difference in engine performance

[circuitguy]

Anyone know whats the difference in engine performance from a 17 Ram Tradesman Hemi to a 17 Ram Sport RT Hemi?

 

[WILE E]

Is there a difference?

 

[NCRaineman]

The R/T has 3.92 rear gears.

There's not an engine difference, but BIG difference in gearing... and it shows in 0-60 and quarter mile times.

The tradesman is probably going to have 3.55 rear gears, or maybe even 3.21.

 

[69GWC]

Never heard of a power difference between the 5.7s per model. Maybe the older trucks ?

The 6sp VS the 8sp makes a huge difference in performance and like was said the gearing can make a big difference on what gearing the truck was ordered with.

 

[Firebird]

Gearing makes a big difference

 

[Wild one]

Anyone know whats the difference in engine performance from a 17 Ram Tradesman Hemi to a 17 Ram Sport RT Hemi?

The tradesman weighes a couple hundred lbs less,that's where it's advantage lies.You can get a tradesman with the identical drivetrain as a Sport / R/T,you can get the 8 speed and 3.92 gears in both trucks.

 

[Gary's Hemi]

On a 17 yr model there is zero performance difference. It has 3.92's which can be had in a Tradesman also. Like Rick said a Tradesman w/ 3.92's will be faster than a R/T due to around 250-300 lbs difference.

On the 5/6 speed trucks the R/T still had the same engine but the trans had a slightly higher stall than the other trucks & 4.10's. That all went away w/ the 8 speed.

If you want a faster truck to start off w/ get the Tradesman due to it being lighter. I like my R/T & wouldnt want to step down to a lower package truck but I am a disadvantage compared to some of the other fast Ram guys due to weight. However if I had it to do over again I would have gotten a 4x4 RC Tradesman so I could actually run a drag radial & not have to worry about the driveshaft tearing up at the end of the track

 

[Wild one]

Before Gary and I forget,be forewarned the driveshafts in the 2 wheel drive reg cab shortbox trucks with the 8 speed transmission and 3.92 gears are very prone to giving trouble.Doesn't matter if it's a lower level Tradesman or the upper level Sport/ R/T. They have a habit of blowing themselves out from under the truck if you like to drive fast,lol. So far the only fix at the moment is DSS's high dollar replacement driveshaft,although it's also been known to give trouble.If you're building one as a toy,budget for about another 1500 bucks for the DSS driveshaft. If I was looking at a reg cab 2 wheel drive shortbox with the 8 speed,i'd actually look more at a 3.21 geared one then a 3.92 geared one,they're not all that much slower in the 1/4 with the 3.21's especially in the lighter Tradesman trucks,and you can postpone buying the driveshaft a bit longer. There's times I don't like the extra weight my 4X4 carries compared to a 2 wheel drive truck,but the 4X4 rcsb's still have a decent driveshaft in them,and it'll handle a lot of speed,lol.Mines seen the high side of 150 according to gps somewhere in Mexico,lol.

 

[huntergreen]

Never heard of a power difference between the 5.7s per model. Maybe the older trucks ?

The 6sp VS the 8sp makes a huge difference in performance and like was said the gearing can make a big difference on what gearing the truck was ordered with.

Are the R/T models tuned differently from the factory ?

 

[69GWC]

Are the R/T models tuned differently from the factory ?

Shoot I dont think so, from what I have read the only difference was with the 6sp trucks and the torque converters like has been said.

When I was looking at new trucks I wanted to get a R/T and in 2016 all I could find different was the 22" RT wheels and some badging.

 

[huntergreen]

Thanks 69. In 2011, I looked at one and I thought it had 4:10 gears. Bought a sport instead as I wanted 4wd.

 

[circuitguy]

So it sounds like the differences are weight and gears as to performance. Is it easy to add these gears to my truck? What about the speedo and shift timing being off once the gears are installed?

 

[69GWC]

No not with gears it only throws off the speedo on tire size change.

 

[Wild one]

Thanks 69. In 2011, I looked at one and I thought it had 4:10 gears. Bought a sport instead as I wanted 4wd.

The earlier 5/6 speed R/T's did have 4.10's, along with a higher stall convertor.When they went to the 8 speed,the 4.10's and high stall convertor also disappeared.

