6spd v 8spd trans??

[DILLIGAF]

Drive a 1500 6 speed and 8 speed back to back and it's there but not a huge difference.

If you drive like a grandpa, if you actually floor it, it shaves a second off a quarter mile. Last time I checked that's a huge difference

The six speed is actual dog s***, there's a reason lots of us do the 8 speed swaps.

It's also literally cheaper to swap in the 8 seeds instead of rebuilding those piece of s*** rfes

 

[bcbouy]

I know crap about transmissions,but when I transitioned from my old 2500 6 speed to my power wagon,the first thing I noticed was the super plush ride difference,and a close second was the trans.I looove the 8 speed.

 

[HEMIMANN]

I knew the answer.

I was forced at work to play the warranty cost vs design cost game, and was blamed by executives even when succeeding at low total cost.

Whenever they were confronted by warranty or p purchasing for their department cost being high, they'd blame the Techinal Project Leader and Product Line Manager, of which I did 10 years of each.
i.e. - they used us against each other so they could appear the good cop and get a better job elsewhere.

 

[Docwagon1776]

If you drive like a grandpa, if you actually floor it, it shaves a second off a quarter mile. Last time I checked that's a huge difference

The six speed is actual dog s***, there's a reason lots of us do the 8 speed swaps.

It's also literally cheaper to swap in the 8 seeds instead of rebuilding those piece of s*** rfes

If you're drag racing them and are getting it to hook, yeah, 1 second is huge. If you're driving it on the street where initial launch is much more traction limited and you're not keeping it floored 1/4 mile at a time anyway, not much difference at all.

For me 1/4 mile time is a fairly useless metric to evaluate most vehicles. I value things smoothness, initial acceleration, kickdown for passing on 2-lanes or on-ramps, general smoothness, etc. and they were much more noticeable in the 3/4 ton vs the 1/2 ton.

 

[GeneM]

If you drive like a grandpa, if you actually floor it, it shaves a second off a quarter mile. Last time I checked that's a huge difference

The six speed is actual dog s***, there's a reason lots of us do the 8 speed swaps.

It's also literally cheaper to swap in the 8 seeds instead of rebuilding those piece of s*** rfes

Wait, so you can actually throw in one of the new 8spds if the 6spd goes sideways? I would think it can't be just a straight swap as you'd need the computer reprogrammed and what about what is represented in the dash?
Honestly if it's a pretty straightforward swap it's something I could potentially do on my own "maybe" I'd need to find a shop with a lift I could rent.
At this point though my trans feels great but I certainly am concerned about longevity...

 

[Fatbob Frank]

Short answer- Yes.

 

[mtofell]

6 speed sucks when towing heavy and has a pretty poor reliability record. I've had two rebuilds on mine - 38K and 90K. Now at 135K and it's okay but clunks and shudders at times.

As for towing, the real problem I have/had (sold the RV) is when towing heavy the ratio gap between first and second is a mile. Ram went cheap and borrowed the ratios on the 66rfe for the Hemi from the 68rfe that went in most Cummins. Diesels love the low end so the drop into second was generally fine. With a gasser it's horrible. Holding second around 35/40MPH going up any grade just isn't doable.

As a daily driver or light towing I don't really find the 6 speed to be that bad but have never driven an 8 speed so I'm not sure what I'm missing.

 

[62Blazer]

The Cummins market is pretty small in comparision to the other trucks they make,so there wasn't a big push by FCA/Stellantis and ZF to build an 8 speed capable of handling it's off idle torque.
I don't know the production number differances,but i'd hazard a guess they'd be lucky to build 10% of Cummins equipped trucks in comparision to the amount of 5.7 and 6.4 trucks they build,so it's not a big enough market to justify the R&D and manufacturing costs

A Google search is saying that 70% of all Ram 2500 trucks have the Cummins. If the decision was only based on how many vehicles they sold, wouldn't they have concentrated on the Cummins trucks before the Hemi trucks?

