65rfe upgrades or performance replacement options

[Wild one]

by wide open down shifts you mean like when i stomp it at highway speeds for example and it downshifts to take off right?

Yup,try to get in the habit of downshifting it manually via the button on the column shifter,then flooring it to pass somebody.And no roll racing,they'll take a fair bit from a dig though.

 

[Caine espinoza]

Yup,try to get in the habit of downshifting it manually via the button on the column shifter,then flooring it to pass somebody.And no roll racing,they'll take a fair bit from a dig though.

this is what i was thinking lol lets see how it goes lol. thanks for the feedback man, i really appreciate it

 

[1SLwLS1]

I was in the same boat as you. I have a 2013 and in August of 2020, I had lifter issues so I ordered the MMX 392 with NSR cam. While in there, went with a 3200 stall (flashed around 3400) but when it was stock, I never did anything special with the 65RFE as far as downshifting manually, I always did WOT downshifts (ignorance is bliss). I got the truck up and running in October of 2020 and within 500 miles, I had lost the OD clutches.

I attempted a 66RFE swap but that didn't work and since this was my DD, I had a local transmission shop rebuilt the stock 65RFE with upgraded parts, Sonnax OD drum, shift kit, etc. With the replacement transmission, I babied it, I always downshifted sub 4th gear before going WOT, never stayed in it in 4th gear, etc. Well that rebuilt transmission with "upgraded parts" ended up lasting about 500-1000 miles before it lost the OD clutches.

By that time I luckily had a reliable DD so I just kept it as-is with only gears 1-3 using the electronic lockout on the center console shifter. Worked great for short trips, handled all the abuse I could throw at it. I started accumulating parts for the 8 speed swap and should have that done shortly. Just skip the RFE entirely if you need a reliable DD - it won't be long at all before the OD clutches go out and you're stuck with 3 useable gears.

 

[Jon1704]

i apreciate the feed back, do you guys think the trans will hold while its still N/A? i dont have the money for induction at the moment so im kinda hoping the trans will hold for a little bit. i dont plan to be too rough on it. the occasional womp at a red light but mostly just regular city driving and 80mph highway drive and pulling a small encolsed trailer from job to job. im looking for 450-500 rwhp N/A until i save enough to force it, not sure what the torque is gonna be for those power numbers. it will be dyno tuned.

 

[Caine espinoza]

I was in the same boat as you. I have a 2013 and in August of 2020, I had lifter issues so I ordered the MMX 392 with NSR cam. While in there, went with a 3200 stall (flashed around 3400) but when it was stock, I never did anything special with the 65RFE as far as downshifting manually, I always did WOT downshifts (ignorance is bliss). I got the truck up and running in October of 2020 and within 500 miles, I had lost the OD clutches.

I attempted a 66RFE swap but that didn't work and since this was my DD, I had a local transmission shop rebuilt the stock 65RFE with upgraded parts, Sonnax OD drum, shift kit, etc. With the replacement transmission, I babied it, I always downshifted sub 4th gear before going WOT, never stayed in it in 4th gear, etc. Well that rebuilt transmission with "upgraded parts" ended up lasting about 500-1000 miles before it lost the OD clutches.

By that time I luckily had a reliable DD so I just kept it as-is with only gears 1-3 using the electronic lockout on the center console shifter. Worked great for short trips, handled all the abuse I could throw at it. I started accumulating parts for the 8 speed swap and should have that done shortly. Just skip the RFE entirely if you need a reliable DD - it won't be long at all before the OD clutches go out and you're stuck with 3 useable gears.

This is what I needed to hear lol Im going to give sound German automotive a call about there 8 speed swap and see what all it takes. I should have just bought an 8 speed when I bought my truck but I didn't know any better at the time. As far as you know what parts am I looking at for this 8 speed swap? Sound german says they have a "plug and play" system for the rams but I'm not sure about the small details

 

[1SLwLS1]

There is a recent 8 speed swap thread out there but here is an approximate list:
SGA Harness
New Y-pipe
Dial Shifter
Console Tray
Torque Converter & Hardware
2WD 8HP70
Mounting Bracket & Hardware
Weld-in Crossmember & hardware for driveshaft carrier
New 2-piece driveshaft or custom driveshaft
Flexplate & bolt spacer plate
Crankshaft pilot sleeve
Plus accommodations to handle the transmission thermostat housing - I ended up plugging and bypassing to utilize my existing transmission lines and not use the thermostat at all

 

[Caine espinoza]

There is a recent 8 speed swap thread out there but here is an approximate list:
SGA Harness
New Y-pipe
Dial Shifter
Console Tray
Torque Converter & Hardware
2WD 8HP70
Mounting Bracket & Hardware
Weld-in Crossmember & hardware for driveshaft carrier
New 2-piece driveshaft or custom driveshaft
Flexplate & bolt spacer plate
Crankshaft pilot sleeve
Plus accommodations to handle the transmission thermostat housing - I ended up plugging and bypassing to utilize my existing transmission lines and not use the thermostat at all

So I should just look for a 8 speed ram with a blown motor then lol im worried about it not working in my truck because the shifter is on the collum.

 

[1SLwLS1]

I considered that for a while and watched salvage auto auctions for several weeks, but with the used market being what it is, the salvage market is stupid high too.

