2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Negatives of having a "modified" Ram

[danandamy]

Let's face it guys, we all go on and on here about how wonderful it is to have a modified or "bombed" cummins Ram but in the interest of fairness, I think we should point out some of the negatives. There are new guys (welcome guys) and dare I say girls (females always welcome in chat) joining here everyday and they read all these wonderful bombing stories and no one has the nads to point out the negatives. Well I have no strikes and plenty of juevos so I, your chatmoderator, will step forward and point out some negatives. I am doing this for the new guys, in case they use the search function and look up "bombing" they will get a balanced look at things. If any of ya'll want to add a few, feel free. Here are some of the negatives about joining the dark side known as bombing.



1. Having to watch ads where companies are bragging about their "awsome" stock powered trucks "The new Duramax with an amazing 300hp"... yawn... .



2. Knowing that you will never be happy driving or towing with a stock powered truck again.



3. A definite symptom of "bombitis" is paranoia. It will manifest itself most often in the form of thinking that everyone next to you at a stoplight wants to run 'em... "Hey! I think gramma in the granada wants a piece of me!"



4. You will come to learn what the donkey (not the Swamp variety) feels like with the carrot just out of reach. You finally get that "last" modification to find another one, just beyond your grasp.



5. You will find yourself considering drug use, for the truck of course, the real stuff is for your wife when the Visa bill comes in..... "WHO THE HELL IS PDR?!"



6. You will find yourself refering to people by usernames in day to day conversation like that's normal, "Hey, that's MR CHATCRAPPER to you"



7. Derogatory slang towards the other brands becomes a nasty habit. "Hey, nice powderpuff". Pulling up next to a furious guy with a broke down chevy, "Wow, it really is like a rock"



Folks, you read all the wonderful stories about modifying your trucks but consider your path carefully. Once you start you cannot turn back. You will not find any threads on here titled, "Sick of all this power, I'm going back to stock" It's a one way road to perdition and you should consider your path carefully. Now, I've got to go knock over a liquor store so I can pay for a nitrous set up.



dan

chatmoderator and avatar proponent

 

[merryman]

OK, so you wrote a whole bunch of stuff, when ya gonna mention some negatives?? :>).



Vaughn

 

[QRTRHRS]

People ask me about my "distorted" windshield. It makes the A piller look all bumpy from the front. I explain that those are guages I have in a special housing. Guages? What kind of guages? What do you need those for? Then I notice the head nodding and the mouth staying open. Well, you know what I mean.

 

[moparguy]

Dan, a big is called for .



If the Wee One was still among us he'd no doubt be touting the George Foreman Grill as one of the necessities for a well appointed, make that BOMBED truck.



RJR

 

[RADdodge]

"Sick of all this power, I'm going back to stock"

I had a nightmare like that once... .

 

[J.R. Adkins]

40k rated tires only lasting 20k!( I wonder why that is?)







J. R.

 

[Deezul1]

The worst one for me is how every power increase modification I have made seems to deteriorate to where I have to do another one just keep the horsepower junky happy. No matter what I change in a few months the truck starts feeling gutless again so gotta add some more power.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

Dangling carrots... ... ..... I hate it when people do that to me. I am currently doing tongue stretching exercises so I can fool someone by snapping out like a frog and finally eating that dam carrot I have been chasing for years!





6. You will find yourself refering to people by usernames in day to day conversation like that's normal, "Hey, that's MR CHATCRAPPER to you"



I thought you refered to yourself as Dandoll.....

 

[WadePatton]

A lot of the BOMBing headaches...

can be cured by one large pill.



It's a blue pill. The P7100/24v truck DD is selling right now. It takes care of all those little aches and pains called injectors and turbos and gauges and trannies etc. Cummins power as God intended it... YEE HAW!

 

[illflem]

All jokes aside, if you take your hp beyond 350 you can expect a drastic reduction in engine life with many problems along the way. This is from mine and Piers personal observations. I'm not saying it can't be done and don't do it just be aware what can happen when you go beyond Cummins' design parameters.

