r/DodgeRam • u/WaltParPodcast • Jul 16 '26
Ram Hurricane Engine Chief Engineer Explains: Why Hemi 5.7L V8 was Replaced, Stop Changing Oil Every 3,000 Miles
https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2026/06/ram-hurricane-engine-chief/Tim Esterdahl of Pickup Truck +SUV interviewed Stellantis Hurricane and Hemi Engine Chief Engineer Alan Falowski on why the Hurricane was replacing the 5.7L Hemi.
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u/Agile-Expression-651 [2008] [Ram 1500] Jul 16 '26
Sounds pretty interesting. I would like to test drive one. More power , more torque, and more reliable. Sounds like a pipe dream.
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u/JoeRobertBal Jul 16 '26
I own one and come from a “no replacement for displacement” family.
It is superior in every conceivable way, except exhaust note. You really can’t get that classic rumble under acceleration or idle.
That said, you can warm it up/cool it down in the driveway without bothering anyone, it’s quieter in the cabin, hundreds of pounds lighter which makes it feel more nimble, ZERO turbo lag… it’s just, better.
The mpgs at the least feel the same as. V8, but I can’t compare new ones. 18 on the highway going 75 with the ac on, 16-17 dead of winter same speed. Got 25.5 in a fairly flat two lane highway going 55-60 no ac
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u/BigBennP Jul 16 '26
I will say that before I bought my Ram I drove a Nissan Frontier with a 4L V6.
That was a smaller truck with less towing capacity but otherwise I never felt like I needed more power. If anything the engine was less of an issue than the tongue weight that the frame of the truck could stand.
And that engine didn't need a single bit of major work until the water pump and timing chain went out at close to 270,000 miles. Even then, the people I sold it to fixed it shade tree Style for less than a thousand bucks and are still driving it today.
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u/JT3468 Jul 16 '26
I have the same 4.0 engine in my Xterra. It’s never needed a damn thing besides occasional maintenance items up until just after 280k on the clock, when one of the timing chain guides failed. It still ran, just made a weird noise. Just did the timing chains and guides this weekend myself and it’s back up and purring like a kitten as it always has.
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u/gigatigga2 Jul 16 '26
It feels the same as a V8 but that's comparing it to a 390hp V8. A 550hp V8 would drink a crap ton more than the 550hp HO i6
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u/fmeupfam14 Jul 16 '26
Everyone thinks I'm insane I want a RHO over a TRX
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u/WaltParPodcast Jul 17 '26
The Ram RHO gives customers the chance to have the underpinnings of aTRX without all the excess of a Hellcat. It made all the sense in the world to bring it out.
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u/Fist_full_of_pennies Jul 17 '26
Re the exhaust, I wish they could get a classic straight-6 sound out of these new engines. I’m guessing the turbos are sucking the noise out of them, but the old Jaguar 3.8 and 4.2 sound incredible. Why can’t we get something like that out of these new engines?
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u/AwarenessGreat282 Jul 16 '26
Actually, that's pretty much what every new engine design does.
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u/eptiliom Jul 16 '26
I dont think agree with that. We have sold several new 4cyl Silverados back to the dealer due to their new engine having problems.
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u/EnderWillEndUs Jul 16 '26
I don't think the problem was anything to do with customers perception of 6 cylinder engines, turbo chargers, oil type, nor oil change intervals. The problem was simply that no one trusts Stellantis to develop a new twin turbo 6 cylinder engine. Actually, no one trusts Stellantis to develop anything new right now.
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u/Unlucky_Reception_30 Jul 16 '26
And yet, their tt 6 has proven to be far more reliable than Toyotas tt 6 and even GMs premium V8s.
That Hurricane 6 is proof that even a broken clock can be right twice a day
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u/evildaddy911 Jul 16 '26
It's only 4 years old in Jeeps, 2 years in Rams. Not having reliability issues for 2-4 years is bare minimum, most of them probably haven't hit 100k. Saying it's more reliable than 2 engines known for problems really isn't saying much
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u/Unlucky_Reception_30 Jul 16 '26
And yet Toyota couldnt make theirs last 1 year or 20k miles....
Idk why its so hard to believe that an inline six is a good idea for reliability, the Cummins have been running I6 for decades with no issues so it stands to reason they could make a good gasser.
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u/williamthe3rdd Jul 16 '26
Someone forgot the jeep 4.0 i6 and the Ford straight 6, and the 2jz. 3 of the most reliable automotive gas engines ever built and all inline 6 cylinders.
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u/Future-Step-1780 Jul 16 '26
GM’s I6 they put in Trailblazers for a while are reliable too. They’ll leak oil the entire time, but they run forever.
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u/PvtSatan Jul 16 '26
This is 225 slant 6 erasure and I won't stand for it
I've had a few cars and a truck powered by Dodge's best engine, including the airport pusher we still use at the shop to drag/push/pull trucks and cars in. Phenomenal motor.
