So what's the Story on the SRT 10 Ram Trucks ?

[v10enomous]

I find myself in a situation now where I drive less than 1/2 the annual miles in my daily driver than I used to. I definitely need something with towing capability so I started exploring the possibility of getting an SRT 10 Ram. There always seems to be plenty of beautiful low miles examples in the $20k range.

I'd like to hear the pros and cons of owning one ? vs other comparable trucks too ?

 

[V10SpeedLuvr]

"Kevan" is probably the best guy to go to for SRT truck info/questions around here and he also has his for sale.

 

[01sapphirebob]

Plenty of towing power but the tranny is not really designed for towing.

 

[v10enomous]

What's the real world gas mileage ?

 

[fqberful]

I find myself in a situation now where I drive less than 1/2 the annual miles in my daily driver than I used to. I definitely need something with towing capability so I started exploring the possibility of getting an SRT 10 Ram. There always seems to be plenty of beautiful low miles examples in the $20k range.

I'd like to hear the pros and cons of owning one ? vs other comparable trucks too ?

I have an SRT10 Ram 6spd Regular Cab. It has the usual mods, long tubes, catless, cat back, flash, TB, 170TStat, K&N, etc. I use it as a truck, it tows my boat like you can't even tell it's back there, and pulling it out of the water is like taking off at any stop light. Monster brakes make it stop pretty well also. Load the bed up with stuff at Home Depot, all the phun stuff we do.

Now then; I have re-geared it to 4.56's like the slush box equipped ones have [ stock is 4.10's on a 6spd ] ... This is a highly recommended mod, makes 6th and cruise control work. Keep in mind it has 22" wheels with a 31.5" tall tire.

Seats are like living room easy chairs. I'm keeping this bad boy forever. It lives inside when not being used right next to Viper.

Real world mpg's are roughly 12mpg city, 16-17-18 hwy. Towing my bass boat doesn't seem to have much effect on that, maybe 1mpg. My mileage readings are at 80mph hwy and whatever in town.

--FQB

 

[Red Snake]

^^^ I owned one too and loved it. Just to correct the above post though, only the 04 model came with 4.10 rear gears. 05-06 came with the 4.56s.

Its a good truck for light duty towing and hauling butt. But if you are doing any heavy towing don't get one.

 

[Kevan]

Oh....the information I have.....


The QC trucks (05 and 06 only) come with the 48RE automatic transmission and are much more suitable for hauling.
BUT, I tow our 3200 lb.motorcycle trailer (6x12, single axle; 2 atvs & 2 MX bikes) using my RC without any issues. You just have to be smart about braking and shifting, etc.
The weak link with towing comes from the clutch and rear end; NOT from the engine.
If you need to tow more than 2500 lbs. regularly or daily, find something with a Cummins and have MoparBoy **** the hell out of it.

Real world MPG? I have no clue, and I don't care. I love driving the truck. $10/gal and I'd still drive it.
I put a cap on my RC (blasphemy in the SRT-10 truck world) and loaded 2000 lbs. of gear in the back. Drove to Orlando and back and got almost 20 mpg by smart driving/passing and keeping the cruise right around 72-75mph.

RedSnake is correct about the rear end gear ratios. There are a few other differences between 04 and 05, namely the front brakes.

The 04-05 interiors are my favorite; the changes in 06 just didn't thrill me. Some folks love it. That's cool, but it's not for me.

If you have more questions about the trucks, let me know.

 

[Cobraken]

I have an '05 QC with the optional tow package. The tranny in the QCs' are the weak link but because of the sport suspension tow ratings are less than that of a hemi. Serious towing? Get a diesel. 9 mpg in town, 13 on the road.

 

[speedracervr4]

I have an 05 qc and love it. Like others have said the transmissions seem to be the weak link ( mine was rebuilt at 58k)and the mpg is pretty low, but it's an awesome ride. I get 13mpg on the highway with mine, but it has the 3.4l roe blower on it. It's also easy to work on...I changed both o2 sensors,serpentine belt,idler pulley,tensioner pulley,and tps in about an hour or so. I won't ever get rid of it.

 

[v10enomous]

I pull between 2,300 and 4,000lbs. I would want the automatic for daily driving. How is the winter traction with just 2wd ? which is quicker the 6 speed or the auto ?

 

[Cobraken]

The 6 spd will be faster. The RC's have the manual and the QC's the auto. RC's weigh about 5250 lbs and the QC's about 500 more. Traction in the wet is not great but not as bad as a Viper. The QC could handle your tow weight without a problem.

