6.4 -4th vs 5th gen comparo?

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RedRaiderHemi

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Sorry guys, I dont keep with the latest info. Just realized that in '19 the 6.4 now has 8 speed trans. Anyone had a 4th gen with 6.4 and now have 5th gen with a 6.4? It is my understanding on the 1500s with the 5.7, the 8 speed was a huge improvement - way faster, better performing.

Also anyone had 4.10 and then go to 3.73, or vice versa?


Is probably already been posted...
 

redman4455

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Lots of threads about the 8 speed and hemi, people seem to like it a lot. Look for a towing thread on the 6.4, good info there.
 

RandomRam

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I have been doing a lot of test drives. The 8 speed is amazing to drive. Smooth, always in the right gear, and shifts fast. That said, empty the older 6 speed isn’t terrible and has plenty of get up and go. Towing reviews for the 6 speed aren’t great. TFL reported the 2019 Power Wagon with the 8 speed was able to go from 0 to 60 over a second faster than the 6 speed model. That’s a huge improvement for a heavy truck.

My dealer has a left over 2018 3500 Laramie with the 6.4 for a great price. I ended up deciding on a 2019 2500 Bighorn because of the 8 speed and I really like the updated interior. If my dealer comes through I’ll have my truck next week.
 

mtofell

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Towing heavy with the 6spd tranny sucks. For sure go with an 8spd if you plan to haul over 8K or so. The two axle ratios are pretty close and IMO get talked about way too much. The difference between 3.73 and 4.10 is pretty slight. If you really want to do it, re-gear up to a 4.56 or 4.88. I can't imagine any re-gearing will be needed with the 8spd though.

Daily driving my 6spd is awesome but hauling an 11K 5th wheel sure could be better.
 

RandomRam

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I just wanted to give you some more feedback. I picked up my 2019 6.4 Hemi with the 8 speed yesterday. Prior to that I had not driven the 8 speed in any mountainous terrain but I had driven the old 6 speed quite a bit on extended test drives. Where I live we have a net elevation gain of around 3000 feet between here and town as the highway crosses two pretty steep valleys.

Even empty the 8 speed blows the 6 speed away. The truck is insanely fast for its size and the trans programming is spot on. Transmission is always in the right gear whether you are going up or down hill. Even when you coast it doesn’t upshift to the tallest gear immediately. Shifts smooth and fast. I can’t wait to try towing with it. The gearing and programming make the truck feel eager and the power comes on quick.
 

PCT

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Sorry guys, I dont keep with the latest info. Just realized that in '19 the 6.4 now has 8 speed trans. Anyone had a 4th gen with 6.4 and now have 5th gen with a 6.4? It is my understanding on the 1500s with the 5.7, the 8 speed was a huge improvement - way faster, better performing.

Also anyone had 4.10 and then go to 3.73, or vice versa?


Is probably already been posted...
I just picked up 19 with 8 speed. Only put about 300 miles on it, but very smooth and pulled the Sierra's like nothing! I had a 1500 with 6 speed, this is vastly better!!

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk
 

RBinNC

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@RandomRam Glad to hear you're enjoying it. I just got a 19' 2500 4x4 crew cab long bed with the 6.4 and I find the Eco mode engaging and disengaging really annoying. Creates a vibration. Do you experience this? I've been a ford man my whole life so this is my first Ram. Its a nice truck otherwise, but I scheduled an appointment with the service department after owning it only 2 days due to this issue.
 

RandomRam

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Yes when MDS kicks in you notice it. Engine noise changes, not as smooth. On the interstate at 65-70 it’s barely perceptible. Low speed 45-50 MPH it’s a nuisance. Those times I use the gear limit function set to 8, which allows use of all gears, and that turns off MDS.

I would be curious if your dealer says it’s normal or not. Please post an update.
 

392DevilDog

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That is what I did. Right now my truck has a fuel sensor fail, so check engine light is on and MDS is not active.

But, I would either accelerate just a bit to get the MDS to kick off and then be moving enough for the vibration to go away, or I would just manual down in areas where it did this (like school zones)

It really does help with fuel savings, and takes a little bit to adjust too.

As easy as it is to select the gear, I sure wouldn't be trading the truck over, but everyone has there peeves.
 

RandomRam

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Cruising at interstate speeds MDS definitely helps and is smooth, just sounds different. My overall average has been 13 mpg with 4.10s but my driving is basically all mountains. Dash shows 18 to 20 when cruising at 65 on our flat interstate, but most of my miles involve grades and elevation changes. I’ve got some long interstate driving coming up so I’ll be curious to see what it can do.

For reference I had a 2017 F250 crew cab long bed with the 6.2 gas engine and 4.30 gears. Was my work truck for a year. Best I ever saw driving it gentle was 11 mpg. Towing 7k worth of boat and trailer for 400 miles I got 7. This along with the terrible ride and death wobble was why I didn’t buy a Ford and wasn’t interested in their new 7.3 gas engine.
 

