2021 RAM 1500 TRX

BY SEAN P. HOLMAN EDITOR@FOURWHEELER.COM PHOTOS: SEAN P. HOLMAN

Third report: P ut t i ng t he sh i ne on d i r t d r iv i ng

For the past nine months, “Take the TRX” has been a common refrain around the Four Wheeler office. Whether it’s a road trip or a wheeling trip, the TRX can do it all. This quarter, we focused on hitting the trails more and diving into the things we love and the things we’d improve on one of our favorite vehicles.

While the TRX is a more-than-capable trail machine, there is a certain type of terrain where the TRX comes into its own. We found this magical TRX sweet spot when we were exploring some higher speeds on an undulating desert road with long, broad, low-frequency whoops. Spending our time between around 55 to 70 mph on a particular section, the TRX stretched its legs, soaking up the terrain, topping out and lifting off over rises, and landing without ever hitting the stops. The 12 inches of front travel and 13 inches of rear travel give plenty of room for the suspension to breathe.

There have been times where we came into a G-out too fast. Fully puckered and ready for our consequences to reverberate through the chassis, we were saved by Bilstein’s Blackhawk e2 semi-active shocks, which unlike the Raptor’s Fox Live Valve units, works on both the compression and rebound circuits (Raptor is compression only). The TRX’s jump detection mode doesn’t just stiffen the shocks but unlocks the transfer case clutches to prevent driveline shock on landing and prevents the transmission from upshifting into a taller gear. Front internal bumpstops, known as a Jounce Cutoff (JCO), engage at the extreme end of compression travel and ensure that the true impact of a hard landing never reaches the occupants.

With 702 horsepower at our disposal and a suspension capable of keeping up, you’d expect the TRX to let you drive without intervening, and it does, especially in Baja mode. At 90-degree intersections, full-on, throttle-induced powerslides are never ruined by overaggressive electronics. The TRX also comes equipped with low range and a rear locker, which is nice for traversing those unexpected technical surprises, such as a washout or rocky climb.

One of the best parts of taking the TRX out with the family is enjoying the gleeful squeals coming from the back, along with repetitive shouts of “jump it again!” The TRX’s performance is consistent and repeatable, and this truck really is the closest thing you can get to a short course racer or chase truck with a warranty.

Speaking of warranties, the TRX has proven to be reliable, save for an incident when we woke up to a curiously dead battery (no, nothing was left on). After a jump start, the TRX would display warnings to the driver, such as “Service Active Suspension” and “Avoid Aggressive Off-Road Maneuvers.” Our research seemed to indicate

that this happens when the suspension travel sensors lose their position and need to be zeroed out by the dealer. We were told that the shocks revert to a non-active middle setting. Of course, we wanted to know what would happen if you took the TRX off-road and actually did engage in aggressive off-road maneuvers. You know, for science.

We can tell you that some small differences can be felt in driving around town, but it’s nothing that the average passenger would notice. Off-road, the truck uses up travel a bit sooner, and you must watch your lines and speeds a little more, but even in this mode, the truck still hits off road trails harder than its non-active suspension competitors. So, while Ram flashes a driver information center disclaimer, a competent driver can still take the truck out and have a good time even if the semiactive part of the suspension is offline.

Our only other concern with the TRX was a flat tire, taken out by a tiny, but hard, stick. It has made us a bit wary about the factory Goodyear rubber, but we haven’t had any similar incidents since, so knock on wood (too soon?). Fortunately, we were able to plug the tire and get home, but if the truck were ours, we might be looking at three-ply sidewall options when it comes time to replace the rubber.

During our scheduled maintenance, our local Ram dealer zeroed out the suspension computer under warranty and replaced our tire to the tune of $353.41, in addition to the scheduled service with tire rotation for $244.62. Shortly after, the same suspension warning returned, so we’ll have to bring it back and get the issue resolved before the end of our loan.

With only a few months left of having the TRX in our daily life, please excuse us as we head back out to the desert for our adrenaline fix before Ram comes to collect. Although, if they want their truck back, they might just have to catch us first.

