New Ram owner. I crossed over. I may have made the wrong choice

[Docwagon1776]

*** Dont try to talk me out of it. LOLOL Warranty issues I will just remove it...

Why would we try to talk you out of it?

Seriously, you're overthinking it. If it bothers you this much, sell it and buy a mid-70s F-250 Camper Special. None of that fancy "crap" you say you don't want and will just break, no cylinder deactivation, and if it's lasted this long you know it's not a lemon.

Here you go: https://classics.autotrader.com/classic-cars/1975/ford/f250/101604000

Exactly what you say you want. Enjoy!

 

[lAWROSA]

Do you know what pushes your lifters down? A spring.

Yes I know. 17 min mark here. Now how long you think that lifter will last? IMO its a stupid design.

I got 20 k miles. Ima going to lock MDS out permenantly.

This is all just my opinion guys. Dont beat on me too much!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lj4mLhAI4Y

 

[hemihustlin]

Here you go: https://classics.autotrader.com/classic-cars/1975/ford/f250/101604000

Exactly what you say you want. Enjoy!

wow thats a great truck! love it!

 

[pacofortacos]

Tow/Haul should automatically block 8th gear. I have 3.92 and a heavier trailer but the truck handles it well without mods.

It may on a 5th gen, definitely does not block 8 on the prior years. I tow in 8th gear quite often.

 

[kurek]

My truck has definitely never shifted into 7th or 8th while in tow/haul

 

[StickyLifter]

You guys with 8HP70s are making me so jealous. Do y'all know how much tire smoke I will make when I get done putting mine in place of the 65RFE??

Why the hell would anyone want to lock out 8th gear??? You guys need to think of the 8 gears as a close ratio 6 speed with dual overdrives. Your 6th gear is direct drive, so you get five underdrives, one direct, and two overdrives. That is amazing. I'm getting hard just thinking about it. Like compare that to a 4L60: it has two underdrive gears, one direct, and one overdrive. The 8spd has three more under-drive gears AND another over-drive. That is amazing.

You can pull anything with that much gear, it up-shifts sequentially, it can do massive 5th to 1st downshifts, has a 500ftlb torque capacity, and has an amazing compound planetary design with four planet sets, three clutch sets, two brakes, a super efficient pump, and shifts ultra fast. They put the same transmission in Bentleys!

It's an amazing transmission. The Hemi is an amazing engine, and the lifter issues are way over-hyped on the internet. The coil spring four link rear suspension is amazing. The aluminum SLA front suspension is amazing. If you REALLY keep your foot WAY out of it and put in 3.92:1 final drive you might see 18mpg average IN TOWN with MDS, and that is AMAZING! You have an amazing truck.

Use a tuner to turn off MDS and have 3.92:1 final drive gears put in.

It will be the greatest truck you've ever had.

0W-40 is the oil recommended in the owner's manual for the 2500 and 3500s with the 5.7L, and it's the same engine that's in your 1500. I use Mobil 1 0W-40 year around. Your 8th gear is .67:1, which is the same as every other brand's final overdrive gear, you only notice it because of the 3.21:1 final and the other seven gears being so low that it pulls like a 4L60e with a 4.30:1 final.

Put your right foot on the floor one time you will instantly feel the difference between your 400hp 8 speed RAM and all of your older 4 speed Chevys. I will never go back to a 4 speed anything.

 

[CrasherAsher]

the MDS is the least of your worries i have had my 2009 since 2014 and i use and abuse my truck. she has more dents then a golf ball. as of now 160k miles and the worst thing i broke was a CV joint. I do the proper maintenance and make sure she has all the proper fluids. i have a tuner but its mostly just to run my electric fan. probably the best mod i have done. (I live in AZ its pretty hot down here) i dont stick to one kind of oil or 1 kind of oil filter. point is... stop worrying go out and have fun.

 

[ramffml]

You guys with 8HP70s are making me so jealous. Do y'all know how much tire smoke I will make when I get done putting mine in place of the 65RFE??