 

[SSGSNAKE]

I have a 06 and it is really awesom. I do have it for sale venom red RC if you are more interested let me know 9K miles and still has warranty

 

[Kevan]

I pull between 2,300 and 4,000lbs. I would want the automatic for daily driving. How is the winter traction with just 2wd ? which is quicker the 6 speed or the auto ?

Traction......BWAHAHAHAHAH!
*breath*
BWAHAHAHAHAHA!
Check out #1 on this list: http://www.caranddriver.com/features/06q3/the_burnout_kings-feature

DO NOT drive the truck in the snow. It's a bad idea all the way around. My driveway is flat and if there's an inch of snow on the ground, I can't get across it. There's just too much torque and the tires are WAY too wide.
No weight over the rear wheels, and even if you do add sandbags....it's still treacherous. I grew up in the mountains of CO, so I've got tons of experience with driving in that stuff. It helps, but still makes any trip in the snow a heart-pounding adventure.
Some have put the RAM 20" wheels and snow tires on them, but it's pretty rare.

The RC will probably be quicker, but no one shifts as fast as an automatic transmission. And for towing....go with the auto.

RC = 6-speed only.
QC= automatic only.
There have been a few swaps between those, but they're not easy.

 

[46hemi]

I have an 06 - its a nice ride and actually a very good deal if you can live with 2wd. You can find an 06 with less than 10k miles in the mid to upper 20's alot of truck for that money when you compare it to regular 4wd rams with much higher mileage (and the interior on these trucks are VERY nice). Do not expect the truck to feel like your viper though. Its big, heavy and has the aerodynamics of a washing machine - but its a truck so. I get about 9mpg around town, you could probably get more if you drive normal but good luck with that. The 06's have quite a few differences from the 04/05 so some stuff is not interchangeable (the catback for example - I think the 06 uses a 2500 frame).

I have the RC because I hate to drive auto - If I could have found a nice 4wd Hemi manual truck I would have bought that instead they are not not easy to find. Its not a real practical truck but its fun.

 

[kyleblix]

I had an 06 QC nightrunner. Loved the truck. Mileage was 9 mpg around town, and that was just driving with traffic. Less if you're enjoying the engine. Plenty of room in the cab and very comfortable ride. Interestingly, the insurance was more on the truck than it is on my Viper.

 

[swexlin]

Not sure why peeps are having 48RE tranny troubles in the QCs. They have been used since 03 in the Cummins trucks (I just traded my 04.5 3500 4wd) with600+ lb ft (more than the 510 lb ft of the SRTs) and have proven very reliable, even on modded trucks making more power. Mine was. Never an issue. My truck club dyno days I've seen many things break before the tranny. Now, the old 47RE and older, they had issues.

It is reassuring thought to see the 8.3L engine stand up to truck abuse. Makes me want to go run my 03 'vert a little harder!

 

[v10enomous]

It sounds like the winter traction issue is going to make this a non starter for me. I guess I'll have to be content to admire everyone else's.

 

[DublinOH]

Great truck for Atlanta, but moved back to Pittsburgh a year ago and couldn't make it up the driveway with a dusting of snow. Bought a Durango for the winter months, SRT is relegated to summer only now.

 

[Kevan]

Sorry to hear that, v10enomous, but I think that's a wise choice.
Unless you've had a decade or two of ******** winter driving under your belt in a RWD vehicle with a pantload of HP, or you live below the 38th Parallel, it's not a great choice for a DD.

 

[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

Towing , one should really go with the Quad Cab only. It is still limited due to the springs/tires ,etc. which affects the gross vehicle weight rating . If memory serves me right it is around a 5K towing capacity. Tires are not load rated, springs only support " X " amount of tongue weight, so it has it limitations.

We sold well over 200 of these so drop me a note if you want to know the limitations. The 6 speeds actually got quite respectable fuel mileage on the highway.

Bill Pemberton
Woodhouse

 

[John N]

Okay, I am going to try to resurrect this thread. I have been thinking about a quad-cab model, as I need 4 doors for business purposes, and there appear to be a few spaced around the country with less than 20,000 miles on them, and even a couple with <10,000 miles. A couple questions for anyone with opinions on these trucks.

1) 4:56 seems like an awful steep gear for an automatic truck, even with the wheel/tire size. Has anyone swapped out to 4:10's or some other gear? It seems the automatic might be able to carry a taller gear and get better mileage without sacrificing too much in the performance category. Any thoughts or experiences?

2) Anyone used one as a daily driver? This would be my primary vehicle for driving to work and schlepping people around for meetings and lunch as needed.

