AAM gear question

[DPKetchum]

Their are "lots" of others that would hardly consider a 3. 73 gear. I was sitting here thinking of the Dodge/Duramax and Ford trucks that I see on a regular basis around here. Mine is the least worked compared to the others. The "others" are eaither moving cattle,tractors,round bails of hay,support equipment for earth movers and such. In another words their WORKED on a daily basis. Hiway cruising speed and fuel mileage is not on the top of their list. How much they'll tow and haul is the concern with minimun down time.

 

[NIsaacs]

If Dodge offered the CTD with 3. 42's, a whole bunch of people would order them that way and STILL tow 15,000 lbs, and Dodge would have a lot of serious warranty problems.

The 3. 54's/3. 55's were used for 14-15 years... ... ... .





"NICK"

 

[Turbo Tim 1]

I'd be willing to bet that the gear selections available has something to do with emissions. The lower gear ratio keeps the engine spinning faster to keep the turbo spooled faster. Just my thought

 

[DPKetchum]

Chrysler Reps back in 99 and 2000 said that Chrysler engineers wanted away from the 3. 55 gears. It was NOT a good working gear for what the engine or trucks were intended for. 3. 55s were terrible for towing much more then a pop up camper.

 

[MMiller]

This topic has been discussed many times since the 3rd gens came out, and even before. I don't know what is soooo wrong with 3. 55's, I wouldn't want 410s in my tow vehicle. This being said, I've never personally towed in the mountains, but I still fail to see what's wrong with this gear. It works great when towing on 55-60 mph roads, I just run 4th gear about 58, and then on the interstate I run 5th and tow at 70-72 mph. This is even with my current 305 tires, which are a shade too tall. The next tires will be 31-32" tall tire, instead of this true 33" tall tire.



My F750 service truck has 410 gears, 22. 5" rims with high profile tires, a 7 speed OD transmission, and it runs very similar to my dodge. If towing a trailer+all the tools on my F750 work truck it will run 6th or direct at 55, and pull every thing else in OD at 1800 rpms. That's with a 7 liter Cat.



IMHO the only trucks that NEED 410s are the ones towing heavy on the farm(short distances, no interstate), towing heavy in the city(stoplight to stoplight), or possibly the mountains. The ones that run more highway and interstate highways need taller gears to run higher speeds and cruise. Just like OTR trucks do.



Now this all being said, opinions are like armpits, everybody has them and most stink. I tow heavy, frequently, in a lot of different conditions, from hauling hay out of fields, rock out of rockquarries, to 2 lane 55 mph southern Iowa hills, and 70 mph plus interstate jaunts for hours at a time.



If I were looking at a 3rd gen, I would really HATE the current six speed combo, just do to hi rpms at 70 rpm. With the current 6 speed, I think the 3. 42 would put it simalar to older trucks with 3. 55's. I wish I could afford a 3rd gen, as it would be the wife's ride and pull the pulling trucks around the country side hauling the family. My standard cab can do all that except haul the family.



Michael

 

[RHuot]

Snow Pro

This is Great!! There is obviously a difference of opinion. I agree with the comments regarding potenial warrenty issues with at 3:42 gear. On most highways we are struggling to make 75MPH because of RPM's that exceed the torque range based on the gearing offered. This effects fuel mileage. Reading past TDR articles (issue51 in the saddle) the optimum speed is about 62mph. The Gear Vendor/US Gear works well but is an expensive option.

These trucks are not cheap, we should be able to investigate various options specific to indavidual requirments. Purchasing the light duty truck is not like purchaing a car, much more planning and investigating is involved. Unfortunately in most cases we have to deal with car salesmen that are not up to speed with basic 2500/3500 pickup or C/C technical options.

AAM has stated the 3:42 is availible for the 11. 50 and 9:25 axles in 2007. I cannot comfirm if Dodge will approve the 3:42 option, which AAM could provide. Obviously this would become a very hot topic if offered. The missing link is contact with Dodge Truck engineers. With all the discussions in the TDR forum is there any representation from Dodge (contact)? After all we talk about there product old and new. .

 

[RVTRKN]

Like y-knot said, the heavy duty Ram is intended for heavy duty use. Those of us that tow need every bit of the 3:73s or 4:10 for the really serious guys. When I'm pulling over 15K pounds I really, really want 2,000 RPM or a little more.

I used to have the 3:55 ratio in my 2nd gen gasser 2500 2X2 and the trans would allways hunt for the right gear something I hated about auto trany's and is one of the reasons I bought my CTD with the manual trans.



I pulled my 5ver all over the pacific NW with the 3:73 gears & NV5600 trans in a lot of different types of terrain and at 16 MPG average was awesome for the 3. 5K mile trip. I know a lot of you will dispute the MPG but hand calculated that was the final number. I like the 3:73 gear and think it is a good compromise for heavy towing and good MPG, and that is what is on order now with the G56 and 3:73.



