Yeah when I drive low speeds it like jerks me I thought it was the transmission. when I let off the gas I feel a thud the downshifts are very powerful.
The MDS system is also what is causing lifter and cam lobe failures on the 3rd gen HEMIs. FCA refuses to acknowledge this, but countless 3rd parties have confirmed this.
I just got my 2017 bighorn, I'm learning so much on here😀 I thought it was my tranny to, made appt to take it at 75000 miles I was hoping it wasn't. It's made a big difference in performance, even going up the steep hill at home is much smoother 🙃 thank you for info😊
Excellent info!!! Got a 2015 with 167000 and was thinking I might have bought a lemon. Your info was very good and did work! Your right about tow haul cause I tried that prior to your video I thankfully found.
Man you are a genius. I have a 2017 sport. And I never had a ECO light come on and felt like my MDS was not kicking in. But what ever you explained make so much sense. Thx a lot. 😊
Thanks for posting this info. Nice to know the MDS info if needed. (Awesome you’ve got Hair Nation and Ozzy’s Boneyard on the radio with ya 100% on those too!) 🇨🇦🤘🏼😁
Your voice could use a little more volume when you're recording. Found my eco light by accident bit was not sure what it meant. Now I know. Thanks. My RAM is a 2020 4X4 and the owners manual is the most totally useless publication I've seen. Trail and error, word of mouth and now your video are so helpful. Thanks from northern California.
If you don’t mind the check engine light. Just crank the car up, go under the hood, unplug the egr valve sensor, check light will come. Then plug it back up and there you go. All 8 cylinder all the time. If you want your mds back on. Turn off your truck, unplug the egr valve sensor, unhook negative and positive battery post. Plug egr valve sensor back up and you battery back up. Check engine light off and mds back activated.
I have a 2016 ram, i use the same method to turn off mds. It does work, you can hear and feel the change in the engine. I dont mind the mds when im on the freeway, i hate it when im in stop and go traffic or going through a heavy traffic light area. It causes delay to the truck which i find very annoying
@@rcdcnc yea it gets annoying and sometimes I forget too but in order to keep the mds off u have to go according to the video. I usually just mess around with the gears Ata red light once the truck is warmed up and I'll hit gear down then gear up so it uses all 8 gears as it would normally but just 8 cylinders all the time
Good review. I've noticed with mine, I can get really decent fuel mileage with it in Tow/Haul mode. I drove around all day and managed 15.7. On my return trip I left T/H mode on and after 10 miles I was up to 16.4. T/H mode, from my experience favors ECO/MDS.
I leave mine the way it came from the factory. We took a day trip from Houston to Galveston and Freeport, Tx and drove about 65mph all the way and got 25 miles per gallon. It was an enjoyable trip and didn't use much fuel.
@@bluewizzrobe8661 Jesus Christ. People like you are so pissy all the goddamn time. Of course you're gonna have to replace shit at that mileage. Fucking moron.
@@Blake_the_Drake Yeah, if its 2010, then you're good. Its only after about 2013 when they started doing all that Obama shit to the engines so that they only run on 4 cylinders.
@ 4:29 you mention the "crappy pedal response". With out having to go to a full tune. Try the Pedal Commander. Total plug and play. It allows you to adjustable throttle response with over 30 different settings. Does not effect warranty. Only other mod I have is a K&N CAI on my 2014 crew Ram 1500. Now it drives like the 5.7 should with the great torque and HP available. Smiles for days. Happy for now... but for how long. LoL soooo much potential. Can't wait to add Moe's ported throttle body, headers, Diablo tune, Crosa exhaust, etc etc. Mopar Hemi power ROCKS!!!
After you took it out of MDS, and started driving, what did you hit in the video to turn it back on while driving? What is the gas mileage difference you noticed after turning off the MDS.
Right!?...Ignition Orange 🍊 2015, only 1000 manufactured! Your Stinger Yellow is sweet also! I'm sure you know, but I am also a new subscriber...thanks again man!
I have a 2012 and if I drive with the tow/haul mode on, the MDS is ALWAYS off and it almost never shifts to the 6th gear. Not that I ever want to turn off MDS, I just accidentally discovered this when towing (MPG stayed about the same while hauling wether Tow/Haul was off and it shifted to sixth and turned off cylinders or not). Have not tried this without hauling so don't know if gear and MDS is affected by the extra load or not.
tow/haul is like the overdrive button on other vehicles, and since 6th gear in a 2012 is OD, you wont be going into 6th while tow/haul is engaged. and since youre towing anyway, theres most likely too much load on the truck to deactivate cylinders
I appreciate the vid. Pickin up my Ram Sport on Wednesday and really concerned about mds affecting my engine's longevity after the research I've done. I'm hoping 8 month's time since posting you can tell me if you're still using the gear buttons to disable mds and whether there have been adverse affects of any kind. Cheers
Den Morin Hi. I still turn it off. Probably 70% of the time. I’m at 22k miles now and no problems except for a flaky automatic window switch. Been towing my boat all summer and took a 3000 mile road trip in it.
