410 or 373 gear in 3500 DRW

[SnoKing]

Exactly.....and that's why the 3.73's and 4.10's shine that much more when coupled with the Aisin. The first three gears are very different between the Aisin and 68RFE....especially if you look at the % difference between the gears.
Aisin : 1st 3.75, 2nd 2.00, 3rd 1.34, 4th 1.00, 5th .77, 6th .63
68RFE : 1st 3.23, 2nd 1.84, 3rd 1.41, 4th 1.00, 5th .82, 6th .63

Look to me that the 68RFE would be helped more with the lower gears? 3.75 verses 3.23 first gear. Tall gears and 3.23 first would be a dog off the line! SNOKING

 

[woodynorman]

Not to hijack this thread, but can someone tell me how to determine which transmission is in my truck?

 

[SnoKing]

What year?

 

[gsbrockman]

Not to hijack this thread, but can someone tell me how to determine which transmission is in my truck?

2500's will only have the 68RFE automatic or G56 manual. 3500 pickups from 2013 and up can have the 68RFE automatic, Aisin automatic, or G56 manual. The 68RFE's will have the transmission dipstick on the passenger side of the engine, no transmission pan drain bolt, and no PTO provision. The Aisin will have the transmission dipstick on the driver's side, will have a drain bolt on the transmission pan, and will have a PTO provision.

 

[woodynorman]

What year?

Sorry. 2014, 2500. Sounds like i have the 68. Thanks!

Just so I can say I contributed to this post...I have the 3:42 ratio. It pulls my 10K trailer great. I imagine with 3:73 or 4:10 it would be that much better. 4:10 seems like overkill, though, unless pulling a really heavy load.

 

[Too Tall]

A stock tire size of 31.8" (235/80/17) Diameter. If that's not right, input the dia in the link below. This will give you all the scenarios. Max torque is at 1600 so you'll ideally want to stay at or slightly above at whatever speed you like to travel. This is a pretty good link for deciding which gear set you want.


http://www.math-prof.com/Auto/Differential.aspx

 

[mpaulson]

You won't be sorry for getting the 4.10's since you plan on upsizing your trailer. There's a reason that they rate the tow rating that much higher for the 4.10's. Overkill on the towing capacity will only cause LESS stress on the truck. I have the 4.10's and when the wind is real bad and there is hilly terrain, I can drop to 5th gear and cruise and climb any mountain with very minimal drop in speed.

 

[moparnut72]

Some guys with the 3.42's say that when towing 6th is not used alot because it is too tall and the trans hunts if not locked in 5th. I live in Calif so towing is limited to 55 so the 4.10's are perfect for me.

 

[woodynorman]

Some guys with the 3.42's say that when towing 6th is not used alot because it is too tall and the trans hunts if not locked in 5th. I live in Calif so towing is limited to 55 so the 4.10's are perfect for me.

I live in AZ, and most of my towing is relatively flat. 6th gear OD is great. Truck just chugs along at 1500 rpm at 70 mph.

 

[Too Tall]

Agree, I can't pull in 6th and my RV only weights 5K. Although the 20" tires on the 2500 are 33.4" vs 31.8" which would give a few hundred rpms advantage for the 3500 but it's still not going to allow pulling in 6th. I think with the 4.1, at 60 mph would be right at max torque in 6th. You could pull in 6th and actually get better mileage than the 3.42 in 5th since the 5th gear on a 3.42 is equal to a 4.3.

 

[Too Tall]

Curious, what kind of mpg do you get with the 3.42 at 70 and what weight is your trailer? Thanks.

 

[woodynorman]

Curious, what kind of mpg do you get with the 3.42 at 70 and what weight is your trailer? Thanks.

Trailer is 22' enclosed, with my 3800 pound rock crawler in it. Fully loaded I think it's somewhere just shy of 10K pounds.

Short trips to my favorite area just north of Phoenix I get a solid 12. It's pretty flat towing. My lowest MPG was 9.5, and that was towing further north to Camp Verde. There's a few big hills. Those numbers are hand calculated.

I'm getting 15-16 MPG during the work week, which is approx 70% city driving. I bet if I ran a whole tank on the freeway at 70 mph without the trailer it would be 21-22 mpg.

 

[woodynorman]

Curious, what kind of mpg do you get with the 3.42 at 70 and what weight is your trailer? Thanks.

Trailer is 22' enclosed, with my 3800 pound rock crawler in it. Fully loaded I think it's somewhere just shy of 10K pounds. It's a rolling box.