3) It appears (based on just a week or two of looking) I should be able to pick up a ±20,000 mile truck for $25-26K and a <10,000 mile truck for $26-28K. Do these #'s seem reasonable to those that watch these trucks?

Thanks for any input.

 

[Kevan]

1. With the 48RE transmission (in all QCs), you will be loving that 4:56. Going to 4:10 tacks on a tiny bit to your fuel economy (LOL) and adds about 5mph to your top speed (almost 160 mph). For the $3K to $5K it takes to do a swap, it's not really worth it. Trust me: Stick with the 4:56.

2. My RC is my daily driver. I love every minute behind the wheel. Yes- even in the winter.

3. Sadly, those numbers seem about on par.

If you can find a <10K mileage truck that's already been dropped 1/3 or 2/4 and has an intake, cat back and/or PCM for about $30K, you've got a great ride for cruising around TX.

 

[fqberful]

Okay, I am going to try to resurrect this thread. I have been thinking about a quad-cab model, as I need 4 doors for business purposes, and there appear to be a few spaced around the country with less than 20,000 miles on them, and even a couple with <10,000 miles. A couple questions for anyone with opinions on these trucks.

1) 4:56 seems like an awful steep gear for an automatic truck, even with the wheel/tire size. Has anyone swapped out to 4:10's or some other gear? It seems the automatic might be able to carry a taller gear and get better mileage without sacrificing too much in the performance category. Any thoughts or experiences?

2) Anyone used one as a daily driver? This would be my primary vehicle for driving to work and schlepping people around for meetings and lunch as needed.

3) It appears (based on just a week or two of looking) I should be able to pick up a ±20,000 mile truck for $25-26K and a <10,000 mile truck for $26-28K. Do these #'s seem reasonable to those that watch these trucks?

Thanks for any input.

(1) No it's not with a 31.5" tall tire. I had to pull the 4.10's out of my RC and put 4.56's in [ and it only cost a few hundred $$$ ] to make 6th even usable. I've ridden in my friends QC and it's just fine. He uses it as a DD BTW and has a pile of miles on it. With the 4.56's at 80 I'm under 2000 rpm in 6th.

(2) It will work fine as a DD even in snow if you add some weight back at the tailgate.

(3) I think your estimates of the values are about average at this time. There are a lot of low mileage ones around, you just have to look. There weren't a lot of them built and they are getting on in age.

As for the auto trans, I think a number of the failures are because people put some serious tune on them and don't change out the torque converter that seriously needs an anti-balloon plate and doesn't have it. If you're going to tweak it and it's a QC then upgrade the trans to race bands and clutches and the torque converter to a race model with an anti-balloon plate and you should be fine.

I've seen people run some stupid HP/TQ with the 6spd on a stock clutch quite successfully without breakage.


Good luck!

You will never have issues with the DANA60 rear end that's in it, nearly bullet proof if properly set up. Even towing 5000lb trailers.

 

[tcsracing1]

no question they are rare trucks and will be saught after thus collectable some day.

just look what people pay for lil red express dodges, 56 ford F-100's and vintage power wagons....

a truck with a viper engine in 20 years from now will be the classic truck to own.

in todays world it is a great daily driver as long as you live outside the snowbelt.

think of it as a viper that is easy to get in and out of with a massive trunk!

the truck is the stuff dreams are made of when one was a teenager! a ram with a viper engine?! hell yeah!

 

[tcsracing1]

FWIW:


friend of mine just bought a 04 with low miles ( they typically have low miles). He is never selling it. Never.

 

[speedracervr4]

1) 4.56s are fine on the QCs, changing the gears wouldn't be worth it for MPG and it would take some of the fun factor out of driving it.

2) The only thing I don't like about DDing it (which I do) is the size and turn radius. Just takes a little to get use to after driving sports cars.

3) Your prices are about right. If you're willing to go up in mileage (50k or so) one can be had for about $22-26k. Got mine for $23.5 and it's an 05 QC with 58k. Seller for me was that it already had a 3.4L Roe blower,SCT, and exhaust mods installed.

Good luck!! You'll enjoy it.

 

[Kevan]

(1) No it's not with a 31.5" tall tire. I had to pull the 4.10's out of my RC and put 4.56's in [ and it only cost a few hundred $$$ ] to make 6th even usable. I've ridden in my friends QC and it's just fine. He uses it as a DD BTW and has a pile of miles on it. With the 4.56's at 80 I'm under 2000 rpm in 6th.

FQ- did you just change out the internals of the rear....or the entire thing?
Remember that the rear suspension is different between the RC and QC: the RC is setup for racing whereas the QC is...umm....err....uhhh.....more traditional.

