I'm Do'in it again

[SearsK]

Just ordered a new 2011 3500 LARAMIE, trading my 2008 5500 HAULER. Am I making the wrong move? My thinking is the new 4:10 gears and the higher HP & Torque will tow my 14/15k 5w a little better. Plus I like all the new improvements Dodge has made.

 

[DAN V]

8 speed transmission

Wait about 18 more months. i read somewhere that Dodge is supposed to come out with an 8 speed auto transmission and even more horspower.

 

[HBarlow]

IMO you're making a mistake. The small increase in hp and tq won't be noticed when you give up the 4. 44 or 4. 88 gears and the softer suspension and smaller brakes of the pickup won't do as good a job when hauling your trailer.

If you run empty all the time, yes, you'll be able to feel and appreciate the faster acceleration provided by the hp and tq of the new pickup and the smoothness of the new chassis. I'm sure the ride and interior features will be much nicer on a new 2011.

 

[robertyoke]

IMO you're making a mistake. The small increase in hp and tq won't be noticed when you give up the 4. 44 or 4. 88 gears and the softer suspension and smaller brakes of the pickup won't do as good a job when hauling your trailer.



If you run empty all the time, yes, you'll be able to feel and appreciate the faster acceleration provided by the hp and tq of the new pickup and the smoothness of the new chassis. I'm sure the ride and interior features will be much nicer on a new 2011.

small increase? 305 hp vs 350 hp = 15%

4. 44 gears vs 4. 10 = 8%

4. 88 gears vs 4. 10 = 19%



the thing about gearing is that you may be better off with the 4. 88 for towing in 6th or you may be better off with 4. 10's and letting the trans grab 5th or 4 th and having the od for the flat ground and get better mpg. it really comes down to the tw of the truck and trailer and that trailer at 14/15k doesn't really warrant a 5500 truck. if you were say pulling a 25 gvw trailer day in day out, yes get the 5500.



the truck will be lighter = less to push around and more mpg's

 

[HBarlow]

small increase? 305 hp vs 350 hp = 15%
4. 44 gears vs 4. 10 = 8%
4. 88 gears vs 4. 10 = 19%

the thing about gearing is that you may be better off with the 4. 88 for towing in 6th or you may be better off with 4. 10's and letting the trans grab 5th or 4 th and having the od for the flat ground and get better mpg. it really comes down to the tw of the truck and trailer and that trailer at 14/15k doesn't really warrant a 5500 truck. if you were say pulling a 25 gvw trailer day in day out, yes get the 5500.

the truck will be lighter = less to push around and more mpg's

Your math makes good sense in a theoretical application.

But what percentage of the time does a driver use full throttle and high rpm? Our Cummins engines don't produce maximum hp until 2900 rpm in the C&C and just over 3000 in the pickup application.

Under normal driving using part throttle the driver never reaches maximum hp so how will he derive any advantage from another 45hp?

If you take the calculations another step and include the cost of trading an '08 for a '10 model I wonder what he'll pay in dollars per (theoretical) hp gain. I would estimate approximately $300/hp.

 

[robertyoke]

Your math makes good sense in a theoretical application.



But what percentage of the time does a driver use full throttle and high rpm? Our Cummins engines don't produce maximum hp until 2900 rpm in the C&C and just over 3000 in the pickup application.



Under normal driving using part throttle the driver never reaches maximum hp so how will he derive any advantage from another 45hp?



If you take the calculations another step and include the cost of trading an '08 for a '10 model I wonder what he'll pay in dollars per (theoretical) hp gain. I would estimate approximately $300/hp.

People don’t buy a new truck for a few hp, they buy them because the want the new features that come with new models. You cant even compare a 3rd gen truck to the 4th gen’s. the new body, the way nicer interior and the new trucks are super quiet vs the old body, that annoying wind noise from your doors being sucked open in a crosswind, gone.

As far as towing goes, I’ve been as heavy as 38k tcw with my 04 with 3. 73’s and the truck does fine running down the interstate in overdrive. Do I have to downshift for hills, yes, but were also talking a truck pulling a trailer near double the weight of what the op said he was going to pull. I take the same truck as above and hook up my snowmobile trailer, with a 10000 gvw drive up Eisenhower pass and not even downshift from overdrive. Again for what the op is pulling the 5500 is way overkill. Personally I wouldn’t want to drive a 4500 or 5500 truck unless I really needed to, they ride like a lumber wagon.



From your quote “ Under normal driving using part throttle the driver never reaches maximum hp so how will he derive any advantage from another 45hp?” the same could be said for the lower gears, most of the time you will not need the added torque multiplication so you will just spin the engine faster and waste fuel. Really the only time one uses all the hp is during acceleration/passing and climbing hills. I go with the right tool for the job and a 3500 is plenty of truck for the job of pulling a 14/15k trailer, my ’10 mega srw 3. 73’s did just fine going up and down I70 yanking my triple axle toy box 5’er with a tcw of just under 23k.



I have got to add this, I think your calculator is broken because 1000 per hp x 45 hp = 45 grand…. . i paid about that for my loaded mega with a 53k sticker with the rebates, so I could have just lit my 03 on fire but instead I took the 21k the dealer offered for it.

 

[SearsK]

It was hard decision. My truck is a 5500 Chariot Hauler,4X4, auto, 7500 mi. Great truck, rode a little rough till I put the air ride seats in. As you can see with the low miles, it doesn't get a lot of use. I had planned to go full timing with the 5W, but plans sometimes get put on hold, and that's now about three years away. So now, a new plan. Buy this 2011 3500 dually, keep it three years. By then the new Rams will have the HP & TQ upgrades, and the bugs worked out. I don't think Dodge will be outdone by Ford and GM for long. Dollar for HP on trade. This is what made it hard not to trade the 08 for the 2011.

$2500 difference, maybe less if the rebate goes up buy the time the truck comes in. Time will tell - I've still got a Dodge, didn't fall for the Ford --- yet.

 

[HBarlow]

Wow, trading for a difference of $2500 makes your decision much easier to understand.