rotary shifter delete?

I'm due for a new truck, but I hate the mandatory rotary shifter on the Ram 1500. According to the Ram stealer, they can not order a 1500 without it. I'd switch to a Ford or Chev to get rid of it, except for that my dad is a Chrysler retiree, so I get killer pricing.

Does anyone make a kit to replace the stupid thing with a real shifter? Thanks, Joel

Not that I've seen. Its electric so no real linkage involved. It really isn't all that bad if the truck comes with shifter on the wheel.

Joel, you are alone in this crusade. If Dodge Customers didn't like it, they would have got rid of it by now. Complaining to us isn't going to make it go away either. I'll gladly trade you the sloppy, indicators don't line-up, stuck in the 50's lever on my '01 for your dial.

Soon, Fords will have it.......doubtful if Blunder Motors will pull their heads out of their asses long enough to see the light.

For many years now all heavy equipment, medium and heavy duty trucks have these controls in various forms from transmission to hydraulics.....and it's the best thing ever. I'd never go back to manual controls.

And, I'm just curious: but, what has it done to you? Has it failed? Do you think the aftermarket is even remotely smarter than Chrysler to build one?

I've lived with it for 2 years. Its stupid. It's non-intuitive. It's annoying. I don't think I'm alone in my opinion, but even if I was, my opinion won't change. I gave it 2 years.
Maybe I need to invent and market a kit to replace it.

I can get you the friends discount on any new Ford, but it isn't as good as employee pricing like you're getting on the Rams. If you're a good negotiator you can do better than the friends discount pretty easily.

I agree that the rotary shifter is not intuitive to use. I much prefer a column shifter, or a conventional shifter in the console- especially for things like backing up a trailer or plowing snow.

Funny timing on this topic...I traded my 2011 Laramie for a 2016 about 2 weeks ago absolutely love the new truck, better power, fuel mileage, built in trailer brake...etc, etc, etc....however...I got my online customer survey today and blasted the rotary shifter, thought I could get used to it, not so much, not yet at least.

It took me awhile but I got used to it. Still haven't gotten used to the horrible drive by wire lag though.

I love the truck overall. The hemi and the 8 speed is a great combination. Yes, the drive by wire lag is a pain, but I've figured out how to deal with it. If I want 1/2 throttle, I don't just push the pedal down 1/2 way. I floor it, then back off to 1/2 after the trans kicks down and the revs come up. That speeds it up a little.

I wouldn't buy a truck with a rotary shifter in it. Forget it.

Lots of other complaints on this setup....

Oh yes, lots of the stuck-in-their-ways Old Farts I used to work with complained too:

Our spare machine looks like this, and no one will run it; not after running the new one for a couple of months.

So you "lots" of Complainers stay in the stone-age, I prefer to move forward.

I don't mind the knob at all. Not really my choice if I were designing it from the get-go, but I don't have any issue using it at all.

Then again, I had a push-button shifter in my 64 Fury to the LEFT side of the steering wheel.

this is why my truck has a manual transmission

Have had my rotary shifter for one year and it is still awkward to me. As said, backing a trailer is where it is the most annoying. Ford's Fusion commercial shows a rotary shifter. I can live with the rotary but like it has been said, it is not intuitive.

Not a big deal to me, took me about a week to get used to. Now I reach for the dash on every other car I own.

I wouldn't but a truck with an automatic transmission or anything other than a direct linkage transfer case shifter either.



I can't say I do enough excavating with my pickup truck for it to matter. I wouldn't want to own one of these trucks when the electronic garbage starts failing. I work in the heavy duty transport industry and see it on the highway tractors. No thanks.

One thing is for sure, the engineers at Chrysler who designed that and thought it was a good idea to put it in a truck, have never plowed snow!

Great pics Grizzly..... What a difference.

On another post the engineer said it was added because Fiat needed 50 innovative things so to get truck of the year, even if it was stupid. Buy the 3/4 ton truck, still has a shifter. Just larger tires.

Just wait a few months...

I see in the TRX concept truck they have a "gated" shifter again, and there has been enough issues with this dumb AZZ design to warrant a newer design. The newer challengers, chargers have a better designed shifter in them, and the one Ii see in the TRX concept is similar.

I would already own one, but I literally cant stand that crappy shifter design. I haven't replaced any at all, but they have caused plenty of confusion and grief.

That's because you actually have to be an operator to run that one.

The new one with the GPS and all, not so much. Plot your course, punch in the coordinates, engage, Mr. Crusher.

I ran one briefly years ago that made your old one look like your new one. Manual trans with a hand clutch and a 6-71 Detroit. It was either an early Champion or an Adams. Can't remember which now.

I could run it but I figured out pretty quick I lacked the talent and about 8 arms of having enough hands to operate it.

Kevin

I love the rotary shifter. Only thing that would make it better would be if it were a push button like on the 58 Plymouth Suburban I learned to drive on.

Welcome to the "Gamer" age of engineers

All of my shifters come from out of the floor.

I like the rotary knob on our 300.