 

[Wild one]

A Google search is saying that 70% of all Ram 2500 trucks have the Cummins. If the decision was only based on how many vehicles they sold, wouldn't they have concentrated on the Cummins trucks before the Hemi trucks?

70% of 2500's with a Cummins is about 2% of 1500's with a 5.7.
70% of a small market doesn't mean much to a corporation.
What they sell for 2500's with a Cummins is a drop in the bucket to what they sell for 1500's,and they already had an 8 speed in the parts bin,that they could easily stab into a 6.4 2500,they didn't have an 8 speed that would live behind a Cummins

 

[62Blazer]

I had a 2016 and I was going to regear to 4.56 to help with the less than stellar first gear. However I never had the chance since my truck got totaled and bought a 2022 with the 8 speed. If you got a great deal on the 2016 then keep and run it, maybe gear swap down the road. My 2016 was a solid truck for me

While I agree that the 8 speed has a much lower 1st gear, if you keep this in perspective most 2500 and 3500 series trucks from any manufacturer had way higher 1st gears than the 66RFE 6 speed not that long ago. The transmission in a Chevrolet 2500 only had a 2.48 first gear up until around 2009 timeframe. Heck, when the 66RFE came out with the 3.23 1st gear that was considered really low at the time! Definitely not saying you are wrong or anything, but just making a comment to keep things in perspective. It's just like when people say that the 383 HP 5.7 Hemi is "barely adequate" for a 2500 when 2500 and 3500 series trucks barely made 300 HP not that long ago with a lot of those trucks still running around today.

 

[HEMIMANN]

100% of 3500's with Cummins? Isn't 2500 the only HD series with gas option?

 

[GeneM]

100% of 3500's with Cummins? Isn't 2500 the only HD series with gas option?

Sorry, what's the question?

 

[olyelr]

If i was buying a new/used ram 2500 gasser today, i would absolutely mandate a ‘19+ for the 8 speed. The 6 speed is the only thing i despise with my power wagon. Love the rest of the truck, but the trans just sucks. The 8 speed is way better.

 

[Docwagon1776]

While I agree that the 8 speed has a much lower 1st gear, if you keep this in perspective most 2500 and 3500 series trucks from any manufacturer had way higher 1st gears than the 66RFE 6 speed not that long ago. The transmission in a Chevrolet 2500 only had a 2.48 first gear up until around 2009 timeframe. Heck, when the 66RFE came out with the 3.23 1st gear that was considered really low at the time! Definitely not saying you are wrong or anything, but just making a comment to keep things in perspective. It's just like when people say that the 383 HP 5.7 Hemi is "barely adequate" for a 2500 when 2500 and 3500 series trucks barely made 300 HP not that long ago with a lot of those trucks still running around today.

Sure. And we did a lot of work with trucks when a 454 was mated to a 3 speed and had under 250hp while the base 6 banger was closer to 130hp. We pulled a gooseneck full of hay with a 6 cylinder Chevy and a granny 4 speed...but that was in the mid 80s and that's not what a truck is competing against today.

 

[GeneM]

Yea so this thread seems to have gotten off track a little. I think it's clear the 8spd is the better transmission but is it so much better that everyone should be dumping their 6spd trucks and getting an 8spd?
I think I picked up my '16 for a price where I could sell it for about the same and then go try and track down a low mileage newer one with the 8spd. However, I could just buy a new one with the BigHorn package that is better equipped than what I currently have for 58k and get all the best stuff. The question is, is it really even worth it, I guess ultimately that's up to me and I'm a cheap SOB so I guess I'll run this truck for a while and if I don't end up liking it I'll see about upgrading...
The other variable here though is all this talk of Stelantis pushing out massive rebates here soon which would kill the value of my current truck but make the new ones far less expensive. I personally don't see that happening though and I don't see the local dealers adhering to it.