The 3500 C&C with the G56 and 3:73 gears I now have on order is supposed to be the same as the NV5600 with the 4:10 and hope the MPG will be as close to mine now.

 

[DPKetchum]

MMiller you must not tow much or off the flat and level. The 3. 55 geared auto trucks I've known were only ok on flat and level. My neighbor had a 2000 3. 55 2 w. d. with a 3 horse alum. trailer and TWO horses on any kind of incline IF you lost speed all you could do was maintain 55 or so mph. No nothing left to gain hardly anything until ypu fell off the next down hill. He ttraded it off at 30k for a 3. 73 geared 6 speed and it did ok with same weight. Then he traded it(had 152k on it) for a 05 auto 3. 73 and got somewhat unhappy. It pulls good at 70 plus mph(he dosn't want to tow at 70 plus) but then again if big inclines or curvy mountain roads it hunts,slams into 3rd and screams. We pull same load or more with my truck and it maintans,has some added punch and drives so much better. I've towed 9k across the midwest with 3. 55 gears. It was miserable. Just like a heavy loaded under powered big rig. Fall off the downhills screaming and barely crest the hills at 60 or so floored. These trucks were designed to work and pull. At the VERY least 3. 73 gears or 3. 42with the G56 ONLY as a option but not with the auto. I had hard way back when(99/2000)that D. C. wanted the 3. 55 GONE as it was not suited as a working gear with the Cummins. I've owned 3 of these trucks and NEVER used one of them as a daily driver. Others I know same deal.

 

[MMiller]

Iowa is far from flat. Illinios, Nebraska and Kansas are flat. Most truckers and RVers loose mileage in Iowa running across I80, because its up and down hills all day. I used to drive an old international truck with an 855 13 speed, and it would not pull OD up the hills hauling a combine. Granted there is no mountains, but it sure isn't flat. Mine is not an auto either. Look in my readers rigs and see the loads I haul. My truck and trailer are 15,000# empty. I put two 6500# trucks on the trailer and head up to Wisconsin. I also put 10 big round bales on the trailer, or 30 big squares. The last load of hay I grossed 29,900# and ran 4th gear on the 2 lanes, and pulled OD for most of the 65 mph runs. I also know my tires are too big right now, as it towed better with the 33X12. 5's then the current 305's which were a big difference. When I lived in Davenport Ia, I used to leave there with a load of two trucks and run to the west side of Des Moines, with the cruise set at 72, and race peterbilts and kenworths to the top of Iowa hills. Never between Davenport and Des Moines did I need to pull it out of OD. This was before the bigger injectors too.

 

[GJolicoeur]

I agree with others here about the 3. 42 gears. I always ordered my diesels with the 3. 54 gears - figuring that since most of the time I ran lightly loaded, I would take advantage of the high torque and get better mileage.



I had problems towing my trailers though - at 70 miles an hour keeping up with freeway traffic - I ran my 1st and 2nd gens flat out for hours.



My 3rd gen has 3. 73 gears - an excellent compromise. The truck is MUCH faster and tows easier. I can maintain speed in headwinds.



Oh, BTW, best mileage I got with my 2nd gen was 19 MPG (Canadian). I can get 23 MPG with my 3rd gen at 55 MPH and 21 MPG at 65 MPH.



If you're going to go with larger tires - you'll definitely want the higher ratios. I've had 4. 10's in the old days when we didn't have the power and torque of our big diesels - but the gas engines had a much wider RPM range to get over it. My first Dodge 4X4 pickup ran 3600 RPM steady at 60 MPH with a 225 CID slant six. Oh, those were the days,... .

 

[Cattletrkr]

The guy I took over for had a 93 3500 (350?) with the 3. 5x rear end. He pulled in excess of 30K with that thing for 435K miles, never seeing 5th gear unless empty. If I ever get smart I'm gonna get a truck that is geared high enough to pull at or near freeway speeds in DIRECT, and only use o/d empty.

 

[TowPro]

Its OK to tow up to max weight with the Auto and 3:73's correct?

My G56 3:73's is turning faster RPM then the auto with 4:10's, so why can't I run a 3:42?

 

[NIsaacs]

I think the towing complaints and 3. 54/3. 55 gears are more related to the 3 and 4 spd auto's. The 5 and 6 spd manual's will get the job done with the same gears. The new 6 spd autos with the double overdrives can utilize the lower gears better then the low geared 6th in the G56. The big power of the newer trucks are also a big improvement over the lower RPM and somewhat "sick stock" first and second generation trucks.



My son has an "06" G56/w3. 73's and after 7,000 miles removed the stock 245's and went to 295's, he is a happy camper now. Me being an old foggy , I couldn't stand to see almost new Michelin's going to waste so I took my 285's off and installed the 245's, I would hate to have anything less then the 3. 55's I have.