Why the hell would anyone want to lock out 8th gear??? You guys need to think of the 8 gears as a close ratio 6 speed with dual overdrives. Your 6th gear is direct drive, so you get five underdrives, one direct, and two overdrives. That is amazing. I'm getting hard just thinking about it. Like compare that to a 4L60: it has two underdrive gears, one direct, and one overdrive. The 8spd has three more under-drive gears AND another over-drive. That is amazing.

You can pull anything with that much gear, it up-shifts sequentially, it can do massive 5th to 1st downshifts, has a 500ftlb torque capacity, and has an amazing compound planetary design with four planet sets, three clutch sets, two brakes, a super efficient pump, and shifts ultra fast. They put the same transmission in Bentleys!

The quick answer is: you're not pulling anything of substance with the 5.7 in 8th gear with the 3.21. It physically cannot do it. If you're going down hill for a few seconds it might upshift from 7 to 8, which is a wasted shift because it will downshift again a few seconds once you're back on level road. Locking out prevents needless shifts.

With my trailer and a moderate/strong head wind? Forget 7th as well, I just lock it down to 6th and let it run at 2300 rpms, it will do that all day.

 

[StickyLifter]

oh yeah, you def wanna ditch that 3.21:1 final.

Actually, come to think of it, my 65RFE's "6th" gear is the same ratio as the 8HP70's 8th, and I pull a 20x8.5 enclosed V-nose trailer that weighs about 6500lbs with the tools and car in it. I used to have the 3.55:1 final and it would use 6th on the highway unless I was trying to climb a hill. I'm betting the 3.21:1 gears would be a total dog in that gear with that kind of load. I bet the 8HP70 trucks with 3.21 final will drop to 6th gear all the time, which is probably pretty annoying. When I went to the 3.92:1 final gears I discovered how the truck was supposed to run and then scratched my head wondering why they even bothered with the 3.21 and 3.55 final. Mine cruises just fine at about 2500rpm at 85 or 90mph, it's totally tolerable and sometimes goes into MDS at 90mph. It's really wild when it does that on flat ground, and I usually try to see how long it will stay on four cylinders without losing much speed. I can't wait to change to the 8spd, I am SO excited to see what that feels like.

 

[slickracer]

Run it till she blows!

 

[ramffml]

oh yeah, you def wanna ditch that 3.21:1 final.

... I'm betting the 3.21:1 gears would be a total dog in that gear with that kind of load. I bet the 8HP70 trucks with 3.21 final will drop to 6th gear all the time, which is probably pretty annoying. ...

Nope; I have the 3.21 and it pulls in 6th at 2300 rpms all day, and without a strong headwind I can drop into overdrive/7th as well.

If you have the 3.92s, you're still going to need 2300 rpms with a head wind; only you'll be in 7th instead of 6th like in my truck. Don't fear the rear axle, it's completely irrelevant with todays 8 and 10 speeds.

 

[StickyLifter]

Both the 65RFE and the 8HP70 have .67:1 top (second overdrive) gears, and .76:1 first overdrives. On the interstate the final drive gears directly affect what RPM you cruise at in top gear, which means if you change to a lower final gear, you will do more rpms in ever gear for a given tire size. With either transmission, in top gear at an 80mph cruise with 3.21:1 final you'll cruise at 1800rpm, if you change to the 3.92:1 final you'll be doing 2200. These numbers were calculated with my 31.5" tires. If you have 33" tires you'll want a 4.10 final to get the same result. The final drive ring and pinion are THE determining factor on what gear you can cruise in if you need 2400rpm and don't want it to hunt around.