(2) It will work fine as a DD even in snow if you add some weight back at the tailgate.

TRUTH, but you'll need a bunch of weight.
Cal-Tracs have helped my truck. Not so much with traction, but definitely keeping the back end from coming around when I don't want it to. LOL
I'd recommend them for the QC trucks too.

As for the auto trans, I think a number of the failures are because people put some serious tune on them and don't change out the torque converter that seriously needs an anti-balloon plate and doesn't have it. If you're going to tweak it and it's a QC then upgrade the trans to race bands and clutches and the torque converter to a race model with an anti-balloon plate and you should be fine.

TRUTH.
Mike Brady's silver QC ran a 10.73 (Paxton, 3-stage N20, DC Performance built). He drove it to the track on the OEM wheels, pulled his drag radials out of the bed, bolted them on, threw his OEM wheels in the bed, ran 10's all day, then swapped the wheels out and drove home. It was a helluva truck. I'm sure DC has the list of tweaks they did to the transmission.

I've seen people run some stupid HP/TQ with the 6spd on a stock clutch quite successfully without breakage.

TRUTH.

You will never have issues with the DANA60 rear end that's in it, nearly bullet proof if properly set up. Even towing 5000lb trailers.

TRUTH.
The only upgrade I've seen folks do in the rear of the RC's is go with a beefy Detroit Locker.

 

[fqberful]

FQ- did you just change out the internals of the rear....or the entire thing?
Remember that the rear suspension is different between the RC and QC: the RC is setup for racing whereas the QC is...umm....err....uhhh.....more traditional.


TRUTH.
The only upgrade I've seen folks do in the rear of the RC's is go with a beefy Detroit Locker.

All I replaced was the carrier [ different offset with 4.10 and 4.56 ] and the gears. also the usual bearings, etc. Nothing wrong with the housing.

The only thing that REALLY annoys me is that on a truck with this much power/tq is that they didn't put c-clip eliminators in there. Geeze. And yes, the RC has a better suspension, actually handles pretty well for a 5000lb+ tank. Being nearly 1000lbs lighter than a fully optioned QC doesn't hurt either.

 

[John N]

Thanks or the feedback guys. I am going to go look at a 19,000 mile '06 QC next week. I'm digging everything about the QC's except the auto and gas mileage. What the heck, the auto may be okay in Houston traffic....

 

[Mopar Boy]

Oh....the information I have.....


The QC trucks (05 and 06 only) come with the 48RE automatic transmission and are much more suitable for hauling.
BUT, I tow our 3200 lb.motorcycle trailer (6x12, single axle; 2 atvs & 2 MX bikes) using my RC without any issues. You just have to be smart about braking and shifting, etc.
The weak link with towing comes from the clutch and rear end; NOT from the engine.
If you need to tow more than 2500 lbs. regularly or daily, find something with a Cummins and have MoparBoy **** the hell out of it.

Real world MPG? I have no clue, and I don't care. I love driving the truck. $10/gal and I'd still drive it.
I put a cap on my RC (blasphemy in the SRT-10 truck world) and loaded 2000 lbs. of gear in the back. Drove to Orlando and back and got almost 20 mpg by smart driving/passing and keeping the cruise right around 72-75mph.

RedSnake is correct about the rear end gear ratios. There are a few other differences between 04 and 05, namely the front brakes.

The 04-05 interiors are my favorite; the changes in 06 just didn't thrill me. Some folks love it. That's cool, but it's not for me.

If you have more questions about the trucks, let me know.

Yeah yeah. Let me at it. I will make your cummins clean the clock of any SRT Ram!

Not sure why peeps are having 48RE tranny troubles in the QCs. They have been used since 03 in the Cummins trucks (I just traded my 04.5 3500 4wd) with600+ lb ft (more than the 510 lb ft of the SRTs) and have proven very reliable, even on modded trucks making more power. Mine was. Never an issue. My truck club dyno days I've seen many things break before the tranny. Now, the old 47RE and older, they had issues.

It is reassuring thought to see the 8.3L engine stand up to truck abuse. Makes me want to go run my 03 'vert a little harder!

Yeah, the 48 re did have many issues in the cummins trucks. Really comes down to how you drive it and if you abuse it.




Ok. Call me country boy here. I fully get the SRT ram, and I plan on owning one at somepoint. But why do people not get a Cummins?! You get a cummins, can tow 20k lbs, get 25 mpg while packing 650 hp, run 10 sec 1/4s, and away you go!