Ram Claims Most Powerful Half-Ton Diesel Truck
The new Ram 1500 claims to be the most powerful half-ton diesel truck on the US market thanks to its Italian built engine.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ (FCA’s) Cento facility in Ferrara, Italy, produces the 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 boasting 480ft-lbs of torque and claiming a market leading towing capacity of 12,560 pounds. In its third generation, the engine produces peak torque at 1,600rpm, a 14% increase from the previous-generation while power increases 8% to 256bhp at 3,600rpm.
The motor uses dual overhead camshafts (DOHC) with four valves per cylinder and a 60-degree angle between the cylinder banks. The block is cast with compacted graphite iron weighing less than grey cast iron. A compacted graphite iron bedplate adds rigidity to the block. It also has a forged steel crankshaft and connecting rods for strength and durability.
Improvements include a new water-cooled turbocharger with variable geometry turbine to increase efficiency and responsiveness during transient conditions; redesigned cylinder head intake ports improve swirl and flow; the exhaust gas recirculation system design has been updated to a dual loop (low and high pressure) system drawing gases after the diesel particulate filter and reducing turbocharger energy losses; a high-pressure (29,000 psi/2,000 bar) direct-injection fuel injector nozzles; lightweight aluminum pistons with thinner rings and low-friction coating on the pin and side skirts; NVH lowered thanks to offsetting piston pin by 0.3 millimeters from the centerline and the lower portion of the two-piece oil sump using a lightweight sandwiched polymer/metal material;
Reid Bigland, head of Ram, said: “The all-new EcoDiesel engine and our eTorque mild-hybrid powertrain technologies deliver the highest available fuel efficiency for our Ram 1500 customers.”
— Paul Myles is a seasoned automotive journalist based in London. Follow him on Twitter @Paulmyles_
