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2011 Express

3K views 19 replies 6 participants last post by  E.L.D. 44 
#1 ·
I just found this ram express, is it a new trim level for 2011? I don't see much difference between this and the RT, besides badging, rims, leather, 4.10's(can get optional 3.92 over the 3.55) and the converter, and personally, I'd rather not have the huge rims and the leather. So to me, is badging, slight gear change, and a mediocre converter worth over $10k? I wish I would have known about this model before I bought my truck, for nearly the same price I would have rather had this than what I have (even though the wife would kill me by getting a regular cab). I bet an express, with 3.92" gears, and an aftermarket converter would be as fast or faster than the RT.
 
#2 ·
I have the '11 Express 2wd with the 3.92 gears. I can honestly tell you, it will haul the mail. I think with a little computer tweaking and maybe a new converter, you could run with the R/T. Those 4.10's are hard to compete with though...damn tight gearing. I am 150% pleased with my purchase...even with the reg cab. I just bought and installed a Bak Flip F1 cover, so all of my "weather proof" storage is covered. For the price, it just about can't be beat!
 
#3 ·
So was it new for 2011? I don't remember seeing it when I was looking. I just looked at KBB and NADA for the value on my truck, and trade in is only $1,000 less than what I paid for it, and retail is almost $2,000 more than what I paid for it (of course I'd take all my aftermarket crap of and sell it). I may take a trip to the dealer...I'd love to get one of these, it'd be faster stock than my truck would be with all the mods I was planning on doing. Only negative thing is I'd have to convince the wife to lose the back seats. We wanted the back seats because we have two huge labs. My wife has a little car. We drive everywhere, so we wanted to be able to bring the dogs AND my motorcycle, this truck allows us to do so...
 
#7 ·
So was it new for 2011? I don't remember seeing it when I was looking. I just looked at KBB and NADA for the value on my truck, and trade in is only $1,000 less than what I paid for it, and retail is almost $2,000 more than what I paid for it (of course I'd take all my aftermarket crap of and sell it). I may take a trip to the dealer...I'd love to get one of these, it'd be faster stock than my truck would be with all the mods I was planning on doing. Only negative thing is I'd have to convince the wife to lose the back seats. We wanted the back seats because we have two huge labs. My wife has a little car. We drive everywhere, so we wanted to be able to bring the dogs AND my motorcycle, this truck allows us to do so...
This model was available spring of this year. I definitely recommend looking into it...its a great base for a bunch of mods...In fact, so far, I've added tint, a bak flip f1, and a new Kenwood dvd receiver. After this weekend, I can tell you that I've added a full stero system, complete with sound deadening. Also, I have the airlift 1000 air bags on their way to help level the load when I have my 800+ lb 4 wheeler on board. Next will come engine mods and all of that...just hard to give up the 5 year 100k warranty...especially when this truck is pretty damn quick as it is...

It is a new package for 2011, and it is a less optioned R/T truck....single beam headlights, cheaper wheels, different gears and tq converter, and SLT interior. With the money saved over an R/T, i bet that money could be used to make an R/T killer!

Correct. It does carry the lower models interior, but for people like me who care what the outside looks like, and the interior can be basically bare bones, it fits the bill. Definitely could make an R/T killer out of this...only if you could control the wheel hop...:i_rolleyes:

The express also allowed you to have 4 wheel drive, where an R/T won't.
Yes, but that brings the sales price up of course. However, Ram has a huge step over the competition offering the HEMI with the RCSB body style...No one else offers the big motor with that body.:smileup:
 
#8 ·
well...I'm frustrated. Now that I have the quad cab I don't think we could give it up, but if I'd known about the express I would have bought it for sure. I actually prefer the base model type truck, the express is perfect, it has everything you want and need, nothing you don't. I just talked to my brother to see how his hunt was going for a new truck after his was totaled a week or so ago, he told me originally he was getting a quad cab, well now he just said he ordered an express with 3.92 and lsd !!! between that and my friend buying an RT, I'm hella jealous! lol
 
#12 ·
Yeah lol. He is a really cool guy, I loved his show trucks, never really watched gearz though...heard it's good.

I guess I'll stick with my 4.7L quad cab (I love this truck, but of course, I want the fastest one ever haha) Hopefully I can have a quick truck with the mods I'm planning, if I can get as fast as the truck on air rams site I'll be very happy.
 
#14 ·
When I bought the truck I was happy with the power (I was driving a 2.2L s10 for 3 years as a daily driver) and then I got the superchips, then the airaid MIT, then the airaid drop in. I want to do 4.56" with a lsd, street edge converter or similar, ram air setup to feed into the stock airbox (going to try and make the S&B scoop for the diesels work). Shorty headers, stock cats, and new exhaust the rest of the way back, probably a y pipe int a straight through type muffler. I have 32" heavy cooper zeon ltz's on the truck, but plan on getting a dedicated set of lightweight wheels/tires for the track, probably around 28" diameter, further helping the gearing advantage. Other things I may do but not sure are mechanical fan delete, 180 tstat, throttle body, underdrive pulley and ati damper. Probably won't go into the engine at all as I don't want to screw with my daily driver. All bolt ons basically.
 
