Mopar Talks Pricing and Availability for Ram Runner Off-Road Kit

[SVTOffroad News Bot]

Interested in transforming your Ram 1500 into a hardcore off-road prerunner? Mopar is about to help you do just that.

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[MagicMtnDan]

Gotta love this "Raptor Killer!"

Let's see:

Cost of Dodge Ram 4x4: $______________
Front & rear fenders: $5,000 (minimum) not installed
Suspension kit: $10,000 (minimum) not installed
Wheels & tires: $2,000 (minimum - my estimate)
Installation: $___________
Total cost: Cost of a Dodge Ram 4x4 equipped as desired plus $17,000 in parts plus installation

Oops, forgot one small detail:
Owners that do transform their Ram pickups into Ram Runners should be aware that the truck won’t be street legal, similar to the Ford Racing Raptor XT (except it won't be as powerful and probably not as capable as the XT). That’s because Chrysler isn’t putting these parts through the same certification tests it would for replacement parts.

Oops, forgot another small detail:
The Dodge Ram won't have the Off-Road mode and AdvanceTrac controls that the Ford Raptor SVT has.

It's a "Raptor Killer" alright. Raptor PRICE Killer :clap:

From the article:

“If a guy wants to start just with the fenders, they can do that first,” Montone said. “The can come in later and add suspension pieces and order it all separately. You don’t have to order it as a whole kit.”

The fender and body kit will include the front and rear fenders, front and rear bumpers and hood for approximately $5,000 to $6,000, according to Montone.

Mopar developed the running gear components in coordination with Kore Suspensions and Fox Racing. It will include new half shafts, upper and lower control arms, and front springs. The suspension has approximately 14-inches of travel in the front and rear. The front and rear shocks are 3-inch internal bypass dampers developed specifically for the Ram Runner by Fox, the same company that supplies the shocks for the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor. The rear leaf springs remain stock.

“[The suspension kit] will probably cost more than $10,000. Around $10,000 to $12,000” Montone said.

Wheels and tires will be up to the individual, though the Ram Runner’s special General Tires can also be purchased from a Mopar dealer.

Owners that do transform their Ram pickups into Ram Runners should be aware that the truck won’t be street legal, similar to the Ford Racing Raptor XT. That’s because Chrysler isn’t putting these parts through the same certification tests it would for replacement parts.

 

[bstoner59]

Front and rear fenders, bumpers and hood for $5000-$6000 Dan. I'm assuming that is not painted...

They'll sell some kits...not close to the number of Raptors sold. Some people are so caught up in brand warfare that they will spend whatever amount of money to say their truck is better than a _________. This time the ________ is filled in with "Raptor."

Maybe Ford will see a need to make the XT kit available as an upgrade for F-150's to compete with the RamRunner???

 

[MagicMtnDan]

Yup, I forgot the cost of the paint.

May as well just buy a Raptor XT for $100,000. "I'll take Raptor XT for 100 grand Alex" :mrgreen: since neither one is "street legal" (HA!)

 

[MarkT]

I question the validity of "not street legal" in real life.

There are many companies that sell suspension kits and have for many years. I doubt any of them have gone through any kind of certification process.

Since the kit will be offered through MOPAR... I bet the parts are labeled as "off road use only" purely as a "CYA" move... and so they don't have to warranty anything.

I just don't see the kit truly being illegal for highway use in the eyes of the law.

 

[frogslinger]

So I know it is popular to diss the Ram Runner on here but...

When it comes to running accross the dirt, which is the Raptors key competency, the Ram is going to be better (better shocks, more travel, more clearence).

Hill descent control is a gimmick... kind of cool but I have used it all of twice in hundreds of miles of offroading... I can drive better than this system.

Offroad mode is less of a gimmick, but is not that big of a deal, other than all speed locking diff, I can survive without it.

Not sure where Dan found a lack of stability control... Mopar has it.

As to price... sure the kit is expensive but...

If the fenders hood and bumpers is 5.5K, you can assume that just the fenders are about 3K (all you NEED, if mopar has been smart enough to make the hood compatible with a stock truck).

Assuming the suspension is 12K... that is silly high.

You can get a set of wheels and tires for under 1.5K

So... 12K+3K+1.5K= 14.5K... add 3K for paint and install you get to 17.5K plus a 35K truck gets you to 52.5K...

but...

you will have a set of wheels and tires that you can sell for about 1K, a set of fenders you can sell for about .8K, plus a bunch of stock suspension parts that you can get at least 1.5K for... so less 3.3K drops you to 49.2K....

Then remember that Mopar leaves about 10K in the bed of their trucks in discounts and rebates, wheras people are still having problems getting dealerships to budge on sticker on the Raptor... and you are at around 39K... about the same price or a little less than a raptor...

Between the Hemi and the 6.2 to me it is a virtual wash...

As to it being illegal for street use... there is that, but my G8 is illegal for street use, and I have been pulled over numerous times and have never gotten a ticket for operating an illegal vehicle. Just about every motorcylce with aftermarket exhaust is illegal for street use... so is every bike with a power commander. So is every raptor with a pre runner bar (non DOT 5 mph bumper)... so is every diesel with a non oe spec snd certified chip... suffices to say yes it is illegal, much less so than an XT (it will still have a vin and 50 state exhaust), but 99% of people are going to be able to drive it 99% of the places they want to... other than Cali.

Final conclusion... if this was out would I have gotten it instead of a Raptor? Probably not. Is it as good a truck as a Raptor... maybe... will I give it the respect it is due, certainly. Am I looking forward to meeting one on the trail? Hell yeah...

Just hoping that I will be able to keep up

 

[bstoner59]

So I know it is popular to diss the Ram Runner on here but...

