TireSmoke.org

Everybody please welcome to the tiresmoke family, #51.





I don't have much time to go into all the details right this second, but I wanted to get this posted before bed (been a long day).

I traded in the 2012 Mustang today on this brand new Hemi powered Tradesman 1500 shorty with 2wd.

Until tomorrow...

-BP

Hot damn.....#51.

Sad to see the Mustang go, as I really liked that car.....but if you need a work truck, this will fit the bill.

"That thing got a Hemi?"

Congrats on the new truck!! Now, when do we hear how it does against a certain 32-valve truck?

I'm feeling pretty good about my chances against 32V's 5.3. I'm lighter (about 4500 lbs), and have more HP (395). Gearing sucks on both counts, mine has a 3.21 gear with a six speed auto VS his 3.42 with the 4spd Auto. I'm good for about 55mph in first gear!

I expecting in stock trim to be around 15.0. After a few mods, somewhere around 14.4 @ 97mph. We'll see how it all shakes out.

So with my side business, I found myself more often than not, needing something with a little more utility. I started searching small hatchbacks, but after a long deliberation, thought that would just be too gay and couldn't pull the trigger. So I took a look towards a work truck, 1/2 ton, that could tow, haul a decent amount, and fit in my garage.

Some time spent on the Google-machine, yielded me this Ram 1500. The advertised price was $19,987... I found it a little hard to believe as it was shown with power windows, locks, cruise, remote keyless, XM Radio, and a Hemi. Also included was a factory spray in bedliner, class IV hitch, and both 4 and 7 prong wiring connections. Heck, it even has carpet floors, mats, AND cloth seats. It stickered just over $27k.

So after a few phone calls and a couple texts, we worked out the trade numbers on the Mustang, and rough payment numbers. Yesterday morning, knowing Tiresmoker is retired and not too far from my work, I texted him in the AM to see if he wanted to help me buy a truck and around quitting time, he showed up at my work and we made the 1/2 hour trek to the dealer in Cuyahoga Falls.

The truck was the real deal. When we took the truck for a test drive, it had 11 miles on it. It's really a nice vehicle. All work on the outside, but still nice inside. Pretty much exactly what I wanted, and it can tow something close to 9k lbs, which will come in handy as the business grows.

The finance guy at the dealer said that things like cold air kits and cat back exhaust systems wont effect the warranty at all, so as time goes on, I'll attack those things. For right now though, I think I'll break it in to some degree, change the oil early, and get my tonneau cover put on so I can start using the bed right away. Dave "made me" do my first burnout in it and it spun both tires! I'm not sure if it has posi or not, but with that crappy gear, launching it doesn't seem like it will be a problem.

After my first commute back and forth to work, I'm pretty happy. I'm averaging close to 20mpg, and I'm sure some break in mileage, synthetic oil, and a good intake and exhaust will get it up close to 22mpg in the summer and probably around 19 when it's cold. More than acceptable for 4500lbs and 400hp.

I'm sorry to see the Mustang go too, but this just makes more sense at this time in my life. Boy does this thing look HUGE next to my S-10....

Looking forward to many more posts.

-BP

Just bought a set of these:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/231311674622?ru ... 26_rdc%3D1

I figure if they look like crap, it only cost $73...

-BP

Last week I picked up my new bed cover and my new hubcaps arrived too. I spent most of the day Saturday waxing and cleaning this up. I also rainX'd all the windows, mirrors, and headlights. It looks pretty good IMO with the wheel covers on.










-BP

Am I seeing this right? A Hemi with one skinny little exhaust pipe?

It looks pretty small, but it's 3" and mandrel bent, so it's not that bad. I plan to have the Y-pipe updated, and there's a second small muffler towards the back that's going away eventually too. This should be a noticeable improvement, along with a cold air kit and rear lowering springs, and that should just about cover the extent of my modifications. It will do 106mph before hitting the limiter so I'm told. I haven't gone more than 90 yet.

But I have hauled a bunch of stuff with it already which should cover the first couple months payments at no cost to me. Right now the bed is packed full of scrap to go to the yard tomorrow. That should be enough to fill the tank.

Amazingly enough, I'm not really missing my Mustang as much as I thought I would.

-BP

Took the Ram to the scrap yard to unload about 640lbs worth of money yesterday. So the truck with 1/2 tank of gas and me in it weighs 4920 lbs. Take my 160lbs out and the truck weighs 4760lbs. That's no lightweight. It holds 26 gallons, and with about 1/2 tank, that's around 100lbs worth of gas putting it around 4660 as it sits with my tonneau cover and factory installed options.

I'll definitely have to run the tank down and pull that big spare before going to the track. After a fishing trip this weekend, it will have well over 1000 miles and I'll do it's first oil change. Then I'll be ready to race it bone stock to see what it will do. Maybe next Wed.

-BP

Found out on my trip to Sandusky this weekend that it will hit the 106mph speed limiter in 2nd gear! Talk about crappy gearing. It's got four more gears to go... I found this out messing with a newer Silverado (done at 98mph), another Ram 1500 which is also limited to 106, and a BMW M5 which is not limited. This all happened at the same time BTW. Pretty funny stuff.

-BP

First oil change - 1192 miles. Switched to synthetic too. Amazing how filthy and stinky the original oil was with so few miles. The manual says it's not break in oil, but it seemed pretty screwy to me.

-BP

32V and I went to the track tonight. We got two passes together which was fun. My first pass was pretty ugly with traction problems, but still got a 15.teen pass at 94mph.

By the last pass of the night, I figured it out to the tune of 14.49 @ almost 96mph. That's over a 1/4 tank of gas, full spare, all my tie down straps, everything! I'm more than happy with that. I'll get the exhaust modified, and get that cold air kit, and I'm thinking I'll be scraping 14 flat.

Pretty good for a bone stock work truck with a tiny little exhaust pipe.

-BP

I mentioned before that it will do 106mph in 2nd gear. After further investigation, that's really 3rd gear. But there's only about 500rpm difference between 2nd and 3rd. I'm shifting out of 2nd going into the traps at about 93mph and 3rd is done just about 106...

-BP

Today I drove to Mecca and bought black WeatherTech digital fit floor mats and rear lowering springs. The mats are already installed, the coil springs will have to wait, probably until next weekend sometime.

-BP

Although advertised as 2" drop springs, the rear spring sway only netted me a little over an inch of drop. They've been in there for a few months and I've hauled several loads over 1000lbs for some amount of mileage, but although the manufacturer says to wait a couple months and 1000 miles, I haven't seen the drop they've advertised. I looks better than it did though, hasn't hurt the ride, and will carry just about anything I'm willing to put in a 6' bed, so I'm OK with it.

This past weekend I bought a "used" set of snow tires off craigslist. They came with 8 bolt rims which I'll have to sell for a decent amount to make the deal worth while. But the tires have only around 1000 miles on them, and are the next weight rating so they're heavier duty than I really need. On the flip side, when I have 1200 lbs in my truck with the stock tires, they're weeping, so the extra capacity can't hurt. Not to mention the extra weight in the winter will be welcome for both stopping, steering, and going.

They were together, but I dismantled them the day I bought them...









I took the truck on a trip a few weeks back. Each way was around 150 miles, and over the total trip, with the air on, my wife in the truck, our luggage, and going about 3-4 over the posted speed limit, I was able to get about 23.5mpg. Not too shabby for a big tank. So far this truck has been pretty cool. Once I sell the Mustang, I'll do the exhaust and intake.

-BP