HEMI® Power To Keep Going In Ram Heavy Duty Trucks

The past year and a half has been dismal for HEMI® V8 fans, with Stellantis moving away from the current HEMI V8 engine portfolio. However, it doesn’t mean that all HEMI availability is ending. According to sources close to HDRams.com, the 6.4-liter (392 cubic-inch) HEMI® V8, known as the ‘BGE’ or Big Gas Engine, will live on under the hoods of the Ram 2500/3500 Heavy Duty.

Currently, the BGE delivers 410 horsepower @ 5,600 rpm and 429 lb.-ft. of torque @ 4,000 rpm and features variable-valve timing (VVT) with Fuel Saver Technology cylinder deactivation. It first appeared in the Heavy Duty in 2014 and soon replaced the 5.7-liter HEMI V8 as the sole HEMI option for the Heavy-Duty trucks and chassis cabs.

The BGE differs from the 6.4-liter (392 cubic-inch) HEMI® ‘Apache’ V8 found under the hood of many Scat Pack, SRT, and 300Cs.

The BGE was designed for more low-end torque and heavy-load applications. Some of the major differences between the two are that the BGE has an intake manifold with a top-feed mounted throttle body, and this design has a runner length designed to make max power from 3,600 rpm to 5,000 rpm. The compression ratio was also lowered to 10.0:1 due to a piston change compared to the Apache.

The BGE uses a Hypereutectic piston with oil jets to reduce heat and a floating pin design attached to a powdered metal I-beam connecting rod. The twin-plug aluminum cylinder head on the BGE still retains the massive 2.14-inch intake valve and 1.65-inch exhaust valve found on the SRT and Scat Pack vehicles. The cylinder heads are also cast from high-grade T356 aluminum material to withstand detonation and high temperatures under severe towing conditions.

The BGE has a stainless-steel exhaust manifold for maximum durability. It also has high-quality stainless steel gaskets and fasteners for improved high-temperature durability.

For 2025, Ram is giving its 2500/3500 Heavy-Duty pickups a mid-cycle action (MCA), also known as a refresh. Among the highlights is that the BGE returns with updates to help make them more emissions-friendly. Although emission regulations differ for heavy-duty trucks compared to their light-duty counterparts, Ram has to make necessary changes to the BGE to meet new regulations.

While we don’t have the complete list of changes, we are told that the BGE should continue to make roughly the same power output.

In 2019, Ram mated the BGE to a smooth-shifting ZF-sourced 8-speed TorqueFlite 8HP75 automatic transmission, and it looks like that transmission will stay in the 2500/3500 options. Our sources have stated that the BGE will also be under the hood of Ram 3500/4500/5500 Chassis Cab models. Those Chassis Cab models will feature the BGE mated to the new ZF Powerline® 8-speed automatic transmission.

Stay tuned. We will continue to break down the updated 2025 Ram Heavy Duty lineup as details become available.