"NICK"

 

[DPKetchum]

435k running what? 50/55/60 mph with one foot out the drivers door helping push! I pulled about 9k with a 93 with 3. 55s and it was not fun. Lots of WORK with the DARN another hill in the slow lane floored. My neighbor encountered same thing with a 2000 auto 3. 55 geared trucked. Yea, you could live with it but to me it was white knuckle driving all the time with a deep breath on flat and level screaming at 75 down hill going crap,look at THAT incline. I now tow 10k plus at 65 to 70 mph up the hill and down the hill with only a downshift to 5th on the biggest inclines mostly with cruise on and without a tension headache. Look at big rig drivers as they get beside you. The ones in Macks look rough with worn out faces and the ones in Peterbuilts and Kenworths look fresh listening to tunes on the radio. I ever get in that same situation again I'll get a mid duty truck.

 

[Cattletrkr]

435k running what? 50/55/60 mph with one foot out the drivers door helping push!

:-laf We don't have much for big hills around here. Not flatland by any means, but no big hills. He could run 65-70 in 4th IIRC and he did it a lot. Truck never had a tach, he shifted when he ran out or revs. It handled a trailer just fine. Obviously slow by today's standards, but he wasn't the slowpoke in the right lane holding up traffic.

 

[mhachez]

Instead of trying to get gears through Chrysler,why doesn't someone try getting them from AAM or one of it's distributors. Mike

 

[MChildress]

How high can we split with the aux splitters? I had an 83 Ford 6. 9 with a 3. 08 rearend and a granny 4 SPD I pulled a x3 axle GN all over the the flat ground around here with no problems. It would run 80 mph in 3rd and the governor would never hit in fourth. I know most the rearends were 3. 55 and 4. 10 and they split the difference with the 3. 73 in an attempt to make everybody happy.

 

[Ereynolds72]

At the VERY least 3. 73 gears or 3. 42with the G56 ONLY as a option but not with the auto.

That's what I'm talking about. I would only want the 3. 42 with the G56. I'd go with 4. 10s with the new 68RFE. I tell all my friends that if you want a truck for towing, get a Dodge CTD. With that said, it is critical that you get what suits your needs. If your truck will spend it's life towing heavy at low speed, then the G56 and 4. 10s would be appropriate. For my needs (wants) the G56 with 3. 42s would be about perfect but the G56 and 3. 73s would be fine.



I hate it when I tell a salesman at the dealer what I want and he proceeds to ask me what I'm towing. I usually stop talking to him when that question comes up. I put 110k miles on my '02 and I'd say 90K was unloaded. But you know when I needed it, it was there. I hate 1/2ton trucks and I'll never own another. So we all use our trucks differently, that's apparent. It would just be nice to have the option.



Besides, doesn't the rated towing capacity vary with options anyway? Does DC use these ratings to determine if repairs are covered under warranty?

 

[ggaudreault]

The new specs. are out on Dodge web page ( www.dodge,ca) ,and I notice that they don't show a 373 with an A6 transmission? they show a 373 with the manual only. My new truck was order with the 373 A6 ? I gest I will be a little faster on green lights!

 

[AKaiser]

I used to have the 3:55 ratio in my 2nd gen gasser 2500 2X2 and the trans would allways hunt for the right gear something I hated about auto trany's and is one of the reasons I bought my CTD with the manual trans.



I pulled my 5ver all over the pacific NW with the 3:73 gears & NV5600 trans in a lot of different types of terrain and at 16 MPG average was awesome for the 3. 5K mile trip. I know a lot of you will dispute the MPG but hand calculated that was the final number. I like the 3:73 gear and think it is a good compromise for heavy towing and good MPG, and that is what is on order now with the G56 and 3:73.



The 3500 C&C with the G56 and 3:73 gears I now have on order is supposed to be the same as the NV5600 with the 4:10 and hope the MPG will be as close to mine now.

I wouldn't bet on similar numbers, MPG-wise. My 2500 has G56x3. 73s and I'm not seeing better than 17 unloaded on the Interstate. Based on a 1/2 MPG increase from taller tires (from stock 31. 6 to 33 inch), I expect to see similar results (in type, not qty, I hope) from going to 3. 42s. With the G56, the 1st gear is low enough that going to 3. 42s shouldn't cause any issues for hauling. You do, however, have to change out the front differential housing.



Got this from Swapping from 3. 73 to 3. 42 Gears - Page 4



To convert Chrysler (Dodge Ram) to 3. 42 ratio:



Rear



11. 5" Gear Set - 40045439 (New) - (Fits both GM and Chrysler 11. 5 Rears)



Front - A Diff Case and Diff Kit change is necessary for 2003 to 2006 models - use the following parts...



9. 25" Gear Set (New) - 40045288 - (used in 2007 and up)



9. 25" Diff Case (New) - 40028204 - (used in 2007 and up)



9. 25" Diff Kit (New) - 74042462 - (used in 2007 and up)