I went Down to NAPA and Advanced Auto Parts and the Kid said we have the 2500's not the 3500's. I know NAPA use's Perfect Circle not sure what Advanced is carrying now

 

I too cross ref'd the balljoints on the AAM 9.25...they are the same, so are the brake pads in the front.. although it seems like the brake pads on the DRW are different (probably more surface area). Luckly I have a DRW 3500 and a SRW 2500 to compare....the calipers and disks appear to be identical, but the pads are obviously larger on the DRW. I also measured the front ride hieght between them, less than .5" difference so I believe they ARE the same....also do you expect the pennypinchers DC to have all these different parts for the same truck when they could just put the same old junk on thier trucks and just change the badging, wieght, rating and price???

 

in our family we have many newer dodges , my brotheres 06 3500 srw 4x4 is several inches higher in the front than my dads 06 2500 4x4 srw. if you go the the dealership and find a 2500 and a 3500 parked next to each other the 3500 is always higher. it would make sense that perhaps the front springs are heavier?

 

That is good info.

A follow up question on this topic is finding the same type of deal for a 3500 as you can find for a 2500, both being 06's. It seems to me that there is a much larger surplus of 2500's than there are 3500's. I could definitely be wrong.

Z

 

the majority of 3500's made, since they are a niche vehicle of sorts, are made in the DRW. There are always a TON more SRW 2500's than 3500's running around, both on the road and at the dealership.

Another difference between the two, something i am surprised hasn't been mentioned, is the rear axle. the 2500's have a 10.5" rear axle, the 3500's have an 11.5" rear. This is straight from the dodge website. i would put up a link as evidence, but we all know dodge's website is truly impossible for referencing things.

 

I believe all 2500's with Cummins motors are all 11.5" rear ends....at least on all the 06's I saw on the lot when I bought mine...

 

UPDATE: crawling around under the trucks again this afternoon changing the diff oils, fuel filters, and checking fluid levels I noticed both trucks still have the front driverside coil spring p/n still attached and they are DIFFERENT!!!! (one was AA--8, the other was AA--9) the 3500 does sit about .5 to 1" higher than the 2500 so I would definently agree with the fact that the 3500 will ride higher and have a higher spring rate. Also I stated ealier that the calipers looked the same, and they do but the 3500 rear calipers are significantly larger along with the pads. hope this helps!!!

 

That's great info... thanks!

 

Goodness Gracious. ALL dieseld 3rd gens, minus the SO 2003 models, have the 11.5 inch rear ends. Gosh, people don't research things. You have two front spring options, as you get heavier duty springs with the snow plow prep package on the 2500. It has been hashed over and over and over and over, and I'm sorry to inform everyone that the ONLY physical difference between the two, is the rear leaf spring overloads on the 3500. Weight rating yes, physical, springs is it. You could get a 2500 with cab lights as an option, and now with 2006 you can get a 3500 without them. Also, tires allow for difference in height. Sheesh. Look up part numbers, it's a lot more reliable than listening to a 16 year old that knows nothing about cars - only how to look for things in a computer.

 

Hence the little price diff of 700bucks for the springs. I have the snow plow prep (no tow hooks) on my 2500, so I guess I have the Heavier springs.

 

100% correct!!

 

You're right about the website showing a 10.5", but wrong at the same time. The reason the website shows that is because as you spec a 2500, you start with the Hemi on a 2500 as standard equipment that comes with a 10.5" rear. The website doesn't change it when you upspec the Cummins. The 3500 comes standard with a Cummins, so it shows the 11.5" rear.

 

Not true. You can get the 3500 as a Laramie.

 

Exactly! What he said. ^^^^^^

All 3rd gen Cummins powered Rams (except some early 03 SO models with auto trannies) have the 11.5'' AAM rear axles.

Mechanically, the 3500SRW and 2500 trucks are the same.......except for the overload springs. Same Frame, Same Axles, Same Brakes, Same Wheels, Same Tires.

The GVWR of the 2500 is 9000lbs. The GVWR of the SRW 3500 is 9900lbs. The 3500 Dually is 12,200lbs. The GVWR is the rated (from chrysler) legal weight allowed of the truck and all of it's cargo.

The GCVWR is the same for all of the trucks. 21,000lbs with 3.73 gears and 23,000lbs for 4.10s. That is the weight of the truck, it's cargo, any trailer it is pulling and it's cargo. In theory, a 2500 truck will PULL just as much as a dually will (with the same axle ratio).........if you can load the trailer such that it doesn't overload the rear of the truck with pin weight.

The real weak point on both the 2500 and 3500 SRW is the tires and wheels. If you put on a set of Rickson 19.5'' wheels (or similar) with G Rated tires, there is not much you can't pull with these trucks. But you might still be over the GVWR of the truck or the GCVWR of the truck as DC rates them.

 

Thanks TexasCTD!