6 spd. vs. 5 spd.

[JGblkLand]

I have an 01 ETH reg. cab, thinking of trading for an extended cab. My dealer has an 02 extended cab 5 spd. Will the 5 be OK after I've had the 6? I don't tow all the time, just some farm trailers and water tanks and such. I remember hearing that the 5 is better for bombing, is this correct? Also, I've got an EZ on my ETH, will it work on the 5 spd? Sorry for all the questions, just wondering how the two transmissions compare. Thanks.

 

[RHARVEY]

I can only speak from experience on towing side of your question. I would rather have the 6 speed due to the fact the ratio between gears is better in the 6 than the 5. Between 2nd and 3rd is closer in the 6 which will pull better than the 5. But with my 5 speed I have went to 3rd one time pulling my trailer and if it had not been for the idiot that pulled out in front of me while I was pulling a long hill, I would have stayed in 4th. I was trying to be nice and stay in the slower lane and it cost me the rpms and I didn't have it to be able to gain back. . After that each time we cross that long hill coming home from the coast, I dont leave the fast lane. . Back to the question,,if it were me I would get a 6 speed. .



Rick

 

[klenger]

I screwed up and changed my order at the last minute to a 5 speed. Now it's going to cost me over $3000 to upgrade to the 6 speed and that doesn't even get me the HO motor. Trading trucks would cost me a fortune also. My case is probably more severe since I am towing a 10,000 lb 5er over 11,000 foot passes in Coloado.

 

[Don M]

I have the 5speed and the 5th gear has crapped out twice. I finally got the fix from standard but man it gets old. If you want to bomb, the 6 speed it will take more power than the 5 will.



6 SPEED!!



Don~

 

[Happy Camper]

I had the 5 speed in the 97 2500 pulling a 29' Alpenlite. Pulling grades easily in 3rd gear but 4th was such a jump it would bog down. If not towing the 5 speed is fine for solo other than the nut problem.

 

[Oasis-3]

6 Speed

I had a 96 5-speed now I have a 01 6-speed H/O

I think the 6-speed is the way to go

Cliff

 

[Big Jon]

I test drove a well broken in 5 speed (and I mean drove - I had the truck to myself all day) and then I test drove the 6 speed with the HO option. My mind was made up within four blocks. I fell in love with the 6 speed and HO combination.



I know for me after having my new truck for three months now, I would have a heck of a time going back to the 5 speed. Just my opinion mind you.



Good luck,



Jon

 

[Okie-Go]

6 spd without a doubt. Then you can have the HO motor. I have heard people say they wish they had a 6 spd. Of the people with a 6 spd I have never heard anyone say they wanted to go back to the 5 speed.

 

[Wiredawg]

6 Spd all the way!

I haul heavy and the close ratio 6 spd makes each shift smooth and strain-free. You'll never regret going for it.



Wiredawg

 

[Dane]

The 6 speed reminds me of the of good ol muscle car days and the close ratio 4 speed with an extra gear It's really a 5 speed unless you're towing because you start off in 2nd most of the time. I think the ratio spacing is perfect running empty or towing because the 2000 rpm "sweet spot" on the HO motor is easy to stay in with 6 gears to select from.

 

[DAWG-1]

6-Speed

I had a 5-speed in a '95 for over six years. I test drove the 6-speed and I would not go back. I shift less because I am not inbetween gears anymore .

 

[Bigsaint]

As stated above, I don't think you can wrong with the ETH, pulls real hard even stock, forget about it BOMBed , guess you already know that though.



As for BOMBing, the Ez should fit no problem, worst case scenario, they changed the configuration of the map plug on the 2002. In that case, just send the ez back to Edge for a refit. Both the ETH and the ETC can be BOMBed to 400 HP with little effort, after that, the ETC will surpass the ETH.



Scott W.

 

[Deezul1]

Hey

How you doing? dont have a clue as I havnt driven a 6speed but wanted to say howdy as I havnt seen you in a while. Hope your doing good.

John

 

[SLightfoot]

Remember the clutch!!!

Remember the following:



If you plan on BOMBing it, the stock clutch on the 6 spd is weak.

It won't hold injectors and an EZ box towing from most repors I have heard.

That could be an extra $$$ to invest in a clutch.



The 5 spd clutch has quite a bit more holding power.



My opinion is that once you upgrade the power significantly (ie >700 ft/bs), the gearing gaps almost vanishon the 5 spd, and it isn't an issue anymore.

I tow a 9K 5er through the mountains and pass almost everything uphill.



It's something to consider before you make your decision.



I find that with lots of extra power (read BOMBs) I just have one less gear to row through.



There again, some folks like to row through gears

 

[Bigsaint]

That's real good advice Shawn, I forgot about the clutch, surely the weakest link in the ETH when BOMBing. Seems that some members are slipping the OEM ETH clutch with just an Edge EZ box .



Scott W.

 

[Beast2B]

row, row, row your truck?

Hey, if you're rowing 5, you might as well row 6 to have the better gear spacing for pulling. I rarely pull anything, but I like to row...

BTW, a buddy has a '93 3500 4x4 5-speed and he starts in second unless he has the boat behind him, so I don't think that would change much for every day driving. MY OFFICIAL 2 cents!

 

[JGblkLand]

Thanks for the replies so far. I'm still debating what to do, I'd like the extra room with the extended cab, our daughter is off at college-Texas Tech-and the cab space would come in handy when we go out there to visit. I just don't know if I'd miss the 6 spd. or not. Thanks Shawn for the post about the clutch, I thought I had heard someone mention that a while back. Hey John, good to hear from you, been doing OK, need to get together again sometime. Well, I'm still thinking, gonna try to decide soon.

 

[FATCAT]

The more gears the better

I have never driven the 6 speed, I just have the 5 speed ... but as far as I'm concerned I would take 10 more gears if I could. I like to have complete control over the trany, especially when towing. If DC offered an 18 speed with a split differential, I'd be first in line to get one. The NV 6 speed is suppost to be able to handle more torque and there is not the "5th gear nut nightmare" that hangs above all us 5-speeder's heads. Go for the 6-speed and the HO.

Then when DC offers the scaled down Road Ranger system from Eaton in 2005 with a 9 speed, trade up to that (at least thats the rumor I heard).

 

[Rcpilotlv]

Never had the 5 speed before, but just traded my 99 automatic in for a 2002 ETH 6 speed. All I can say is WOW! I dont regret this for a minute. The ETH/DEE kicks booty. I will never own a automatic or 5 speed as long as I can have a 6 speed. My truck Rocks! Stay with the 6 speed IMHO...

 

[MikeR]

BOMBing for speed or towing? What exactly are you going to do with the truck? Are you looking for a heavy hauler or a stoplight burner?



I had a '99 ETC 5spd and now a '00 ETC 6spd... both identical trucks to the 'T' with the only difference being the extra gear. I only tow 2500-4500 lbs of trailer weight regularly(weekly) so I don't need a heavy hauler. It turns out I like to be a speed demon and race my truck,and there's one too many gears on the 6 for the track. If my truck was to get totalled tomorrow(can't afford to get rid of it),I'd go back to a 5spd in a heartbeat. I like it and it has its place,but all I'm saying is I wouldn't miss it.

Sorry guys... now you've heard it all.



-Mike



PS, honestly I still think the 5spd with a US Gear o/d would be the best of both worlds.