Short trips to my favorite area just north of Phoenix I get a solid 12. It's pretty flat towing. My lowest MPG was 9.5, and that was towing further north to Camp Verde. There's a few big hills. Those numbers are hand calculated.

I'm getting 15-16 MPG during the work week, which is approx 70% city driving. I bet if I ran a whole tank on the freeway at 70 mph without the trailer it would be 21-22 mpg.

 

[JPalachuk]

this is john in wash state
as you may know wa st. has no flat ground
its up or down hill
got my 2014 drw 850 torque and aisin trans with 3.73 gears
1800 miles so far and it goes up the hill in 4th and down the hill in 4th
with a 14000# artic fox
60 mph is 1525 rpm in 6th, perfect I think
mileage 9.5 to10.5
and LOVING IT
john

 

[RVTRKN]

Some guys with the 3.42's say that when towing 6th is not used alot because it is too tall and the trans hunts if not locked in 5th. I live in Calif so towing is limited to 55 so the 4.10's are perfect for me.

Thats another reason I wish I had 4:10's, I also live in SoCal and the 3:73 with the G56 at 55 MPH and 23K GCVW is a dog in 6th flat and when I get into rolling hills at 55 MPH its constant upshift, downshift, upshift, downshift ect ....... California needs to change the truck/auto with trailer law at 55 MPH, but my 305 HP C&C version of the 6.7 doesn't help.

 

[Too Tall]

Thanks for the feedback from all. I didn't have a choice or I'd have a 3.73 due to my towing weight (5K) and speed I like to tow at 60. I think I'd be in 6th in most conditions. It's an individual needs thing, It's not one side that fits all. You really have to look at your rpms/ weight/ speed before you pick one. And there is a reason why some 3500 owners like the 3.42 and 2500 don't. There's quiet a difference in tire size which increases the 3500's rpm substantially. I guess I'm glad I didn't have a choice or I'd be kicking myself although the dealer told me I had a 3.73 from the start. The good thing is 5th gear is a nice comprise, I can pull most hills (not mountain grades) without downshifting although I think I'd be getting a little better mileage with a 3.73 in 5th.
thanks

 

[Too Tall]

Trailer is 22' enclosed, with my 3800 pound rock crawler in it. Fully loaded I think it's somewhere just shy of 10K pounds.

Short trips to my favorite area just north of Phoenix I get a solid 12. It's pretty flat towing. My lowest MPG was 9.5, and that was towing further north to Camp Verde. There's a few big hills. Those numbers are hand calculated.

I'm getting 15-16 MPG during the work week, which is approx 70% city driving. I bet if I ran a whole tank on the freeway at 70 mph without the trailer it would be 21-22 mpg.

Yes, you are probably able to hold 6th at 70 with the 3.42. I probably need to up my speed to get more torque and get out of the lugging range like you are doing. With the wind resistance of my TT, I feel like my mpg would be horrible.

 

[Gonzo 1066]

My 13 3500 dually come with 4:10 gears and the RFE transmission. I have about 20,000 towing miles on it at 28,000# combined weight, it handles the rig very well. This truck tows more than 95% of the time, IF I was using the truck as a empty runaround rig I am sure the 3:73 would be more to my liking.

 

[JPM]

How does 410 gears affect the top cruising speed? I run 70+ mph a lot on the highway would a 2014 3500 auto with a 410 be screaming? 16000-17000lbs total weight

 

[RVTRKN]

In the case of towing heavy, I wouldn't care what my RPM's are, just knowing that my truck is running most efficiently as well as could be expected. When Dodge introduced the 3:42 rear diff, it was pressure applied by CAFE standards. With the higher HP applied to the lower ratio differential, Dodge claimed it was OK, that the 3:42 diff could withstand the greater pressure generated to turn it. I strongly disagree with this theory, and my 2014 2500 running at 10K GVW with the 3:42 that completely scrambled at 14K miles and required the complete assembly being replaced kinda proves it. And to make it worse Dodge decided to replace the housing only with a dealer tech rebuilding the rear diff with replacement parts, instead of a factory assembled rear axle assembly. If your going to tow heavy for most of the trucks life, then 4:10 is the best choice, unfortunately the 2500's only offer 3:42 thanks to help in meeting CAFE standards. My 3:73 was justified by me because I truly expected to drive city at the unloaded weight 50% and towing heavy 50%, that was a mistake, and I should of ordered it with 4:10's.*

I'm sure this will get flamed by all the 3:42 fans, but it's your choice, good luck with whatever you chose.*