Thoughts and questions on RHO Performance

[sdamike]

I am curious if anyone knows, or has any thoughts and or expectations on how the RHO's performance will be. I have thought and looked into this as much as I semi easily can. Now before you tell me "its a truck, what do you expect" hear me out a bit....This truck looks the part, as we all know it basically looks like a TRX. And I would say its being advertised as a Sport Truck of sorts. But, they have removed about 160 HP and 129 TQ from it. It's riding on huge 35" tires, Not great for acceleration. It's a little lighter than the TRX but still quite heavy at around 6200ish lbs from what I can tell. I am a bit concerned that it might be a bit, uninspiring.

It seems Dodge/Ram/Steallantis is well aware of this and it explains a few things. They gave this a true factory Ram Air Intake System. Pretty Cool IMO. I also notice when you build one of these on the Ram website, in standard features, it lists a "High-Output Engine Controller". When I am building a Limited and go to standard features it lists a "Base Engine Controller". So what exactly does that mean? The peak HP and TQ #'s are the same between the two. So I would assume, the tune is different? Less torque reduction? Faster Shifts? Not alot you can do without altering peak #'s. I'm very curious what is going on here.
Is there any other differences/changes that I'm not aware of that they did to the RHO to help its performance?

The HO Hurricane motor seems to be pretty beastly, if it can pull a Jeep Grand Wagoneer to a 1/4 mile in 13.5 @ 103 and 0-60 in 4.7 seconds (according to Car and Driver), that's pretty impressive. That weighs 6400+ lbs. But its wheel diameter is 32" so that helps its acceleration. But it has supposedly 500 HP and 510 TQ in this trim.

Still, I dont really see how 40 more HP will eat up the difference on a RHO that has a 3 inch taller tire, and still make it faster in the 1/4 and 0-60...but I could be totally wrong.

This would really be solved if they just let the press have one to test out, get some youtube reviews out on it, get some acceleration tests etc. but they obviously haven't, so we can only go off what they have told us so far which is the 1/4 mile in 13.1 @ 105 and 0-60 in 4.6. Honestly pretty impressive, if these are true. Thoughts on if these #'s are true? Has Dodge / Ram been pretty accurate with #'s they give out on pre-production vehicles like this?

I really like the RHO, but I am just a bit scared it may feel a bit doggy compared to some other options in the same price range. I am in between a New RHO or a New Limited, I want that new HO Hurricane motor lol. Before I went down this road it was probably going to be a newer F150 with the 3.5 ecoboost with a few bolt on's. I'm not looking to race everyone, or anyone for that matter, but I want it to feel fun....for 60-70K, it should feel fun. But, I also dont see how a 1500 Limited with the same HO motor, wouldn't be the much faster truck vs. the RHO, as it weighs about 600-700 lbs less (from what I can tell) and has smaller diameter tires. But oddly like I mentioned above it has the "Base engine controller" whatever that may mean, so they may nanny it a bit more.

I'm curious on everyones thoughts on this. If you have any, really would love to hear it.

 

[matt35hr]

I am curious if anyone knows, or has any thoughts and or expectations on how the RHO's performance will be. I have thought and looked into this as much as I semi easily can. Now before you tell me "its a truck, what do you expect" hear me out a bit....This truck looks the part, as we all know it basically looks like a TRX. And I would say its being advertised as a Sport Truck of sorts. But, they have removed about 160 HP and 129 TQ from it. It's riding on huge 35" tires, Not great for acceleration. It's a little lighter than the TRX but still quite heavy at around 6200ish lbs from what I can tell. I am a bit concerned that it might be a bit, uninspiring.

It seems Dodge/Ram/Steallantis is well aware of this and it explains a few things. They gave this a true factory Ram Air Intake System. Pretty Cool IMO. I also notice when you build one of these on the Ram website, in standard features, it lists a "High-Output Engine Controller". When I am building a Limited and go to standard features it lists a "Base Engine Controller". So what exactly does that mean? The peak HP and TQ #'s are the same between the two. So I would assume, the tune is different? Less torque reduction? Faster Shifts? Not alot you can do without altering peak #'s. I'm very curious what is going on here.
Is there any other differences/changes that I'm not aware of that they did to the RHO to help its performance?

The HO Hurricane motor seems to be pretty beastly, if it can pull a Jeep Grand Wagoneer to a 1/4 mile in 13.5 @ 103 and 0-60 in 4.7 seconds (according to Car and Driver), that's pretty impressive. That weighs 6400+ lbs. But its wheel diameter is 32" so that helps its acceleration. But it has supposedly 500 HP and 510 TQ in this trim.

Still, I dont really see how 40 more HP will eat up the difference on a RHO that has a 3 inch taller tire, and still make it faster in the 1/4 and 0-60...but I could be totally wrong.

This would really be solved if they just let the press have one to test out, get some youtube reviews out on it, get some acceleration tests etc. but they obviously haven't, so we can only go off what they have told us so far which is the 1/4 mile in 13.1 @ 105 and 0-60 in 4.6. Honestly pretty impressive, if these are true. Thoughts on if these #'s are true? Has Dodge / Ram been pretty accurate with #'s they give out on pre-production vehicles like this?