R e p o r t : 3 o f 4

Previous reports: Mar. ’22, July ’22 Base price: $70,325 Price as tested: $92,080 Four-wheel-drive system: Full-time, two-speed

OPTIONS AS TESTED

Technology Group ($1,095), Trailer Tow Group ($195), Advanced Safety Group ($995), Bed Utility Group ($845), Lower Two-tone Paint ($250), TRX Carbon Fiber Package ($1,295), TRX Level 2 Equipment Group ($7,920), TRX Red Interior Accents ($1,495), TRX Exterior Graphics ($495), TRX Hood Graphic ($895), Mopar Rock Rails ($995), 19 Speaker Harmon Kardon Premium Sound ($1,195), 18x9-inch Beadlockcapable Wheels ($1,895), and Trailer Reverse Steering Control ($495)

|> /> /> Thanks to matte black hood graphics, the TRX keeps glare from the bright sun to a minimum. Because the TRX is so much wider than a standard Ram 1500, the bodywork features muscular, but tasteful, bulges. The TRX uses 325/65R18 Goodyear Wrangler Territory all-terrain tires, which are speed rated for 118 mph. With all our aggressive trail driving, we have started to see a little bit of chunking of the tread.

|> /> /> Here is the culprit that took out our tire on the trail, and because it was in the sidewall, we plugged the hole to get home and replaced the tire out of safety. Learning how to plug a tire is a great skill that can get you safely off the trail, as was the case with the TRX. The TRX uses a true ram-air intake system, which funnels air through a massive airbox that houses two air filters that measure in at 13.3 square feet of surface area. One-way drains are used to clear the intake of any water.

LONG-TERM NUMBERS

Miles to date: 13,725 Miles since last report: 5,181 Average mpg (this report): 10.84 Test best tank (mpg): 13.79 Test worst tank (mpg): 8.13

MAINTENANCE

This period: Scheduled maintenance ($244.62), tire replacement ($353.41) Problem areas: Suspension fault, flat tire

WHAT’S HOT, WHAT’S NOT

Hot: Amazing suspension, amazing power, amazing fun Not: Questionable tire durability, suspension fault

|> /> In addition to the rear link-coil setup, the TRX uses a kicker shock to help control rear axlewrap. Here is a peek at the TRX’s lower rear shock mount. Note how much material the aluminum-bodied Blackhawk e2 shocks have around the bushing, no doubt to provide strength. The beefy shaft is protected from stone pitting by a specially designed guard.

POINT YOUR PHONE CAMERA AT THIS CODE TO READ THE SECOND LONG-TERM REPORT ON OUR LONG-TERM RAM 1500 TRX LOGBOOK QUOTES

-> “I wish the TRX drive modes could be accessed on a dial, the pushbutton carousel takes too many presses to get into the modes I want quickly.” -> “We got a leaker! Just found a tiny stick in the tire, hard to believe this is what caused the flat.” -> “Found a fast road where there was jump after jump after jump, seamlessly sublime.” -> “Just had the suspension zeroed out at the dealer … well, the warning just came back.” -> “Even with the suspension fault, you can’t stop the TRX, it’s still a riot off road.” FW

COMPILED BY VERNE SIMONS EDITOR@FOURWHEELER.COM PHOTOS: VERNE SIMONS

FORD RANGER IFS TO LONG-TRAVEL, TTB, OR SAS?

I have an ’01 Ford Ranger with the 4x4 off-road package. The torsion bar front suspension sucks. I want to install a Twin-Traction Beam like what came from the factory on my ’88 Bronco II. Is this possible with my truck having rack-and-pinion steering? What would fit? Maybe a frontend from a ’00 Ford Explorer? I would like your expertise on this matter, please, because where I live no one knows.

MIKE VIA EMAIL

Great question. We understand why you are displeased with the torsion bar IFS front suspension on your Ranger. We are willing to bet that many folks have had the same thought about changing it out for the venerable TwinTraction Beam (TTB) suspension found on older Rangers, Explorers, Bronco IIs, F-150s, fullsize Broncos, and more.

TTB is generally the sweetheart of offroaders who want to go fast in the desert, and it works pretty well for those of us who also like rockcrawling and trail riding. Because of its popularity in go-fast off-road circles, TTB has been swapped under many trucks … and even a few cars. So, the short answer is yes, this swap can be done on your Ranger.

But, and this is a fairly big but, your truck will need quite a bit of modification to do this swap correctly, and the parts from a ’00 Explorer won’t help (they are basically exactly what you already have). We’re talking thousands of dollars of parts and custom fabrication, adding plating to the frame in certain areas, maybe grafting two frames together, extensive welding and more.

It would end up being a totally custom job, and that’s not usually a good place to start for someone who is new at off-road fabrication. Many things will have to change, including, as you’ve noticed, the rack-and-pinion steering your truck currently has. You’d be better off swapping to a Saginaw-style steering box and building a single-swing steering system.