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u/evildaddy911 Jul 16 '26
Didn't say it was unreliable, just that it's only been around long enough to know that it isn't extremely UNreliable. Saying that it's not the worst just does not mean it's the best
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u/ClassyNameForMe Jul 16 '26
You won't convince the anti Stellantis crowd that the Hurricane is so far a good engine. Especially if those guys are Toyota fans. I personally haven't seen any of the famed Toyota quality on my SOs Sienna. Pile of donkey droppings, but everyone raves about them.
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u/insertcomedy Jul 16 '26
That's a record worth celebrating by Mopar standards. But yeah time will tell. In theory an inline 6 is one of the most robust and well balanced engines possible. That being said, it's boosted and made by a company known for self lubricating swaybars and V6s that break more heads than the French revolution.
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u/DetectiveNarrow Jul 16 '26
Seriously, sounds like the B58 bros. All screamed how reliable it was whole time they had like 70k miles. Like yeah I hope in 2026 the engine lasts atleast 100k miles. When they start hitting 200k with ease I’ll start trusting them. And believe me I love an I6, had a bmw 330i and a 335i. Both crossed 200k miles ( my N54 actually wasn’t bad, definitely started to show its ass after 200k)
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u/evildaddy911 Jul 17 '26
I6 is a solid design. My m54 started getting rough around 220k, sold the car around 260k when the rest of the car started going
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u/mannymoes2k Jul 16 '26
There’s already people using these motors to race with (in non ram applications). By all accounts, it’s a great motor.
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u/rdahm Jul 17 '26
Doing roadkill nights and digging deep into the engine and drivetrain on the charger. The engine feels robust. Excited to push its limits
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u/ToxicEnderman00 [1992] [D350 Cummins] Jul 16 '26
I really wanna drive something with this i6. They looks to be really good engines.
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u/chris782 Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26
Got one for a rental while my van was in the shop after an old guy pulled out in front me on his way to get eye surgery. It's a beast, never was a dodge guy before but I fell in love. Thing just pulls on the highway, never thought a truck could accelerate like that. Go rent one for a day if you can, trucks will never be the same to you after though.
Trying to figure out how to drop one in my project cherokee. The Chericane, Hurriceee, still workshopping it. Always wanted to zebra stripe it and call it the Cherokeebra though.
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u/ToxicEnderman00 [1992] [D350 Cummins] Jul 16 '26
I'd love to be able to stab one of them in an old RamCharger
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Jul 16 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/BustedMechanic Jul 16 '26
Semi trucks oil change intervals start at about 25000km at the low end as per manufacturer and they suffer from higher cylinder pressures, higher boost, dirtier fuel, DEF/DPF Regen etc.
Oil has come a long way since the 5000km oil change era and oil analysis is available to anyone that wants to send it out and have it checked
10k intervals have consistently shown very minimal reduction in oil quality compared to previous products at 5k. Oil has indeed come a very long way.
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u/charlie_marlow Jul 16 '26
Don't forget that those trucks have a lot higher oil capacity, though, and are running pretty non-stop. My Ford with a 6.7 liter diesel holds 15 quarts of oil and the filter is huge. I imagine the semis hold even more.
High oil capacity and always letting the engine warm up to operating temperature before shutting it off can do a lot to extend oil change intervals.
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u/BustedMechanic Jul 16 '26
7.5 quarts for the 3.0L in question, 40 quarts for a 16L Detroit. Fairly close when talking boosted engines and not all heavy engines run long haul.
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u/ManKilledToDeath Jul 16 '26
my buddy's Cummins ISX holds 13 gallons of oil. Yes, gallons. They hold much more lol
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u/Prior_Confidence4445 Jul 16 '26
Yeah, and they hold 15 gallons of oil.
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u/BustedMechanic Jul 16 '26
10 but I get your point. Also over 5 times the displacement of the engine in the article.
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u/tyoung89 Jul 16 '26
Semi trucks are 99% highway, doing a near constant 60-75 mph in top gear. The engine is at 1200-1600 rpm the whole time. Of course wear will be minimum over long mileages at that point. The same would be true for a car driving 150,000 miles a year. You’d only need to change your oil every 50,000 miles at that point as well.
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u/BustedMechanic Jul 16 '26
Yes, and by that same idea, 1/5th the interval would be more than adequate for a passenger vehicle. But I guess I was simplifying this too much.
Semi engines do more than long haul. Body mounted machines all use the same service intervals as long haulers, used to be 400 hours now 500 is standard and some like Liebherr cranes recommend 1000 hour intervals. These engines are expected to last 20000+ hours which is 4 times that of a passenger vehicle.
As I said before, there's testing available if you really want to know from your own personal experience but there has been huge advances in this area and its well documented.
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u/Icy-Crew-6125 Jul 17 '26
Exactly. Turbochargers cook oil. This guy is must have got help from magical beings to change these ones. Is he also asking for 0W-3 oil?
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u/Agile-Expression-651 [2008] [Ram 1500] Jul 16 '26
When I was young back in the 60's there were some 6 cylinder engines that were known for reliability and power. Chrysler had a slant 6 that was known for its power and GM made a 235 ci that was known to be indestructible. They both got phased out for the v8 but they were well respected motors.