@@fettyguapo No effects, which is what I was hoping for. Turning off mds has become habitual for me, don't even think about it anymore. I do however use it once in a blue moon on the highway for better mileage. I find in town if I use it I don't like the throttle response and it's on and off constantly so I shut it off. 85k kms/50k miles and so far so good.
@@denmorin awesome brother thanks for the response, looking to trade in my hummer and getting a ram, but the more I look into it the more it scares me away from getting these trucks with hemis
Not sure if you still get on here. I have a 2013 that I just bought. It doesn’t have the gear change on the steering wheel but it has it on the shifter on the column. Do you know if that works as well with a six speed with the MDS
Hey man just recently got a 2020 ram 1500 classic express and when going on highways i want to disable eco mode so all have to do is put in drive put it the highest gear ? after that if i switch out like put in park does eco mode come back on automatically?
Coming to the end of my 2016 ram 1500 lease, not sure if I want another one due to the MDS system. Since I've taken delivery of my 2016 the MDS system has had issues, the transition from 4 to 8 cylinders is very rough sounds like its misfiring and since it doesn't set off any check engine lights the dealer said its completely normal even though the first time I took a test drive with a dealer mechanic he said it sounded like a bad solenoid. I may be switching to chevy or ford. You can deactivate it on the wheel like this video says but why should you have to do that with a new truck.
I hear you. MDS transition not quite as bad for me but I for sure feel and hear it. Maybe a 2500? My next will probably be a 2500. Mainly just for the tow + mileage. A few longer road trips with the boat planned.
You CAN permanently turn off your MDS. I purchased a Diablo Tuner and one of its functions is the ability to turn 'OFF' the MDS. I turned the MDS off on my 2007 Ram Hemi back in 2008.....Nit a single issue with it since.
Jeffrey Sasquatch I wish the tuners were easier for the newer models. From 2012 on Ram started encrypting the chips. Although I heard the 2012 encryption might have been broken recently. To use a tuner you have also use an aftermarket chip. Warranty problems then.
According to the manual the time it should take for MDS to turn on or off is 0.4 seconds and should be seamless. In the real world.. its not. I've seen it take up to a take a second for MDS to flip and throttle to respond and during that time the truck may feel like its stalling and/or the transmission do some weird shift which adds more response time. It does not sound like much but when merging, or turning left with oncoming traffic, that one second is valuable.
The_Real_iDad you’re exactly right. When I first got my Challenger I was struck in a busy intersection by an idiot running a red light. I saw him coming and could’ve gotten out of the way had it not been for the lag in throttle response! Not yet being familiar with the car, I was mad at how slow this performance car was to respond! Now, when entering a large busy intersection, I’ll downshift to give me instant throttle response and do away with the lag. That could mean the difference in avoiding a collision. I know from experience!!
So what would the purpose of turning off MDS be? Does it keep dropping down mph and downshifting to speed up intermittently? I had a loner truck for a week and it seemed to always do that when I was driving into the wind. I was better off not using cruise control on the highway. Im in the market for a pick up and really liked the Ram except for this issue. Wondering if this is what you do to solve that problem? Thanks
Hi. I haven't noticed what you describe with mph and downshifting specifically. The truck will only engage MDS when you are off the pedal or "cruising". MDS will hold speed on the straights. The 2 reasons people turn off MDS are this - 1) People who have an aftermarket exhaust don't like the sound when MDS is on - 2) Throttle and/or acceleration response split second hesitates as the truck turns off MDS. I'm in tune with it now and notice it every time. On long highway trips I'll leave it on, radio up, and that is usually the only time. Good luck with your hunt for a truck. I shopped and drove most (the Tundra was second place) and I have zero regrets on the Ram. It will do everything you need and more. Power, torque, dependability, towing, the Hemi mystique, and the Ram is hands down about the most sexy truck. Even the grandpa two tone paint job ones (Yuck though, no thanks!).
MDS works like this: Your truck during your daily driving is running on 4 cylinders. When you get on the gas, the mds activates and puts the truck in 8 cylinders, when you slow down, its turns back into 4 cylinders, this is constantly going back and fourth to conserve your gas. this is why your exhaust always seems to sound different when going over 40 or dropping beneath it.
