RAM

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Ram pickup trucks’ dilemma: wheels can fall off

Stellantis, the new owner of Fiat-Chrysler, has made a dubious announcement — the wheels of more than a half-million of its Ram pickup trucks can fall off. As such, the manufacturer announced 510,000 Ram 3500 heavy-duty pickups and Ram 4500 and 5500 cab-chassis vehicles from 2012 to 2021 and mostly from North American have been recalled. More than 500,000 Ram pickup trucks have been recalled because the wheels can fall off. Ram Pickup Trucks Have Loose Nuts The trucks in question have dual rear wheels and flanged lug nuts. Stellantis said some service and owner’s manuals had the wrong torque specifications for tightening the lug nuts that hold the wheels to the hubs. If the nuts were tightened too much,

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NEW TRUCK PREVIEW: 2022 Ram 1500

Among the lightweight truck’s “Big Three”, the pending 2022 Ram 1500 will feature mid-generation upgrades and include a hybrid powertrain for the first time. The hybrid option will join current gasoline and diesel powertrain options. An all-electric powertrain is on the horizon but won’t be available for at least two years. While not confirmed, the 2022 Ram 1500 will feature the next-generation Uconnect5 infotainment system. Prices haven’t been released and a slight increase is likely for the new Ram. It will likely be released this summer. The 2022 Ram 1500 will have the grille and current slimmer headlamps halogen, LED and adaptive LED lighting setups. 2022 Ram 1500: Three Powertrain Options The current Ram’s 3.6-liter, 305 horsepower engine will again

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2021 Ram 1500 TRX: Massive power, performance, prestige

The 2021 Ram 1500 TRX, the latest of the brand’s four straight years of Truck of the Year honors by MotorTrend, is in production at the manufacturer’s facility in Sterling Heights, Michigan. It’s now also available to consumers. Powered by a 6.2-liter supercharged HEMI V-8 engine, the top speed for the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX, the industry’s most performance-oriented, half-ton pickup truck, is 118 mph. It has 702 horsepower, 650 lb.-ft. of torque and 0-60 miles per hour performance in 4.5 seconds. The Ram 1500 won the prestigious truck title in 2018 and 2019. The Ram Heavy Duty took top honors in 2020. Adorned in exclusive Anvil exterior paint, the new Ram 1500 TRX is VIN No. 001, a launch

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Truck wars: Chevy, Ford, Ram push towing capacity max

Truck wars are nothing new. But with lightweight trucks sales growing at an increasingly fast rate, competition has become more intense. The latest battle involves increased towing capacities for the top-three sellers, Chevrolet, Ford and Ram. Chevrolet recently announced an increase of 500 pounds for the 2021 Chevrolet 2500/3500, pushing the maximum to 36,000 pounds. The boost occurred after engineers made changes to the suspension and available wheel packages. The improvement to the Chevy places it 1,000 pounds less than the Ford Super Duty (37,000) and 900 pounds more than the Ram HD (35,100). Chevy’s 36,000-pound maximum is available only on the regular-cab Silverado 3500 Work Truck with dual rear wheels and rear-wheel drive. The 445-horsepower, 6.6-liter Duramax diesel making

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Most studly truck? 15-year-old Dodge Ram SRT10

One thing pickup truck owners universally like is power. The power to tow an RV, haul stuff, advance uphill and downhill, trek off-road. It’s what a 2006 Dodge Ram SRT10 does best. But what are the top choices for the most powerful trucks? The website hotcars.com has compiled a list and provides facts, figures and reasoning. The No. 1 vehicle on the list is the 2004-2006 Dodge Ram SRT10. It’s equipped with an 8.3-liter V10 with 500 horsepower. It accelerates from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 4.9 seconds. The regular cab version of the SRT10 has a top speed on 106 mph. The SRT10 can tow 7,500 pounds. Dodge Ram SRT10 reigns Here in reverse order and in

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Episode 22, Famed climber Alex Honnold prefers life in a van

Last summer, Alex Honnold became the first free solo climber to ascend El Capitan in Yosemite. The accomplishment resulted in international acclaim. Honnold appeared on magazine covers, as a guest on late night talk shows, and he continues to be a speaker in demand at trade shows and corporate meetings. Despite his celebrity, Honnold prefers a simple life. He owns and shares a home in Las Vegas with his girlfriend. It’s a short distance from casino mecca and home of the Voetbalwedden headquarters. Another view from his front door highlights a favorite location, the varied, step climbing available at Red Rocks Canyon. But for six months a year, Honnold spends his life on the road in a RAM ProMaster cargo

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2017 Nissan Titan improved, but still trails truck pack

The automotive landscape is dominated by large trucks. The Ford F-Series, Chevy Silverado and Ram pick-ups are perennially the country’s top-selling vehicles. So what are the other guys supposed to do to sell trucks? Nissan, which launched the Titan in late 2003, decided it needed to regroup. Except for a V8 diesel, the Titan wasn’t available as a 2016 model. It’s back in 2017 with a new look and an expanded warranty. Nissan’s goal is optimistic. It hopes the Titan can challenge the Big Three. Last year, Ford sold 820,799 F-Series trucks, led by the F-150. In 2005, Nissan sold 86,945 Titans, its best year. Sales haven’t reached 35,000 in any year in the last decade. With its 2017 model,

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Chrysler has new car industry issue, remote hacking

If you own a Jeep Cherokee, Chrysler 200, Dodge Ram or one of several other Chrysler vehicles made in the last three years and something goes seriously wrong while you’re driving, you could have been hacked — remotely. The problem? Hackers can control the vehicles over the Internet and cut the brakes, shut down the engine, drive the car off the road or short the electric system. The issue can only occur in Chrysler products equipped with Uconnect, a wireless system that connects the vehicles on the Sprint cellphone network. The flaw was discovered by researchers, Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek. The duo first demonstrated the hack to Wired Magazine by remotely hijacking a Jeep Cherokee driven by a news

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Tata Nano, '79 MG, '82 Ram Charger, '01 VW Jetta: For $2,500, You Make The Call

But since the Tata Nano won’t be available in the U.S., what will $2,500 get a car buyer in this country? The New York Times included an interesting comparison in one of its several detailed pieces on Tata Motors, the Nano’s manufacturer. In describing the cost of the Nano, The Times’ reporter said its $2,500 price is about the same cost as an optional DVD player in a 2008 Lexus LX470. I’ve also done a little comparison shopping. Although the price of the Nano may go down (depending in the manufacturer’s reaction to a new, lower government excise tax), and it can go up with delivery charges and options, here’s what I found on a five-minute search Craig’sList, San Francisco.

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