Attention: TDR Forum Junkies I took a step on the wild side and went and bought a new 3500 chassis cab SRW with the 6.4L Hemi and the Aisin transmission. I can't part with my '06 Cummins 3500 SRW with the 48RE, it has been a pilgrim working without any complaints. I bought the new truck as a business decision and I thought I would share what I have learned so far.
The truck has 4:44 gears and with the Aisin I have to say the truck is proving to be far better than I expected. I have towed 10,000 lbs with it and when in tow haul, it had no drama what so ever, it towed far better than I expected. The truck normally sits at 2,050 rpm while at 70 mph and while I was towing, I kept it at 65 mph and I felt it was steady and had plenty of power to go if needed.
Mileage has been 14.7mpg on two long trips keeping at 70 mph, towing, it dropped to 11.3 mpg keeping it at 65mph .
I went with the chassis cab vs removing the bed from a SRW this time because I felt the suspension would be a bit more robust under the rear and I liked the 52 gallon fuel tank. I had installed an aluminum flatbed on both the '06 and the new truck and I have been doing some side to side comparisons to see what the difference is.
The Cummins got 15.6 towing the same 10,000 lbs and the truck has 4:10 gears with a built 48RE transmission. The Aisin uses a much better logic and seems to be in the correct gear all the time. I realize it has 2 extra gears and this helps tremendously but the part I find nice is that it doesn't always jump into the next gear just because you let up on the throttle. This has been a dislike of mine since my first Cummins back in 95. The chassis cab seems much more planted and stable on the road , I realize it is new and stiff but there is a definte difference in how firm the truck is.
I wanted a new Cummins as I have owned 5 so far and loved everyone of them however the emissions and my usage just tipped the scale toward the gas engine. I read about all the people towing with the Hemi and complaining about downshifting all the time and when you read they are running 3:73 gears and the 66rfe transmission, it all made sense. I found the only way I could get the Aisin was with the chassis cab for the Hemi and it only came with the 4:44 ratio. It turns out to be just the right match for the engine. I was worrying it would be too low geared for the highway but that turned out to be a non issue as the 6th gear overdrive is pretty steep.
All in all I love the new truck and would recommend others to look into it but make sure you check out the Aisin combination, it feels like it was built just for the motor.
I will continue with my subscription to TDR as we all know it covers much more than just the engine plus I may just keep my '06 for a few more years..
Happy Holidays Everyone!
The truck has 4:44 gears and with the Aisin I have to say the truck is proving to be far better than I expected. I have towed 10,000 lbs with it and when in tow haul, it had no drama what so ever, it towed far better than I expected. The truck normally sits at 2,050 rpm while at 70 mph and while I was towing, I kept it at 65 mph and I felt it was steady and had plenty of power to go if needed.
Mileage has been 14.7mpg on two long trips keeping at 70 mph, towing, it dropped to 11.3 mpg keeping it at 65mph .
I went with the chassis cab vs removing the bed from a SRW this time because I felt the suspension would be a bit more robust under the rear and I liked the 52 gallon fuel tank. I had installed an aluminum flatbed on both the '06 and the new truck and I have been doing some side to side comparisons to see what the difference is.
The Cummins got 15.6 towing the same 10,000 lbs and the truck has 4:10 gears with a built 48RE transmission. The Aisin uses a much better logic and seems to be in the correct gear all the time. I realize it has 2 extra gears and this helps tremendously but the part I find nice is that it doesn't always jump into the next gear just because you let up on the throttle. This has been a dislike of mine since my first Cummins back in 95. The chassis cab seems much more planted and stable on the road , I realize it is new and stiff but there is a definte difference in how firm the truck is.
I wanted a new Cummins as I have owned 5 so far and loved everyone of them however the emissions and my usage just tipped the scale toward the gas engine. I read about all the people towing with the Hemi and complaining about downshifting all the time and when you read they are running 3:73 gears and the 66rfe transmission, it all made sense. I found the only way I could get the Aisin was with the chassis cab for the Hemi and it only came with the 4:44 ratio. It turns out to be just the right match for the engine. I was worrying it would be too low geared for the highway but that turned out to be a non issue as the 6th gear overdrive is pretty steep.
All in all I love the new truck and would recommend others to look into it but make sure you check out the Aisin combination, it feels like it was built just for the motor.
I will continue with my subscription to TDR as we all know it covers much more than just the engine plus I may just keep my '06 for a few more years..
Happy Holidays Everyone!
