OK, i dont tow much with my ram, but when i do, i need it to pull. I am getting real tired of the 3.55 gearing and 33" tires, and feel it is starting to take a toll on the truck. I run 90% of the time unloaded, alot of highway miles. The truck is a 96 ram 1500 reg cab short bed 4x4 with a 318 auto. Should i re-gear to 4.10's or 4.56's? I was orignally thinking 4.56 and go to 35", but i really dont need a taller truck, and really like the current tailgate higth for loading stuff off of truck docks (tailgate sit at the exact same higth as a big rig trailer, so i can roll stuff right into the truck) and also for when i am fishing (i get real tired of how high my budds tailgate is on his 99 GMC with a 6" lift and 35"). So what shoud I do? Or shoudl i just leave the gears.. and drive the truck till it dies (again) and buy a cummins?

thanks.

Garrett

You are never gonna be happy with a 318 slushbox towing.

3 or 4 speed auto??

My vote is ditch it now and buy a little older ram with a better motor.

well, i woudl but right now i drive in alot of bay area, and southern california traffic.. i dont want to go any bigger. For now, i kinda wanna keep this truck, at least till i get out of college, then maybe i can afford a cummins truck...
and my truck has a 518 4 speed auto

Garrett

PS, the 318 has a higher towing rating than the 360.. which people on here clain is farily decent pulling.

I have a 98 quad cab with the 360 and 4sp auto, 3.55 gears. I pull a CJ on a flatbed trailer. It does OK, but on any hilly stuff it stinks. 4.10s would help, but your going to wind up the motor. Doing 75 with the setup I have now, cruising RPM is about 3k rpms. I don't think I'd like to see what 4.10s would do to rpms.

I'd save the cash and look for a diesel.

i believe i am at 2000 rpm on the highway at 75 now.. with 4.56 it woudl put me at 2612.. about the same as if i drive with the OD off.. seems alittle high.. 4.10 would put me at 2348.. so i dont know... what do ya think

Originally posted by Hick
i believe i am at 2000 rpm on the highway at 75 now.. with 4.56 it woudl put me at 2612.. about the same as if i drive with the OD off.. seems alittle high.. 4.10 would put me at 2348.. so i dont know... what do ya think

Is that under load? My examples were pulling about 5k pounds (trailer and cj). And did you recalibrate the speedo when you went to 33" tires? I don't know how a 33" compares to a 265/75 tire. Could also be that my trans just sucks... Its been worked on twice now. 36k miles :(

no, actually that was a gustimate after using a gear calc on a web page, since my ram doesnet have a tach... but right now, i think the rpm's are too low at 80 unloaded.

Hick, so what did you decide to do?? I am in a similar situation, and really want to go buy a diesel, but can't right now. I for dam sure wish I knew some one local who could set up gears :mad: I would definitely consider a gear change then...

I've got a 96 1500, 360, 3.92 gears, 4 spd auto, about 31.5" tires. Towing a 8,000lb trailer. It does pretty good considering the load and can pull 55mph WOT on the steeper grades, 70mph on the regular passes.

I have considered dropping the gears down to 4.20 or so and just eat the fuel economy. But, I'm opting to save the money for a diesel. I would also have put in a 3.5" exhaust to help it breath better. But I'm holding off now.

Originally posted by twaldher
I've got a 96 1500, 360, 3.92 gears, 4 spd auto, about 31.5" tires. Towing a 8,000lb trailer. It does pretty good considering the load and can pull 55mph WOT on the steeper grades, 70mph on the regular passes.

I have considered dropping the gears down to 4.20 or so and just eat the fuel economy. But, I'm opting to save the money for a diesel. I would also have put in a 3.5" exhaust to help it breath better. But I'm holding off now.

A couple questions: 31.5 are those 265/75/16s?? I have a similar setup, execpt 3.55 gears... and its a bit doggy on any kind of grade. I can't swing the diesel (I'm sick, I want to buy new) this year, and pulling my rig to TN from FL and back sucks. I've been thinking 3.92 would be a good ratio to improve things some, just don't know if it worth the cash, or I should just wait until next year and buy the big rig :D