6.4 Hemi overall experiences?

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GsRAM

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My truck has been reliable, and it is "handy" for short trips and lighter towing. It was the right choice for me when I bought it. If towing at elevation, and/or heavy, it struggles pretty badly. As pointed out previously, the gear spacing, and the programming of the 66RFE leaves much to be desired. I personally find it extremely aggravating when towing. My $0.02.


Interesting. I find it the opposite. I dont like the gear spacing but with tow/haul on it always seems to be in the right gear to me and the engine braking works well also. I have towed heavy years ago with trucks that didn't have tow haul so this ram in comparison is wonderful with tow/haul on when I'm towing. Just my .02
 

busterbrown

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Interesting. I find it the opposite. I dont like the gear spacing but with tow/haul on it always seems to be in the right gear to me and the engine braking works well also. I have towed heavy years ago with trucks that didn't have tow haul so this ram in comparison is wonderful with tow/haul on when I'm towing. Just my .02
I agree. I tow a 7500 lb trailer that's 35 feet long and my 6.4L woth 3.73 gears performs flawlessly. The engine does work on severe ascents but the powerplant was designed to do that. I would say, for any trailer under the 10,000 lb GVWR mark, the 6.4 hemi can be good choice. Over that weight, its probably advisable to move into a 1 ton cummins class truck to recoup the lost payload of the heavier engine. 2500 Ram's really suffer from usable payload capacity when paired with the diesel platform.
 

GsRAM

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I agree. I tow a 7500 lb trailer that's 35 feet long and my 6.4L woth 3.73 gears performs flawlessly. The engine does work on severe ascents but the powerplant was designed to do that. I would say, for any trailer under the 10,000 lb GVWR mark, the 6.4 hemi can be good choice. Over that weight, its probably advisable to move into a 1 ton cummins class truck to recoup the lost payload of the heavier engine. 2500 Ram's really suffer from usable payload capacity when paired with the diesel platform.

Yes, exactly. Agree 100%
 

pwjouster

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tell you the truth, i like to use tow mode nearly 100% of the time im in the truck alone. towing or not.
6.4 is flawless, power bands, reliability, enough MPG, sound.

the rams only issue is this got damn transmission....and its truly only tuning. the transmission is beast in its own right.
 

Sandbox

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Traded in our 1500 on a 17 2500 6.4 QC Laramie in Dec 16. I love it, wouldn't trade it for anything!! I've had no problems with the engine. Had one warranty issue. Had a problem with the drivers door handle.
 

tjfdesmo

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Interesting. I find it the opposite. I dont like the gear spacing but with tow/haul on it always seems to be in the right gear to me and the engine braking works well also. I have towed heavy years ago with trucks that didn't have tow haul so this ram in comparison is wonderful with tow/haul on when I'm towing. Just my .02
Each to his own, I guess. In Tow/Haul my truck pretty much stays in 4th/Direct, even with no load or light load, unless running 70 mph and just about downhill. So now my six speed is a four speed, and with 4.10s it is winding unnecessarily. I will generally run with T/H off and set it to 5th when pulling. The 66RFE is like Fred Flintstone compared to the ZF in the half tons.
 

RoadDog66

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I wonder if my 2500 6.4 had the 8 spd if I would have changed to the cummins.. It was an easy decision for me as it is now, but if that 8 speed had been out and they solved that annoying 1-2 gap in the tranny and close them lower gears up a little in ratio, it would be a tough decisions. its a wonderful motor hampered by a painfully average tranny.

This was my experience with 6.4 and 3.73s. I'd pull out from dead stop on a slight grade and first gear would wind up to 30mph pretty well but then drop to 2nd and would never regain any momentum or acceleration. Granted this is with a 10K 5'er and 4 passengers, but still that 1- 2 gap is horrible. I'm just not sure the 4.10s would help enough to make it feel comfortable and effortless like the diesel when towing. I wish it would because I'm finding a ton more available trucks with 4.10s that are optioned properly than I am Bighorn CTD's with what I need.
 

ronheater70

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This was my experience with 6.4 and 3.73s. I'd pull out from dead stop on a slight grade and first gear would wind up to 30mph pretty well but then drop to 2nd and would never regain any momentum or acceleration. Granted this is with a 10K 5'er and 4 passengers, but still that 1- 2 gap is horrible. I'm just not sure the 4.10s would help enough to make it feel comfortable and effortless like the diesel when towing. I wish it would because I'm finding a ton more available trucks with 4.10s that are optioned properly than I am Bighorn CTD's with what I need.

That was my exact same scenario, it only would happen in a few places but it just would hang in second, not really slow down but not really pick up just kinda bog until the grade evened out. I had posts on here asking for guidance because I was 100% sure I was going to do a gear swap. But everyone seems to say the 4:10 is only mildly better than the 3:73 so i was looking at 4:56.

Honestly I dont tow that much, maybe 8-10 times a year.. But I just felt like I was working the truck hard with 10K pounds.
 

Dmopar74

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Is that city with a load or trailer? I thought my 13 was terrible. I also let it idle more than I'd like to admit when I'm putting the kids in the back. Megacab seems to take forever to cool down.
Unloaded
 

68PowerWagon

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So far I am really enjoying mine. 2016 with 37,000mi. Very little engine mods. I tow 5-7,000lbs. occasionally & haul 1-1,500 for work at times. With the tire pressure lowered it is better riding truck than any other HD I have ever driven. There is a guy on here (haven't seen him post in awhile) that has a 2016 6.4 3.73 that he hot shots full time. Most of the time he is pulling flatbed with a couple vehicles on it. Last post I seen he was closing in on 200,000 miles with very little troubles. Yes... that's not a type o, he has put that many miles on it! He was just then putting brakes on it. Had few things that needed attention like replacing front bearings but really impressive considering that he tows over 95% of the time & the amount of miles on it.
 

HammerHead

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I had a 1500 that I really liked, upgrade to a 2500 6.4 and would never go back. The 6.4 and 410 gears are a match made in hemi heaven. And I would recommend you get the 410 option. It's powerful, comfortable, capable, beautiful and has longer legs than I ever thought possible. With the off-road package it sits nice and high; another option I would recommend. The 6.4 is a thirsty girl but better than I thought it would be.
Overall the truck has done more than I ever thought possible.
 

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