Lack of power

[DS 18/2500]

Hi all, not sure where to start. I just purchased my first Ram about 6 week's ago. 2018 2500 6.4l Crew cab 8 foot bed air suspension 373 gears. Traded in my 2016 Silverado 1500 5.3l short bed 308 gears. Although I love the rear air suspension and 8 foot bed of the Ram, the Silverado definitely pulled my trailer easier. In the Ram the engine won't shift until I let off the gas and the transmission shudder is horrible at 2k.rpms. My trailer is only 6k. And I am beating the crap out of the truck just to keep up with normal traffic. Don't know what went wrong, very disappointed

 

[McBroom]

Hi all, not sure where to start. I just purchased my first Ram about 6 week's ago. 2018 2500 6.4l Crew cab 8 foot bed air suspension 373 gears. Traded in my 2016 Silverado 1500 5.3l short bed 308 gears. Although I love the rear air suspension and 8 foot bed of the Ram, the Silverado definitely pulled my trailer easier. In the Ram the engine won't shift until I let off the gas and the transmission shudder is horrible at 2k.rpms. My trailer is only 6k. And I am beating the crap out of the truck just to keep up with normal traffic. Don't know what went wrong, very disappointed

The 6.4 takes a little bit to get broke in but once it is it’s an amazing engine.
Tell me a little bit more about the truck. How many miles are on it? 4x4? Do you have any mods on it yet?


I Love my 18 Ram 2500HD 4x4 CC
Blue Streak Pearl off-road

 

[indept]

Did you switch it to Tow Haul Mode?

 

[MADDOG]

My 6.4L powered truck was a bit of a dismal performer at first. As the miles on the truck increased, the power improved greatly and so did my mileage.

How many miles on your truck?

Are you using Tow/Haul mode when towing the trailer?

Are you using Manual mode or Tow/Haul mode when driving around town?

Full auto mode can be a real killer on these trucks. It will shift to the highest gear at very low speeds and that sucks for moving around town in stop and go, at low speeds and in traffic.

 

[Burla]

Did you switch it to Tow Haul Mode?

this??

3.73 is middle of the road gear.

You have the 6 sped transmission?

What chevy has is a good transmission, there are some things that will make the ram tranny better, gears and tuner, but maybe not yet for the 2018, it may take a while dunno?

 

[DS 18/2500]

Did you switch it to Tow Haul Mode?

Yes

 

[DS 18/2500]

The 6.4 takes a little bit to get broke in but once it is it’s an amazing engine.
Tell me a little bit more about the truck. How many miles are on it? 4x4? Do you have any mods on it yet?


I Love my 18 Ram 2500HD 4x4 CC
Blue Streak Pearl off-road

Just about 3k miles on it. Completely stock. 4x4 I just can't see this thing changing that much. Everyone says they short shift and you loose power because of it grabbing a higher gear, this thing down shifts at 1/4 throttle at best. Any upgrade in the road and I'm at 4500+ rpm just mainting speed.

 

[69GWC]

Its because its so high geared, with the high gears in the transmission and just having 3:73 gears in the rear end.
Go drive it and start from a stop and floor it and note at what speeds it shifts out if each gear.
Motor has plenty if power its just not getting it diwn efficiently.

 

[DS 18/2500]

The problem I'm having with what you are saying is the Silverado I had was only a 5.3 300 hp. With 308 gears 34.5 tires, got 20 mpg . This is a 6.4l 373 gears stock tires 9 mpg. And the Silverado runs circles around this thing. I know the ram is heavier but not to make that much of a difference.

 

[69GWC]

Your chevy probably had lower gears in the transmission so it did not need lower geard in the rear end.

 

[mohemipar]

I don’t know if this sounds normal to me. The 6.4 is definitely handicapped by the transmission but the 5.3 was anemic and felt over worked. I’ve owned multiple of them and it never did anything better than my Ram does. I don’t tow often or heavy with the Ram but last time I did it was around 4500 pounds we figured. In tow haul mode, more than enough power. In fact it drove pretty much as if it wasn’t even there. This with 35’s, 3 guys in the truck and whatever other crap I typically have in there. Also no slamming and shuddering like OP described. I do have 4.10’s but between the tires and the fact that 4.10’s aren’t really a night and day difference anyway I don’t see it being a huge factor. At 3,000 miles OPs truck should be broken in plenty for towing.

 

[DS 18/2500]

For what it's worth I have an appointment with the dealership Thursday so hopefully they are able to do something. Definitely not right the way it is. Pretty bad when even the wife says WTF !!

 

[crash68]

The problem I'm having with what you are saying is the Silverado I had was only a 5.3 300 hp. With 308 gears 34.5 tires, got 20 mpg . This is a 6.4l 373 gears stock tires 9 mpg. And the Silverado runs circles around this thing. I know the ram is heavier but not to make that much of a difference.

Your looking at close to a 2000 lbs difference in the two trucks. The Silverado was around 5K lbs curb weight, your Ram CCLB is upwards of 7K.
You can't compare the fuel efficiency between a 1500 vs a 2500 truck.

 

[DS 18/2500]

Believe me I get what you're saying, I just thought the 100 hp increase would somewhat compensate for the weight difference. Remember I am only Towing 6000 lb looking at purchasing a 12000 pound trailer and I know this truck will definitely not safely pull it and that is the sole reason I went for this truck

 

[crash68]

I hope the dealer finds something with the truck, as you stated the transmission is shuttering which doesn't sound right.
Keep in mind the 6.4L torque peak is @ 4K rpms, when towing most of the shifts will happen at or just above that. Your not hurting the engine running at those kind of rpms either. I've read many times guys getting apprehensive about high rpms while towing, it going to happen when towing with a gasser. If you want low rpms while towing, trade it in for a diesel.

 

[meedom]

There's something wrong with that truck....

 

[badcopnodonut]

A lot of math goes into figuring these things out. Check these 2 links determine your real numbers.
Your 3.73 axle ratio is a killer. The "premium" axle ration option for towing with your truck is 4.10.

https://www.ramtrucks.com/towing-guide.html
Towing Specs -
2018 Ram 2500
Download PDF

Also once you have your truck specs add the trailer specs and load to get your final capability.
http://changingears.com/rv-sec-calc-trailer-weight-tt.shtml

The primary purpose of this calculator is to answer the question: "How heavy a travel trailer can I tow?"

I just towed a 7x14 tandem from Florida to Las Vegas with a Ram 1500 5.7 4x4. It worked hard but maintained at least 50 mph climbing all of those mountains. Had it not been for "doing the numbers" i wouldn't have felt confident about trying it.

Best of luck sir.

 

[DS 18/2500]

Thank you for your input, if I ordered this truck I would have definitely got the premium gear package for like $150 more. Why they didn't put it in just doesn't make sense. I was on the assumption this truck would be more then enough. Was equipped with full tow package including a 5th wheel setup. To change the gears out on both differentials on a brand new $50k truck just ain't gonna happen.

 

[crackerjack1957]

Thank you for your input, if I ordered this truck I would have definitely got the premium gear package for like $150 more. Why they didn't put it in just doesn't make sense. I was on the assumption this truck would be more then enough. Was equipped with full tow package including a 5th wheel setup. To change the gears out on both differentials on a brand new $50k truck just ain't gonna happen.

I would trade if I was not happy with.....be sure to test drive before you buy next 1.

 

[mlaugh]

please let us know what happens. I have friends that have the 6.4 2500 Ram. They like it. So I hope they find something with the truck.