up by the Aisin six-speed automatic transmission (AS69RC).
Ram states that they worked with Cummins to tune the fuel delivery and turbocharger boost to make the 15 extra lb-ft of torque. Interestingly, the Ram torque rating is just five pound-feet higher than that of the upgraded 2015 Ford Power Stroke 6.7L V8. GM’s Duramax has not seen an update for the 2015 model and beyond, but we have seen the GMC Sierra HD testing mule high in the Rocky Mountains. It’s possible GM will make the next Duramax torque rating announcement at the 2014 State Fair of Texas at the end of September, or perhaps save it until next year. Will the Duramax make 870 lb-ft? We will have to wait and see.
Ram also made several payload and tow rating announcements. The Ram 2500 HD is now rated at maximum towing of 17,970 lbs. This is higher than 16,800 lbs for the Ford and 17,900 lbs for GM’s heavy duty trucks.
Ram 3500 maximum payload is now 7,390 lbs, which is higher than 7,374 lbs for GM’s twins and Ford F-350’s 7,260 lbs. So far, these numbers are very close among the competitors.
The biggest number is Ram’s unchanged 30,000 lbs of maximum towing with a fifth-wheel or gooseneck. Here, Ram is standing significantly above the rest. The new Ford F-350 is rated at 26,700 lbs and GM 3500 at 23,200 lbs. Most impressive is that all of Ram’s tow ratings are compliant with the SAE J2807 towing standard. J2807 is a set of towing test procedures defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers. Ram complies to this standard across all 1500, 2500, and 3500 series trucks.
TFLtruck spotted this 2015 Ram HD test truck and also several others in March of 2014 undergoing high altitude testing. There were crew-cab Rams that were towing these large gooseneck trailers loaded with cement and other Rams.
Check out this TFLtruck video of the grueling Ike Gauntlet HD towing test. This is an extreme test up a 7% grade to a goal of over 11,000 feet above sea level. This video feature a 2014 Ram 3500 HD dually Crew Cab 4×4 with 19,250 pounds of load, including trailer, people, and payload.
Andre Smirnov is a life-long automotive enthusiast, writer, producer, and software engineer. He has been writing and reporting at TFL since 2011. Likes ‘going for a drive’.
