"Barely get out of its own way"???? The truck I replaced was a 2001 Off-Road version Dodge single-cab short bed with the 5.9 Gas engine and 4.10 gears. It was a very good truck, but this new V6 Warlock QC is stronger and faster than the old guy and gets an average of 19mpg's every day vs the old truck's 11 to 12 mpg's. And yes, the 8-speed is a major player in that improvement, but that's the package. This new truck is a higher-revving machine, not a down and dirty low-end torquer, but the 4.71 first gear lets me haul gravel and tow my loaded car trailer around these hills just fine with good take off from the stop signs.
It has the 3.55 gears and LSD and will easily burn the tires if I get a little too aggressive with it empty. I'm sure the hemi's would outrun it, yes, but I wanted a simple setup, no MDS, no E-torque, 'cause that's just me. I sold my old truck because I'm tired of wrenching, but I have read some of the other websites showing the rocker arms on these engines having needle bearings that give out, so I wondered if enough people would interested in a strictly V6 thread (if that's the right term), to share successes or failures, thanks all.