Meet Connor, the owner of this incredible 2017 RAM HD Laramie crew cab with a tuned Cummins 6.7-liter turbo diesel monster under the hood and an extremely rare 6-speed manual transmission. The original sticker for this fully-optioned Laramie with the off-road package was $64,970. He bought it used for around $47,000 last fall with 24,000 miles on it. Since then he’s made some sweet modifications. Let’s walk through the highlights.
Cummins 6.7-liter tuned for even more power and torque
From the factory, the Cummins was rated at 350-hp and 660 ft-lb. torque. Connor wanted more, adding an adjustable tuner that can bump up hp and torque to around 500 and over 1,100 respectively. The tune allows him to switch between five settings. Among them, one that optimizes MPGs, one better suited for towing, and one built to unleash hell on earth with his right foot. He also claims that the tune allows him to use his exhaust brake down to around 9 mph, a feature that saves his brakes–he hardly ever uses them.
He also removed the EGR system (Connor lives in a Colorado county that doesn’t test vehicles for emissions.) to further boost the engine’s capabilities. Despite this, thanks to the tuning program and an aftermarket exhaust and muffler, the truck belches out a relatively clean exhaust for a diesel.
500-HP and a Manual Transmission
The tuned Cummins diesel is special, but it’s really the manual transmission that makes this RAM HD truck a rarity–and a pure joy to drive. As André says, “It’s like driving a semi. You sit so high and you have this stick shift to work.” The element of control over the truck that a stick shift provides can’t be matched with an automatic transmission.
Connor did replace the stock clutch at roughly 30,000 miles—”It was already slipping,” he says. But now it’s a smooth operator.
Suspension & Other Mods
As you can see from the snap above, Connor added a leveling kit to even out the truck’s stance. Doing so allowed him to throw 35-inch Toyo M/T tires onto the stock rims. Out back he installed a bedliner to protect the truck from scrapes and dings from his dirt bikes and other toys. To see more of this amazing RAM HD click on the video link below and enjoy!
