Ram 2021 questions

[djcjc]

Going to get a new Ram Have a 2012 3500 Dually going to go to a 3500 crew cab 8 ft bed SRW, is the HO worth the 3 thousand upgrade over the standard cummins. I have the high output on my dually but torque is 800 # so is it worth it or not. Also have a 4:10 rear end on existing but thinking 3.73 on new one would like a little better mileage when not towing. Have loved the dually for pulling our 36 ft TT but going to go to a fifth wheel and not anything huge usually just me and wife with grandkids visiting some times. SRW will make daily driving a little easier.

[Grit_dog]

BTW, love the CP4 defenders....
Even IF you’re a blind dyed in the wool Blue Oval 4evah kind of person, the fact that now 2 of 3 have dropped the CP4 like a hot potato HAS to register in your cranium. So your defense is simply denial.
To the OP, unless your truck is on its last legs, pump the brakes, Ram got the right IP back on the engines, wait for the Powerline trans later this year, then pull the trigger. Otherwise you may as well keep your old truck, IMO. Not literally, but if you opt for the 68 trans then you’re buying an outdated, ill shifting (albeit generally reliable) transmission to transfer power in your brand new expensive truck!
Idk how Ram has continued to sell trucks so long with the 68. It was bottom of the barrel in 2007 when they introduced it. Now it’s fallen off the low end of the good to bad scale.

I own one. Strange, but fiscally responsible turn of events got me into the 2016 and I can say, deleted emissions, tuned, engine runs like it should. No dead pedal and good old simple (by today’s standards) engine that puts some power down. Trans is tuned as well and either it’s poor tuning or some of the 68 characteristics can’t be programmed out, but it’s evident that it’s a descendant of a long line of ill performing Dodge transmissions!
Heck the rest of the rear wheel drive FCA vehicles dumped the chitty in house transmissions for good 7 model years ago. And some got sent to pasture back in 05? I believe with the introduction of the NAG1. Yet somehow the 68rfe escaped the axe to this day?

[LIKE2BUILD]

rhagfo wrote:

The 2014 with 68RFE was 370 HP and 800 lb. ft. of torque. 385/850 was the HO only with the Aisin.
The HP and Torque for the SO 68RFE was flat at 370/800 from 2013’ to 2018, then in 2019 it got a 50 lb. ft. increase in torque.
I

Yep, realized that after I went back and checked myself. But, the gist of my comment to the OP is simply that without the HO you still get a fantastic power and load capacity.

[rhagfo]

LIKE2BUILD wrote:

djcjc wrote:
Going to get a new Ram
--> Have a 2012 3500 Dually
--> going to go to a 3500 crew cab 8 ft bed SRW
--> I have the high output on my dually but torque is 800 # so is the HO worth the 3 thousand upgrade over the standard cummins
--> going to go to a fifth wheel and not anything huge
--> SRW will make daily driving a little easier.

The truck you want to buy is nearly identical to my 2014 crew cab, long bed 2500. My Cummins is 385HP/800TQ with the 68RFE transmission. I pulled a 14,000lbs 5er through the Rockies just fine and never felt overmatched by the trailer. I've also pulled gooseneck trailers in the 15,000lbs range and it handled that very well. The OEM engine brake is out of this world for towing :B

Is the HO upgrade worth it? The extra 275 ft-lbs of torque is nice and the Aisin transmission is more stout than the 68RFE. Is it $3K better, I'm not sure because the standard 385HP/850TQ is a pretty good package. Also, I don't know if you can get the HO package in the SRW 3500.

Absolute #1 thing for sure: Get the factory 5th wheel and goose neck prep packages! It's only something like a $500 option and worth it's weight in gold. This setup makes install and removal of the 5th wheel hitch a breeze. Plus your in-bed wiring is already done as well.

The optional camera package is really nice. I've driven the newer trucks that have the bed view camera and it makes lining up your 5er pin really easy. Obviously you can do this without the camera, but man it makes things so simple and eliminates those 2 or 3 trips in and out of the cab to check alignment.

One final suggestion. If you get a 4X4, order the OEM side steps. These trucks set really tall and unless you have some long legs it's a real stretch up into the cab without the side steps. My truck had aftermarket steps when I bought it and I had to replace them. I went with OEM and they are so much firmer and solid feeling than the aftermarket ones.

The SRW crew cab long bed truck is definitely narrower than the dually, but it's still a land yacht. Easier to drive for sure than the dually, but you still need to plan your turns and watch your mirrors because these dudes are looooooong

KJ

The 2014 with 68RFE was 370 HP and 800 lb. ft. of torque. 385/850 was the HO only with the Aisin.
The HP and Torque for the SO 68RFE was flat at 370/800 from 2013’ to 2018, then in 2019 it got a 50 lb. ft. increase in torque.
I

[4x4ord]

I think the pump failures are rare and at least Cummins seems to look after you if it happens under warranty. The CP3 is a much more reliable pump than the CP4. It is capable of handling a bit of abuse and if it does fail it doesn’t destroy the rest of the fuel system. That said I wouldn’t base my decision of what truck to buy solely on avoiding a crappy designed CP4 pump. The regular output Cummins has higher compression pistons in it and is likely to get a little better fuel economy than the high output.

[otrfun]

Bionic Man wrote:
Personally, I would ABSOLUTELY go for the HO engine.