 

[olyelr]

Yea so this thread seems to have gotten off track a little. I think it's clear the 8spd is the better transmission but is it so much better that everyone should be dumping their 6spd trucks and getting an 8spd?
I think I picked up my '16 for a price where I could sell it for about the same and then go try and track down a low mileage newer one with the 8spd. However, I could just buy a new one with the BigHorn package that is better equipped than what I currently have for 58k and get all the best stuff. The question is, is it really even worth it, I guess ultimately that's up to me and I'm a cheap SOB so I guess I'll run this truck for a while and if I don't end up liking it I'll see about upgrading...
The other variable here though is all this talk of Stelantis pushing out massive rebates here soon which would kill the value of my current truck but make the new ones far less expensive. I personally don't see that happening though and I don't see the local dealers adhering to it.

Thats simply a personal decision man. Its not the same for everyone. Everyone has their opinion on the deal. You need to form your own. Youve already heard a lot of opinions, now your still questioning.

I personally hate the 6 speed and would much rather have the 8. But is it worth getting rid of my pristine 8+ year old truck that has been paid for and has a lifetime warranty. Not to me. (Maybe i will swap an 8 speed in some day and have my dream truck lol)

Go drive one with the 8 speed and form your own opinion. Drive it for a while though.

I dont know what you mean by massive discounts, but all the new trucks are currently $10+k off sticker right now.

 

[Docwagon1776]

Yea so this thread seems to have gotten off track a little. I think it's clear the 8spd is the better transmission but is it so much better that everyone should be dumping their 6spd trucks and getting an 8spd?
I think I picked up my '16 for a price where I could sell it for about the same and then go try and track down a low mileage newer one with the 8spd. However, I could just buy a new one with the BigHorn package that is better equipped than what I currently have for 58k and get all the best stuff. The question is, is it really even worth it, I guess ultimately that's up to me and I'm a cheap SOB so I guess I'll run this truck for a while and if I don't end up liking it I'll see about upgrading...
The other variable here though is all this talk of Stelantis pushing out massive rebates here soon which would kill the value of my current truck but make the new ones far less expensive. I personally don't see that happening though and I don't see the local dealers adhering to it.

That's why I said it was worth it *for me*. I test drove a 6 speed and said "nope". If the 8 speed hadn't been so much better, I was going to buy a Ford Tremor.

Go drive one. See if it's enough of a difference that you're willing to pry open your wallet and pay the difference.

 

[GeneM]

That's why I said it was worth it *for me*. I test drove a 6 speed and said "nope". If the 8 speed hadn't been so much better, I was going to buy a Ford Tremor.

Go drive one. See if it's enough of a difference that you're willing to pry open your wallet and pay the difference.

Actually I drove one of those before I drove this one. And yeah it is better but I don't know that I would say it's leaps and bounds better. It's just $25,000 more than what I paid for this and I don't know if it's that much better but i here worrying about breakdowns constantly...
I suspect I'll stick it out with this and just get a warranty on it..

 

[tron67j]

Maybe in the minority, but my 2500 6.4 6 SPD is a workhorse. I tow bobcats, tons of rock, heavy trailers all over the place and haven't felt the need for the 8 speed. My towing is a mix of highway speed, up hills and mountains, flat, in mud and dirt, basically everywhere. I have towed a couple times with the 8 speed and don't feel any remorse with the 6 speed transmission. Maybe because I don't accelerate like a race car, I just let the truck do it's job. My truck shifts smooth, it is a nice ride with the extra weight, and recommend the 6 to anyone. Just for awareness I have 40 years of extensive towing experience across Ram, when it was Dodge, Ford, Chevy, IH, and even have driven Straights and 18's.

But back to the original post. The OP has the truck now, it's going to be expensive to do anything about it now. I say just learn how to use the tool they have and enjoy the ride. No reason to second guess the purchase, it is a good one IMHO.

 

[buckeyexx]

I would just swap out that valvebody and solenoid pack and call it good. Oh and delete the transmission thermostat add thermal bypass block and you will be golden. Keep up on the maintenance for sure. Very easy trans to service vs the 8 speed.