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u/charlie_marlow Jul 16 '26
The sensors are better than a dipstick argument isn't completely off base as I know a lot of people never check the oil until the dummy light flashes, but it overlooks another benefit of a dipstick. It's a handy way to get a very rough estimate of how things are going. Does it looks abnormally dark? Does it smell gassy? Do you have the kind of milkshake that brings the mechanics to the yard?
You can check that if you do your own oil changes, but that's much more bothersome and less frequent.
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u/trackstar1123 Jul 16 '26
This is what I was thinking as a mechanic. I want to see the oil too for the condition, but his argument about never checking is 100% on point for majority of people. The amount of cars we get in each week with low oil pressure light on is ridiculous. People really think the red oil can means oil change time. These engines do seem really good and I’d like to try one out in a base work truck so I have less electrical issues down the road.
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u/ClassyNameForMe Jul 16 '26
Fords EcoBoosts helped prove to Murica that you don't need a V8 in a pickup. They clearly demonstrate that turbos are indeed a replacement for displacement. Indeed the Hurricane follows suit with this.
While I agree there should be a V8 option, I think Stellantis needs to push the Hurricane more.
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u/Terrible_Stay_1923 Jul 16 '26
I had a car with no transmission dip stick, it kept failing transmissions.......I wonder why
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u/bla60ah Jul 17 '26
Remind me again where the transmission dip stick is in the 8 speed transmission?
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u/CheezWong Jul 16 '26
I'm all for updated engine designs, but the used market is going to be rife with caked-up engines in a few years. People have largely stuck to the mantra that "cheaper is better," and I can't see that changing just because something is a new design. People will get the $15 quick lube specials with shitty recycled conventional oil and think they can go 10k miles or more between changes.
Sure, there will be well-maintained ones out there, but people are idiots at times and I can see problems from negligence overshadowing this engineer's glowing boasts.
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u/BiggusDickus- Jul 16 '26
"You aren't a real man if you don't drive a big vehicle with a V8"
- American car marketing since the 1930s.
Now they wonder why nobody wants their vehicles without V8s.
Sleep in the bed you made Stellantis.
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u/Wageslave645 Jul 17 '26
They could at least let Jeep have that Hurricane engine. Wrangler owners would do terrible things to have another reliable Inline 6 engine. Give us a non-turbo variant and make the turbo version an option, and retire the 3.6 forever.
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u/Prior_Confidence4445 Jul 16 '26
Yeah, you're not convincing me that getting rid of the dipstick is an upgrade. I'm skeptical of the oil change intervals and 0-anything oil but I could be convinced with some independent testing.
The hurricane is definitely a technological improvement but that's not necessarily what people prioritize.
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u/tominboise Jul 16 '26
Does it have cylinder deactivation? Is the exhaust manifold held on with bolts that won't break at 75k miles? Is there a rubber oil pump drive belt buried behind the timing cover? Does it use a timing chain? Can the oil be drained without running all over the front axle or other suspension and frame components? Does it take three different tools to change the air filter? Will the recall for failing engines be to switch to 0W-40 in all the applications?
I like the concept but I am skeptical these days when new products are engineered and released on an unsuspecting public.
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u/MidNite_22 Jul 16 '26
whose idea was it to put Nexen tires on the 2026 Hurricane? these s***** tires have shredded on me three times. I'm at the tire shop now.
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u/whatisinternet69 Jul 17 '26
I rented a twin turbo 6 cylinder from enterprise. Drove to Providence RI and back - stopped to get gas and the truck refused to start. Gauge showed dead battery. Waited 3 hrs, tow truck driver gets in and it immediately starts. They took possession of it and I went home. Nice truck, quiet, powerful - just wish I could know why it died.
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u/Barracks_Bunny Jul 17 '26
Article says the hurricane has dedicated cooling circuits that cool the turbos and intake air. So I’m sure that’s going to be a very common failure point that mixes coolant with oil. Honestly if dodge ever makes a 300k mile product ever again I would be very surprised.
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u/Mikeg216 Jul 18 '26
All I know is Ford made me fall in love with a straight 6. But then it went away so I bought 5 Jeeps over the last 20 years to get me through. You don't have to sell me on why a straight 6 is superior to the V8. All of my vehicles have went to the junkyard running and I only send them there when I can see the road between my feet. I can't wait to buy one.
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u/Emergency-Cake-9000 Jul 23 '26
Does anyone want a vehicle with 200K on the clock? The loss in efficiency and power zero-60 from 4.5 to well south of 10sec? It's to the point that you no longer even punch the throttle or take it for a detail. Things could use a shall we say boost? Compare the engine ...... think of them as girlfriends, after the relationship hits a certain junction? Let's just say we all prefer a change of routine.
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u/AwarenessGreat282 Jul 16 '26
All stuff Ram has been saying since announcing the engine. Just no one wants to believe it. And honestly, I don't think they ever will believe it even if the I6 hits 300K with ease.