CharlieL
Active Member
Hello all! First post here as a new member & HD Ram owner; I've been on RamForumz since 2014. Learned alot there and enjoyed the conversations. This is my fourth Ram, but first diesel. The first two were Dakotas (1996 & 2004). I just moved up from a 2013 Laramie 1500 to a 2022 Laramie 2500 diesel. My decision was largely driven by wife's desire for more room in our camper & we've got a 5th wheel on order, which the 2013 could not tow.
Over the past couple of months I used Ram's website to build and find what I was looking for, but nothing was close to home in Albuquerque, NM. I was about to custom order, but learned with all of the shortages I could not get all the options I wanted. One, for example, is folding mirrors, which is a must as my Ram is parked in a garage - with an 8' wide door. So, I hunted around & found my Ram in Knoxville, IA. After reaching a deal, I flew to Des Moines, was picked up by the dealer, finalized the paperwork and headed home. Made it to Wichita, KS for an overnite and then on to Albuquerque the next day. Stayed on the interstate instead of taking the 100-mile shorter route through KS (done that drive many times), mainly to determine highway mpg. Over the 1,117 mile trip, hand-calculated mpg was 20.68.
First thing I noticed was the difference in ride. My 2013 1500 has the 4-corner air suspension. It rode better than my wife's Chrysler 300C! Driving along I discovered the air pressure in the tires was set to 90 lbs all around. At a fuel stop, I changed that to 65 per the driver door pillar sticker. That was an interesting endeavor, as I didn't have a tire pressure gauge or any tool. Found out the key in the fob works well for that(!) & used the TPMS system for determining pressure in each tire. While nothing will compare to the ride in the 4-corner air on the 1500, I find the 2500's ride to be quite acceptable for an HD truck. One thing very noticeable is the difference in road sound. The 2500 is much quieter than the 1500 & my wife and I can carry on a conversation at normal levels while highway cruising or in-town driving.
I'm very pleased with the 2500. It fits in my garage, has all the factory towing features I wanted, & the Uconnect v5 is such an improvement over what I had in the 2013. I prefer the 8.4 screen over the 12 & that's what I have. (My son-in-law purchased a 2020 Limited 1500 with the 12" so I did have the chance to check that out). The new nav is superb & using the "gas station" finder overlaid on the route is really great for finding diesel prices & locations.
I've already read a number of posts here about the diesel & look forward to learning more.
Charlie
Over the past couple of months I used Ram's website to build and find what I was looking for, but nothing was close to home in Albuquerque, NM. I was about to custom order, but learned with all of the shortages I could not get all the options I wanted. One, for example, is folding mirrors, which is a must as my Ram is parked in a garage - with an 8' wide door. So, I hunted around & found my Ram in Knoxville, IA. After reaching a deal, I flew to Des Moines, was picked up by the dealer, finalized the paperwork and headed home. Made it to Wichita, KS for an overnite and then on to Albuquerque the next day. Stayed on the interstate instead of taking the 100-mile shorter route through KS (done that drive many times), mainly to determine highway mpg. Over the 1,117 mile trip, hand-calculated mpg was 20.68.
First thing I noticed was the difference in ride. My 2013 1500 has the 4-corner air suspension. It rode better than my wife's Chrysler 300C! Driving along I discovered the air pressure in the tires was set to 90 lbs all around. At a fuel stop, I changed that to 65 per the driver door pillar sticker. That was an interesting endeavor, as I didn't have a tire pressure gauge or any tool. Found out the key in the fob works well for that(!) & used the TPMS system for determining pressure in each tire. While nothing will compare to the ride in the 4-corner air on the 1500, I find the 2500's ride to be quite acceptable for an HD truck. One thing very noticeable is the difference in road sound. The 2500 is much quieter than the 1500 & my wife and I can carry on a conversation at normal levels while highway cruising or in-town driving.
I'm very pleased with the 2500. It fits in my garage, has all the factory towing features I wanted, & the Uconnect v5 is such an improvement over what I had in the 2013. I prefer the 8.4 screen over the 12 & that's what I have. (My son-in-law purchased a 2020 Limited 1500 with the 12" so I did have the chance to check that out). The new nav is superb & using the "gas station" finder overlaid on the route is really great for finding diesel prices & locations.
I've already read a number of posts here about the diesel & look forward to learning more.
Charlie