Still, you have options. First, it may be easier to upgrade the IFS you have. You can drop the torsion bars and add suspension travel by buying a few well thought out aftermarket parts. We pretty quickly found a 4WD longtravel kit from F-O-A (f-o-a.com), and we’ve heard several people talk about a similar long-travel suspension from Vegas Dezert Fab (vegasdezertfab.com). These kits ain’t cheap, but they get rid of the torsion bars and add coilover shocks to the suspension, adding travel and tunability. Also, you can modify and keep the rack-and-pinion steering you have.

Secondly, you could go the full TTB suspension swap. In that case, it might be best to source an ’83-’97 TTB Ford Ranger (the later ones would be best), ’80-’96 F-150, or ’91-’94 Explorer to salvage parts from, or at least the frame section from the firewall forward. Chances are you can re-purpose brackets and parts from the steering system in your swap to replace your rack-and-pinion. You might even be able to graft the frame from a TTB truck to your frame at the firewall. You may also want to upgrade some of the parts and there are a ton of suspension companies that make aftermarket parts for TTB. We would reach out to and check out Solo Motorsports (solomotorsports.com) and Desolate Motorsports (desolatemotorsports.com), both of which have custom TTB components.

The last suggestion we can make, and this is more if you are interested in rockcrawling or trail riding over going fast off-road, is to consider a solid axle swap (SAS). Solid axles are the gold standard for most rockcrawler and trail riding rigs because they are strong and simple and relatively inexpensive, but you do have compromises when it comes to going fast in the dirt. There are several older forum postings, some good, some not so good, about doing this swap.

You will need to replace the rack-and-pinion steering with a more traditional steering box setup, but an SAS is probably a bit simpler than a TTB swap. You could use leaf springs for your front suspension or copy the front coil-spring front suspension from a Jeep Wrangler or Ford Bronco or go to a fully custom three- or four-link setup with coilover shocks. You’ll also have to source a front axle, but there are many options to choose from that would work depending on what size tire you want to run. You could use a Jeep Wrangler front axle, one from a solid-axle Bronco or F-250 or go to a full width Dana 60 axle for large tires.

There are also a bunch of solid axle swap tech articles on fourwheeler.com and within the pages of many decades of Four Wheeler magazine to reference. These articles may not be specific to your ’01 Ranger, but they are almost all custom and will show you the basic steps you’d need to follow to SAS your truck.

WHERE TO WRITE

Have a 4x4 tech question you want answered in Techline? Drop an email to editor@fourwheeler.com or message us through our Facebook page at facebook.com/fourwheelermag. All letters become the property of Four Wheeler, and we reserve the right to edit them for length, accuracy, and clarity. Due to the volume of mail, electronic and otherwise, we cannot respond to every reader, but we do read everything.

WHICH GEARS FOR A 1993 F-150 ON 33S?

I’m not very techy or much of a fabricator like most of the guys out there in the 4x4 world, but I got my grandfather’s old truck that I’m building into an overland-style truck. It’s a ’93 F-150. All the shocks were bad, and all the springs rusted out and broken so I put in all new that were included in a 4-inch lift, and I put on 33-inch tires.

I need to know the correct gears to put in to get some of the power back but not completely kill the fuel mileage. Fuel mileage already isn’t great. It has the 5.0L V-8 and I’m almost positive the tag on the rear axle says “3.88/8.8.” I found a formula to go by but not sure if it is correct ... new tire size multiplied by old gears plus old tire size. Which gets me 4.56. Sorry for the longwinded email. Any help would be appreciated. Also, any good ideas on better suspension setups would be cool.

SHANE VIA EMAIL Figuring out gear ratios is always a bit of an art as much as it is a science. My friend and unquestionable off-road expert Christian Hazel has provided the answer, and I couldn’t agree more. Also, on top of Christian’s years of experience he has recently re-geared a Ford Bronco for his new show 4x4 Garage. So, I’ll pass the staff to Christian for his sage advice.

“For starters, believe it or not, your biggest mileage hit is going to come from the suspension lift. You’ve increased the amount of turbulent air under the vehicle, which will act almost like a small parachute. That’s one of the big reasons why you see a plastic or rubber air dam or valance under modern trucks - to push the air around the vehicle rather than underneath it.

“That said, 33s aren’t all that big of a tire, so as long as you don’t get the bigger-is-better bug later on and wind up going to 35s or 37s, I think if it’s got the V-8 and 3.55s you won’t actually recoup your regearing investment in fuel economy going with, say, a 4.10 gear, which is roughly what I’d recommend for what you’re looking to do.

