2015 2500 6.4 towing/trans experience

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

SHOOT2KILL

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 17, 2015
Posts
452
Reaction score
125
Ram Year
2015...2500H.D.
Engine
6.4
thanks all for the input. as originally stated, the up hill in 4th gear wasn't really my issue, just an observation different than every other truck I've ever owned and buying a diesel to avoid this a few times a year isn't realistic.

the down hill engine braking with ever increasing RPMs in 2nd gear was my real issue/question. It engine braked just fine in 3rd with moderate RPMs and I really didn't need much or any brakes but if a car pulls in front of you and you touch the brakes, it goes into screaming 2nd gear mode. Didn't realize these motors didn't have a "redline" (good to know) but the gradually climbing RPMs to 6000 had me concerned.





not sure how I'd lug a motor going down hill but I do agree, redlining rarely causes issues. my concern was the damage that over revving could do, the exponential increase in stress /wear, etc. but I guess that's a non-issue now - thanks for the info mtofell.

^^BOLD...Please video tape the expression on your dealership service mgr's face when you tell him your truck engine blew up because it was reving @6k rpm on a downhill grade for almost 6 miles...BUT..."All my internet buddys @ ramforum.com said that it is normal and FCA engineered it to do this...LOOL
 

spoon059

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2015
Posts
496
Reaction score
343
Location
Just north of Washington DC
Ram Year
2015
Engine
6.7 CTD
^^BOLD...Please video tape the expression on your dealership service mgr's face when you tell him your truck engine blew up because it was reving @6k rpm on a downhill grade for almost 6 miles...BUT..."All my internet buddys @ ramforum.com said that it is normal and FCA engineered it to do this...LOOL
Clown...
 

Mmaxed

Junior Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2015
Posts
7
Reaction score
6
Ram Year
2015 3500
Engine
6.4
ok, so this horse has been beat to death. the transmission is less than ideal. I've had such a miserable towing experience this week, I gotta ask. Is there an easy way to check for an update for the transmission factory programming? will the dealer let me know if there's an update?

This week, we took the 9000 lb travel trailer from Sacramento to Santa Barbara. Was in tow/haul mode the whole time. So, going over the mountains going UPHILL, the truck held onto 4th gear forever and wouldn't shift into 5th unless I actually slowed down from 55 to 50 or less. then I would have to very slowly build up speed again just so it wouldn't shift back into 4th. Ok, maybe not a big deal.

The bigger issue was going down hill. I assume these trucks have an incline sensor. down even a mild grade, touching the brakes immediately sends the transmission from 5th to 3rd at 55-60 mph. even with gentle roll on throttle, it won't shift out of 3rd. Add to this, if you even tap the brakes a second time, it shifts into 2nd, holds it until you hit a flat/level area. This means you are near redline, engine screaming, the entire way down the hill (6-10 miles long in this case). I tried switching out of tow/haul. nothing. I just had to slow way down and ride out the hill in 2nd until I hit bottom.

is this considered normal? anyone know of an update/flash?

You have hit on the reasons I don't use tow/haul. Touch the throttle a little and it pukes down 2 gears. Won't upshift until you let off.

On the down hill braking I just manually click down to the gear I want. Even then sometimes I have to ease into the throttle a little to get it to shift up a gear and not just build rpm. My Ford with a V10 did that too.
 

SouthTexan

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2015
Posts
2,149
Reaction score
1,303
Ram Year
2014
Engine
408 CTD
Not what I wanted to hear. Getting ready to throw a sour 14k behind mine for a trip through the mountains on the east side of the country.


:eek:
 
Last edited:

loveracing1988

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2013
Posts
3,505
Reaction score
913
Location
Clarkston, MI
Ram Year
2020
Engine
6.7 Cummins
I guess I don't understand the problem with 4th gear at 55mph when towing. It's not like it's running hi revs at that speed in 4th gear.

The downhill performance OP described seems odd. I haven't noticed that behavior when towing.

