Posts: 3508
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hi Shawn,
I just traded my 2003 Ram 1500 quad cab. It had the 1st generation 5.7 Hemi in it that was still going strong. I purchased it with only 34 miles on it, and when trade-time came, it had 229,000 on it without a rebuild. At that point in time, it was still able to get 14 - 15 on the highway at 60mph, but would drop dramatically at anything higher than that. Pulling the boat, I was able to get 10 - 12 depending on my foot. I also pulled a 1/2 ton towable 5th wheel and it would see 8mpg. No tranny issues, just oil, tires, and gas and brake pads/rotors. The only mechanical things that were replaced on that truck were one tie rod end, the front hubs twice, and a broken exhaust valve spring....oh, and a power steering hose.
Now...the engine designs that followed in the 5.7 have the ability to shut down a couple of cylinders to help improve fuel economy, but am not sure how that worked while pulling a load.
I would bet the 4.7 could pull the 690, but I would think it would be a bit slow on start-up, and would have lower fuel mileage because the engine has to work harder in order to get to the desired speed, pulling out of ramps, etc. When not towing, I am sure it would get better mileage, so much of that will depend on how much time you spend pulling vs how much you are using it as a daily driver.
I traded on another Ram...cannot complain at all about anything...
Steve |