As far as CP3 vs CP4, I'd wait to get a true confirmation on that before allowing that to weigh in on the decision.

For what it is worth, the CP3 on my 2012 did fail. And while a failure there isn't as expensive as a CP4, I would say they both can happen, and both are rare. Sure wouldn't make a difference on a decision to buy if I were in your shoes.....

I used to feel the CP4 situation was a little overblown . . . until Ram made the switch from CP4 "back" to the original CP3 a month or so ago on the 2021 SO engines. This switch speaks volumes about the lack of confidence Ram had in the CP4.

[blofgren]

Bionic Man wrote:
Personally, I would ABSOLUTELY go for the HO engine.

As far as CP3 vs CP4, I'd wait to get a true confirmation on that before allowing that to weigh in on the decision.

For what it is worth, the CP3 on my 2012 did fail. And while a failure there isn't as expensive as a CP4, I would say they both can happen, and both are rare. Sure wouldn't make a difference on a decision to buy if I were in your shoes.....

The big difference between a CP3 and CP4 failure is the damage that results to the fuel system with the CP4. With the CP3, replace the pump and carry on; not quite so simple with the CP4....

[Bionic_Man]

Personally, I would ABSOLUTELY go for the HO engine.

As far as CP3 vs CP4, I'd wait to get a true confirmation on that before allowing that to weigh in on the decision.

For what it is worth, the CP3 on my 2012 did fail. And while a failure there isn't as expensive as a CP4, I would say they both can happen, and both are rare. Sure wouldn't make a difference on a decision to buy if I were in your shoes.....

[rhagfo]

djcjc wrote:
Going to get a new Ram Have a 2012 3500 Dually going to go to a 3500 crew cab 8 ft bed SRW, is the HO worth the 3 thousand upgrade over the standard cummins. I have the high output on my dually but torque is 800 # so is it worth it or not. Also have a 4:10 rear end on existing but thinking 3.73 on new one would like a little better mileage when not towing. Have loved the dually for pulling our 36 ft TT but going to go to a fifth wheel and not anything huge usually just me and wife with grandkids visiting some times. SRW will make daily driving a little easier.

Well a new 2021 Ram 3500 SRW LB will have a 12,300# GVWR, the same as your 2012 has. Going from a TT to a 5er, how big are you looking for a fiver, pin weight on anything over about 15,000# will put you at or near that GVWR.

HO/Aisin most of the upgrade cost is the Aisin, love the way our tows and shifts. Eight years of driving a DRW I would stick with DRW and the 14,000# GVWR that comes with it.

[otrfun]

Ram switched back to using the CP3 pump in their 2021 SO (standard output) engines (used the CP4 from 2019-2020). Chevy quit using the CP4 a few years ago. Ford still uses the CP4.

Not sure if Ram went back to the CP3 for the HO. Definitely something you might want to check if you're leaning towards the HO.

If you're not familar with the CP4 backstory suggest you google it. There's a number of class-action lawsuits involving Ford's CP4. Given a choice, I'd definitely go with a CP3 vs. a CP4, even if it meant giving up some HP/torque.

[goducks10]

The HO option also gets you the AISIN tranny. It's more robust than the standard 68RFE. Whether that matters is up to you.

[LITEPHIL]

That's a good question. Even the standard engine has big power. I'd say you definitely don't NEED it but sure would be nice.

[LIKE2BUILD]

djcjc wrote:
Going to get a new Ram
--> Have a 2012 3500 Dually
--> going to go to a 3500 crew cab 8 ft bed SRW
--> I have the high output on my dually but torque is 800 # so is the HO worth the 3 thousand upgrade over the standard cummins
--> going to go to a fifth wheel and not anything huge
--> SRW will make daily driving a little easier.

The truck you want to buy is nearly identical to my 2014 crew cab, long bed 2500. My Cummins is 370HP/800TQ with the 68RFE transmission. I pulled a 14,000lbs 5er through the Rockies just fine and never felt overmatched by the trailer. I've also pulled gooseneck trailers in the 15,000lbs range and it handled that very well. The OEM engine brake is out of this world for towing :B

Is the HO upgrade worth it? The extra 275 ft-lbs of torque is nice and the Aisin transmission is more stout than the 68RFE. Is it $3K better, I'm not sure because the standard 385HP/850TQ is a pretty good package. Also, I don't know if you can get the HO package in the SRW 3500.

Absolute #1 thing for sure: Get the factory 5th wheel and goose neck prep packages! It's only something like a $500 option and worth it's weight in gold. This setup makes install and removal of the 5th wheel hitch a breeze. Plus your in-bed wiring is already done as well.

The optional camera package is really nice. I've driven the newer trucks that have the bed view camera and it makes lining up your 5er pin really easy. Obviously you can do this without the camera, but man it makes things so simple and eliminates those 2 or 3 trips in and out of the cab to check alignment.

One final suggestion. If you get a 4X4, order the OEM side steps. These trucks set really tall and unless you have some long legs it's a real stretch up into the cab without the side steps. My truck had aftermarket steps when I bought it and I had to replace them. I went with OEM and they are so much firmer and solid feeling than the aftermarket ones.

The SRW crew cab long bed truck is definitely narrower than the dually, but it's still a land yacht. Easier to drive for sure than the dually, but you still need to plan your turns and watch your mirrors because these dudes are looooooong

KJ