2010 Dodge Ram 1500 Towing Rating Increases

Update #1 July-28-2009 19:27 PDT:
The 2010 Dodge Ram 1500 adds a new 3.21 rear axle option for all three cab configurations equipped with a 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 and two-wheel drive only. The taller (numerically lower) final drive ratio is similar to the rear axle size that GM and Ford offer in their XFE (3.08) and former SFE (3.15) fuel efficiency pickups.

Adding a new rear axle is a relatively easy way to help improve fuel economy however Dodge (for now) has restated last year's 14/20 mpg city/highway EPA gas mileage ratings for two-wheel drive 5.7-liter half-ton Rams. Could we see a slight fuel economy bump later in the year? Stay tuned.

A regular cab Ram 1500 with a 3.21 rear axle is rated to tow up to 6,100 pounds with 17-inch wheels or up to 5,900 pounds with 20-inch wheels. The Crew Cab can pull up to 5,700 pounds and a Quad Cab can tow up to 5,800 pounds. A 17-inch wheel is the only wheel option for the Quad Cab and Crew Cab configurations.

All Ram 1500 trucks with 3.21 axles have an 11,000 pound GCWR.

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Following last year’s top-to-bottom redesign of the Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck, the upgrades continue in 2010, including a significant bump in maximum trailer towing and a marginal increase in payload.

To achieve the higher numbers, Dodge has increased the half-ton Ram’s maximum gross combined weight rating by 1,500 pounds, to 15,500 pounds. GCWR is the maximum allowable weight, including cargo and passengers, that a pickup pulling a trailer can handle without risking damage.

The increased GCWR gives the Ram a new 10,450-pound maximum towing capacity for the regular cab, long-bed, two-wheel-drive model with a 5.7-liter Hemi V-8. It also requires a 3.92 rear axle and 17-inch wheels.

Last year’s Ram with an identical configuration was only rated to tow up to 9,100 pounds, a figure that drew some criticism from serious light-duty towers and smack talk from other manufactures because the new Ram had the lowest rating in the segment.