The folks who build Ram Trucks will stop at nothing to ensure that their vehicles are among the safest on the road—RamZone readers know that. Today we offer further proof by posting the complete transcript from last Friday’s live chat with Ram Senior Manager of Vehicle Safety, Drew Regan, who discussed at length the safety features included on the new 2013 Ram 1500.
Hello and welcome to our Engineering A Giant live chat session. This session will focus on the safety features of the new 2013 Ram 1500, but we welcome all questions and will do our best to answer as many inquiries as possible. The chat moves quickly so we appreciate your patience as we attempt to answer as many questions as possible in the time we have with our Ram Engineer.
4:04
Comment From Trevor
What are the major improvements over last year’s model in terms of safety?
4:07
For the new 2013 Ram 1500 we have added seat mounted side pelvic-thorax airbags. We have also enhanced stability control including trailer sway control, traction control, and hill start assist. Ram offers more than 45 safety and security features.
4:07
Comment From JJ
When will you announce pricing, mpg, etc ?
4:08
Thanks for your question, JJ! We will be announcing pricing and fuel economy later in the third quarter closer to the on sale date.
4:11
Comment From E.H.
How much safer are newer trucks and specifically Ram trucks compared to trucks from 20 or 30 years ago?
4:12
There has been significant progress in all motor vehicles in terms of safety. For example the new 2013 Ram 1500 has an engineered hydro-formed frame that helps manage the forces of a crash event.
4:15
Comment From Cristian
There will be more surprises in the ram van 2013?
4:16
Thanks for your question, Cristian. However, this chat is focused on the safety features of the new 2013 Ram 1500.
4:18
Comment From Kevin
How many trucks do you go through in the testing phase? I guess what I’m asking is, how many trucks to you all get to crash?
4:20
As a company we crash test between 400 and 600 vehicles a year. In addition to the thousands of hours of computer simulations that we do prior to physically testing the vehicle. For this generation of Ram we tested approximately 50 vehicles.
4:21
Comment From Timothy
Does the same team test the interior and the exterior?
4:21
Thanks for your question, Timothy! For crash testing purposes the answer is yes.
4:22
Comment From Nuno
Are the seat mounted side pelvic-thorax airbags deployed from the outside or inside of the seat?
4:23
Thank you for your question, Nuno! The side pelvic-thorax airbags are deployed from inside the seat side bolster during an impact event.
4:24
Comment From Rod
How often do government safety regulations change? Is it tough to keep up with them?
4:27
Thank you for your question, Rod! Government regulations and third party ratings, i.e. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) change almost every year. We work very closely with these agencies to assure that we meet these stringent requirements.
4:27
Comment From Kevin
What happened to those 50 trucks after you crashed them? Are they always completely destroyed in testing?
4:29
Thanks for your question, Kevin! You’d be surprised how often I get asked this. We scrap all of our test vehicles after we’ve thoroughly analyzed them post-test.
4:31
Comment From Nuno
What brand and model tire is being equipped to the new ram? What do you take into consideration when choosing the tire?
4:33
Thanks for your question, Nuno! While I am not the tire expert, I can tell you that we match the tire to the load rating and duty cycle. We also consider rolling resistance which relates to fuel economy as well as ride and handling characteristics.
4:34
Comment From Nuno
In my opinion the current ram has the nicest interior of any full size truck on the market, and the new 2013 ram only improves on it. what type of safety features are built into the interior?
Thanks for your question, Nuno! I really like the interior on the new 2013 Ram too! The highlights include: 6 airbags, collapsible steering column, seat belt pre-tensioners, and integrated knee blockers.
Comment From mopar_benji
Will there be a Ram 1500 Cummins ? (that would be awesome for the fuel economy [towing])
4:39
Thanks for your question, Benji! I can’t tell you about future product, but I can tell you the new 2013 Ram 1500 will have best-in-class fuel economy.
4:42
Comment From Steveo
How many eggs to you crack in the making of the video lol
4:43
Thanks for the question, Steveo! We cracked one, but it was a stunt double!
4:44
Comment From Eric
How many people are on the safety engineer team? Just curious.
4:46
Thanks for your question, Eric! There are over 200 folks on our team that is made up of Engineers, Mechanics, and Technicians. Plus countless others in sister groups that help us engineer the Ram.
4:46
Comment From Kevin
Okay, last question. Are crash test dummies reusable?
4:47
Thanks for your question, Kevin! Yes, some of my best friends are crash test dummies! Seriously though, after each test we check them over and rebuild/recalibrate them as necessary.
4:48
Comment From Eric
That’s interesting. How closely do you have to work with designers and everybody to make sure that what they do works with what you do? Do cool ideas ever get scrapped because they’re just not safe?
4:51
Thanks for you question, Eric! We work extremely closely with all of the Engineering groups, but particularly with the design group that styles our vehicles.
4:51
Comment From Scott
Do you only test in Auburn Hills?
4:52
Thanks for your question, Scott! We do impact testing all over the world, but primarily at our Chelsea Proving Grounds outside of Detroit.
4:53
Thank you for all of your questions so far. We have only 5 minutes left so please submit your questions ASAP!
4:55
Comment From Eric
Do you work just on Ram?
4:55
Thanks for your question, Eric! Our team works on all Chrysler Group LLC brands.
4:58
Comment From Nuno
Does the new ram meet all the european safety regulations? Is the new ram going to be sold overseas?
5:01
Thanks for your question, Nuno! The new 2013 Ram 1500 is designed primarily for the U.S. market but we do ship small quantities to other countries overseas.
5:02
Thank you for joining our Engineering A Giant live chat session. Be sure to follow Ram on Facebook and Twitter so you can join us for our next Engineering A Giant live chat!