Agreed! I have yet to meet someone who has had any regrets buying their Ram and all seem happy with their purchases that Ive talked too. The loner truck I had was a v-6 and only did it on extremely windy days. I will say they MPG's were GREAT and felt very strong with the 3:55 gears. I drove my buddy's 5.7 on a road trip this last weekend and I did not experience the intermittent downshifting. I plan on putting in a order for a new Ram sometime this summer. Most likely the Hemi but haven't completely ruled the 3.6 out yet. Thanks for the explanation!
mds will give you about 10% better gas mileage or about 2mpg better. for the damage it is doing to the engine in the long run, think i will just turn it off with the gear+
The MDS system can never be fully turned off unless you have a programmer on the truck like an Edge Pulsar. This whole gear button thing isn't anything special. If you're cruising down the road, just tap the throttle and it turns off. Gearing down is the same. If the truck is in manual mode, the MDS will not function. But as soon as you go back into full auto it comes back. I have a 2020 Bighorn Offroad with the 12 inch Uconnect system and I have the Pulsar programmer. With it i can actually turn off the MDS in every mode the programmer has. But without it, you cannot turn off the MDS fully. You couldn't do it in these years he's showing either, so I'm not sure what this video is about.
After the recent transmission recall fix, my mds never turns on and I've lost 5 mpg off my highway average. Don't know if something needs to be reset or what.
@@beenrudy I have 5.7 with 3.92 gears best I get is avg 16 mpg never been over that so the gears , tires have a huge impact on mpg as well as town or Highway
@@--emt I have a 16 with the 8 speed and 3.23 gears. Had an 09 5.7 with 3.55 gears and a 5 speed that got the same milage. I'll get an average 16 mpg in the winter.
So is Mds the eco mode where it kicks down to 4 cylinders. So I’ve wondered I’ve seen people doing these in these rams and Silverado’s why would people want the eco mode off what benefits does it have being off and all that
When it goes bad from use over time it can cause damage to valves and possibly pistons requiring more money to fix. There are solenoids controlling it and they can go bad from constantly switching in and out of eco mode
Hi knuckle, thanks! Its a Flowmaster super 44. You can see a comparison vid I made here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-X2t7IEdjaBQ.html
I have a question When after you put it in gear 8 do you just drive regularly? Does it automatically shift from the 1st through 8 again or are you stuck in 8 the whole time.?
Yep, you just drive like normal. The truck will shift normally, up and down, 1 thru 8. What you are setting is the max (top) gear, so if you set it at say 5 it will shift 1 thru 5.
So if you have a six speed transmission and set it to 6 in drive that doesn't mean your starting off in 6th gear it just means you will run on constant 8 cyl?
Yeah we can thank the government for this feature. Due to the government manufactures must incorporate something like this for fuel consumption. Dodge has MDS which just drops your vehicle from a 8 to a 4 when MDS kicks in to save fuel.
Hi. No, no negative effects. In fact the consensus is that this helps increase the longevity of the lifters since they are depressurized and re-pressurized each time it goes on and off. Plus its always the same 4 cylinders that get turned off. It helps more than it hurts. Except for the added .5 MPG benefit.
Yes for the limited fuel savings it adds excessive wear to the cam shaft. This engine requires a whole overhaul because lifters are spring loaded and you can't just remove the cam without the whole engine needing to be rebuilt most lifters are hydrolic loaded. They do have replacement hydrolic lifters if and when you need to repair whole engine. 600$ cam shaft replacement is now a 7k dollar engine overhaul
Hi BmoreDamo. Nope. Will probably make the driving experience even better. As far as warranty goes.. not all all since this is a design feature FCA (Ram) has built into the truck. I can't fathom how Ram could void anything.
MDS shuts off half the engine. 2 cylinders on each bank. if you shut down half the engine you'll save gas, what they don't tell you is that MDS could blow up your engine. mine did.
Just bought a 15 Ram R/T and just looking up info on these trucks. First off what does MDS stand for and I haven't seen anything in the dash that comes up echo??
Hi alconk. Congrats on the R/T, those are really nice trucks! MDS is multi displacement system and it will turn of cylinders for fuel economy. Makes your 8 cylinder a 4. Not sure if 2015's or R/T's have that light. If it does you should be able to turn on and off via the settings area.
Should be an actual eco button like on a Honda civic for optional usage. The fact that it's actually integrated Into the truck and a requires a work around every time you not only start the truck, but shift out of drive, is pretty bs.
