Ram Tough: A 2009 Ram 2500 Built for Power and Play

Chris Bruziecki runs a paving company, which is hard work and requires a tough truck. Chris has proven the advertising claim of “Ram Tough” on a daily basis. Both Chris and his wife, Nikki, drive a 2013 Ram 2500 daily. However, for play, they prefer this red 2009 Ram 2500.

Chris tells us he’s a believer in the saying, “Real Trucks Are Built Not Bought.” As such, he shipped his truck to Attitude Performance, over 800 miles from his home, for the build. Taking this truck from mild to wild was possible at the home shop, but free time was short and would have put the fun factor on hold for too long.

On the suspension side, a BDS 8-inch lift was selected as the base to build a taller suspension on. To gain more than the 8 inches the BDS kit offered, 3-inch front coil spacers and 3-inch rear blocks were also used. BDS 12-inch shocks round out the suspension package. Dual steering stabilizers were also added.

“On the exterior, a Speed SS grille dresses up the front end. A 2-inch cowl induction hood has been added, as well as Sport bumpers.”

Now, a lift is not just for adding height, it’s also so you can run larger tires. Chris chose a set of 38.5×15.5R20 Toyo M/Ts and mounted them on black 20×12 Fuel Hostage wheels. To turn the larger rubber, the 4.88:1 gearing is now in both differentials. A Mag-Hytec diff cover adds fluid capacity and aids cooling of the diff oil in the rear, and a Mag-Hytec should be on the front diff by the time you read this. The brake calipers, lines and more have been given the red treatment.

Under the hood, Chris upgraded to an S&B air intake and some 100-hp injectors. The exhaust is now a 5-inch MBPR system that is PHC coated. An XRT Pro programmer with a custom tune makes the best of these upgrades.

On the exterior, a Speed SS grille dresses up the front end. A 2-inch cowl induction hood has been added, as well as Sport bumpers. The final body mods include a set of Bushwacker cutout flairs, LED taillights and limo tint on the windows.

The interior looks stock, but it’s been upgraded with Auto Meter gauges in an A-pillar pod setup. In addition, two Sony 500-watt amps drive the two Sony 12-inch subwoofers under the back seat.

The family uses Red for all things that are fun, towing the boat and horse trailers, road trips and camping, and of course racing. They wanted a “Real Truck” to have real fun with, and would look “Bad A… doing it.” We can say that Chris has done a good job of meeting that goal. DW