2022 Ram 3500 - Towing Disappointment Justified?

[amauri]

I know im not supposed to use cruise when towing, but the fact is I do. I hate that my 2500 looses 5 mph on a grade then down shifts to get back to speed. were are at 13,500 lbs. i know a lot has to do with the 3:42 gearing. hoping the 22 HO and 3:73 was not a mistake.

I use the gear lock out buttons a lot when towing thru rolling hills or climbing a grade.
Cruise control is fine when towing on flat terrain and no traffic to slow down your momentum.

Here's a link to the best gear vs. speed/RPM calculator I've found online.
Just choose your tranny and axle ratio from the drop down and compare.

Gear Ratio Calculator

 

[Brutal_HO]

I use the gear lock out buttons a lot when towing thru rolling hills or climbing a grade.
Cruise control is fine when towing on flat terrain and no traffic to slow down your momentum.

Here's a link to the best gear vs. speed/RPM calculator I've found online.
Just choose your tranny and axle ratio from the drop down and compare.

Gear Ratio Calculator

This one is pretty good too, just doesn't have the splitter/underdrive stuff.

Gearing Analyzer with Shift Tracer

Enter gear ratios, tire and diff ratio to analyze RPM vs velocity at shift points with tracer

www.blocklayer.com

 

[Blythkd1]

Ive owned my fair share of duramax's from new, 07, 12, 15, 19. As well as cummins 07 - 5.9 w/ G56, 2015 limited dually, and just waiting on my 22 5500 laramie to show up. I drove duramax's pretty religiously until 2015 when i was pretty disappointed with GM's fit and finish, so i took a friends 14 limited for a drive and was instantly hooked, it was simply superior. The next day i went and order my 15 limited dually and to date that has been my most favorite truck EXCEPT for the dead pedal that was likely the most dangerous thing ive ever encountered on a vehicle period. I deleted that truck and it was gone of course. I hope the 22's dont have that. Anyway the towing characteristics between the cummins and the various duramax configurations is what i would consider night and day, the low end torque produced i find is amazing especially when pulling steep hills its not constantly searching for the right gear or revving at 3000 rpm. Best way i can describe it, is it just gets down and eats and enjoys it.

Thats not to say that the duramax's ive had wont pull... the DO! but it seems like a far more chaotic dance between the engine and transmission. And i do notice it DOES struggle more when towing heavier around that 20,000-23,000 mark which is its upper limit ( of my 2019 denali). To me up until recently GM has been so outclassed as far as payload and towing numbers go its sad. My 07 5.9 has more bloody payload that this 2019 denali... that IS SAD and the reason i am getting rid of it, ontop of the super dated interior. The exhaust brake is also quite terrible on this L5P and only has one setting and its what the engine decides. And its almost never engaged when i need it when hauling heavy. Thats another HUGE factor on the ram is the two stage exhaust brake, i loved when i let go of the pedal it engaged instantly which it SHOULD. Again not to be a cummins fan boy i just feel its a safer, more reliable, more confident towing platform. I know my 5500 is coming detuned, which i dont really care about. It shares essentially the same HP/TQ numbers as my 2015 did and it performed excellent.

Hope you're not disappointed in the new one. I'm assuming it's the same detuned platform as my 3500 Cab/Chassis truck. Maybe you'll get a different rear gear that will help. I have 3.73. Engine specs are 360/800. I came from 3 Duramax trucks, last 2 being a '12 and '18 and so far only 8k miles on the new one but it won't tow with either of the Duramax trucks. My '12 was tuned, maybe that was the big difference, but it would tow anything anywhere anytime, in the hammer lane, and rarely needed to drop a gear. I'm not having that experience now but I knew when I ordered the C/C truck I would be getting the detuned engine. I thought the 360/800 numbers would be close enough that I could easily live with it and expected the Cummins to have lots of torque down low. So far I'm still holding my breath. Not throwing any red flags just yet at 8k miles but I guess all the power in the past did spoil me a bit. Most of us don't like to step backwards.

There's a big hill I encounter frequently when delivering new 5th wheel RV's. It has a slow truck lane and there are usually trucks in that lane lugging down to very slow speeds. In the past, if I could get a clear shot with nobody in the way, I'd drop one gear at the bottom of the hill and maintain 65mph clear to the top. In fact, if I wasn't careful and got too deep into the throttle, I'd actually gain some speed. Couple weeks ago, the first time up this hill with my new truck that I got on it and worked it, I hit the same way, dropping a gear at the bottom and it lost at least 5mph.

Overall I'm liking the truck just fine, it's just not pulling loads yet quite like I'd hoped. Don't get me wrong, it gets the job done, it just lags on the hills a little more than I expected. I can live with the towing performance as long as it picks up some more fuel mileage. That was one of the reasons I went with the detuned C/C platform. So far it'll beat the Duramax empty mileage but seems to struggle a bit to match the GM numbers when towing. So the overall avg is about the same. I really have to watch when towing or I can blow through some fuel. I've seen down to 7-8 range but last trip I watched it more and took my time a little more and got 9-10. I'm hoping it still bumps up a bit more with more miles.

