2014 Ram 2500 gear change
Hi All. This fall I had the gears replaced in my 2014 Ram 2500 Big Horn Crew 4x4. The stock gear was a 3.73 and I had the 4.56 installed. WOW, what a difference. With running the stock 6.4 hemi, the power and performance characteristics are great. All I had hoped for. As for rpm's in 6th gear, went from 1800 rpm at 80mph to 2300 rpm at 80. Guess I could say, I took off the top gear and put in on the bottom. I now own a "truck". I purchased it for towing a 27', 13 plus k tow hauler. With the 3.73's, it would pull the trailer with the stock gearing but had to run well (4500 to 6000) rpm range to pull up 10% grades at higher elevations. Pulling something close to rated towing capacity isn't the problem if you want to keep rev's up. Would pull at 60 up a 10% grade, but that is in 1st gear. Lets just say, if you were lucky, or "unlucky" enough to get it to shift into second or especially 3rd, "Watch Out"!!.If you , after the upshift, get anywhere near 1/2 throttle to hold the speed, it will downshift in a blink of an eye. Lets just say, had it happen only once, thankfully, it shifted at about 50mph from 3rd gear to 1st gear. Let me tell you that it will turn the tires on a downshift like that. Pulled so hard that it snapped numerous #10 screws in the front body panel of the trailer. Will make your "blood run cold". As for mileage, in the upper elevations of CO., was getting less than 8 mpg and in the eastern part of SD on the flats, about 2000 ft. elevation, barely got 8. That's still running in 3rd and 4th gear continuously. NOW, with the 4.56 gear, towing in high steep elevations in CO, am getting about 10 mpg and suspect in lower, flatter elevation should be somewhere in the 12's.
as for pulling gears, now 4th and 5th easily and running high 2's to mid 3's in rpm most of the time. Empty except for 300# slider hitch and 250# generator, get about 15 mpg in town, 15 to 16 on hi way. Last trip to Denver from the west side, running 70mph plus, averaged 15.5. Didn't think that was too bad. All in all, the best money I ever spent. Love the Truck.