Looking for actual stock or with 35 inch tire 68rfe failures.

[yycdiesel]

The monday is approaching to pick up my new truck and now im skeptical about getting the SO with the 68rfe. For 15k cad more i can get a laramine instead of a bighorn with the HO, aisin, leather and LEDS.

I dont care about the leather, but my gripe is how a 85k CAD msrp truck doesnt come with LEDS.
But reading the horror stories about the 68RFE i am thinking maybe it isnt that bad because no one brags about how good a transmission is unless asked.

I only look to put 35x12.5r20's on the truck no level no tune no nothing. possibly airbags if needed.

My use

payload only 99.9 percent of the time unless i eventually buy a trailer to camp but being single with no kids or dog i dont see me going even remotely close or pass the 17k rating my truck has VIA ram.

Payload will always be roughly 2k pounds and 3.3 maybe once every few months..

What are your thoughts am i sketching out and the 68RFE should be fine or would you take the plunge for the HO. 12k is alot but i mean if ill owe the bank a metric **** ton whats the different of a few hundred a month.


my thoughts are for the amount of 2500's running around it cant be THAT bad as long as i dont do 4wd launches and drive like a douche canoe.

 

[BULLSANDBUCKSHUNTER]

I will say i am new owner of a 68rfe and its first one i have owned. Everyone that i know that has one had no issues if vehicle was realtively stock. From what i could figure out most problems ( few i could even find) seemed to come from tunes and tire size increases and failing to upgrade the 68rfe until it broke cause they beat on it. I look at it as a solid time proven tranny as long as you use it as sold to you with around 35" tires. Maybe someone else can counter my research but there are a lot 68s out there and think they are a relatively solid tranny.

 

[MEGA HO]

I personally went with HO/Aisin combo for the exact same reason, but if that's your only concern, I'd guess for the money you saves going with SO, you'd be able to build up the tranny. It's been around for so long and all it's weak sports have been figured out (not by FCA unfortunately).

 

[Trooper]

I have had no issues so far with mine 2019 SO 68rfe, i do notice when cold (CA cold....) that the first few shifts leaving home can kick a little, but to me that is just warming up. After <5 minutes i never have anything noticeable or of concern.
I also rarely tow, just use the bed and needed the bigger cab space over what i had with my old 1500. Plus having driven diesel most of driving life i preferred to switch back to it - an overkill truck for me, but in every day driving i would not switch back.

As reference by wheels / tires are stock size but switched to Wrangler Duratrac, having modified and swapped out so many thing on precious cars and trucks i now realize not really worth the cost or effort on most things

 

[yycdiesel]

I am feeling happier with the 68rfe choice but tomorrow ill see. I've watched the videos, reviews and read all the failures I can find online.

Majority is tuned or lifted trucks in my opinion and I dont plan to do either.
-20mm of set 18's and 35's will be as far as I go. Even then they say the 68rfe will be fine while 4thngesr us direct drive so any ashore driving avoid 5th and especially 6th the clutches aren't designed for then wear.

That being said majority of my driving is either short highway milage or intercity driving where the 68rfe shines vs the Aisin that shines on heavy pulls for lengths.

Thanks alot guys will keep you updated but thinking of saving the 12-15k off the Laramie and keeping that for the next truck ill ultimately order to spec.

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[elephantrider]

I have 20k on mine, no isues at all. it's all in how you drive it. these things aren't sports cars.

 

[Heckyl]

My good friend is a Dodge master mechanic and worked for a Dodge dealership for over 25 years and now has his own shop. He has / does own lots of Dodge / Ram trucks and I talked extensively with him over transmissions before I ordered my 2019 3500. He recommended the 68RFE, so that’s what I ordered, am are happy so far.

 

[Aketay]

I tow commercially for a living, my 2012 went 423,000 miles before a shift solenoid put me in limp mode. $400 later it was back on the road making money. First fluid and filter change @ 50,000 and every 100,000 after that. Transmission shop couldn’t believe that was the first thing that went wrong and noted how clean it looked on the inside with 73,000 since the last service. So far with 76,000 miles on my 2019, I am real happy with this one and my average load weight is higher.

 

[g00fy]

Coming from an Ecodiesel with the much more modern ZF 8spd, as far as performance and manners are concerned i do miss the ZF 8speed quite a bit. As far as longevity though, I spoke to one of my customers who's owned a transmission shop in the area for probably close to 20 years, according to him he has yet to have a 68RFE come through his shop. It seems majority of the failures are probably from guys turning up the horsepower and then beating on the truck.

 

[Xflight29]

I would have gone with the 68 RFE if I wasn't pulling 15,000 LB trailer . good transmission from everything that I have heard. No reason to go with the HO if you don't plan on pulling something heavy.

 

[FmaxTurboSi]

my brother in law has a 2014 with 68rfe, stock tires, and sometimes tows 9k boat/trailer. his tranny failed right on the 5 year expiration mark. was having problems with it approx 2 weeks prior to the warranty expiration. dealer said nothing was wrong since they couldn't replicate it. had to take it back again after it continued failing to shift correctly, wouldn't accelerate, and eventually wouldn't shift out of park. dealership fixed it as a "courtesy" they said since his warranty expired by the time he took it back in the second time. luckily he had records that he took the truck in prior to the warranty expiring.

 

[Brutal_HO]

I would have gone with the 68 RFE if I wasn't pulling 15,000 LB trailer . good transmission from everything that I have heard. No reason to go with the HO if you don't plan on pulling something heavy.

That's where I was at. I know there's a big difference, but I had some issues with my 48RE the past few years to where I didn't trust it and just didn't want to press my luck or stress level with another Chrysler trans. Towing ~16K in the mountains.

 

[Firebird]

Never had a single issue with any of my 68RFE trucks

 

[Epsilon Plus]

A dude on FB just posted that his 68RFE has 10 years and 550,000mi of pulling on it and wondered if it was possible to upgrade to the Aisin. Everyone just told him put another 68RFE in. In my research, I have heard overwhelmingly positive reviews of it from "Adult" drivers. If you're hoping to put 1,200lb/ft to it or race Mustangs on the street it grenades.

My buddy has a 16 on Carli stuff with 35's and drives like a normal person and has 40,000 trouble free miles.

Funny that they get a bad rap. It soaks up 850;b/ft of torque factory! That's insane! I used to drive class 8 trucks with less torque than that. In the go fast world, if you have a trans that can take 850tq, that thing is probably a race built 4L80 or something.

 

[RV_Goose]

2013 2500 Tradesman diesel running 265 tires, 68RFE. 125k trouble free. Pulled a 12k 5th wheel about 20k miles of that. I commuted to work 120 round trip for most of the rest.

 

[yycdiesel]

Yeah I bit it and went 35x12.5r20's loving it, feels foolish even asking this now lol.

 

[Nick]

Don’t worry about the 68RFE . I towed a 14,000 lb 5th wheel with my 14 at least 50,000 miles out west in real mountains . Worked great . The new ones are even beefier to handle the higher torque load .

 

[yycdiesel]

Don’t worry about the 68RFE . I towed a 14,000 lb 5th wheel with my 14 at least 50,000 miles out west in real mountains . Worked great . The new ones are even beefier to handle the higher torque loadi

i definitely agree, great truck so far. Hoping the rocky mountains where im from is classified as real mountains lmao/

 

[Nick]

i definitely agree, great truck so far. Hoping the rocky mountains where im from is classified as real mountains lmao/

Last time l looked they were out west .

 

[yycdiesel]

Last time l looked they were out west .

Just double checking since you made sure to clarify, it was a joke sorry guy

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