2015 Ram 1500, 2500, and 3500 SAE Tow Ratings

The 2015 Ram pickup trucks now have new tow ratings that were certified under the stricter demanding SAE J2807 regulation. Impressively, not a single model sees its ratings decline under the new certification process -- and some even see ratings increase slightly. All versions of the 2015 Ram 1500, 2500 HD, and 3500 HD will henceforth have towing figures that meet the stricter tow ratings.

For light-duty pickup trucks, the 2015 Ram 1500 has SAE J2807 tow ratings as follows. Models with the 3.0-liter turbodiesel V-6 engine and eight-speed automatic transmission can tow up to 9200 pounds, trucks with the 3.6-liter gasoline V-6 can manage up to 7600 pounds, and Ram 1500 models equipped with the 5.7-liter V-8 engine can tow as much as 10,650 pounds. For the 3.6-liter V-6, that's an increase of 150 pounds compared to 2014 ratings, while the 5.7-liter V-8 see its maximum rating rise 200 pounds.

The 2015 Ram 2500 and 3500 are also subject to the new SAE J2807 ratings. With a 6.4-liter gasoline V-8, the 2500's max tow rating is 16,300 pounds, or 17,970 pounds with the 6.7-liter Cummins diesel inline-six. Those figures are unchanged from last year. As for the 2015 Ram 3500, trucks with the 6.4-liter engine can tow as much as 16,420 pounds, while models with the 6.7-liter mill boast maximum tow ratings of 30,000 pounds.

Earlier this year, General Motors, Ford, and Ram all confirmed plans to adopt the SAE J2807 ratings. The new certification process is more rigorous and is designed to test the real-world towing abilities and safety of the trucks. It includes tests for the vehicles' acceleration, braking, and cooling-system performance, as well as things like understeer and double-lane-change handling tests.

GM already confirmed the 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 1500's ratings under the SAE J2807 standards. The pickup truck saw some of its models' ratings decline by 300-400 pounds, depending on engine and configuration, when switching to the new rules.

Source: Chrysler

Read more at: http://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/autostrucks/2015-ram-1500-2500-and-3500-sae-tow-ratings-announced/ar-AA2T4pr