Maybe a dumb question, but how do I find out what my axle/diff gear ratio is? I'm working out what I can tow with my slide-in camper loaded, and the axle ratio makes a difference. I thought I remembered it was printed on a decal under the hood, but if so the decal never made it onto the replacement hood I got after a little crunch-up a while back....

 

You could take your VIN number to dodge...They could tell you what gear ratio your truck left from factory.There also is a calcuation chart on the internet where you rotate the tire one complete turn and count how many turns the pinion rotates...

 

If your tires are the same size in the front as the rear, it better be the same ratio as your rear axle.

 

There was also a sticker on the inside of your glove box that had the ratio on it. Thats how I found out mind on my '01.

Swordfish

 

98 should still be the sticker under the hood?

 

Second gen trucks all had a tag on each differential cover with the ratio stamped on it.

 

Strangely, mine diff cover shows 3.54, sticker under the hood shows 3.55. I see other fellas signatures on the site listing both, wonder which is correct.

 

That's pretty common. I think it depends on the manufacturer of the axle, and even the model, as to what the exact ratio works out to. It's also common and acceptable that one axle in a truck could have 3.54 and the other axle 3.55. Dividing the number of crown teeth by the number of pinion teeth may not work out evenly, and the quotient may be rounded differently too. Same goes for 4.10 and 4.11.

 

It is normal for the ratios to be different front to rear, the front pulls a little quicker than the rear.

 

Every truck I've owned with a 24 valve (2nd gen) had 3.54, and all the 12 valves were 3.55. I always thought it was changed when the new engines came out, or maybe with all the changes that took place in 2000.