I really like the RHO, but I am just a bit scared it may feel a bit doggy compared to some other options in the same price range. I am in between a New RHO or a New Limited, I want that new HO Hurricane motor lol. Before I went down this road it was probably going to be a newer F150 with the 3.5 ecoboost with a few bolt on's. I'm not looking to race everyone, or anyone for that matter, but I want it to feel fun....for 60-70K, it should feel fun. But, I also dont see how a 1500 Limited with the same HO motor, wouldn't be the much faster truck vs. the RHO, as it weighs about 600-700 lbs less (from what I can tell) and has smaller diameter tires. But oddly like I mentioned above it has the "Base engine controller" whatever that may mean, so they may nanny it a bit more.

I'm curious on everyones thoughts on this. If you have any, really would love to hear it.

I would imagine the rho might get gearing specific for the oversize tires
They underrated the 0to60 times in the trx, no reason to expect they wouldn't do the same here.

 

[Lancer-AM]

The big thing to pay attention to and why the RHO can move as fast as it is being advertised is moving from a 3.55 rear axle to a 3.92. a ratio change like that is pretty big. If they had left it at 3.55 it would be much slower but would have better gas mileage. The 3.92 is better from an acceleration and towing aspect. Performance won't really be a worry, TFL pulled a 5.6 with the SO in Denver which bodes well for what we would expect to see out of the HO engines.

 

[Lancer-AM]

Additionally as much as TRX guys like to crap on the RHO I guarantee they will be seeking out our rear axles. The guys that are looking for the fastest truck out there will see it as a cheap upgrade vs aftermarket gears and likely a plug and play option.

 

[D&Sadventure]

Additionally as much as TRX guys like to crap on the RHO I guarantee they will be seeking out our rear axles. The guys that are looking for the fastest truck out there will see it as a cheap upgrade vs aftermarket gears and likely a plug and play option.

They would need both front & rear. Re-gearing would be much cheaper.

 

[Lancer-AM]

They would need both front & rear. Re-gearing would be much cheaper.

You are absolutely right, too used to running in the muscle car world. They would be happy to go dumpster diving for new rears, but yeah with both front and rear, the regear is the way to go. Sucks for them.

 

[ForceofWill]

Maybe I'm the outlier but I was never in the market for a TRX, I can't reasonably afford one and wouldn't want the gas mileage daily. I'm going back into a truck daily from my Model 3 Performance and snagged the RHO cause of the deal on it from Koons. I see this truck as what the Rebel should have been and at best a Raptor competitor, which is also way more expensive since Ford doesn't deal on Raptors.

That being said, I could easily see where tuned limiteds are faster on the street mainly from the wheel setup but that truck is gonna drive like a floaty Cadillac. I had a tuned F150 Platinum 3.5 and it had some beans in it but I couldn't stand how soft and wallowy it was. You gotta compromise somewhere if you want speed and off-road performance.

For me this truck will be the perfect balance I think. I want it to be reasonably fast with a tune, drive sporty on road and still be able to throw my fishing kayak in it and do some moderate overland stuff with minor mods.

 

[Stojanowski]

I wouldn't be too worried about it, Raptors are just fine rolling on 35s with the 3.5.

 

[UnloosedChewtoy]

They would need both front & rear. Re-gearing would be much cheaper.

You are absolutely right, too used to running in the muscle car world. They would be happy to go dumpster diving for new rears, but yeah with both front and rear, the regear is the way to go. Sucks for them.

Maybe in some older trucks, but for the newer Rams (since about 2013 or so), front gears are welded in. You cannot re-gear them without replacing the front entirely.

 

[yuppie]

My two main interests are launch mode 0-60 and towing. Hoping she will be fine doing both!

 

[sdamike]

Maybe I'm the outlier but I was never in the market for a TRX, I can't reasonably afford one and wouldn't want the gas mileage daily. I'm going back into a truck daily from my Model 3 Performance and snagged the RHO cause of the deal on it from Koons. I see this truck as what the Rebel should have been and at best a Raptor competitor, which is also way more expensive since Ford doesn't deal on Raptors.

That being said, I could easily see where tuned limiteds are faster on the street mainly from the wheel setup but that truck is gonna drive like a floaty Cadillac. I had a tuned F150 Platinum 3.5 and it had some beans in it but I couldn't stand how soft and wallowy it was. You gotta compromise somewhere if you want speed and off-road performance.

For me this truck will be the perfect balance I think. I want it to be reasonably fast with a tune, drive sporty on road and still be able to throw my fishing kayak in it and do some moderate overland stuff with minor mods.

I'm right there with you, always liked the TRX but couldn't afford it. We must have similar tastes I also was debating one of the new Tesla Model 3 performance but our long winters scare me with distances and we dont have many superchargers around. Also was REALLLY thinking about getting a F150 with either the 3.5 eco or powerboost with a JB4 or tune / intercooler etc.. they scoot with just a few mods.

