I am using my truck mostly for towing the 5W (except some side trips). After doing some homework I am planning to upgrade to an used Ram 3500 CTD. I would definitely like a long bed , SRW and EB,the rest is still open. So help me decide: 5.9Lt or 6.7Lt and why? Auto or Manual? Which ratio? Which EB. Thank you
5.9 all the way. Reason is because the 6.7 is still new enough that they are still trying to work out all the bugs. The 6.7 will be a good motor but only after all the bugs are worked out of it. Tranny selection is up to you. Autos are nice when it comes to driving every day. Manuals are nice when you tow. Which do you do more of? Ratios are easy, 3.73. No reason to get anything deeper than that. LT.
Motor - 5.9L no doubt... they are cheaper now, you can mod them (unlike the new ones) and they are proven to be reliable (unlike the relatively new 6.7). Transmission - Manual... I drive a manual in Los Angeles traffic and have never once regretted buying it. This is partially because the Dodge auto's pretty much suck unless you do a bunch of expensive work to them (although I haven't heard much about the new 6-speed autos). Also the stick will be much much better for towing, which you say you will be doing a lot of with this truck. Gears - 3.73's unless you plan on getting 35'' tires, then get the 4.10's. What is an EB?
EB = exhaust brake i see :doah: Um... I had the Jacobs exhaust brake on my truck when I got it; had to remove it due to turbo upgrade. From what I understand, the older Jacobs brakes ran off of vacume, which was a good setup. However, I think they changed that on the newer ones so I am not sure how good it is anymore. And the manuals have 6 forward gears on the new ones. By the way, what is your price range? That will have a lot to do with the truck you can get... I would go for an 05 or 06 personally...
Your price range seems to be in the ball park. Six forward gears is standard in the manual tranny. The autos for 05 and 06 had (I think) 4 forward gears. In overdrive they will lock up and act just like a manual tranny would. Autos are problematic if you start throwing a lot of horsepower to them or if you tow very heavy loads with them. The manuals are a little more robust then the autos are in this reguard. However, with the new manual trannys you had better like to shift. I have an 06 QC, dually with the G-56 manual tranny. In town I am cruising around in fifth gear at about 35 mph, and I start in second gear. The clutches in the G-56 trannys is a little weak. I am at about 525 hp and 1070 tq and I cannot fuel the truck all the way to its full potential (listed previously). I can fuel it up to about 400 hp and 850 tq and the clutch will hold. But, a built auto tranny is about $6000.00 and a clutch that will handle all that power is about $1400.00. LT.
Thanks,I still have to ask this: Is there a better Manual Tranny than G-56? Do you have gauges that keeps you from going over 400hp and 850 tq? Sorry for all these questions I am just trying to purchase the best one possible.
The NV-5600 some will say is a better tranny because of the case. I think that I prefer the G-56 but only because of the position of the gears. The Nv-5600 has reverse located next to 5th gear. On the G-56 reverse is located next to 2th gear. The G-56 is found on 2005 and up models. The NV-5600 is the previous standard tranny. I don't have a guage that tells me my hp and tq. I use a Smarty and load different programs to achieve different hp and tq. Don't worry about all the questions, we have all been there before. This is part of the learning process and you will find that everybody has opinions. They are all worth listening to. I have found more un-biasised facts here than I have found on other forums. Other forums may move a little faster but this one is where I have found the best and truest information. LT.
I'd say the G-56 is just fine... just plan on buying a South Bend clutch if you increase the power very much. ... sorry, when you increase the powerimp:
Sorry... South Bend is an aftermarket clutch manufacturer. For my truck at least, you can get either a 350hp, 450hp, or 550hp clutch. I got the 450hp version and it ended up costing me around $1700 total (including parts, labor and synthetic fluid). PM Diesel Nut on this forum and he can hook you up with one when the time comes.
The more and more that I researched this topic (after market clutches) Southbend was the name that kept coming up. From what I have read they are tops when it comes to clutches. LT.
I'd look for an 05-06 5.9 liter cummins with the 24 valves, and the very sturdy 48RE 4 speed Automatic. The 06 does have one advantage. If you get a truck that still has it's factory warranty, the 06 model was approved for an exhaust brake installation with the 48RE Automatic. My 05 48RE equipped truck is not Mopar approved for an exhaust brake. I.E. Mopar can void or not cover warranty coverage on my Transmission while I'm running an exhaust brake. Dodge did some minor alterations to the 06 and later 48RE that changed all that. Also, keep in mind that with an 05-06 CTD you can use any sulfur level of diesel, while anything newer, you must use low sulfure diesel. If you make a trek into Mexico, you most likely will not find low sulfur diesel as common/abundant. Fuel mileage: Even though the 6.7 Cummins is a pulling monster, it's fuel mileage is appreciably lower than the 5.9, even it's latest or last generation. My 5.9 with automatic, and with a hard tonneau top covering my long bed, will crack-off 23-24 mpgs. at 55 mph on the flat, with no appreciable headwind. It will do a little over 15 MPG's while towing our 10k lbs. Komfort travel trailer under the same conditions. I don't have to concern myself with soot filtering, and do have a slight disadvantage as far as power and torque go compared to the later 6.7 Cummins. Still, 325 Horsepower, and 610 Ft/lbs. of torque isn't too shabby. One other thing. The 05's were the last year that Chrysler offerered the 7/70 drivetrain warranty along with their 3/36 bumper to bumper warranty. 06's didn't have the 7/70.
