'07 to 2012 H.O. would you swap?

[JPLB22]

I've got a couple of questions about this. Let me describe the two trucks first.



My truck = 2007 2500 SLT, long bed 4x4 quad cab with auto trans, 3. 73 gears

upgrades =

full built ATS trans with billet input and flex

Air Dog with filters

DSS

Vulcan fuel module

CFM+ intake air horn

S&B intake

ATS two piece exhaust manifold

Smarty

Air Lift 5000 air bags with on-board air

Gauges ( pyro, trans, fuel pressure )

spray-in bed liner

16K Husky 5th wheel hitch



And if I were to keep my truck, within 6 months it would probably have twins and an exhaust brake. And would also get a level kit with 18" rims and some 34. 25" Nittos, which would have me considering a gear swap to 4. 10 gears.



New truck = 2012 H. O. 3500 Laramie, crew cab long bed SRW, with auto trans, and 4. 10 gears.

Planned upgrades =

Spray-in bed liner

Same 18" rims and Nittos, hence ordering the 4. 10's

Air bags

Gauges

Some entry level programmer, such as Smarty Jr.

B&W Turnover Ball with 5th wheel Companion



My questions are:



How are the new trucks doing with the emissions equipment?

Am I doing the right thing with the 4. 10 gears to help with the taller tires?

And I'm not having any mechanical issues with the '07, so do you think the 5. 9 HPCR's are too good to let go?



Sorry for the long post, and thanks in advance for any replies. I just have a hundred different things going through my head. Like I might just enjoy staying relatively stock this time 'round.



Jeff

 

[JPLB22]

Also forgot to mention, my '07 only has 38,500 miles on it right now.



Jeff

 

[LBARTLETT]

my son just sold his lifted 09' 2500 megacab SLT 4X4 with 26,000 miles, dpf delete, big tires and wheels, spray-in bed-liner, amp power steps, roll up bed cover, iron bull bumpers front and rear, blacked HID lights front & rear for $45,000



I drove him to Vernon Tx and he bought a 2011 megacab SLT 4X4 out the door for $44,600



so far he had put on a 2" leveling kit, wheels and tires, painted his bumpers, grill and door handles all white to match, HID blacked lights and power steps, says he's stopping there



his wife is expecting their first so he thinks this is a more family oriented truck, he's in the SF community and should attract less attention with this truck



however time will tell if he can really stop there!!!



IMHO you will not have any problem with big tires and 3. 73's with the 6-speed automatic



the thing you guys must learn is in between the powerful engine and those big tires there is only one thing and it is called a transmission!!!

 

[RDeFayette]

If it was me with only 38k miles I wouldn't even be considering a new truck so long as the one I have is paid off.

The '07 is even broken in yet!!!

Your money your call!!

My opinion and anyboby else's really don't matter.

"You pays your money and you makes your choice"

 

[JPLB22]

My '07 is paid off, and will be sold on the street if I want to make this swap. So there will be a little bit of an investment on the difference in value between the two, but nothing major. I guess my only worry is, am I possibly getting rid of the better truck? Just to buy a new one.

And to be honest, bombing my '07 hasn't turned out to be as fun as I thought it might. That isn't the reason for getting rid of the '07, because there really is nothing wrong with it. Just thinking it might be good to start with a clean slate, and stay closer to stock. Plus I do really like the 4th gen. trucks.



Any and all opinions welcome



Jeff

 

[RDeFayette]

If that's the case and there wouldn't be much on an outlay of $$$$$ I'd get the new one mod it simple and be done with it.

Bob

 

[JHumphries]

Having made the opposite swap:
2010 2500 4x4 Crew Cab Long bed -to- 2006 3500 Mega Cab Dually, 4x2, I will say this:
Do you EVER drive the truck short distances unloaded? (less than 20 miles)
If so, what percentage of your driving is in this light duty/unloaded state? If it is more than 30%, I would stick with the 2007.
The 6. 7L engines do not like being used in a light duty cycle. With the newer engine calibrations, they are better than the first editions. However, the longevity in light uses has yet to be seen on the newer trucks.
Just looking at the amount of soot build up on trucks that get worked is insane. I don't even want to look at a light duty truck.
Hopefully this helps.
This is the thread I made when I traded in my 2010:
https://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/4th-generation-ram-forum/231166-trade-not-trade.html

 

[JPLB22]

Thanks for the post and link JHumphries, there's some good thoughts in your thread. Duty cycle is something I have considered heavily while thinking about this swap. I try not to kid myself when I think about how much I tow. In reality I tow roughly 15% of the total miles I drive. But when I do tow, it is fairly heavy (toy hauler). But I would say that 90% or more of my unloaded driving is freeway driving, usually 10 mile minimum and going up from there.



So what's your opinion on that type of duty cycle and regens?



I am considering the delete's for the emission systems. I know it would void warranties, but I effectively ditched the warranty pretty early on in the '07 too.



Jeff

 

[MA2LA]

Just for the ease of repair and up keep i would stay with the 07. All of the emissions crap on the new trucks just makes things more complicated and more expensive to work on. ya the new 6 speed auto is great as is the exhaust brake but that's easy to fix. from what i have seen with my 2011 that has 39k on it now is that it really isn't happy about sitting in traffic and not being worked. just seeing the difference in oil change interval between easy use and hard use is weird but makes sense. the harder you actually use it the longer it is between changes than when you baby the truck.

 

[JHumphries]

Thanks for the post and link JHumphries, there's some good thoughts in your thread. Duty cycle is something I have considered heavily while thinking about this swap. I try not to kid myself when I think about how much I tow. In reality I tow roughly 15% of the total miles I drive. But when I do tow, it is fairly heavy (toy hauler). But I would say that 90% or more of my unloaded driving is freeway driving, usually 10 mile minimum and going up from there.

