Is the H.O. with the Aisin worth the upcharge?

[RamGuy110]

Has anyone driven both a 22' and 23' 3500 with the Aisin? If so, notice any tuning differences/smoother shifts? I went to a dealer last week and they had two H.O.'s, but would not let me drive them due to a recall, though I thought it was only on the 68rfe equipped trucks.

My 22' that I had, had the 68rfe and I had issues with it. I tow commercially 3-4 times per week, but rarely exceeding 10k lbs. I've always had the 68rfe, but was thinking about changing it up this time. Just wondering if its worth the extra cost and extra maintenance cost to own the H.O.?

I'm looking at it more from a reliability and performance perspective. When I've ran values on KBB with the same truck and mileage, just switching transmissions, the aisin equipped trucks don't appear to be worth anymore than the 68rfe trucks.

 

[Dinky]

i have 30k on my 22' 68rfe. i havent had any mechanical issues just a filter that shot off into the pan(not the trucks fault) There are a lot of reports of the Asin having issues in the 23' trucks as there is a c-clip breaking. I know a lot of people with 68rfes and as long as you keep it stock it has been a very good transmission. If you were towing more weight like 17-18k i would look at the HO but you will lose MPG with the HO. Until Ram come out with a completely different transmission i wont buy another truck.

 

[nlambert182]

I don't have much experience with Aisin, but I've had 2 68RFEs and both were used mostly for towing. The 2500 (put 50k miles on it - had 95k when I sold it) towed a 12.5k trailer and the 3500 (put 130k miles on it) towed a 15.5k trailer thousands of miles and neither ever skipped a beat.

As Dinky said.... keep the HP turned down on the Cummins and it will last. I had both of mine deleted, but ran the stock HP tune. If you turn them up, the 68RFE can't handle it without some upgrades.

 

[tjfdesmo]

Aside from the current issue with the K1 clutch drum snap-ring failure causing transmission failure, the Aisin is a FAR superior transmission to the 68RFE from a longevity standpoint. BUT it is anything but smooth. Mine had the 2-1 slam shift, and the occasional 1-2 false neutral slam shift, under certain circumstances. With the toy hauler hooked up it also had a pretty severe shudder on the 2-3 upshift. Still, even with all that, if I bought another Ram HD it would have the Aisin. They really do need to move on from both current transmissions, though.

My truck burned down/totalled in October. Currently have a brand X on order. First non-Mopar in 20 years.

 

[RamGuy110]

Aside from the current issue with the K1 clutch drum snap-ring failure causing transmission failure, the Aisin is a FAR superior transmission to the 68RFE from a longevity standpoint. BUT it is anything but smooth. Mine had the 2-1 slam shift, and the occasional 1-2 false neutral slam shift, under certain circumstances. With the toy hauler hooked up it also had a pretty severe shudder on the 2-3 upshift. Still, even with all that, if I bought another Ram HD it would have the Aisin. They really do need to move on from both current transmissions, though.

My truck burned down/totalled in October. Currently have a brand X on order. First non-Mopar in 20 years.

I had ordred brand X in October, which now got converted to a 2024 model. I'm not sure I'll like it though after watching some of the videos on the 13" screen and digital cluster. I had to borrow a 21' in brand X and it was the highest trim level and I found the seats to be rock hard. But we'll see.

 

[RamGuy110]

Sorry to hear about your Ram burning up.

 

[RamGuy110]

Aside from the current issue with the K1 clutch drum snap-ring failure causing transmission failure, the Aisin is a FAR superior transmission to the 68RFE from a longevity standpoint. BUT it is anything but smooth. Mine had the 2-1 slam shift, and the occasional 1-2 false neutral slam shift, under certain circumstances. With the toy hauler hooked up it also had a pretty severe shudder on the 2-3 upshift. Still, even with all that, if I bought another Ram HD it would have the Aisin. They really do need to move on from both current transmissions, though.

My truck burned down/totalled in October. Currently have a brand X on order. First non-Mopar in 20 years.

Sorry to hear about it burning up.

 

[Riccochet]

I wouldn't bother owning a diesel if I towed 10k or less. You gain nothing other than higher maintenance and repair bills.

 

[oe542bob]

Just make sure the Aisin wasn’t built during the 2022 year. Almost the entire year of production seems to be included In the recall/TSB.

 

[RamGuy110]

I wouldn't bother owning a diesel if I towed 10k or less. You gain nothing other than higher maintenance and repair bills.

I get where you're coming from, but I think they're fun to drive and tow with. If I can afford it, I'll try to get one.