 

[Doug Ram]

Hehe the forum censored the name of a car.. little ford econo box from the 80s that starts with E and rhymes with sport and I guess the forum censor thinks it's a professional title

You mean Es-cort? Tee gee

 

[TomB 1269]

The HP8 with a 3:21 gear and weighing in just under 6000lbs driver and all, will pull 1/4 mile in just a hair over 15 seconds at 93 mph (15.063) in full stock form....I know cause I took my to the track in July of 2019. She was only 3 months old and still under 5000 miles on the odometer.
I have been amazed at the tech in these truck's drive line....
In 4hi (with part time transfer case, not the all-wheel one) the electronics make the axles acted as if they are locked. I have pulled small brush/trees (2-3 inch diameter) out of the ground on "good" angle (like grab fender on riding mower to assure you stay in seat) diagonally across it. Never mind not spinning a tire, but didn't even burn the grass......

With the ****** Wrangler tires on it I backed her out of 18-20 inches of snow with the top 3-5 inches being snow blow on it from a snow blower (i.e. compacted). The damn thing realized I was stuck, governed the throttle at 3500 max and proceeded to automatically start rocking the truck by changing RPM from 3000 - 3500 without me doing anything more then foot on the firewall. I hit a snow drift that put around 6 inches of snow across the hood after I had already cleaned it off, and I mean from windshield to grill and fender to fender, and she just kept going.

Hell, when I 1st got her I thought she had a limited slip rear end, because she'd lay 2 patches of rubber from a stand still most times. I then learned an open Diff can do so as long as the traction is the same left to right and the truck has enough power. The 4 link rear means that the passenger side tire does not "lift" as is the case on a leaf spring rear end and therefore she can plan power to the ground thru both tires if the traction levels are the same, i.e. pavement or track launch pad.

I have seen 22mpg running the northern route out Albany NY area to the very north west corner of Maine.

I continue to be amazed with what these trucks are capable of......... and I am about 3 years in with mine, with lease coming up.........YUP, I am buying her especially with the deal I got leasing here in 2019.

 

[ramffml]

Both the 65RFE and the 8HP70 have .67:1 top (second overdrive) gears, and .76:1 first overdrives. On the interstate the final drive gears directly affect what RPM you cruise at in top gear, which means if you change to a lower final gear, you will do more rpms in ever gear for a given tire size. With either transmission, in top gear at an 80mph cruise with 3.21:1 final you'll cruise at 1800rpm, if you change to the 3.92:1 final you'll be doing 2200. These numbers were calculated with my 31.5" tires. If you have 33" tires you'll want a 4.10 final to get the same result. The final drive ring and pinion are THE determining factor on what gear you can cruise in if you need 2400rpm and don't want it to hunt around.

That's all completely beside the point; my point was, a 3.92 will not pull harder once you're already out of second gear. If my truck needs 2300 rpms to pull my trailer, a truck with a 3.92 will still need the same amount power; 2300 rpms. It will just be in one numerically higher gear than mine (7th instead of 6th).

Your looking at it backwards, what gear will I be in... you need to ask instead what power/rpms do I need, and the transmission will work with whatever gear ratio you have to drop you into the gear you need to get to 2300 rpms.

In other words; don't worry about rear end, it's completely pointless when you have 8+ gears.

 

[TomB 1269]

What oil filter you use? Im thinking stick with mopar but would like a full synthetic one.. Possible mobil one ext perform 20 k protection

If you read and review enough of the information out there. Get an understand of the block configuration and lifter layout it becomes evident that the Hemis that idle a lot, i.e. police cars, trucks used commercially etc. that see more idle time then drive, time will tend to have the problem.

IMO its due to hot spotting which naturally occurs in all engines sitting at idle for long periods, accompanied with valve train (i.e. lifters) being closer to horizontal then vertical, add in that the valve train is the last / furthest from the oil pump in the flow path, and you have the perfect opportunity for varnish to build on lifter body.

Couple that with being a roller vs flat tappet, the lifter body does not oscillate / twist in the lifter journal while in motion as a flat tappet will, therefore varnish build up due to hot spots with limited oil flow and you start to have lifters that stick ever so slightly for only milliseconds. However, that millisecond results in a gap between cam and lifter roller resulting in a higher than designed impact between roller and cam face. This results in impact damage to needle bearings that overtime break or become dislodged from roller shaft. Result is more gap, more impact, and the cycle feeds on itself, first resulting in roller "skidding" on cam face, eventually the roller actually ends up on the lifers "roller" shaft and the shaft support arms on each side make contact with the cam. Enviably you have total failure.

