Differential Effect on MPH

[Wild one]

I have a 2023 Warlockthat came with 3.55 differential and 17' tires Could someone tell me the Pros and Cons of this type of differential and did they put smaller tires because of the differential size ?
Thank you

The V6's and Eco-Diesals with the 8 speed could be had with 3.55's,but not the 5.7 with the 8 speed.
Pro's are it gives the little motors more towing capacity then the 3.21's.
Personally i think they screwed up by not offering the 5.7 and 8 speed with 3.55's after 2013,as it's a nice middle of the road gear ratio for the guys who only tow occassionally or tow a light load
Odds are the tires on your Warlock are probably 33" or taller.
The Warlocks are touted more as an offroad style truck,and the 17" rims give you more tire sidewall for bashing around out in the boonies,especially useful for the guys who air down their tires for boonie bashing.
You have more tire sidewall to protect the rim when aired down

 

[RamDiver]

I have a 2023 Warlockthat came with 3.55 differential and 17' tires Could someone tell me the Pros and Cons of this type of differential and did they put smaller tires because of the differential size ?
Thank you

My '21 Warlock came with 20" rims and I bought 17" steel rims for winter tires.

The tire diameter is what counts for height, not the rim size.

BTW, I have E-rated BFG K02s on 17" steel rims that often provide better ride comfort than Michelin Defenders on 20" rims.

This improved comfort is experienced on many of the crappy rural roads where I live, because of the increased cushioning provided by a larger sidewall.

When it comes time to replace the summer Michelin tires, I plan to find another set of 17" rims.

Plug in your tire dimensions into the following calculator to obtain the tire diameter.

Tire Size Calculator

The best tire size calculator. Use our tire size calculator to find tire size specs and suggested tire sizes. Then check prices for all available tire sizes.

tiresize.com

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[warlock23]

The V6's and Eco-Diesals with the 8 speed could be had with 3.55's,but not the 5.7 with the 8 speed.
Pro's are it gives the little motors more towing capacity then the 3.21's.
Personally i think they screwed up by not offering the 5.7 and 8 speed with 3.55's after 2013,as it's a nice middle of the road gear ratio for the guys who only tow occassionally or tow a light load
Odds are the tires on your Warlock are probably 33" or taller.
The Warlocks are touted more as an offroad style truck,and the 17" rims give you more tire sidewall for bashing around out in the boonies,especially useful for the guys who air down their tires for boonie bashing.
You have more tire sidewall to protect the rim when aired down

Actaully the tires are 265/70/17 33 inches diameter

 

[star_deceiver]

Actaully the tires are 265/70/17 33 inches diameter

That, by any book, would be a 31.6” tire. 285/70/17 would be the comparatively 33” to a 275/60/20.

3.55 to 3.92 swap is going to be very expensive and net you pretty much nothing. I recall reading somewhere that you can buy 4.1 and 4.44 gearsets for the ZF diffs, but that not rabbit hole I’m diving into.

If you want better towing your answer is at the dealer in the form of a 3/4 or bigger ton truck.

I have never not made it to where I was going towing a reasonably sized trailer for this truck with 3.55s and 275/60/20s.

 

[RamDiver]

Actaully the tires are 265/70/17 33 inches diameter

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[Wild one]

On the 2017 Ram 1500 5.7 with the 8-speed, the difference between the 3.92 and 3.21 axle is usually small. Expect about 1 to 2 MPG worse with the 3.92, mostly on highway driving. Around town, the difference is often minimal. So you’re basically trading a slight MPG drop for noticeably better towing and acceleration with the 3.92.

If you actually compare the final drive ratio's,once they're rolling and the 3.92's shift into 2nd,and the 3.21's are still in 1st they have the better final drive ratio. At certain speeds and gears the 3.21's have the advantage,the only place the 3.92's work better are off idle in 1st gear. 3.21's in 7th gear are a virtual cross over to 3.92's in 8th gear

 

[ppine]

I had a Chevy half ton with a 350 in it. The Gear ratio was around a 3.2. It was terrible for towing, even a two horse trailer.
I got rid of it pronto.

The 3.2 is going to be searching and shifting a lot trying to find the right gear. The 3.9 will be fine for towing.
Stay with the 3.9 and don't worry about the mileage difference. It will be minimal.

 

[Wild one]

I had a Chevy half ton with a 350 in it. The Gear ratio was around a 3.2. It was terrible for towing, even a two horse trailer.
I got rid of it pronto.

The 3.2 is going to be searching and shifting a lot trying to find the right gear. The 3.9 will be fine for towing.
Stay with the 3.9 and don't worry about the mileage difference. It will be minimal.

That's not even close to an Apples to Oranges comparision.Comparing a smogger 350 with a 3 speed to a late model hemi with the 8 speed shouldn't even enter the conversation Gotta admit you made me laugh though