Forum Discussion

tbolt2000's avatar
tbolt2000
Explorer
Dec 09, 2015

Ram 1500 3.55?

I have been looking at Ram 1500 4 door. Looking at years 2011 to 2013, Most likely 2012. Gear ratio 3.55. Thought need the 3.92 gear, now not sure (see below). I don't ever plan towing greater than 6500#. Looking for a Ram towing of 10,800#.

Would a Ram with tow capacity of 10,800# be over kill or would 8800# be good choice?

Things I have noticed in looking up the VIN's for Ram's interested in, for the ""Equipment Listing"for a specific Ram it will show a gear ratio as 3.55.

If I plug the VIN here for 'LOOK UP MY VEHICLE it will either show the towing for a 3.55 as either 10,800# or 8,800# based on the VIN I plug in.

Why is it a 3.55 gear can tow 10,000#'s or 8,800#'s?
How do I really know what RAM I'm looking at can tow?

I have read also that 2013 and 2014 Dodge stated on sticker that it had a 3.55 gear when in fact it had the 3.21gear on some RAM's it sold.
Tow Vehicles
  • Golden_HVAC's avatar
    Golden_HVAC
    Explorer
    Dec 09, 2015
    2.21 gearing is really an oddball rear axle ratio. Even 3.21 would be rare in trucks set up for towing.

    3.55 or 3.92 would tow about the same - performance wise. Just the 3.92 would turn a few more RPM at a given road speed and therefor be able to make a little more HP at that higher RPM. However even with the lower gearing, it will just downshift if you need more horsepower and will change the RPM all the way up to 4000 if needed to make plenty of power to get over a mountain or onto a freeway.

    Have fun camping!

    Fred.
  • KD4UPL's avatar
    KD4UPL
    Explorer
    Dec 09, 2015
    When it comes to towing there's no such thing as overkill.
    The tow rating of a vehicle is based on much more than just axle ration: engine, transmission, wheel and tire combination, cab and bed configuration, various coolers and other parts all figure in.
    While a 3.55 geared truck would tow that trailer a truck with 3.92 will do it better.
  • ChooChooMan74's avatar
    ChooChooMan74
    Explorer
    Dec 09, 2015
    I don't believe you will find a Ram 1500 with 10k towing capacity. Maybe a stripped down 2WD regular cab with 3.92.
  • MNGeeks61's avatar
    MNGeeks61
    Explorer
    Dec 09, 2015
    I googled this before -

    Pretty much only the 3.92 gears in a 4x2 if you're talking quad/crew. Yes, a couple of 4x4's will do 10k, mostly the standard cabs. But not 3.55's. The 2012's seem to tow the most (on avg)

    2013

    2012

    2011
  • mkirsch's avatar
    mkirsch
    Nomad II
    Dec 09, 2015
    Why is it a 3.55 gear can tow 10,000#'s or 8,800#'s?
    How do I really know what RAM I'm looking at can tow?


    The tow rating of a truck depends on engine, transmission, axle ratio, cab/bed configuration, and whether it's 4x4 or 4x2.

    Larger cab/bed configurations and 4x4 add weight which reduces towing capacity.
    More powerful engines, more gears in the transmission, and lower (numerically higher) axle ratios raise towing capacity.

    So if two trucks have 3.55 axle ratios, and one is rated to tow 8800 and the other is rated to tow 10000, that means something else is different. 6-speed vs. 4-speed transmission maybe? Higher output Hemi? Regular cab 4x2 vs. crew cab 4x4?

    The owner's manual will give you the tow ratings. All you need to do is find the towing section and look up the truck's cab/bed/drive/axle ratio combination in the tables.
  • FLY_4_FUN's avatar
    FLY_4_FUN
    Explorer
    Dec 09, 2015
    Dodge has online tables that will list all of the possible variables others have listed above...and give you the max ratings. Even 20" tires vs 17 can impact your ratings. On a personal note I had a 2004 4x2 quad cab with a hemi and 3:55 gearing and I regret not having a more "towing friendly" gear in there. As mentioned before, having too much truck is rarely an issue so the 3:92 gears will perform slightly better than the 3:55 with all other factors being the same. The only downside is worse mileage, but that's a compromise we face with towing houses down the road.
  • APT's avatar
    APT
    Explorer
    Dec 09, 2015
    Most half tons run out of payload/rear axle/ or receiver limits well below the tow ratings when it comes to towing RVs. Many people underestimate their weights for RVing. A 6500 pound TT loaded with a long weekend full of family camping stuff is more like 5500 pounds dry. It also has 800-900 pounds of tongue weight. That TW takes part of the vehicle payload. If you and the family and a bed full of cargo weighs 600 pounds, you will want a truck with at least 1400 pounds of payload. Some half tons have under 1000, some over 2000.

    The performance difference between 3.55 and 3.92 is not significant with 6+ gears. I highly recommend the 8-spd for Ram. But focus on the as equipped payload which is identified on the tire and loading sticker on every door or door jam since 2006.
  • SouthpawHD's avatar
    SouthpawHD
    Explorer
    Dec 09, 2015
    As others have said, payload is more likely a factor than overall published towing capacity.

    Also, I have noticed that Rams have lower payload capacities than the other Detroit trucks. So look that over carefully before making your decision.
  • tbolt2000's avatar
    tbolt2000
    Explorer
    Dec 09, 2015
    APT wrote:
    But focus on the as equipped payload which is identified on the tire and loading sticker on every door or door jam since 2006.


    I have looked at the door jam sticker and see the load fro front wheel and rear wheel....my question is how do you relate that to towing and/or payload?
  • tbolt2000's avatar
    tbolt2000
    Explorer
    Dec 09, 2015
    ChooChooMan74 wrote:
    I don't believe you will find a Ram 1500 with 10k towing capacity. Maybe a stripped down 2WD regular cab with 3.92.

    But I have went here and plugged in the VIN of a Ram 1500 Quad and some come up 8800# yet a different VIN (yet quad) will come up 10800#.

    http://www.ramtrucks.com/en/towing_guide/

    It will be the link "look up my vehicle. Although most will be the 8800 a few I have done will come up 10800.

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