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6 speed that much better??anybody switched?

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I have a chance to buy a 6 speed out of a crashed dodge for $1500 and I'm wondering if they are that much better??? I haven't put the heavier duty clutch in mine yet although I've been thinking about it along with the nut repair, and the shaft replacement in the transmission. Maybe it would be worthwhile to switch at this point, instead of pouring money into the 5 speed?? Is that a different flywheel (I suppose it is)?? anybody ever switch from the 5 to the 6 speed???:-{}
 
Do you tow? The gear splits is the biggest improvement IMO. If you tow a heavy 5th wheel - pushing max GCWR - then the 6 spd will be a definite improvement. Around town it's not a big deal.



Brian
 
I owned a 00' 5-speed and hated it and I hadn't even towed yet,when I did in colorado I HATED it even more. So I got a 01. 5 HO 6-speed and I LOVE IT!:D
 
I have a 6 speed and wished it was a 5 speed. I don't think the 6 speed is necessary with the wider RPM band on the 24V engines. I had a 95 12V and it NEEDED a 6 speed. For city driving unloaded, the extra shifting can be a hassel, although if you start in 3rd it's not too bad. Also I've read a lot of postings where people state that it's cheaper to buy the non HO engine (approximately a $1K savings) and spend the money on injectors and a box. Additionally, the 5 speed clutch seems to hold the extra power a lot better than the 6 speed. When I added injectors (DDI's) to my Comp my clutch didn't last through my first full throttle romp on level 5.
 
I love my 6spd. . My clutch lasted through DD3s and a PE Comp, but not the B1!!!



Get the 6spd and put in a SBC Con FE while its out and you'll never need to touch it again.
 
Loretta Mitchell, wife of Dave Mitchell, has swapped a 5 spd. for a 6 spd. Here's their site. enterprise engine I have the 6 spd. and would not trade it for a 5 spd. for anything. My friend has an almost identical truck except for the HO option ($600, not $1000) and his has too much of a RPM drop in between shifts.



Brian



EDIT: I forgot to say that a lot of people complain about having to shift too much. Ever driven a regular 5 spd. (non-granny gear)? That's what the 6 spd. is when you start in 2nd. I don't think it's too many gears.
 
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I love the 6 speed. There is always a right gear to shift to. I don't think that the extra gear is any big deal in traffic.
 
The only advantage I can think of for a 5 speed is the ability to shift faster for drag racing. Other than that, my ETC 6 speed is just fine.



Charles
 
Shifting faster. It's all kind of relative. I could never shift the 5 speed of 6 speed very fast, but once I get the truck with the 5er in 6th gear, it doesn't slow down for much.
 
I think it would depend on the gears

I have 4:10s in my truck and a freind bought a 2001 with 3:54s and a 6spd. I think with the 4:10s and the 5spd you really don't notice the rpm drop while towing but if you have the 3:54s I think the 6spd would be much better for towing. I love my 5spd and when not towing I take off in 2nd so I only have to shift 3 times so that even makes it better. :D



Just my own opinion. :rolleyes:

Big D
 
A lot of people complain about shifting in traffic. I can out run traffic running 2-4-6 and unless I drop below 35 i can stay in sixth empty. I did this stock too. With all my new mods shifts will get fewer and farther between.



Stock I was able to hit 21k GCVW too. Loads like that should be childs play now.
 
I have had my 6 speed for a year now and love it. I don't use it as a daily driver but if I did the auto would be the way to go. JMHO



Les
 
I love my six speed,wouldn't trade it either,but I put in a power max 2 and within a week I had to install a TST 1000# clutch, now I have no problems. As far as shifting goes, I dig shiftin'!!!
 
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