When it comes to running accross the dirt, which is the Raptors key competency, the Ram is going to be better (better shocks, more travel, more clearence).

Hill descent control is a gimmick... kind of cool but I have used it all of twice in hundreds of miles of offroading... I can drive better than this system.

Offroad mode is less of a gimmick, but is not that big of a deal, other than all speed locking diff, I can survive without it.

Not sure where Dan found a lack of stability control... Mopar has it.

As to price... sure the kit is expensive but...

If the fenders hood and bumpers is 5.5K, you can assume that just the fenders are about 3K (all you NEED, if mopar has been smart enough to make the hood compatible with a stock truck).

Assuming the suspension is 12K... that is silly high.

You can get a set of wheels and tires for under 1.5K

So... 12K+3K+1.5K= 14.5K... add 3K for paint and install you get to 17.5K plus a 35K truck gets you to 52.5K...

but...

you will have a set of wheels and tires that you can sell for about 1K, a set of fenders you can sell for about .8K, plus a bunch of stock suspension parts that you can get at least 1.5K for... so less 3.3K drops you to 49.2K....

Then remember that Mopar leaves about 10K in the bed of their trucks in discounts and rebates, wheras people are still having problems getting dealerships to budge on sticker on the Raptor... and you are at around 39K... about the same price or a little less than a raptor...

Between the Hemi and the 6.2 to me it is a virtual wash...

As to it being illegal for street use... there is that, but my G8 is illegal for street use, and I have been pulled over numerous times and have never gotten a ticket for operating an illegal vehicle. Just about every motorcylce with aftermarket exhaust is illegal for street use... so is every bike with a power commander. So is every raptor with a pre runner bar (non DOT 5 mph bumper)... so is every diesel with a non oe spec snd certified chip... suffices to say yes it is illegal, much less so than an XT (it will still have a vin and 50 state exhaust), but 99% of people are going to be able to drive it 99% of the places they want to... other than Cali.

Final conclusion... if this was out would I have gotten it instead of a Raptor? Probably not. Is it as good a truck as a Raptor... maybe... will I give it the respect it is due, certainly. Am I looking forward to meeting one on the trail? Hell yeah...

Just hoping that I will be able to keep up

All very good and accurate points Frog!

 

[MagicMtnDan]

So I know it is popular to diss the Ram Runner on here but...

When it comes to running accross the dirt, which is the Raptors key competency, the Ram is going to be better (better shocks, more travel, more clearence).

Popular to "diss the Ram Runner?" Not sure about that. If it is on this forum it's probably because someone done a good job promoting the idea of this truck being a "Raptor Killer."

As for the Ram "going to be better," really? Simply because of 2-3" more inches of clearance?

And since the Dodge Ram is a "build your own truck" I think we might as well have a whole discussion of building an offroad truck from scratch using oh, let's see, a base Ford F-150 or a SportTrac or whatever else you want and then going with the best components, systems and builders. Hell, the sky's the limit!

The point (again) is that the Raptor is a "stock vehicle" from Ford complete with everything necessary including a factory warranty.

Sounds like it's a Dodge Ram Runner Killer to me :mrgreen:

 

[frogslinger]

It is the bot that keeps advertising it...

More travel, more clearence and better shocks (and I am sure the geometry of the suspension is better... it is set up more hard core than a Raptor). All the key areas of improved offroad ability...

So offroad YES it will probably run better than a Raptor through the whoops...

Fine, you do not get a full factory warranty, and yes you have to (get to) customise it yourself and fine it is not technically street legal.

It is still a truck that will probably end up being cheaper OTD than a Raptor that is a more aggressive offroader than the Raptor... Remember the Raptor suspension was designed by engineers who were on road specialist with consultant help. The Ram is designed by a full on off road race shop. One of the best in the world.

I love my truck, but it is just a truck... If Mopar can put together something basically as good as it, more power to them. I am not going to talk trash about their offering because they went a slightly different route and because they have a different logo on the front.

Also saying it is Govt Motors or whatever is just silly... the guys in the front office screwed the pooch. Fair enough. Don't hold it against the hard working Americans doing their best to build the trucks. Or the American engineeers who are doing their damdest to design the best vehicle they can. Or the guys at the aftermarket division who put their necks on the line to get radical upgrades like this pushed through a corporate morass. Those guys deserve a ton of credit.

And think... for every vehicle that is not bought because the Govt owns the company, that is one more day that the American public does not get paid back the money they put into the company. Buy the best out there. Respect what the rivals are doing. In the end everyone is just trying to give you the best vehicle options they can.

 

[KaiserM715]

I am glad to see Dodge doing this. Seriously. The sales success of the Raptor has shown that there is a demand for off-road vehicles and that we are not just a "small minority niche" (to quote the Ford Explorer folks) market. We have seen the off-road vehicle market decline, especially in the past 10 years where once capable off-roaders have been converted to cross-over "suvs" (cars, really). With Ford or Dodge having vehicles in this market, maybe it will push Toyota and / or GM to do the same. Competition is good (take the latest diesel hp "wars", for example). Also, with Dodge offering aftermarket parts, I hope that pushes others to do the same. I would love to see Ford offer bumpers and such (not to discredit the aftermarket at all, which has done a great job providing what we want). Due to family space and long haul comfort requirements, I saw only three options for a factory off-roader: Jeep Wranger (back seat is a tight squeeze, woefully underpowered), Dodge Power Wagon (way more money, even worse fuel economy and too big / long for my liking) and the Raptor. I would love to have more options in the future.


This has been the only thing that has chapped me:

Some people are so caught up in brand warfare that they will spend whatever amount of money to say their truck is better than a _________. This time the ________ is filled in with "Raptor."

In addition, people were claiming "significant" cost savings, which frogslinger showed are slight, not significant.