But if the #'s are right, and the RHO is a low 13 second truck stock, a JB4 should put it in the 12's. Add a couple bolts ons/ down pipes etc it should be well into the 12's and a true tune I'd assume your in the 11's. I do wish they would upgrade the brakes accordingly on the RHO though. Also a rear sway bar would be nice but I get they dont want to limit suspension travel, but from reading the TRX forums, its a huge improvement.

 

[sdamike]

I guess what I am left wondering... will the Limited and Tungsten be alot faster than the RHO, stock vs stock? Personally I dont need the offroad capabilities of the RHO so I could go either way... but the RHO sure as hell looks alot better. So I'm stuck I guess. Looking at all of this I am just left a bit confused as to what Ram's plan is here. They released RHO #'s, why not Limited or Tungsten #'s? Is there something I missed?

On paper, comparing all things, they all have the same gear ratio's, the Limited / Tungsten should be the MUCH faster trucks. But I could see them not necessarily allowing that. If the RHO truly runs a 13.1 in the 1/4, dropping the 500-700 lbs of weight for a Limited, (generally -100 lbs = .1 faster in the 1/4) would make it a mid 12 in the 1/4. Drop the extra few inches of wheel diameter as well and you may be very close to a truck that runs high 11's in the 1/4, totally stock. I just can't imagine that is going to be the case though.

If I had to make a educated guess, the OEM Tune on the RHO is going to be VERY different then the tune on the Limited / Tungsten. I have watched youtube reviewers reactions and acceleration tests on Rams with the HO motor and while they are impressed, there is definitely some lag / delay going on there and nothing to me shows it is going to run a 11 second 1/4 mile. Now most of this could go out the window once the PCM is cracked and there are full tunes available, but personally I'm not going to spend 60K+ on a new truck, with a fairly new engine design, throw on full tune and wave goodbye to my warranty. So for arguments sake, I'm just looking at stock vs. stock.

 

[Stojanowski]

I'm right there with you, always liked the TRX but couldn't afford it. We must have similar tastes I also was debating one of the new Tesla Model 3 performance but our long winters scare me with distances and we dont have many superchargers around. Also was REALLLY thinking about getting a F150 with either the 3.5 eco or powerboost with a JB4 or tune / intercooler etc.. they scoot with just a few mods.

But if the #'s are right, and the RHO is a low 13 second truck stock, a JB4 should put it in the 12's. Add a couple bolts ons/ down pipes etc it should be well into the 12's and a true tune I'd assume your in the 11's. I do wish they would upgrade the brakes accordingly on the RHO though. Also a rear sway bar would be nice but I get they dont want to limit suspension travel, but from reading the TRX forums, its a huge improvement.

Pretty sure any bigger brakes and they would need to go to 20s... which just defeats the purpose of this truck. Supposedly there is an aftermarket kit that will fit the 18s but sounds like you might want to go tungsten

 

[sdamike]

Pretty sure any bigger brakes and they would need to go to 20s... which just defeats the purpose of this truck. Supposedly there is an aftermarket kit that will fit the 18s but sounds like you might want to go tungsten

Even same diameter with better calipers would be ideal, I believe the brakes are the same between all the models which just seems like a odd move.

I wouldn't mind a Tungsten but its just too much $$ for a truck even with the discounts.

 

[Stojanowski]

Tungsten did the quarter mile in 13 flat

 

[sdamike]

Tungsten did the quarter mile in 13 flat

Whoa, someone actually tested it? Have a link or anything? (I believe you, just want to see)

 

[Stojanowski]

Whoa, someone actually tested it? Have a link or anything? (I believe you, just want to see)

https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2025-ram-1500-crew-cab-tungsten-4x4-high-output-first-test-review/

 

[702to540]

Tungsten did the quarter mile in 13 flat

13 flat and a 4.4 second 0 to 60 run. That is pretty impressive really considering ram on paper has the rho for 4.6. Did the same with the trx posted 0 to 60 times and i always got low 4s in mine on the street

 

[Lancer-AM]

Ram has the tungsten on paper hitting 0-60 in 4.8 and 13.5 in the quarter. These results are pretty great, and I'm holding out on hope that we may yet see the RahO beat the published numbers.

 

[sdamike]

https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2025-ram-1500-crew-cab-tungsten-4x4-high-output-first-test-review/

Thank you!

Pretty interesting, if you let the Tungsten video play in that article, the next video is about the RHO. In that video they said the RHO has a unique to the RHO- Dual Oil Pick up, intake system, and more free flowing equal length dual exhaust with H-pipe. Also carried over but improved from the TRX the Shocks were re-tuned but also have different internals and mounting locations, and there is also 9 drive modes one being Baja which is a 75 rear 25 front split. Most of that was news to me, sounds promising!

Ram has the tungsten on paper hitting 0-60 in 4.8 and 13.5 in the quarter. These results are pretty great, and I'm holding out on hope that we may yet see the RahO beat the published numbers.

Yeah that would be a bonus. Hopefully soon Ram will let Motor Trend or someone do a more hands on review of the RHO like the article above.