A funny thing is happening to the tow ratings of the 2010 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup trucks: They'll increase significantly relative to the 2009 truck despite no apparent hardware changes.
Details of each configuration's new tow rating are still trickling in, but we know that the maximum GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating) is slated to increase to 15,500 pounds, up 1,500 pounds from last year. Tow ratings will more or less increase by a similar amount.
That's no surprise to us, though, and here's why.
We conducted a 4-way truck comparison test back in May, and our 2009 Dodge Ram test truck easily outperformed a 2009 Ford F-150 in same-day, same-trailer steep grade hillclimbs and flat road acceleration tests. And this result happened despite the fact that the 2009 Ram we tested (a 5.7-liter 4x4 Crew Cab) was rated to tow just 7,300 pounds, almost 4,000 pounds less than our Ford F-150's 11,200-pound tow rating.
Those Ford and Dodge tow ratings never made sense to us on paper, chiefly because the Ram's 5.7-liter V8 makes 390 horsepower and 407 lb-ft of torque, while the F-150's 5.4-liter aging mill makes but 310 horses and 365 lb-ft of torque.
OK, there are cooling system considerations to factor in, and the F-150 has a six-speed transmission. Plus, our Ram tester was equipped with 20-inch chrome wheels that inexplicably reduced its official tow rating by 1,000 pounds, right off the top. But the tow rating chasm between these two trucks is simply too big to explain away with such details.
Another reason we weren't surprised by these new tow ratings stems from a phone call we received from a group of Dodge engineers shortly after our original story went live. Seems they'd been doing some math and dyno work on their own to validate an internally proposed tow rating increase. They called to compare notes on the subject of how and where we had conducted our test.
The 1,500-pound GCWR increase that Dodge ultimately settled on seems about right. It puts the maximum 2010 Dodge Ram 1500 tow rating in line with that of the 5.7-liter Toyota Tundra, a truck our Ram kept pace with while pulling an identically ballasted trailer up the long, steep Jacumba grade in eastern San Diego County.
All that's needed now is for Ford to drop the F-150's tow rating to a more realistic and meaningful number. From where we sit, its tow rating is the one remaining outlier on the high end. We seriously doubt that'll ever happen, however.
brn says:
03:42 PM, 07/29/09
I'm not a truck nut, but I'm of the understanding that tow ratings have to do with a lot more than power. Doesn't structural integrity, stability, and suspension come into play? I'm sure there are other things like the cooling Dan mentioned.
I know there are some truck nuts here. Chime in guys and tell me I'm goofy.
uncanny_man says:
06:34 PM, 07/29/09
Not to mention transmission! My parents had an old van in the 90s with a smallblock v8 which they had beefed up for towing. That included not just a larger and more capable radiator for the engine, but transmission coolant systems as well. That's usually the reason people don't advise using jeeps as tow vehicles: the trannies aren't built to handle the extra weight and the constantly higher engine output.
actualsize says:
08:38 PM, 07/29/09
Of course transmissions, cooling, suspension and brakes matter, and any re-rate would have to take the durability of those parts into consideration. No carmaker is going to hang themselves out to dry unless they've tested and verified these components against the new rating first.
Why the conservative initial tow rating, then? I was given two reasons at the initial 2009 truck's launch: 1) The goal for the new Ram was to simply equal the rating of the outgoing truck. That goal was met. 2) Dodge initially figured that they could drive heavy-duty tow customers to their 2500 and 3500 trucks. That plan works as long as the competition does the same, but it didn't go that way.
brn says:
07:45 AM, 07/30/09
Dan, your views on the conservative Dodge rating make as much sense as any. I'll buy them until something better comes along. :)
My initial reaction had to do with the comparison to the F150. You indicated that it didn't make sense because the F150 had less power. You then indicate that the F150 ratings should be reduced because of that. Perhaps, the F150 more makes up for it in the other areas?
bbechtel16 says:
08:18 AM, 07/30/09
Thank you Dan for another interesting technical post!
felonious says:
09:12 AM, 07/30/09
I sure hope that someday, I'll have to worry about the max tow rating of my truck. :)
cdingo says:
10:28 AM, 07/30/09
Imagine that. Take the 20's off a truck and it can....well work better hauling/towing.
You can tell a poser when you see a truck with wheels over 17".
Use to be trucks were for utility rather than looking pretty.
jdub53084 says:
11:16 AM, 07/30/09
brn: YES! Towing ratings are judged not simply on engine power and cooling. Other factors such as the bolts,frame, body mounts, welds and suspension parts all make up tow ratings.
The frame works to soak up the strains and loads on the vehicle from towing, so many fatigue factors need to be taken into account.