2018 Ram 2500

[Alpha Out Front]

Starting my build on my 2018 Ram 2500. I got the truck about nine days ago and ran broken arrow trail in Sedona AZ this past sunday. I have a ton of parts but so far I have put on the Carli 3.25 back country lift, AEV wheels and 37 inch BFG k02 tires. Also used the AEV procal to flash the truck for the tire size so my speedo is correct. Currently working on installing the ARB twin air compressor and will post some pics tomorrow.

 

[Mike harpe]

Nice background

 

[Alpha Out Front]

I did not get as much done as I wanted today, but I did get the bracket made for the compressor. It bolts into the box and all the weight of the compressor sit on the bottom of the box, it does not hang from the upper bolts. The L shape bracket on the right is where the bracket for the switch will bolt to. I sprayed the bracket in some truck bed liner and I will be dry by tomorrow, then I can run the wire and hoses.

 

[Alpha Out Front]

Finished mounting the pump and tank in the driver side ram box.

 

[Salty4Life]

How are those 3.42 gears handling the 37s?

 

[Alpha Out Front]

@Salty4Life It actually rides just like factory after using the AEV procal. I have nitro 4.30 gears for it that I need installed, I have only had the truck for three weeks so I will get to it soon. But daily driving is fine, I average 20 mpg with the 37s. Steep climbs in four low are where the lower gears would really help, it takes a whole lot of throttle and boost to turn those tires up a hill.

 

[Mike harpe]

@Salty4Life It actually rides just like factory after using the AEV procal. I have nitro 4.30 gears for it that I need installed, I have only had the truck for three weeks so I will get to it soon. But daily driving is fine, I average 20 mpg with the 37s. Steep climbs in four low are where the lower gears would really help, it takes a whole lot of throttle and boost to turn those tires up a hill.

I'm guessing my the word boost you have a Cummins? 20mpg on 37's.. you suck. Damn power wagon gets 13mpg 14-15 on evic. Thankfully I haven't lost mpg going from factory 33 to 37

 

[Alpha Out Front]

@Mike harpe Yeah its a diesel, I was getting 21 on the stock tires. Also i tried to follow your link you drop on the other thread but It just comes up with an error. Drop another so I can check out your build.

 

[Mike harpe]

@Mike harpe Yeah its a diesel, I was getting 21 on the stock tires. Also i tried to follow your link you drop on the other thread but It just comes up with an error. Drop another so I can check out your build.

I suck at copying some times I guess [emoji2369][emoji2369]

My power wagon build thread

 

[Mike harpe]

Also what do you do for a living to have the cash to get all those goodies at once? My excuse is navy federal credit union made the mistake of giving me a $20,000 credit card hahah

 

[Salty4Life]

20 mpg on the trip computer or hand calculated? I’m getting 19-20 on the computer but 17 hand calculated and 13 towing. My truck is a Cummins on 35-12.5-17s.

 

[Wile_Coyote]

Also what do you do for a living to have the cash to get all those goodies at once? My excuse is navy federal credit union made the mistake of giving me a $20,000 credit card hahah

yikes, I can't imagine the interest rates on even 3 or 4 grand on a credit card....scary and slippery slope there.

 

[Mike harpe]

yikes, I can't imagine the interest rates on even 3 or 4 grand on a credit card....scary and slippery slope there.

Well for the first year its 1.99 so maxed out I'm paying 400 a month. I'm sure next year it will be more, but I have 4 years stuck in georgia and I planned to have that long to pay off all the credit cards I recently used. And since I'm not planning on financing till after 2024 when I get the airstream basecamp x or whatever they have out then, my credit score being in the shitter isnt a concern for me at this point.

 

[toxicity_27]

How do you like the RamBox? I used to be in the car business, and 99% of the trucks we had didn't have the RamBox, nor did we have people lining up to get them. I see you've got the compressor mounted there, nice out of the way place for it that it's protected. Do you open it when you run it, or notice any air flow issues? I know the boxes have a drain in the bottom.. just curious if you've noticed any heat or air intake issues.

 

[Alpha Out Front]

@Mike harpe I am a single 28 year old cyber analyst haha.
@Salty4Life that is 20 on the computer.
@toxicity_27 The Ram box was something that I had to have, and was super hard to find in the color and trim I wanted. The Ram box is the most useful thing about the truck, I love those things. I keep them open when using the air because I don't want the compressor to get hot. I designed it so it has to be open to use it.

 

[Mike harpe]

@Mike harpe I am a single 28 year old cyber analyst haha.
@Salty4Life that is 20 on the computer.
@toxicity_27 The Ram box was something that I had to have, and was super hard to find in the color and trim I wanted. The Ram box is the most useful thing about the truck, I love those things. I keep them open when using the air because I don't want the compressor to get hot. I designed it so it has to be open to use it.
View attachment 124463

I could have been in the same spot as you, but I was stupid and got married at 20. Big mistake. The army was the best thing for me. Wish I had stayed in till my 20, but I was able to get basically a retirement rating from the VA at 35.

 

[Alpha Out Front]

I could have been in the same spot as you, but I was stupid and got married at 20. Big mistake. The army was the best thing for me. Wish I had stayed in till my 20, but I was able to get basically a retirement rating from the VA at 35.

I did my four years in the Army and left for the money in the civilian world lol.

 

[Mike harpe]

I did my four years in the Army and left for the money in the civilian world lol.

Sadly I was duped into being a mechanic and deployed 3 times in 6 years active. Loved the deployments and the missions. Did convoy security and in hind sight wish I'd have gone s.f.

 

[Alpha Out Front]

Sadly I was duped into being a mechanic and deployed 3 times in 6 years active. Loved the deployments and the missions. Did convoy security and in hind sight wish I'd have gone s.f.

My deployment was sitting in an office binge watching game of thrones and ALL of Netflix for 12 months straight.

 

[Alpha Out Front]

I completely forgot to post this, but before I did the lift I installed this Banks intake, and I have some not so nice things to say about. So first Banks as always been one of those "premium bands" that prides themselves on quality. This intake is not quality. My first issue is that the design of the intake makes it a pain to install. The placement of the sensors is far lower on the intake then they come factory and one of the sensors is really close to the hot oil filter. One of the holes for the sensor was too small and I had to use a dremel to make it bigger and the other one was so big that the o-ring does not properly seal. The active ram motor is poorly mounted and leaves a massive gap allowing dirt and water to get on the motor shaft. It also does not utilize both of the active ram air flaps. The breather hose is a cheap generic rubber hose were as the factory hose was a nice silicone hose. The factory hose is too short to use with the new intake so I had to use the rubber one. The only thing I like about it is the slight turbo whistle you get after the install.