Is there a way to permanently turn off MDS in a 2019 Ram Classic truck? Also, does it have that stupid start and stop complete engine shutdown when you're at a stop light or stop sign? One last question is, I wonder if the 6 cylinder engine has these curses?
Thanks for the reply. Upon further research I have tried it and it does work but it’s a hassle to do it every time u start the truck. But what I’ve done instead is turn off the eco light on the dash. I’m not sure why but the drone doesn’t seem to bother me as much now. Oh and limiting the gears like that would not void the warranty. That’s there for a reason to do exactly that but others have found it helps limit mds too. Thanks.
so you just click it down to 1+ and then drive around in that gear? Figured you would have to shift, only guessing that since you say that is your max gear... meaning that it will not shift out of first correct
Doug R Hi. The truck will shift up and down on its own but it will not go past the gear that is set. So if you set 1st gear it will not upshift at all. If you set 4th gear it will upshift and downshift 1 thru 4 but not go past 4 on the upshift.
To speed things up, just hit "Gear +" once and that's it. It goes to 8 and you can drive as normal and goes through all gears leaving the MDS off. No need to hit it 8 times every time
Doesn't work like that on my 2022 classic 1500 warlock. I need to go all the way from 1 to 8 if I do it when the car is stopped. Also need to be on D already.
Hi just added the Flowmaster American Thunder direct fit muffler would you recommend turning off the MDS? I notice the truck after the install sounds a whole lot better but now my gas mileage has increased actually sucks balls. Any advice would be appreciated. TY
I turn off MDS so much its habitual now. Yes,I do recommend turning it off. Don't know the year of your truck but I have to do mine manually each time or replace the ECU for one that is tune-able. Once you put exhausts on, mileage always seems to go down for most people. Why? Cause you're always heavy on the pedal cause it sounds so good! True for me at least. MDS really only saved me 0.5 MPG.
I just bought my car a few days ago Dodge ram Rebel 2019 I cannot get those fuel mileage that everybody claims probably have some break in a little bit
I've had my 19 rebel for about three weeks. I don't drive usually over 66 mph. Im probably sitting around 1800 rpm average. I thought the same thing...that i needed to train it to get the gas milage up. I still can't get it into the 20s though.
My 2011 I turn it off in the city but that’s only bc it has a funky vibration when turned on but I would have hoped that they fixed it by 2013 but after watching this I guess it’s not seamless and that’s just bs
My 2016 dose that little vibration also. It's only when yer going slow real light on the throttle with the ECO light on. I jus normally turn it off city driving
Gamaliel Mercado Hi. Your right there is not an indicator for MDS. Its a pretty safe assumption though that MDS is on when the ECO light turns on. The only way you can really tell is by the feel and sound of the truck. With a stock exhaust it can be hard to tell by sound (the tone goes lower). I can feel MDS through the gas pedal and throttle response is reduced when pressing on the gas.
The_Real_iDad Does it feel like the transmission lags/slips when the MDS kicks in? On my ram it feels like the MDS kicks in around second or third gear?
From what I know it is not possible to add it to an earlier model. If you can find a compatible tuner however that may give you some economy type options.
Marc Patenaude There is a setting to turn the eco light display on and off. This doesn’t turn the mds off it’s just turns the display off on your dash.
To see the ECO on/off message in my 2012, It has to be selected for the display. The selections are Trip A Trip B outside temp. and ECO.... same little display that the odometer is in.
when using abbreviations commonly the first time you use it you don't use the abbreviation you use the actual words not everyone knows what MDS is so please use the actual word then use the abbreviation that's how people know what you're talking about.
I bought a 2017 ram 1500, 5.7 Hemi, countrymen edition, it sounds like garbage, well it sounds like a garbage disposal to be more accurate, this will help me? I still have a stock exhaust. Single side exit.
I gotta say, Im a little disappointed in this truck, it's only my first day, but I had a 2011 f150 eco boost with a decent muffler, and it was more powerful than this hemi as it is today.
Hi Jerry! Sorry to hear you are not to happy about the power on your Ram. I understand that the F150 has a bit more HP than the stock Ram's which plays into that. Plenty of things you can do to increase HP (CAI, throttle body, etc) )but one thing that could be affecting you is probably the gear ratio. The consensus seems to be that the 3.92 ratio is the sweet spot. Mine has a 3.21. The 3.92 ratio will provide a lot more low end torque and "quickness", alternatively mine will provide more top end. Would I prefer 3.92? Yep, I would, but this is what I've got and I did not take this into consideration before buying. As to the garbage sound. I think anything you do to it will be better. Make a practice of turning off MDS for sure. Put a Flowmaster or other exhaust on and try it out. Instead of buying the full cat back kit maybe try just the muffler itself. Much cheaper. Check out my other videos for exhaust comparisons.