“If you’re planning on regearing with limitedslip differentials and/or lockers then it doesn’t matter, but if you’re planning on keeping the factory open diffs then you’ll need a new carrier for the front if you go to 4.10s. If you do 3.73s they’ll work with the factory front Dana 44 TTB carrier. The Ford 8.8-inch rear factory carrier will work with any gear. Just FYI.

“There’s not a whole mountain of difference between the 3.73s and 4.10s. The actual formula you use to determine rpm would be 336 x speed x overall gear ratio / tire diameter. The tire diameter measurement should be taken from the static loaded radius, in other words, the distance between the center of the rear hub to the ground with the weight on the vehicle, then multiplying by 2. In your case, the tires most likely measure out at 31.75 inches and your transmission overdrive ratio is 0.67, which is pretty deep and helps your freeway driving. It essentially turns 4.10s into 2.75s or 3.73s into 2.50s.

“Anyway, your freeway rpm at 75 mph with 4.10s would be roughly 2,180 rpm with 33s. At 75 mph with 3.73s you’d be turning 1,983 rpm with 33s.

“Bottom line: Personally, I’d do the 4.56s because the extra gearing will help you a lot getting that big truck up and moving around town and going down the trail with an engine speed of 2,425 rpm. The extra freeway rpm won’t really ding you all that much at the pump. The 3.73s probably would still feel a bit undergeared and the 4.10s would be a good compromise between the two.” FW

BY JERED KORFHAGE JERED.KORFHAGE@FOURWHEELER.COM PHOTOS: FOUR WHEELER ARCHIVES

LOOKING BACK TO ED MEYERS’ 1986 FORD F-250 AND CUSTOMBUILT UTILITY TRAILER

Sometimes a trailer is more than planks and loading ramps, more than the camper on its rails, or the toys and tools it transports. For Ed Meyers, the custom utility trailer was an extension of his truck both visually and in its ability to help out on the jobsite.

Looking back to the August 1990 issue of Four Wheeler, we explored what Ed Meyers considered one of the greatest assets to his carpentry career: this Centari Shadow Blue ’86 Ford F-250. Ed purchased the truck new and when he was replacing the stock bed with a utility bed, he hatched a plan. Instead of completely retiring the factory floor and bedsides, he decided to give them new life a bit farther behind the cab.

Enlisting the help of Mike Dexter of Dexter Custom Fabrication in Simi Valley, California, Ed had a custom frame built from 4-inch channel steel. The new frame matched the dimensions of the pickup’s rails and used similar mounting pads. Hellwig rear helper springs went underneath to support the load above the narrowed 5,000-pound-capacity axle. Thanks to Mike’s fine work, mating the Ford bed to the new trailer frame was seamless and Ed went to work further modifying the creation. He affixed U.S. Custom spoke rims and BFGoodrich mud-terrains to each end of the trailer’s axle, coated the interior with Duraliner bedliner, and capped it with a Stockland camper shell. Inside, Ed installed a drawer-style sliding toolbox with another box at the front of the trailer. On the tongue went a Weatherguard toolbox and an Atwood jack.

Ahead of the custom trailer, Mike’s truck is just as much as a rolling tool chest. Its new bed boasts a diamond-plate false floor with bed-size drawers, a bumper-mounted vise, plenty of utility boxes, an Emglo in-bed air compressor, and much more. The F-250 and its trailer are painted to match, and Ed told us he had yet another Ford 4x4 with a similar paintjob at home—a ’90 Bronco that could also be found pulling the trailer.

Are you a fan of building trailers tailored to your needs? Have you repurposed a military trailer to follow behind your 4x4? Or do you prefer having something brand-new in tow? Let us know how you tow, and feel free to send any high-resolution images you might have to editor@fourwheeler.com. FW

FOUR WHEELER (ISSN 0015-9123) October 2022; Vol. 59, No. 10. Copyright © 2022 by Motor Trend Group, LLC. All rights reserved. Published monthly by Motor Trend Group, LLC, 831 South Douglas Street, El Segundo, CA 90245. Periodicals postage paid at Los Angeles, CA, and at additional mailing offices. Single copy price is $6.99. SUBSCRIPTIONS: U.S. APO, FPO and U.S. Possessions $19.97 for 12 isssues. Canada orders add $12.00 per year and international orders add $24.00 per year (for surface mail postage). Payment in advance, U.S. funds only. POSTMASTER: Send all UAA to CFS. (See DMM 707.4.12.5); NON-POSTAL AND MILITARY FACILITIES: Send address corrections to FOUR WHEELER, P.O. Box 37198, Boone, IA 50037.