RBinNC

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Yes when MDS kicks in you notice it. Engine noise changes, not as smooth. On the interstate at 65-70 it’s barely perceptible. Low speed 45-50 MPH it’s a nuisance. Those times I use the gear limit function set to 8, which allows use of all gears, and that turns off MDS.

I would be curious if your dealer says it’s normal or not. Please post an update.

Will do. 10 AM appt tomorrow. I can almost guarantee I'll be told that it's normal.
 

RBinNC

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Cruising at interstate speeds MDS definitely helps and is smooth, just sounds different. My overall average has been 13 mpg with 4.10s but my driving is basically all mountains. Dash shows 18 to 20 when cruising at 65 on our flat interstate, but most of my miles involve grades and elevation changes. I’ve got some long interstate driving coming up so I’ll be curious to see what it can do.

For reference I had a 2017 F250 crew cab long bed with the 6.2 gas engine and 4.30 gears. Was my work truck for a year. Best I ever saw driving it gentle was 11 mpg. Towing 7k worth of boat and trailer for 400 miles I got 7. This along with the terrible ride and death wobble was why I didn’t buy a Ford and wasn’t interested in their new 7.3 gas engine.

I really tried to order an f250 with the 7.3, but Ford would hardly come off MSRP at all. Same went for the 6.2's. I had recently bought a '16 f150 5.0 4x4 single cab long bed which I really loved. Truck was fast as hell and quiet on the highway. Got 20 mpg and had a 20 gallon tank. Ultimately I wanted a crew cab but was not willing to give up the long bed, which pushed me into the 3/4 ton bracket. Ram had a nice salesman and they were ready to deal. I told Ford I was ready to buy that day and they kept playing games, wasting time. They only came off MSRP 2K as their best price. So out the door I went. Been driving Ford's for my entire driving life (almost 20 years). So this is my first ram. Enjoying it outside of the MDS thing. It vibrates like rumble strips and is droney on the highway.
 

RBinNC

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Yes when MDS kicks in you notice it. Engine noise changes, not as smooth. On the interstate at 65-70 it’s barely perceptible. Low speed 45-50 MPH it’s a nuisance. Those times I use the gear limit function set to 8, which allows use of all gears, and that turns off MDS.

I would be curious if your dealer says it’s normal or not. Please post an update.

So they ordered new dampers for the active noise cancellation. Said they were noisy. Had a nice experience there, took the head tech out on the highway with me. He told me just to have patience as this is the first year of a whole new redesign.

I personally don't expect it to genuinely cancel out that vibration but if it does, yay.
 

Papa Red

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I have the 5.7 Hemi with MDS in my 2007 1500 and have never noticed a difference when MDS kicked in. Maybe these newer trucks with the 8 speed are just more sensitive? I'll be curious to see when my 2500 comes in February to see if I notice it or not.

Red
 

RBinNC

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I have the 5.7 Hemi with MDS in my 2007 1500 and have never noticed a difference when MDS kicked in. Maybe these newer trucks with the 8 speed are just more sensitive? I'll be curious to see when my 2500 comes in February to see if I notice it or not.

Red
If it's anything like mine it's very noticeable, especially at lower speeds.
 

tjfdesmo

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Yes, MDS on the 6.4 is an annoying and worthless joke.
 

RBinNC

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Yes, MDS on the 6.4 is an annoying and worthless joke.

Agreed. The head tech told me he could get in trouble for trying to disable it so it wasn't an option. (Understandable).

What I don't get is, I believe the new f250's have an Eco mode but it's an option to engage it, and I'm not sure if it shuts down cylinders. You don't have to use it on Ford's the way we do.

I don't want to need to buy a tuner just to make my brand new $45k truck operate without vibration.
 

tjfdesmo

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On my '15 you could simply set the gear limit switch to top gear, on that truck 6th, and MDS would not come on. But you'd have to do it every time you start up, or move the shifter. Not ideal, but it worked.
 

392DevilDog

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Do you use cruise control on the highway? You have to turn it on and then also hit set for the speed. You have to do this everytime you start your truck and head to the highway.

Disabling MDS or ECO is even easier just hit the minus. Everytime you drive the truck.

Funny, these forums are full of I need 1 more MPG. They give you a way to achieve that, an easy way to overcome it, and it does have an odd vibration at low speeds.

It is like the CAD. They did away with that stupid thing, but then brought it back to give 1 MPG claim.

Guess I am having a bad day, but my opinion is the MDS does what it claims and when I don't want it doing its thing I select a gear.

I drive most of the time with 4th selected...really wakes up the response of the truck, cause I get that same silly vibration in 5th or 6th going up the Mountain. The truck has the power to keep high gear, but it really just wants to be higher in the RPM range to growl like it likes. (Same thing with MDS at low speeds)

Good times
 
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