Ram 1500 owners…Hemi & 3.92s?

[Grit_dog]

What better place than RVnet to get some good unbiased opinions…:B

I need to purchase a work truck soon. Company truck going away, vehicle allowance starting (with a gas card).
It’s gonna be a half ton. Has to be <5 y/o.
Having been impressed with the overall reliability of our last 2 Dodge gassers, SRT Chargers, I’m pretty well honed in on a 2019+ Ram 1500. Hemi, no Etorque (I’m on the hook for repairs to my vehicle) and trying hard to find one with 3.92s. May as well be as quick and fast as it can be for the budget…I don’t drive Miss Daisy…
Who’s got one?
Better yet anyone have a newer 8speed with 3.21s and 3.92s? As much of a seat of the pants difference as it should be?
How well does tow/haul work on the 8HP? Our Charger can change shift profiles on the fly and it’s literally the only transmission that appears to not be able to be confused by the driver. (Although props to the new Ford/GM light duty 10 speed. It too knows what to do 99.9% of the time).
Is the MDS very noticeable like one of those “great” Dodge features that make you want to press an extra button every time you drive it? Or is it seamless? It is seamless in our SRT but different vehicle different engine and tuning and it really only works in Eco Mode it seems in the Charger.
Reason for questions is if I don’t find a decent price used one soon I’ll probably go new which will mean basically buying sight unseen back east somewhere not called the PNW where cars cost more than they should! (Although if I have time I’d probably go test drive one locally if going new)

[ssthrd]

dodge guy wrote:

Grit dog wrote:

IdaD wrote:

Grit dog wrote:

To reiterate the question in more simple terms, how handily will a 3.92 geared Hemi blow the doors off a 3.21 geared Hemi?

Apparently...it won't.

Wow!
To say I’m surprised would be an understatement!
Thank you for that!
Can’t imagine the tires making that much difference. They must just work as good with the higher gears!

That’s because the 3.92 truck had larger diameter tires. So in the end the ratios were very close.

They say they a jump is worth a hundred horsepower. That and smaller take-off (pun intended) tires should make the 3.92 the winner every time.

[dodge_guy]

Grit dog wrote:

IdaD wrote:

Grit dog wrote:

To reiterate the question in more simple terms, how handily will a 3.92 geared Hemi blow the doors off a 3.21 geared Hemi?

Apparently...it won't.

Wow!
To say I’m surprised would be an understatement!
Thank you for that!
Can’t imagine the tires making that much difference. They must just work as good with the higher gears!

That’s because the 3.92 truck had larger diameter tires. So in the end the ratios were very close.

[dodge_guy]

I have a 16 Ram 1500 Hemi with 3.21’s I don’t tow with it, but it move very well for its size!
As far as the MDS, it is very seemless. You have to really be honest in to tell when it kicks in.
FWIW right now, I just had a lifter start ticking. So I need to tear into that and hopefully the cam is still good! I’m a Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram tech. So I know these things fairly well!

[TurnThePage]

Grit dog wrote:

TurnThePage wrote:
My 2015 Ram 1500 has the hemi, 8 speed, and 3.92 gears. I love it. It scoots nicely and has been an excellent commute and tow vehicle. On the steering wheel, you can push the "gear down" button once, which takes it out of MDS mode (which isn't that noticeable in the first place). You have to do that every time you shift the vehicle out of park/neutral.

That's good to know, there are 2 buttons that can kill the MDS (each time it's started of course).
How many miles? You have an early 8HP trans. As good as it was back in 2015 still?

The truck has about 93000 miles now and honestly, aside from some VERY MINOR wear on the edge of the driver seat where I get in and out, the whole rig is like new, drive train and all. Unless I choose to upgrade to a bigger truck, I can think of ZERO reason to change. JMHO of course. It's older but well aged tech.

[blt2ski]

For how you drive, a 3.0-3.5 ratio would be best. The 3.9+ tatios just burn fuel on the hwy. IF you are like me, drive in the 0-50, 10-15% max at 60+ mph. Then lower gears make sense.

Marty

[Grit_dog]

Pbutler97 wrote:

Grit dog wrote:


To reiterate the question in more simple terms, how handily will a 3.92 geared Hemi blow the doors off a 3.21 geared Hemi?

Are you going to a jobsite/office or running the 1/4 mile for cash? Or are you late to the jobsite/office a lot?