 

[huntergreen]

The earlier 5/6 speed R/T's did have 4.10's, along with a higher stall convertor.When they went to the 8 speed,the 4.10's and high stall convertor also disappeared.

Then what is special about th R/t model now ?

 

[Wild one]

So it sounds like the differences are weight and gears as to performance. Is it easy to add these gears to my truck? What about the speedo and shift timing being off once the gears are installed?

You can go up 4.10's using OEM gears,but if you're truck is a regular cab shortbox with the 8 speed,you'll be limited to about 95 to maybe a 100 mph with the 4.10's ,before you have driveshaft problems,about 105 mph seems to be the safe limit with 3.92's and the stock driveshaft.I'd lay odds that a light weight Tradesman with no options and 3.21's on decent 17" tires ,will be as fast if not faster through the 1/4 then the heavier R/T with 3.92's and it's 22" wheels.If you have one of the rcsb Tradesman trucks with 3.21's and the 8 speed,i wouldn't be in a big rush to swap in 3.92's or 4.10's,that'd be the last of my mods,lol.

 

[Gary's Hemi]

Then what is special about th R/t model now ?

Nothing. Just upgraded interior, hood & wheels which makes them close to 300 lbs heavier(meaning a few tenths slower in the 1/4 mile) than the lower package trucks.

However if you want the upgraded interior & exterior they can still be made fast easily. Mine is a mid 12 sec truck in the winter & high 12 sec truck in the summer w/ normal bolt ons on the 22" wheels. The same mods on a Tradesman would be a few tenths faster but I wouldnt trade my interior for a lower package.

 

[Gary's Hemi]

You can go up 4.10's using OEM gears,but if you're truck is a regular cab shortbox with the 8 speed,you'll be limited to about 95 to maybe a 100 mph with the 4.10's ,before you have driveshaft problems,about 105 mph seems to be the safe limit with 3.92's and the stock driveshaft.I'd lay odds that a light weight Tradesman with no options and 3.21's on decent 17" tires ,will be as fast if not faster through the 1/4 then the heavier R/T with 3.92's and it's 22" wheels.If you have one of the rcsb Tradesman trucks with 3.21's and the 8 speed,i wouldn't be in a big rush to swap in 3.92's or 4.10's,that'd be the last of my mods,lol.

X2. If you have a RC 8 speed w/ 3.21's I would keep them. 3.21's in an 8 speed is still a lower over all gear than the 5/6 speed w/ 3.92. Just put a limited slip in it & call it a day. That way there is no worrying about a driveshaft self destructing.

 

[fljab]

You can go up 4.10's using OEM gears,but if you're truck is a regular cab shortbox with the 8 speed,you'll be limited to about 95 to maybe a 100 mph with the 4.10's ,before you have driveshaft problems,about 105 mph seems to be the safe limit with 3.92's and the stock driveshaft.I'd lay odds that a light weight Tradesman with no options and 3.21's on decent 17" tires ,will be as fast if not faster through the 1/4 then the heavier R/T with 3.92's and it's 22" wheels.If you have one of the rcsb Tradesman trucks with 3.21's and the 8 speed,i wouldn't be in a big rush to swap in 3.92's or 4.10's,that'd be the last of my mods,lol.

Well, dangit, I did something right! I bought my '17 Tradesman RCSB 5.7 3.21 after it had sat on the lot for ~10 months and was deeply discounted. I have wanted - and would have ordered - 3.92 gears if I had a choice, but for what I paid for this truck ($23.2K OTD) it was no big deal. The main thing I wanted was that 5.7 in a RCSB. Hard to find with any mfg (unless you special order) as no one wants them anymore, but it's all I need for just me and sometimes wife ride along.

I haven't touched anything performance wise as don't want to have problems with warranty. I had planned to do the gears when it came off warranty, but maybe I'll rethink that, or at least look at the driveshaft as part of the costs if I do. It does run plenty good IMO, and I haven't got a PC, Pulsar, tune, or anything else beyond stock.

 

[Pull Ya]

The one thing that lots of guys forget is whats behind the steering wheel. Gary's truck doesn't run mid 12's all by itself. It takes practice, skill, experience and knowledge to be as successful as he is. No matter how much you spend and what you do to your truck, don't ever forget the importance of a skillful, knowledgeable and experienced driver.
Jay