 

[hammersley]

illflem -

llflem - Your comment about greatly reduced engine life is very interesting to me. I noted that in my new Oct 02 Pop Science, (page 90) they have an article on Don "The Snake" Prudhomme's Top Fuel Dragster, currently the tops in points. 6,000 HP nitromethane, dragster that runs 4. 5 second 300+ qtrs - but at a price - THEY REBUILD THE ENTIRE ENGINE AFTER EACH RUN - IN UNDER AN HOUR!!!!! Obviously they are consuming the engine or degrading it's performance to the point that each suceeding run would in no way equal the prior one - thus a rebuild is needed. Now if above 350 STARTS us down that road - what mods take you to that level, artound the 350 mark????

 

[BFC]

Define drastic..... please! Horse power junkies breaking parts, that can't happen can it? Seriously what is the most common problem... . for the new guys benefit



Glenn

 

[illflem]

Most common problem is probably head gaskets but that can be cured, but see where this leads... you start redesigning the engine, it goes on and on. Just faster general wear also happens but many will trade in before it shows anyway. Lots of folks have recommended not buying a bombed used Cummins because of the abuse it may have encountered, for good reason.

According to a recent poll here not many are bombed beyond 350 (probably a lot less if you figure in the BS factor!), about the level that the engine is designed for. Most of the mods folks do is to just get back the power Cummins designed and Dodge took away. Stock is definitely not the way to go but if you're interested in longevity there is a limit.



Hammer, you would have loved the show on dragsters tonight on the History Channel. New clutch on each run also. They showed a glass cylinder with piston and how much fuel it used, looked like the flow from a garden hose just to one cylinder. Said that a 5000 hp top fuel dragster burns around 30 gallons a minute at full throttle.

 

[fortunate1]

Buying a used Ram: bombed or not?

illflem, good point on the used market. It's fun while you have the truck, and your confidence level will be pretty good if you know that what's been added is quality workmanship. But what about trusting someone else's work & driving habits?



On another note: I have a beautiful new Yamaha superbike for sale. Only has 25 miles on her! Only rode 1/4 mile at a time. Make offer.

 

[TPCDrafting]

5. You will find yourself considering drug use, for the truck of course, the real stuff is for your wife when the Visa bill comes in..... "WHO THE HELL IS PDR?!"



I just about threw breakfast on the screen when I read this. It just happened to me about 2 weeks ago!

 

[bighammer]

Great thread.



Finding the limits of the input shaft, discovering the uselessness of the stock clutch, and other things are some downsides.



Every time my hood is up, a neighbor asks what's wrong. Nothing, just adding a few more horses.



Wife is also noticing the black marks on the driveway

 

[StakeMan]

danandme,



Are you saying we should un-bomb our trucks and have a stock chat freak grudge match?:-laf

 

[Sky]

Negitives of a modified RAM = Speeding tickets.



Thats the only one I can think of. :{

 

[M Barnett]

The way I see it.

I am a little over 400 HP, but here is what I like about bombing a 5. 9 and somebody correct me if you disagree. Lets take a chevy 350 and build it up to more than twice its original HP. We will put in a stroker crank, high compression pistons, big cam, heavy valve springs, lots of fuel and other stuff. Now, this engine is wearing fast even when you take the kids to school and your driving as nice as you can because of the increased piston speed, big compression, heavier springs on the cam, etc. If its running, its wearing fast. Now look at a 5. 9. It comes from the factory with a stroker and high compression. Wow, thats been designed in at the factory. So, lets add some gov springs, more fuel and more air. Now it runs like a race car and the wear factor has increased when going full bore. But wait, what if I am an old man and just drive it normally while keeping an eye out for the other brand of diesels trucks to have a little fun with? Well! I don't think I'm hurting the engine and drive train anymore than if it were a stock engine cause the good hotrod stuff has already been designed in from the factory and unless I've got the petal mashed down, the engine thinks its still stock. My truck is usually under 10 lbs of boost all the time and seldom over 2,000 rpms. But! How many of us can be satisfied to drive like this and ignore all that wonderful power? Therefore, you should be at least 50 years old before you do any bombing. Just kidding. Another way to look at it is this, I'm 57 years old and can't live long enough to wear out my engine anyway. Its a 94 with 85,000 miles on it. Why save it for my kids to wear out?

Michael

 

[danandamy]

Originally posted by StakeMan

danandme,



Are you saying we should un-bomb our trucks and have a stock chat freak grudge match?:-laf

Not you stake, you have to bomb to get TO stock power ... ... . best 2 out of 3 slowpoke :-laf



dan