2014 Ram 2500 6.4L Tow Review

ib516 wrote:
I have videos posted on YouTube of testing I have done comparing my 2014 6.4L Hemi to a 2014 Cummins in a 3500 SRW. His is the 370hp/800tq Cummins. Towing 14,000# 0-60 times were the same at 22 seconds. The RV is a 40 foot Cedar Creek Silverback 5er with a hydraulic leveling system and 4 slides.

6.4L Hemi 0-60 towing 14,000#

6.7L Cummins 0-60 Towing 14,000#

Same RV and same stretch of road used for each on the same day.

In my experience towing my RV (we used his for testing), I have found second gear to be ideal. Here's why. Accelerating, it is a big jump from 1st to second, and it does bog for a second or two. BUT, downshifting, it can shift down to 2nd at 60 mph and you're right at ~60 mph at 5000 RPM give or take, right at peak power. The truck (with 4.10s) will do just over 70 mph in second gear before it red lines and upshifts. My RV is 37', has 3 slides, and weighs about 12k. I am completely satisfied with the performance, and my last truck was a modified 5.9L Cummins.

Notice in the video of my truck towing 0-60 that it is still in second gear when I hit 60.

Ram has responded to TFL's video by saying:

"During the Silverado drive, you spoke negatively of the shift calibration. The tested Chevy was we assume hunting between 1st and 2nd gear and ranged from 5,300 rpms and 2,800 rpms, which you didn't seem to like. The Chevy revved very high up the hill for extended periods of time, over 5,000 rpms.

Ram Truck "invented" the first gear hold feature - and calibrated it - to avoid gear hunting and driving at excessively high rpms. Ike is a variable grade and we worked hard to develop a calibration that appropriately manages torque on the run and other grades.

We don't want the truck to rev high for extended periods of time and purposely hold 4,200 rpm.

Bottom line - our truck performed exactly as expected by delivering a more comfortable hauling experience, better vehicle longevity, and improved fuel economy. Time to the top of the hill is only one small piece of the driving experience and our engineers take a number of variables into consideration. Ask yourself if just over one minute is worth other negative driver inputs."