The_Real_iDad I returned it. I want a rebel.but I'll definitely consider looking for the gear ratio that you're talking about as that's what I look for in a truck. I don't use them for work, i just like to ride high and have a chance of not dying in a bad accident.
Hi. The purpose of MDS is to turn off cylinders as a method to get more fuel economy. When you are cruising or otherwise only lightly on the gas pedal, it will engage. it will turn off when you give it more gas. People don't like this back and forth of MDS on/off for number of reasons. I have written lots of answers in the comments section where I detail this out. Ultimately if it not bothering you then there is no reason to turn it off.
Hi Justin. That is interesting, kind of contrary to what I know and have read. Do you have any details about your truck? Mine is a 2016 Ram 1500. What is yours?
Hi Justin. I'm not sure what year Ram you've got or what model but from what I know tow/haul doesn't do anything with the engine just the transmission. Check out this video I made about a month ago about tow/haul. ECO light turns on and off. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-i2oJ6Uydudw.html
I have a 2016 and I can confirm it DOES still go into ECO mode while in tow/haul mode. It might not come on as often at low speeds but it still kicks into ECO on the highway.
I have a 2017 ram 1500 bighorn and each time that eco light is on there is a vibration on the gas pedal the dealer keep telling me is cus only 4 cyl are engaged... U have any knowledge on that ? Thank you!
Hi. I get what I think is the same thing however I feel it as a lag in pedal response and you can a small vibration in the pedal as the other 4 cylinders are engaged. There is a half a second or so delay as you press on the pedal and MDS turns off. I actually film it and mention it at 4:21 in the video
The_Real_iDad thank you, I went to the dealer and drove a few 5.7hemi rams and all do the same, the vibrations is from the 4cyl, a shame on my opinion, Thanks again.
Anyone around? Purchased used 2000 Chevy 1500. Owner installed Tow kit was "clicking" trying to engage or turn on? All night? Battery now dead. Can I unplug kit to keep this from happen again? That simply?
I'm not sure what you asking. I would agree in that I should not have to do this to turn MDS off, I would love a button or setting to turn MDS on or off but FCA disagrees apparently. Unless you are actively using it to shift up and down, setting it to 8 locks the max gear up to 8th gear (giving you the full range of the tranny) AND turns off MDS. This is the only way to turn MDS off for people who prefer it to be off.
Hi. TaZers and TranZformers are interesting, if I had a Challenger or Charger I might get one. However they are not supported for Ram trucks (some features might work, if you could get it to work, I don't know). I should note that AFAIK the only way to turn off MDS with one of these is to put the vehicle into Sport mode as that mode inherently turns off MDS. Well, Ram's 1500 don't have drive mode options and if they are hidden and inactive would they actually work?
Hi Bill, I am actually using Tazer on my 2015 Ram Sport for a while it does work but the only issue would be SRT mode since it's not compatible with 8-speed trans. Tazer does cool stuff with lights, opens up 1/4 mile timing and many features.
Hi. A "tune" is reprogramming the ECU (engine control unit) from the settings that come from the factory to something custom to the truck and what you have done to it or modifications (aftermarket throttle body, exhaust, cold air intake, headers, etc.). Since the ECU is stock most of what you do or things you add to your truck doesn't have much effect unless the ECU is changed to account for it. i.e. the stock tune inside the stock ECU doesn't know you've changed or improved something.
The 2 reasons people turn off MDS are this - 1) People who have an aftermarket exhaust don't like the sound when MDS is on - 2) Throttle and/or acceleration response split second hesitates as the truck turns off MDS. I'm in tune with it now and notice it every time. On long highway trips I'll leave it on, radio up, and that is usually the only time.
I have a buddy that replaces about an engine a week at a chevy dealership (albeit a major metropolitan one) due to the cylinder shutdown effects. Different maker I know, but the concept should be the same. Although, I've heard the newer chevys have mitigated the issue somehow. But when you don't have compression in the cylinders, the rings don't seat and things kind of just slap around in there a bit, causing scoring and oil blow-by. I haven't done any research or know anyone with a RAM to confirm if this has ever been an issue, so it's possible they don't... I'll have to look it up sometime!
Jesse Fritz just bought an 18 Ram and reading all these comments why are people disengaging their MDS. And why would Dodge install the MDS if that would ruin the Hemi?
joe SG Because of epa standards. They'd rather ruin a vehicle to gain an mpg then have rhe vehicle last a long time. Welcome to the age of throw away vehicles.