So what's your opinion on that type of duty cycle and regens?

I am considering the delete's for the emission systems. I know it would void warranties, but I effectively ditched the warranty pretty early on in the '07 too.

Jeff

That is pretty close to how I drive. It's 17 miles to work. I have to go through two security gates though. It is not long enough to complete a regen.
Based on that, the computer had me changing the oil roughly every 2500 miles.
With deletes, who knows, it might be great. Just make sure to do the EGR delete as well. That is what produces most of the soot that the DPF removes!
The highest I ever got was 14 mpg.

 

[AEdelheit]

When my 06 mega got totaled I had to choose between a 4th gen and an 04 that would be paid for, I went for the 04 and am extremely happy with my choice. I have some freinds that have 4th gens and while they look nice IMO the interiors arent any better quality then the 3rd gens and the sheet metal on the body seems even thinner, push on the metal around the hood, its pretty flimsy. Not saying they arnt nice trucks but I wouldnt go back into debt over one, and I love the 5. 9, wouldnt mind a 68RFE but not having any emmisions stuff is priceless. Theres a reason the 3rd gen 5. 9's go for such a premium. Id say wait a month, if you still feel the same way then go for it, just make sure its not an impulse buy you will regret.

 

[AEdelheit]

oh also have some freinds that are running the 6. 7, 68RFE with 37" tires, they do ok, Id go with 4. 10's but with 34. 25" tires I think either ratio will work just fine.

 

['strokeThis_'07]

First off, I think you're off wanting 4. 10s with 34-35" rubber. Why? I have 34. 5s with 3. 73s and it's perfect. Plenty of grunt to pull anything I wanted, and it turns fewer RPM down the highway. I would only consider 4. 10s with 37" or larger tires.



Second, I would ONLY consider the swap if you can and are willing to do a full delete; DPF, EGR, EGR cooler. And I'd look into headstuds and depending on the aggressiveness of the programmer, a wastegate on the exhaust manifold to control pressures. The 6. 7s pop headgaskets running aggressive fueling and stock turbo...



It's hard to say. The 07 is a fantastic truck. And the 5. 9 is hard to beat. BUT... . the new trucks are just amazing. Great looks outside, great looks inside, a little more luxurious.



Keep in mind, the 68 won't last deleted and with even mild tuning. A stock 48 will live longer than a 68 will. My opinion of course.



I want a new truck REAL bad, but I would never trade my 07 (or 03) on a new one

 

[JPLB22]

Here's my thoughts on ordering one with the 4. 10's. Unless my math is wrong, if I have the 4. 10 ratio with a 34. 25" tire, that would be pretty close to the same as a 3. 73 ratio with a stock tire. Now considering my math again, if I had the same taller tire with the 3. 73 ratio, that would put me close to a 3. 42 with a stock tire.



My current truck has stock tires and a 3. 73 ratio. My current truck is also more modded then I would ever take a 2012 to. And judging on my towing experiences with my current set up, I think I would be unhappy with a 3. 42 ratio, or anything that resembled it (3. 73's and a 34-35" tire). So I guess I'm saying why not go with 4. 10's? And I do understand that 4. 10's and stock tires isn't the greatest for long unloaded freeway cruising. But if I get the '12 it will probably always have a 34-35" tire under it.



Jeff

 

[Bob4x4]

With the new trucks either delete or leave it stock... ... ... any where in between will give you nightmares.

If you plan on towing go with the 4. 10s. I have towed in Utah there are some pretty wild grades that sneak up on you. The one going up into Cedar caught me unaware in OD with 3. 54's and 35's it just kept getting steeper. That truck needs to be at about 80 mph to stay in od on a good grade towing

 

[RustyJC]

See comments in BLUE below:

My questions are:



How are the new trucks doing with the emissions equipment?



No CEL's, no EVIC messages, no problems at all after over 1 year.





Am I doing the right thing with the 4. 10 gears to help with the taller tires?



Yes. If you haven't already, you should read THIS thread.





And I'm not having any mechanical issues with the '07, so do you think the 5. 9 HPCR's are too good to let go?



I can't help you with that one

Rusty

 

['strokeThis_'07]

Here's my thoughts on ordering one with the 4. 10's. Unless my math is wrong, if I have the 4. 10 ratio with a 34. 25" tire, that would be pretty close to the same as a 3. 73 ratio with a stock tire. Now considering my math again, if I had the same taller tire with the 3. 73 ratio, that would put me close to a 3. 42 with a stock tire.



My current truck has stock tires and a 3. 73 ratio. My current truck is also more modded then I would ever take a 2012 to. And judging on my towing experiences with my current set up, I think I would be unhappy with a 3. 42 ratio, or anything that resembled it (3. 73's and a 34-35" tire). So I guess I'm saying why not go with 4. 10's? And I do understand that 4. 10's and stock tires isn't the greatest for long unloaded freeway cruising. But if I get the '12 it will probably always have a 34-35" tire under it.



Jeff

I got where you're going now. 4. 10's are probably the better option for you

 

[JPLB22]

Thanks for the link Rusty, I did read that thread shortly after I started my thread. I should have done a little more looking around I guess, could have answered that part of my question.

I went ahead and ordered a 2012. The only reason I had to order it was for the exterior color I want, and for the 4. 10's. The 4. 10's seem to be even less popular then several years ago. But I feel good about ordering the '12 with those gears for what I want the truck to do.

Now the only thing I need to do is sell my '07. Since I didn't order the '12 real custom, the dealer allowed me to do it contingent upon the sell of my truck. So we'll see how that goes. If the '07 doesn't sell for what I want out of it, then I'll keep it for a few more years and buy a new truck then, and be able to keep the '07 as my work vehicle.



Jeff