Talk to Russell about the conversion, if anything you don't have to worry about the center console changes but I don't know what your dash looks like in terms of adding the dial shifter. Also, to remove the column shifter, should be fairly straight forward as you would just need to find a cover from a 2012 that didn't have a column shifter, if that makes sense.

 

[Caine espinoza]

I considered that for a while and watched salvage auto auctions for several weeks, but with the used market being what it is, the salvage market is stupid high too.

Talk to Russell about the conversion, if anything you don't have to worry about the center console changes but I don't know what your dash looks like in terms of adding the dial shifter. Also, to remove the column shifter, should be fairly straight forward as you would just need to find a cover from a 2012 that didn't have a column shifter, if that makes sense.

By dial shifter he ment the knob, for some reason I was think a shifter like what frostbite ram has. I could put the knob where my trailer break would go under my light switch or tap a hole right under my account knobs.

 

[Caine espinoza]

So I should just look for a 8 speed ram with a blown motor then lol im worried about it not working in my truck because the shifter is on the collum.

My truck is 2wd, would I still need to address the drive shaft issue?

 

[1SLwLS1]

My truck is 2wd, would I still need to address the drive shaft issue?

Yes, the driveshaft if different, the crew cab 65RFE driveshaft is 1 piece and the crew cab 8HP70 driveshaft is 2 piece with a carrier bearing - the 8HP70 is considerably shorter than the 65RFE. You can always just get a custom driveshaft made too, but you will need to plan for some solution on the driveshaft.

 

[La Ramie]

I'm on the same boat as the OP.
I'm going with a 392 stroker and want to install a Procharger in the future, but with a 392 stroker, the engine produce a power and torque near the limit of the 65rfe transmission.

 

[Edward Tamasi]

I own a RCSB 2wd. Will I have to get a new driveshaft? Also, will I benefit from an 8hp70 from a car or should I stick with the truck? The reason I ask is there are more car transmissions for sale in my area with lower mileage and I can grab the floor shifter as well. I am curious about the cooling line relocation/tapping.

 

[Wild one]

I own a RCSB 2wd. Will I have to get a new driveshaft? Also, will I benefit from an 8hp70 from a car or should I stick with the truck? The reason I ask is there are more car transmissions for sale in my area with lower mileage and I can grab the floor shifter as well. I am curious about the cooling line relocation/tapping.

Using the car 8 speed,means you bypass having to run coolant lines to the transmission.Only the trucks use coolant to heat the fluid,the cars don't have the coolant heater. You'll have to do something with the driveshaft though,as the 8 speed uses a bolt-on flange for the driveshaft,there's no slip yoke like you have with your 5/6 speed.

 

[Lyle Longboat]

Well, my ATS stage 5 trans arrived in town yesterday. So I guess I’ll be the newest one on the forum to check their 545rfe stage 5 900hp rated trans. If it is as good as they say, then ill
Be happy, if not, then I’m contacting the fraud magician Clint Cannon directly from
My igloo here in northern isolated Canada!

 

[Edward Tamasi]

Thanks for the info. I am not worried about heating up the trans. I live in a warm climate and the truck is only used for street/strip action, very little highway use.

 

[LoadedExpressRam]

Well, my ATS stage 5 trans arrived in town yesterday. So I guess I’ll be the newest one on the forum to check their 545rfe stage 5 900hp rated trans. If it is as good as they say, then ill
Be happy, if not, then I’m contacting the fraud magician Clint Cannon directly from
My igloo here in northern isolated Canada!

I thought those were for diesels only? Who did you order through? This may be a option I have to look into. Appreciate the help.

 

[Lyle Longboat]

I thought those were for diesels only? Who did you order through? This may be a option I have to look into. Appreciate the help.

I ordered through PartsEngine here in Ontario Canada. However, I did a bunch of research online about their products and on their site. I ended up calling them to verify once I found the transmission package I wanted and provided them with the product number and my vehicle info. They told me it fits my truck. I asked them about having a higher stall converter to match my cam. They said to add that in the order notes and they will
set the stall to whatever I needed. I then proceeded to the PartsEngine website and found the exact same transmission package and contacted thrm
Directly. Made the order and didn’t have to pay on shipping and got the trans on sale during the Christmas holidays.

3099549356-This is the part number for the transmission I bought. Go to the ATS website and you can pick what stage trans you want to order by selecting from
The drop down brackets.

 

[LoadedExpressRam]

I ordered through PartsEngine here in Ontario Canada. However, I did a bunch of research online about their products and on their site. I ended up calling them to verify once I found the transmission package I wanted and provided them with the product number and my vehicle info. They told me it fits my truck. I asked them about having a higher stall converter to match my cam. They said to add that in the order notes and they will
set the stall to whatever I needed. I then proceeded to the PartsEngine website and found the exact same transmission package and contacted thrm
Directly. Made the order and didn’t have to pay on shipping and got the trans on sale during the Christmas holidays.

3099549356-This is the part number for the transmission I bought. Go to the ATS website and you can pick what stage trans you want to order by selecting from
The drop down brackets.

Appreciate all that info. Thanks

 

[Lyle Longboat]

No prob!