35´s with 3.21 gears?

[TEXAS]

hi folks,

i never worried about gears and stuff like that. now that i am thinking about lifting my truck (09 2wd HEMI) i am confronted with this topic for the first time. i am running 99% of the time without any load and onroad.
so here are the questions which i am worried about:

1. i am running 20" oem wheels with oem tires (33") and never had any problems at all!! like i said - i never thought about it. i am very satisfied with the acceleration and the mpg. so, what would change by having higher gears?

2. is there a big difference in having 33" or 35" tires with these gears? if so, how would it make itself felt? actually this is the most important question, cause it will determine if i can go with a 6" or 4" lift - 6" would be my preference.

3. are higher gears a real MUSTwith 35´s or is it only about preferences?

thank u so much in advance for ur help

 

[BULLRAM]

You will need higher gears to run those 35's, it is not just a preference,remember the taller the tire ,your gear ratio also changes, you wont have a 3:21 you will have even higher, somewhere in the 3:00 range, it is a lot harder for your engine and transmission to get going, with those gears,and the weight of the tires, not talking about racing or anything just leaving the stop light, the truck will of course physically do it, it is a strong engine, but the cost of your gas mileage and the wear on the engine wont be worth it, this is not to say you cant get them put on drive around and have fun just , get the gears put in soon if you can, if not stick with the 33's you have now , I rode my stockers for a while I have pictures of the 7 inch with stock 33"s, and you will be able to get the 6 inch lift ....GO FOR IT!!!

 

[Ramunit]

I know you are talking about 4th gen and I have a 3rd gen but just to give you an idea you don't have to go with 35's to achieve a look. I'm running 305/55/20's which physically measures 32.5"'s. I believe it's the wheels and tread pattern that will make or break "a look". Go with a wheel that has a negative offset or a deep dish look that way it gives a more aggressive look to the truck without going with bigger tires. He is my 2wd with 6"'s of lift, running 20x10 Moto's with -18mm offset wrapped in Nitto Terra Graps 305/55's, (32.5").
I retained the look without changing the effective gear ratio.

 

[TEXAS]

both trucks look pretty sick, guys. it seems you got the same tire size. but are they really smaller than the oem ones - those are 32.99. calculating yours made 33.21. this is not a huge difference - waht is good. i just wanted to make sure if i made any mistak in my calculation.

probably won´t even be able to notice a difference of .22", or what do you think? this would suggest a 6" kit

would you both maybe send me some more pics?
@ BULLRAM: could you send me some pics with ur oem wheels? is there a real/visual difference in size or is it more the difference in look between the good year HP and the A/T tires?

 

[Ramunit]

both trucks look pretty sick, guys. it seems you got the same tire size. but are they really smaller than the oem ones - those are 32.99. calculating yours made 33.21. this is not a huge difference - waht is good. i just wanted to make sure if i made any mistak in my calculation.

probably won´t even be able to notice a difference of .22", or what do you think? this would suggest a 6" kit

would you both maybe send me some more pics?
@ BULLRAM: could you send me some pics with ur oem wheels? is there a real/visual difference in size or is it more the difference in look between the good year HP and the A/T tires?

Not sure what you are calculating there but nothing can replace physically measuring the tires as they sit on the ground, using a level and a tape measure mine are 32.5" tall with weight on them, that's all the truck and the gears need to know.

Another pic from behind. More pics in my gallery if needed. Good luck on your decision.

 

[TEXAS]

thx for ur pics. well...changing gears, buying new tires plus the lift kit itself will burn a hole in my wallet.

a lot of people say u need to have 35´s on a 6" lift. ur pics absolutely show this is not a must. too bad that i cannot see em in person.
but, am i right that 33´s on a 4" lift would fit/look as good as 35`s on 6" - minus 2" on each component?

man this is a really hard decision...

 

[Bigboytoys]

Damn y'all are lucky...Illegal here for the tire to extend pass the fender.

 

[WhiteExpress]

You have to remeber that even if all you did was a 6" lift, and changed nothing else, you're still going to lose performance and MPGs.

It's just physics. ****** but true.

 

[TEXAS]

You have to remeber that even if all you did was a 6" lift, and changed nothing else, you're still going to lose performance and MPGs.

It's just physics. ****** but true.

silly question...could u explain why? sorry, i am lawyer - not at least cause my physics were not the best in class

is it only due to the higher front in the wind?

 

[TEXAS]

how can i make sure what gear ratio my truck has? unfortunately there is no sticker or something linke that in my glovebox. and as far as i could see there is no tag on the differential, too. i dont wanna believe that it is only 3.21

 

[Musclemckeester]

You have to remeber that even if all you did was a 6" lift, and changed nothing else, you're still going to lose performance and MPGs.

It's just physics. ****** but true.

Barely. You're getting to the nitty-gritty there.

TEXAS, what makes you think you have 3.21 gears? Most on 09+ Ram's the highest gear ratio is 3:55. If yours is indeed 3:21, it would be tough to turn 35s, but the truck could do it.

 

[carcandy]

how can i make sure what gear ratio my truck has? unfortunately there is no sticker or something linke that in my glovebox. and as far as i could see there is no tag on the differential, too. i dont wanna believe that it is only 3.21

The sticker on my truck was on the axle housing on the driver side about a foot from the pumpkin. It was dirty had to wipe it down but it looks like a bar code with some numbers under it. I have 3:55

 

[Musclemckeester]

It would say on the built sheet as well.

 

[TEXAS]

It would say on the built sheet as well.

sorry...what do u exactly mean by "built sheet"

 

[Musclemckeester]

sorry...what do u exactly mean by "built sheet"

build sheet...that was a typo.

 

[TEXAS]

layed under my truck today. unfortunately there is no tag, sticker or anything else on my diff. the old window sticker says HEMI with 3.21 axle ratio. so i am afraid i really got 3.21.
i need your help since i didn´t really understood the problem with bigger tires on the truck.
what i read is that the rpm will lower with the bigger tires. this doesn´t sound bad to me. i am only driving onroad (at least 99%) and i am not towing or hauling (most of the time). would the truck really suffer under bigger tires or what is the problem? if so pls tell me why. i just don´t get it. sorry but in germany there are no real experts cause 35`s are only found on us cars which are pretty seldom over here.

thx a lot in advance for ur help

 

[Bigboytoys]

ok...lower RPMs is not really a good thing...you know all those hills we have here...well, bigger meats (tires) means that you wont be able to climb those hills like before. You will start to bog the motor because it is not making enough power to turn the tires trying to climb the hills. I would really suggest getting a different gear ratio if you really want to run the bigger tires.

 

[smiley]

35´s with 3.21 gears?

The truck will be a dog with 3.21 and 35's downshifting a lot as well to make up the RPM loss. I would not suggest it.


$miley

 

[TEXAS]

what i understood is that the gears could be a problem because of the additional weight, right?
i am driving alone 95% and never towing or hauling. wouldn´t bigger/heavier tires have the same effect as driving around with a complete familiy or hauling a lot?
as the truck is made for this, this would be an indicator for not hurting the truck riding bigger tires.

thx a lot in advance - i am still trying to understand

 

[Bigboytoys]

In princip brauchst du mehr kraft die radern zu drehen. Beim bergen und so wurdest du mehr stress auf die getriebe (wenns automatik ist) wiel es muss immer hoch und runter schalten.