Dealer has flashed mine a couple of times. One of those times corrected an issues where tow/haul mode would bypass 3rd on downshift and go straight from 4th to 2nd. Now it will use 3rd gear on downshift in Tow/Haul mode.

I don't know how we can check if a newer flash is available. I would take it to the dealer and have them check.
I had half of the same towing issues as the OP when I towed a simple enclosed trailer a few months ago. In tow haul mode it would run in 4th no matter what I did, just sitting there revving. Now no that isn't necessarily a bad thing, but this was in all conditions, uphill downhill, headwind tailwind, it didn't matter it would run in 4th. If I disabled tow haul mode it would bounce back and forth between 5th and 6th gear. I put it in manual 5th and it towed just fine including up some hills telling me there was no need for it to be running in 4th. By enclosed trailer I mean one that weighs 2300 pounds, not exactly a 10k 5th wheel.
 

drittal

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2015
Posts
1,557
Reaction score
636
Location
E. Montana
Ram Year
2013
Engine
6.7
We don't need no stinkin' Cummins. 6.4 FTW :D



I like the the 6.4 too.

However, if he has sentiment that echoes the OP about RPMs, he will not like towing 14k in mountainous regions. He will see 4th, 3rd, 2nd, and likely 1st if the grade is steep enough. He will see extended periods of 4K+ rpm if grade is steep enough. He will want to take advantage of the engine braking when going down hill to help maintain speed.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

tjfdesmo

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2014
Posts
2,255
Reaction score
4,038
Location
AZ
I had half of the same towing issues as the OP when I towed a simple enclosed trailer a few months ago. In tow haul mode it would run in 4th no matter what I did, just sitting there revving. Now no that isn't necessarily a bad thing, but this was in all conditions, uphill downhill, headwind tailwind, it didn't matter it would run in 4th. If I disabled tow haul mode it would bounce back and forth between 5th and 6th gear. I put it in manual 5th and it towed just fine including up some hills telling me there was no need for it to be running in 4th. By enclosed trailer I mean one that weighs 2300 pounds, not exactly a 10k 5th wheel.

My experience exactly. For the way it is programmed Tow/Haul is useless to me as I don't normally pull heavy enough to be stuck in fourth gear all wound out for nothing. Pretty poor setup, all in all.

On Edit: I will add that my buddy pulled my box trailer with his 1/2 ton, 5.7, 8 spd, 3.92 and in Tow/Haul it just pulled it effortlessly, and was in the right gear all the time, and without screaming and hunting. Pretty sad.
 
Last edited:

Danno

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2016
Posts
490
Reaction score
102
Location
Mid Atlantic
Ram Year
2016 Power Wagon
Engine
6.4

coobie

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2016
Posts
481
Reaction score
490
Location
S.Michigan
Ram Year
2022 Ram 1500 big horn
Engine
5.7 hemi

HvyDuty

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 7, 2017
Posts
310
Reaction score
124
Location
Perrysburg, OH
Ram Year
2021
Engine
5.7L
My experience exactly. For the way it is programmed Tow/Haul is useless to me as I don't normally pull heavy enough to be stuck in fourth gear all wound out for nothing. Pretty poor setup, all in all.

On Edit: I will add that my buddy pulled my box trailer with his 1/2 ton, 5.7, 8 spd, 3.92 and in Tow/Haul it just pulled it effortlessly, and was in the right gear all the time, and without screaming and hunting. Pretty sad.


My experience towing my travel trailer with my old 5.7L 8spd vs. 6.4L 6spd was similar to your buddy. That 8 spd was great, always in the right gear. Power was no problem, however the tail would wag the dog with my 1500, even with a properly set up WD hitch and sway control. I was within all my weight specs too.

Even with the much less refined transmission, my 2500 just pulls and handles it way better IMO. Right tool for my job.
 

