Dodge taking on Ford Raptor?

[Cowboy Cadillac]

The Dodge Ram runner concept.
The front end uses a combination of 6160 T6 billet billet aluminum upper A-arms with rebuildable, high-angle ball joints and 4130 chrome-moly steel lower control arms. High-angle CV joints that are combined with plunging, splined axles made of 300M tool steel and 1-inch-diameter high-angle tie rods. To control the suspension, 3-inch-diameter internal bypass Fox shocks are used. All total, this gives the RamRunner 14 inches of front wheel travel. Not too bad for a 4×4! In the rear, variable rate rear coil springs and special control arms also allow for a total of 14″ of wheel travel.

[Four Wheeler magazine]Powered by the 375hp 5.7L Hemi V-8, the Ram Runner easily out-muscles the Raptor's standard 5.4L V-8 in terms of power and torque. Through his Stock Full race program, Kent Kroeker has developed an induction and transmission package that will blow the doors off any production vehicle in the desert. The next powerplant for this vehicle will be an aluminum block 426 Hemi that is purported to produce over 700 hp on pump gas!

[Off road race Canada]Simply put, Dodge has answered Ford and upped the bet. The Dodge RamRunner outdoes does the Raptor on everything. More power, more travel. The only thing it has not done yet is bring the concept to reality. However, according to our Off Road Race Canada sources, Dodge has full plans to sell all of the parts, except for the rollcage, over the counter at your local Dodge dealer. They tell us to expect to have everything, including the long travel suspension and fiberglass body panels available to the US dealers later this summer. What has not been answered, though, is if it will be available to dealers in Canada or not.

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2010/03/mopar-to-sell-raptor-fighting-suspension-kits-for-ram-1500.html
http://blogs.fourwheeler.com/6655572/editorials/raptor-slayer/index.html
http://offroadracecanada.com/dodge-brings-raptor-slayer/

 

[DarrenWS6]

They've been trying. The 3/4 ton white one posted not long ago looked pretty good.

 

[Cowboy Cadillac]

The white one was the new Powerwagon concept I though

 

[mbarclay]

 

[Zembonez]

This is great! This is what happens when one of the big three make a special vehicle... the others follow along and try to outdo them. WE WIN!

 

[mbarclay]

that would be awsome with the 426 hemi in it...i've been really wanting a lifted truck lately to go offroad with

 

[RebelThunder]

I don't understand why the big 3 doesn't take all of this R&D and money and put it towards building better standard full size pickups.

 

[crmzendrgone]

Sweet I would love to see chevy come up with one.

 

[daddy]

I don't understand why the big 3 doesn't take all of this R&D and money and put it towards building better standard full size pickups.

They are. It's just like racing in a way. Advancements made in these areas eventually find their way into production vehicles. If all one could engineer for were bland, everyman vehicles, advancement would take forever. Extreme vehicles allow for very progressive thinking and risk taking that just isn't going to be seen in the average production development cycle.

 

[RebelThunder]

I don't understand why the big 3 doesn't take all of this R&D and money and put it towards building better standard full size pickups.

They are. It's just like racing in a way. Advancements made in these areas eventually find their way into production vehicles. If all one could engineer for were bland, everyman vehicles, advancement would take forever. Extreme vehicles allow for very progressive thinking and risk taking that just isn't going to be seen in the average production development cycle.

I can understand that, but I fail to see what components from this would be useful in an everyday pickup. Generally people buy trucks to haul and tow stuff. With these trucks, payload and towing is generally cut if half. What good does long travel suspension do for the average Joe? They may be sweet trucks, but I fail to see the point.