Again, I like the truck. It seems solid and well done.

 

[RVTRKN]

The higher HP helps a lot with MPG, I found that out with my 07 G56 3500 C&C. The C&C tunes are not for MPG, but for engine reliability with assumed non owner drivers. They do tow well, but with registration issues in some States as well as higher insurance costs because of true commercial application (Per VIN, some insurances won't cover commercial vehicles.) I got lucky with my C&C in Commifornia, getting AAA insurance to cover a personal policy. But Commifornia DMV could care less of its use, the VIN classified it as true Commercial and I had to declare my GCW for registration costs, with 15K at the lowest tier. The C&C trucks in the 4500 and 5500 versions have heavier axles with higher ratios which makes it perfect for towing heavy but MPG performance lacks.

 

[MotoFish]

Ive owned my fair share of duramax's from new, 07, 12, 15, 19. As well as cummins 07 - 5.9 w/ G56, 2015 limited dually, and just waiting on my 22 5500 laramie to show up. I drove duramax's pretty religiously until 2015 when i was pretty disappointed with GM's fit and finish, so i took a friends 14 limited for a drive and was instantly hooked, it was simply superior. The next day i went and order my 15 limited dually and to date that has been my most favorite truck EXCEPT for the dead pedal that was likely the most dangerous thing ive ever encountered on a vehicle period. I deleted that truck and it was gone of course. I hope the 22's dont have that. Anyway the towing characteristics between the cummins and the various duramax configurations is what i would consider night and day, the low end torque produced i find is amazing especially when pulling steep hills its not constantly searching for the right gear or revving at 3000 rpm. Best way i can describe it, is it just gets down and eats and enjoys it.

Thats not to say that the duramax's ive had wont pull... the DO! but it seems like a far more chaotic dance between the engine and transmission. And i do notice it DOES struggle more when towing heavier around that 20,000-23,000 mark which is its upper limit ( of my 2019 denali). To me up until recently GM has been so outclassed as far as payload and towing numbers go its sad. My 07 5.9 has more bloody payload that this 2019 denali... that IS SAD and the reason i am getting rid of it, ontop of the super dated interior. The exhaust brake is also quite terrible on this L5P and only has one setting and its what the engine decides. And its almost never engaged when i need it when hauling heavy. Thats another HUGE factor on the ram is the two stage exhaust brake, i loved when i let go of the pedal it engaged instantly which it SHOULD. Again not to be a cummins fan boy i just feel its a safer, more reliable, more confident towing platform. I know my 5500 is coming detuned, which i dont really care about. It shares essentially the same HP/TQ numbers as my 2015 did and it performed excellent.

FYI… I have a 21 HO, SRW drive 3500, 3.73. It does have that “lag” off the line as others have commented on in other locations on this forum (or rather did have that problem) It’s not that bad and easily correctable with a Banks pedal Monster. Mines great now, best $300 spent on the truck. I am not looking to blow a Duramax or Ford off the line anyways, just gives you the option to make the truck get up and go without feeling the lag as bad. I figure once out of warranty I will delete the truck and fix the lag issue permanently, but that’s still 7 years or 83k miles away. I came from a 2003 Dodge Ram 2500 that I bought new in 03 and this new truck will stay mainly stock power wise, tranny wise, because to me it tows my 17k 5’er like a beast!

 

[amauri]

This one is pretty good too, just doesn't have the splitter/underdrive stuff.

Gearing Analyzer with Shift Tracer

Enter gear ratios, tire and diff ratio to analyze RPM vs velocity at shift points with tracer

www.blocklayer.com

It's interesting to compare final ratios with all the different trannys used on the GM, Ford & RAM trucks.
The OD final gear is exactly the same on all of them (ZF is tiny bit shorter).
I've had good luck with ASIN trannys, have been using an A442F on my old Landcruiser for over 30 years.

 

[MotoFish]

I have to agree with others about this guys shifting issue. Not worried about the power. I would be more concerned about the shifting. 68RFE, does not have the best reputation. They’ve improved it, but won’t perform like the Aisin. Obviously a new truck. A dealer check would be the smartest thing. My dealer stated same as others. Drive it how you want to drive it, engine IS broke in already. The 500 mile minimum to drive or recommend to drive unloaded is to give your drive train a small break in window. Not a kid anymore, so I don’t drive like a loon anyway (or anymore), I save that for Moto, but I do work my truck(s) always have, that’s why I drive a Cummins.