MN-Ram

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2015
Posts
418
Reaction score
137
Location
MN
Ram Year
2015
Engine
6.4L Hemi
I had half of the same towing issues as the OP when I towed a simple enclosed trailer a few months ago. In tow haul mode it would run in 4th no matter what I did, just sitting there revving. Now no that isn't necessarily a bad thing, but this was in all conditions, uphill downhill, headwind tailwind, it didn't matter it would run in 4th. If I disabled tow haul mode it would bounce back and forth between 5th and 6th gear. I put it in manual 5th and it towed just fine including up some hills telling me there was no need for it to be running in 4th. By enclosed trailer I mean one that weighs 2300 pounds, not exactly a 10k 5th wheel.

I had a similar situation where I was towing my 6'x12' enclosed trailer at about 2500 lbs for a total of 110 miles. I called the service manager at my dealership to see if I needed to use tow/haul at that weight, and he told me to watch the transmission temps to make sure they didn't climb too high. He said the higher the temps, the more shifting that was going on with that light of weight. I towed the whole trip in regular drive mode, and the temp never went above 178 deg, according to the EVIC. The truck drove just fine. That was summer time too.

However, I was on fairly level terrain. I don't know what your situation was though.
 

loveracing1988

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2013
Posts
3,505
Reaction score
913
Location
Clarkston, MI
Ram Year
2020
Engine
6.7 Cummins
I had a similar situation where I was towing my 6'x12' enclosed trailer at about 2500 lbs for a total of 110 miles. I called the service manager at my dealership to see if I needed to use tow/haul at that weight, and he told me to watch the transmission temps to make sure they didn't climb too high. He said the higher the temps, the more shifting that was going on with that light of weight. I towed the whole trip in regular drive mode, and the temp never went above 178 deg, according to the EVIC. The truck drove just fine. That was summer time too.

However, I was on fairly level terrain. I don't know what your situation was though.
I live in Michigan so pretty much the same as you only the biggest hills in my part of the state are overpasses.
 

SouthTexan

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2015
Posts
2,149
Reaction score
1,303
Ram Year
2014
Engine
408 CTD
Speaking of Michigan.... Planning a trip up there to visit some friends and for the Woodward Dream Cruise later this year so I can finally scratch it off my bucket list.
 

Underarock13

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2015
Posts
342
Reaction score
114
Ram Year
Ram 2500 14
Engine
6.4 hemi
Guys I miss my 6.4! But I borrowed my dads 6.0 chevy Sunday to take the boat out and I hate to say it towed like a dream compared to my 6.4 with 3.73. 6.4 was much faster but the 6.0 tows much smoother due to gearing and tranny. Hopefully in a couple years 6.4 tranny gets an 8 speed and I will buy a new one ;).
 

cdhd2001

Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2012
Posts
46
Reaction score
15
Ram Year
2012
Engine
Hemi
Guys I miss my 6.4! But I borrowed my dads 6.0 chevy Sunday to take the boat out and I hate to say it towed like a dream compared to my 6.4 with 3.73. 6.4 was much faster but the 6.0 tows much smoother due to gearing and tranny. Hopefully in a couple years 6.4 tranny gets an 8 speed and I will buy a new one ;).
I have the opposite experience. My old piston slap 2001 6.0 4 speed auto 2500hd swore me off Chevy forever. Towing half the weight of a 5th wheel was a floor board stomping experience for 2500 miles.

My 6.4 tows my 14k 5th wheel like a dream compared to that truck. [emoji2]

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk
 

Danno

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2016
Posts
490
Reaction score
102
Location
Mid Atlantic
Ram Year
2016 Power Wagon
Engine
6.4
I have the opposite experience. My old piston slap 2001 6.0 4 speed auto 2500hd swore me off Chevy forever. Towing half the weight of a 5th wheel was a floor board stomping experience for 2500 miles.

My 6.4 tows my 14k 5th wheel like a dream compared to that truck. [emoji2]

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

Your comparing 2014 to 2001, a little difference
 
Top