No drag racin lol. Just not a morning person and thought them gears would get me to work on time! But looks like I’ll have to get up 2 min sooner if I get the drag race gears…hahaha

[Grit_dog]

IdaD wrote:

Grit dog wrote:

To reiterate the question in more simple terms, how handily will a 3.92 geared Hemi blow the doors off a 3.21 geared Hemi?

Apparently...it won't.

Wow!
To say I’m surprised would be an understatement!
Thank you for that!
Can’t imagine the tires making that much difference. They must just work as good with the higher gears!

[NamMedevac_70]

My 2014 Ram 1500 V8 Hemi with 3.55Gear ratio is a very capable tow vehicle for my 28 foot 5000lb TT. Before that I used two Ram 1500s magnum V8 with 3.21 and 3.55 that also pulled the TT comfortably and then my 2500 Ram V10 with 4.10 gears pulled both fully loaded truck and trailer in the high mountains of rockies and west coast like a charm. Dodge is good, life is good, all is good

[Pbutler97]

Grit dog wrote:


To reiterate the question in more simple terms, how handily will a 3.92 geared Hemi blow the doors off a 3.21 geared Hemi?

Are you going to a jobsite/office or running the 1/4 mile for cash? Or are you late to the jobsite/office a lot?

[IdaD]

Grit dog wrote:

To reiterate the question in more simple terms, how handily will a 3.92 geared Hemi blow the doors off a 3.21 geared Hemi?

Apparently...it won't.

[Grit_dog]

MFL wrote:
Grit knows the rvnet motto...EVERYONE NEEDS a bigger truck!

What does the 1/2 ton door sticker show??

Of course a 3/4 would work, but just a LITTLE MORE, can get a SRW!

Lower tar pressure to 30 psi, when empty, for a great ride.

Jerry

Right on. You got it Jerry!
Door sticker? LOL I'd bet $100 that I actually don't even remember (or care) to look at it when I go look at trucks.

He!!, if I was doing what I wanted, I'd go get that longbed 3500 or even a big Doolie, so's I could start looking for a big TC.
But given I'll be driving and parking right smack in the middle of downtown Porthole (Portland) for the foreseeable future, one of them glorified soccermobiles that can only haul 3 bags of groceries fits the bill better on that front.

Trouble is, I LIKE big trucks and then wander off track into the 2500/3500 aisle...

[MFL]

Grit knows the rvnet motto...EVERYONE NEEDS a bigger truck!

What does the 1/2 ton door sticker show??

Of course a 3/4 would work, but just a LITTLE MORE, can get a SRW!

Lower tar pressure to 30 psi, when empty, for a great ride.

Jerry

[Grit_dog]

And free dead dinosaurs...but I could probably exchange my fuel card for a charging station? Doubt it...

Good to see this staying on topic. 1 on topic response, 1 reasonable attempt (thanks IdaD), a few how about a 1 ton, lol and of course the requisite EV crowd (not Dedmiston).

To reiterate the question in more simple terms, how handily will a 3.92 geared Hemi blow the doors off a 3.21 geared Hemi?

[Grit_dog]

time2roll wrote:

dedmiston wrote:
Can’t ya hold out for one of them EV pickups? :B

And pass up free gasoline? Crazy talk.

And then having Grit in half-ton is also unimaginable. I can hear the neighbors snickering already 😉

Bud, I've been half ton since half tons werent' cool. (little George Jones Barbara Mandrell duet comes to mind)
Probably 25-30 of the 40 or so personal and company trucks I've had over the last 30 years have been half tons.

BUT since you mentioned EVs, won't drive a Ford, Enali isn't available and not actually a truck, the stainless steel doorstop isn't available and the Rivian also isn't a real truck....but those little details aside, $100k for a wanna be half ton and last I checked, no EV charging stations on construction sites (guess I could rent my own personal gen set, lol) to top up after a 200 mile morning jaunt make the option wholly prohibitive from both a cost and practicality standpoint.
Something I'd surmise you wouldn't consider, but it appears you must since your rocking the turn of the century F150 still...

[time2roll]

dedmiston wrote:
Can’t ya hold out for one of them EV pickups? :B

And pass up free gasoline? Crazy talk.

And then having Grit in half-ton is also unimaginable. I can hear the neighbors snickering already 😉