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6 speed vs 8 speed 6.4 Hemi

J

jdefoe0424

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So who has pulled the same trailer, or weight, with a 4th gen and their 4.5 gen? What gear did you have with both trucks? How do the two compare? How often have you had the 6 speed pull power when climbing?
I could save 5k by buying a 6 speed instead of the 8 speed. How many of you think the 8 speed is worth that 5k if the miles on the truck are roughly the same(50-75k)?
I know the 8 speed is light years better, but if I'm not towing 10k+ I want to understand exactly what the difference is. We don't typically travel through mountains, the trip to my family is mostly flat between IL and NY. Doesn't mean mountains aren't possible and nothing like the Ike Gauntlet that TFL does.
I may answer this question myself tomorrow as I have luckily found a dealer that's close and has a used 16 and a used 19 which I've scheduled a time to go test drive. The unfortunate part is I will have to go to a second dealership to drive a 6 speed with the 4.10 gears.
I've done enough reading and it seems that if you're towing with the 6 speed the 4.10's are a must. But I can't find anyone who really compares the two towing back to back or a towing comparison period.

Our current TT is 7700lb GVWR, looking at "upgrading" the truck to be able to have more ability to carry extra gear in the truck while traveling. I say "upgrading" as I will likely be going down trim levels to get equity out of my 1500 to get the wife a 3rd row vehicle.
 
I drove a 2016 w/3.73 and a 2020 w/3.73. I found the ride to be similar with an edge to the 2020. I don't remember my dad's 04.5 Cummins riding that stiff, but then again these are more capable trucks looking at the stats.
Shifting behavior was very different between the two, the 6 speed was very upshift happy and was often lugging. The 8 speed drove like you would expect a truck to, seemed like it wouldn't shift unless the rpms would stay above 1500 after the shift. I almost think that I would be able to live with the 6 speed with some trans tuning, that effectively adds 1k to the price though.
I didn't have time to get to the 2nd dealer to drive the '16 w/4.10s so that will be next week.

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk
 
My comparison isn't exactly apples to apples, as my 2016 had 3.73s and my 2020 has 4.10s, but I got significantly better gas mileage with my 2016 than I do now (over 2 MPG more).

Don't get me wrong, as I love my '20, but if I were out shopping and my choice was between a 4th gen + 5K to spend on mods, or an unmodified 4.5 gen, and all else was basically identical, I'd take the 4th gen plus the cash.
 
LateToTheParty said:
My comparison isn't exactly apples to apples, as my 2016 had 3.73s and my 2020 has 4.10s, but I got significantly better gas mileage with my 2016 than I do now (over 2 MPG more).

Don't get me wrong, as I love my '20, but if I were out shopping and my choice was between a 4th gen + 5K to spend on mods, or an unmodified 4.5 gen, and all else was basically identical, I'd take the 4th gen plus the cash.
Click to expand...
I could see that from my limited experience when test driving, the 4th gen seemed to constantly go for the next gear where the 4.5 gen kept the gears a little longer. While it makes for poorer fuel economy in your experience, I think the 4.5 gen drove much better and had more power available under the foot while cruising.
If I got a 2020 I wouldn't care what gears are in it because the 14k-ish tow rating will be plenty for the foreseeable future.
 
Well, we've decided we're pooling my bonus and tax returns to get my wife what she needs and get me the truck I want.
I'll be picking up a 2019 Patriot Blue Tradesman crew cab with 8' bed on Wednesday, trading in my 1500 Laramie so I'm losing my creature comforts but gaining a lot of capability and comfort while towing.

The truck I'm getting has the keyless entry. This is just the remote that locks and unlocks, correct? Not the button and sensor on the driver/passenger door?
Also, remote start is not included. Correct?

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk
 
For sure, I'll have to get pics of them side by side too. Basically just an all around larger version of my current ram from the outside... Inside is a completely different story! Lol. Laramie leather vs trademan work grade vinyl.

Now to start planning the order of upgrades for this truck...first is probably bed liner and tonneau cover. Second will be OE remote start and probably add the tailgate damper too.

I'm hoping I like the factory running boards as I put RB10s on my 1500 and they were so easy for the kids because they were really wide

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Picked it up and drove it home last night, I concur with others who stated that the 8' bed trucks actually ride better than the short bed trucks. Might also be cause the tires were filled to 60 and not 70.
Saw 15.5 mpg on the way back with most of that being at 75, the 1500 did 18.5 with more 60mph driving.

I've already found many things that need added to the truck, my mind is already turning on how to turn this truck more into the Laramie that I had before...I got to make a list and prioritize.
 

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