#16 ·
^^ after seeing the cost of all that you see why I am upset I could have just waited if I knew the express was coming out. I'd be lucky to be that fast with all these mods. Then again, I like doing more with less, and if I can get into the range of the RT with my 4.7 qc like I said I'll be happy. It is just my daily driver, so I'll quit when the above is done, I don't want to start ripping apart a perfectly good motor that is reliable and doesn't have a leak. I have an 81 F100 that I used to race, and it sits in storage now. My garage is too small for it, so if I can ever find somewhere to work on it I will build that again for the track, all out this time though. 300cid inline six built for nitrous. It had ~350hp before without being finished and no juice. I'm going to shoot for 400+ hp, and run alot of juice through it (at least a couple hundred shot), and try to get closer to the single digit range as I was in the 15's before.
 
#17 ·
quad cab is definitely practical....

I can easily fit my wife and I, a cooler in the cab, both the dogs (labs), our luggage, and my buell in the bed (with the tailgate shut), and get 20mpg hwy or better in extreme comfort listening to songs from my phone through the radio(Still amazes me lol)

It will probably be a year before 1/4 of the things on my list are done, but I'll get there, I will be starting a build thread soon...
 
#18 ·
Sounds good! I don't know about the 4.7s but the stock y in the hemi's is really restrictive! Getting that off and going with a different muffler will really help. Why do you want to replace the headers but leave the stock cats? I love the gearing idea! Do you do a lot of highway driving? Also, what would your effective gear ratio be if you put a 28" tire on it? It might be too steep and rob you of top end at the end of the track. I have a set of factory 17s from an 05 I will be putting drag radials on for the track. That will change my gears from 3.55s to 4.30s. Every other plan sounds killer. How good are the stock heads? Maybe just having them ported and calling it a day on internals. If you plan on getting a new tc, maybe get the sheradon stage 2 kit that includes the valve body too. With all the mods you have planned I see no reason why you can't beat up on a stock r/t. Yes, they have 80 horse and a weight advantage on you, but with the gears, tires, and tc upgrades alone you will pick up a lot of time in the 1/4 mile. Add every other you are doing and I expect low 14s high 13s to be easily within reach
 
#19 ·
The y on the 4.7L is really restrictive also. I don't want to buy the expensive aftermarket cats and don't want to run without them. They will do at least for the time being. If you noticed everything I mentioned is really pretty inexpensive (except for the gear change, but can't really avoid that...) I'll do everything myself except the gear swap. Not sure what the overall effective ratio comes out to be, just an example really, but I want to make sure I'm not in the overdrive gears at the traps... Either way, I'll have a dedicated set, even if not that small diameter. I don't do alot of hwy driving, a few times a year we go on trips from florida to tennessee or something like that, at the most. I figured out with my tires and 4.56" I'd be at like 2200 rpm, that's not bad. I think the converter (almost 3000rpm stall) and gears alone will be a huge jump for my truck as it is quick in mid and upper rpms but such a slug off the line. I'm glad to hear you think this is achievable with my truck :) I was starting to think I was only dreaming lol. At that point, I may toy around with headwork and cams, but really I doubt it, plus at that point I hope to be building the ford again...that's going to really pretty much be a dedicated track car.
 
#20 · (Edited)
The y on the 4.7L is really restrictive also. I don't want to buy the expensive aftermarket cats and don't want to run without them. They will do at least for the time being. If you noticed everything I mentioned is really pretty inexpensive (except for the gear change, but can't really avoid that...) I'll do everything myself except the gear swap. Not sure what the overall effective ratio comes out to be, just an example really, but I want to make sure I'm not in the overdrive gears at the traps... Either way, I'll have a dedicated set, even if not that small diameter. I don't do alot of hwy driving, a few times a year we go on trips from florida to tennessee or something like that, at the most. I figured out with my tires and 4.56" I'd be at like 2200 rpm, that's not bad. I think the converter (almost 3000rpm stall) and gears alone will be a huge jump for my truck as it is quick in mid and upper rpms but such a slug off the line. I'm glad to hear you think this is achievable with my truck :) I was starting to think I was only dreaming lol. At that point, I may toy around with headwork and cams, but really I doubt it, plus at that point I hope to be building the ford again...that's going to really pretty much be a dedicated track car.
I love the gearing idea, I just don't know about top end at the end of the track. It sounds like you have plenty of time to do the research though. I look at it like this. Your truck is a quad cab, true, but I would be surprised if the difference in weight is huge. I guess with your gear/tranny plans you would only need to get to around the stock r/t hp 390 or less to run with them especially if you pulled some unneeded things off when you went to the track.

Full exhaust 25hp. CAI 10hp. TB 10hp. Clutch fan delete 5hp. U/D pulleys 10hp. Machining stock heads 15hp. Custom tune 25hp.

Now I was really conservative I think with those hp numbers and I am giving them at the crank, not rwhp. Add it up and that is 100hp gain. That puts you at 410hp and most likely around 400-405tq. High stall tc and better gears adds up to a win in my book. Of course real world is all that counts. I am really looking forward to seeing this build though. It sounds like a lot of fun!
 
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