Now there was a change made to 2016 -2017 and newer. The needle bearings are larger then previous generations, and there is an additional oiling port in the lifter body. IMO the idea is that the larger needle bearings will take more "impact" and the oiling port is to help increase oil availability between lifter body and bore. This will help decrease hot spotting as well as provide the presents of more oil and thus more "cleaning" of varnish thru the oils "cleaning" properties added in todays oil manufacture.

Just to be clear, I am not an engineer, nor mechanic. I am a car guy and have been one a long time. To anyone skeptical of this theory I would say look at the block design, the lifter geometry, oil path, etc. I believe it is self evident once you understand the parts, and how they operate in the system and look at every thing as a whole........

But then again I have also been know to be wrong....... Just ask my wife on any day ending in "Y".

 

[lAWROSA]

You guys with 8HP70s are making me so jealous. Do y'all know how much tire smoke I will make when I get done putting mine in place of the 65RFE??

Why the hell would anyone want to lock out 8th gear??? You guys need to think of the 8 gears as a close ratio 6 speed with dual overdrives. Your 6th gear is direct drive, so you get five underdrives, one direct, and two overdrives. That is amazing. I'm getting hard just thinking about it. Like compare that to a 4L60: it has two underdrive gears, one direct, and one overdrive. The 8spd has three more under-drive gears AND another over-drive. That is amazing.

You can pull anything with that much gear, it up-shifts sequentially, it can do massive 5th to 1st downshifts, has a 500ftlb torque capacity, and has an amazing compound planetary design with four planet sets, three clutch sets, two brakes, a super efficient pump, and shifts ultra fast. They put the same transmission in Bentleys!

It's an amazing transmission. The Hemi is an amazing engine, and the lifter issues are way over-hyped on the internet. The coil spring four link rear suspension is amazing. The aluminum SLA front suspension is amazing. If you REALLY keep your foot WAY out of it and put in 3.92:1 final drive you might see 18mpg average IN TOWN with MDS, and that is AMAZING! You have an amazing truck.

Use a tuner to turn off MDS and have 3.92:1 final drive gears put in.

It will be the greatest truck you've ever had.

0W-40 is the oil recommended in the owner's manual for the 2500 and 3500s with the 5.7L, and it's the same engine that's in your 1500. I use Mobil 1 0W-40 year around. Your 8th gear is .67:1, which is the same as every other brand's final overdrive gear, you only notice it because of the 3.21:1 final and the other seven gears being so low that it pulls like a 4L60e with a 4.30:1 final.

Put your right foot on the floor one time you will instantly feel the difference between your 400hp 8 speed RAM and all of your older 4 speed Chevys. I will never go back to a 4 speed anything.

This read like p.o.r.n... OMG. Im going to have my way with my wife now.. Thanks!!!!

 

[yomanne]

The 65RFE also has 2 overdrives, although the lower gears are not what I would call "optimized". There's hardly any difference between 2nd and 3rd. Very strange, but it is what it is. The shift points are also very strange unless you drive in "Tow/Haul" (Sport mode). I have made "Tow/Haul" my default and it has made the truck much more enjoyable to drive around town. For the rare road trips, it's easy to press the Tow/Haul button to disable it so the transmission can utilize 6th gear. See below chart for a comparison between the 8-speed and 6-speed transmission gear ratios.

I have the 3.55 rear end and think the 3.00:1 first gear ratio works great even though it's not near as low as first gear on the 8-speed tranny. Just wish second gear was something more like 2.10:1 instead of 1.67:1.

 

[StickyLifter]

This read like p.o.r.n... OMG. Im going to have my way with my wife now.. Thanks!!!!

Long as she loves it.

 

[jmoore]

Your only major issue is that you stated you want a rust-free vehicle. From my experience, and from simple observations of others out on the road - good luck with the rust-free part!

geezerjohn