 

[Pressure_welder]

FYI… I have a 21 HO, SRW drive 3500, 3.73. It does have that “lag” off the line as others have commented on in other locations on this forum (or rather did have that problem) It’s not that bad and easily correctable with a Banks pedal Monster. Mines great now, best $300 spent on the truck. I am not looking to blow a Duramax or Ford off the line anyways, just gives you the option to make the truck get up and go without feeling the lag as bad. I figure once out of warranty I will delete the truck and fix the lag issue permanently, but that’s still 7 years or 83k miles away. I came from a 2003 Dodge Ram 2500 that I bought new in 03 and this new truck will stay mainly stock power wise, tranny wise, because to me it tows my 17k 5’er like a beast!

Totally agree, i am the definition of an elderly 35 yr old driver... i only do 110km/h max on the hwy and i am not even sure the last time i " got on it " in regards to the dead pedal and being dangerous, for me it was when passing other vehicles on the highway on single lane. You would pull out to pass when it was safe, pull out into other lane and give it some throttle and the truck would literally hesitate there for 3-4 seconds until it was like yea! ok! lets go now. So it got to the point where i would stay back from the car infront of me by 8-10 car lengths... wait for a safe time to pass and time it correctly and hammer down from that point so the truck would actually engage and come to a proper speed when i reached the vehicle infront of me so i could pass them.


As for the cab and chassis laramie 5500 i bought, i knew going in it was going to be a de-tuned engine although it didnt bother me to awful much as if i remember correctly my 15 was 385 with the aisin and 865 torque, where as this 5500 is 360/800, coming with 4.44 gearing which should in reality be a far superior gearing match than the 3.73s were on my 15 dually. That 360HP should work quite well with the 4.44. I DO however wish 4:10s were an option on the 5500 and i am not sure why they weren't. But i decided i wanted the higher payload so i wasnt limited to pin weights ever. My only real concerns on this 5500 purchase was the ride quality and i am still slightly concerned, but it is what it is really. Its going to be my daily driver/Family truck as well as welding rig. So it will have a 4500 LB fully outfitted custom welding bed on it at all times. But will also pull our montana fith wheel/boat combo, and the gooseneck for the business. Again i dont have an experience with a ram 5500 ride quality, but with 4500LBS on the truck i cant forsee it being astronomically worse than my current 3500 dually unloaded. Everyone always says just throw a keldermen on it! welllll after spending 100,000$ on a truck i just cant spare another 15,000$ lol

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

I know im not supposed to use cruise when towing, but the fact is I do. I hate that my 2500 looses 5 mph on a grade then down shifts to get back to speed. were are at 13,500 lbs. i know a lot has to do with the 3:42 gearing. hoping the 22 HO and 3:73 was not a mistake.

Nothing wrong with towing with cruise i have many decades towing with cruise problem free

 

[MEGA HO]

Unless you're towing on a completely flat ground, cruise won't save you money on fuel but there's nothing wrong with towing with cruise ON.
I always do too, just when in the mountains I tend to take manual control, would accelerate slightly before uphill or going downhill if there's another uphill is coming. Cruise will just try to maintain speed at the expense of a higher fuel consumption.

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

Unless you're towing on a completely flat ground, cruise won't save you money on fuel but there's nothing wrong with towing with cruise ON.
I always do too, just when in the mountains I tend to take manual control, would accelerate slightly before uphill or going downhill if there's another uphill is coming. Cruise will just try to maintain speed at the expense of a higher fuel consumption.

I use cruise because of my lead foot lol

 

[CharlieTangoWhiskey]

I use cruise because of my lead foot lol

im the same way. if im not careful ill be doing 90, not pulling the 5th wheel but unhooked. I use cruise on flat ground long stretch interstate and set it at 68. I had a guy tell me I should never use cruise while towing, no reason behind it. not often, but we have been know to drive 8-10 hours in a day, cruise helps with that.

 

[MEGA HO]

Not using cruise helps me stay awake on those long drives.

 

[Brutal_HO]

Cruise? Hell, I use adaptive cruise. (I do have active braking set to warning only).

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

Cruise? Hell, I use adaptive cruise. (I do have active braking set to warning only).

Adaptive would be nice following the slowpokes lol

 

[darrellr]

Adaptive would be nice following the slowpokes lol

Except I end up following the slow pokes for miles because I fail to notice I am a slow poke now, too!

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

Except I end up following the slow pokes for miles because I fail to notice I am a slow poke now, too!

Fair point lol

 

[MEGA HO]

Except I end up following the slow pokes for miles because I fail to notice I am a slow poke now, too!

Me too! LOL

 

[RVTRKN]

I just crossed I40 with my pontoon and used cruise most of the time, one of the times I didn't, I was on the phone with DW and looked down I was doing 85mph.

 

[Brutal_HO]

Adaptive would be nice following the slowpokes lol

If you look at my sig, for what I tow I'm probably the slowpoke. No need to run over 70-75MPH in wide open spaces. MPG is better around 72.