Customize This: Ram Says 'Yes' to Entire Mopar Catalog

Most truck owners customize their rigs to some degree – witness the multimillion dollar aftermarket industry and the popularity of SEMA. Not to mention the existence of Truck Nutz.

Ram, after refurbishing the 1500 pickup in an effort to quash its competition like beetles under its tires, wants in on some of that high profit action. Today, at the Chicago Auto Show, the company unveiled a passel of Mopar gear for its snazzy new truck.

The Flame Red 2019 Ram 1500 Big Horn Sport 4×4 showcased at this year’s Chicago Auto Show is equipped with a 2-inch Mopar lift kit delivering additional off-road clearance and an aggro appearance. Lift kits help accommodate oversized 35-inch tires with knobby tread and, as luck would have it, Mopar now offers an 18-inch beadlock-capable wheels. How fortuitous.

Beadlocks help keep tires pegged to the rims when aired down in preparation for gnarly off-road action. Matching trim rings, well, they’re an essential bit of theatre for the world’s extroverts.

“At the Chicago Auto Show, Mopar is showcasing the art of the possible when it comes to accessorizing the all-new Ram 1500,” said Pietro Gorlier, Head of Parts and Service (Mopar), FCA. “With more than 200 parts and accessories, available at launch, Mopar delivers the largest array of factory-backed, authentic products to personalize the new Ram 1500 and make it truly one of a kind.”

The fabulously named RamRack is an adjustable unit that mounts to the factory bed rails, allowing the lifestyle crowd to carry their canoes and kayaks with ease. It’d be good for ladders and other construction equipment too, we suppose. This author is enjoying Ram’s new proclivity for having fun with the Ram name; RamRack is great and, if one looks closely in the console of the new 2019, they’ll find a USB port stamped with the word RamCharger. Excellent.

Ram’s catalog isn’t all visual frippery. A new Ram Airflow cold-air intake system is said to increase the breathing capabilities of its 5.7-liter HEMI V8, although no power increase is mentioned. A cat-back exhaust terminating with shiny 5-inch tips is said to crank up the Ram’s exhaust note to hairy-chested levels. The stock tone is already manly.

Mopar turned this trick with the new Wrangler as well, showing off a similar number of items at last year’s SEMA show in Las Vegas. Like those Jeep bits, these Ram parts are covered under the truck’s original factory warranty.

From a business perspective, it makes a load of sense to offer this type of equipment right from the factory. Dealers can add the price of the gear to a note, further making bank for the company once interest is considered. It drives up average transaction prices too, a vaunted metric by Wall Street standards, given that these add-ons will be reflected on the truck’s Monroney label.

[Images: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles]