I keep going back and forth on this. I'm buying '03-'04 almost exclusively for towing (5-10k miles annually). I'm wondering which will be the more reliable tranny to get. I can pick up trucks with either option for similar pricing.

First, reliability. My inclination is the 6spd would be more bulletproof. I'm only towing 8500lbs though so may not be much of an issue. Are there known issues with the 6spd to be leery of?

Second, economy. Does the manual produce better fuel mileage or is it basically a wash?


Third, how tough is the manual to drive? Meaning is it a huge effort clutch or no too bad. I've been driving manual cars all my life so I'm pretty comfortable with them.

Last, is it worth the hassle of shifting? Maybe its just easier to get the auto and not worry about it...

 

It's a wash if you are towing that amount.


Empty the auto will get better MPG because the G56 is geared pretty low. Empty the auto will be quicker too, the couple G56 trucks I've driven I had to beat to death to get them to move... The auto is much more zippy.


A clutch job is cheaper than rebuilding the auto but from what I understand it isn't much cheaper.





If *I was towing heavy I'd get a 6 speed and you're right on the verge with an 8500lb trailer but I think it's a wash. Just find a nice truck.


And FYI I think a truck with the G56 and 4.10 gears tops out at like 85-90mph so they aren't very fun to cruise down road at 'freeway speeds'. Like I said they are geared low.

 

Since your looking at 03-04 I would get the manual. It has a lot better gearing than the 06+ G56. To me the 48RE wasn't very reliable until 05+ and it still is a pretty loose tranny if you are going to be towing all the time. I hated towing with my 05 auto, but for a daily driver is was great.

 

The 48re is a awesome tranny, It works well but it will need a rebuild. The torque convertor and bands were a weak point on the tranny. Other then that it is as bullet proof as your going to get for a transmission.

The 6 speed is a great tranny, but it is a pain in the butt to shift in my opinion. The clutch will need to be replaced eventually.

I owned a 03 reg cab 4x4 diesel towed 10,000lbs once in a while and I loved the auto.
I now own a 05 quad cab diesel with 6 speed and I find shifting around town to be a chore. To keep the thing in decent rpms means being in 5th around town. Makes for lots of shifting.
Otherwise I like the fact that you can control your rpms better with the standard. It makes for much control of your power band range.

Either tranny will suit your needs fine. But if you plan on modding your truck also then you will have to spend around $3-4000 to the auto to make it hold up.

 

I have an 03 with the 6 speed, its 4x4 quad cab. I love it I tow on a regular basis between 5-10k lbs. Not one problem here. I would go manual, as stated above the auto will eventually need a rebuil and the manuals will eventually need a new clutch. Replacing the clutch is a a sinch in my opinion but im pretty mechanically inclined. My current truck is on its original clutch and still seems to hold great at 80k, although the only mods i have is exhaust and intake, no pragrammers etc. Previously i owned a reg cab 2ng gen with the nv5600 (6 speed) and the only reason i had problems with the clutch is because I overwhelmed the stock clutch with mods....my opinion the best bet is the manual, its cheaper in the long run and more desirable for the most part with resale value. just my two cents though.

Kevin

 

Yeah I didn't even see that part about 03-04 exclusively. Didn't they use the NV5600 or whatever? And also some of the 03's came with the 47re.

 

I have an 06 with the 6sp G56 and I love it. The clutch is much easier to push than the NV5600. I do believe the 5600 is the better trans for modding because it is much heavier. Watch out on the 03 they offered 5sp and the 47re in the standard output. They didn't offer the G56 until 05.5. Remeber though that this is a heavy duty truck not a sports car. Pulling out will be slow because of the low gearing. Not as annoying as Redneck stated. Buy the way I get 21+ mpg with mine. And Redneck they don't offer the G56 with 4.10's only 3.73. Except the newer chassis cabs. The auto is fine too, but I would get a torque converter.

 

I'm pretty sure I've driven a 3500 DRW with 4.10's and a 6 speed. It was an 06 or 07. I test drove it when I bought my truck.



Maybe I'm wrong though.... And it had 3.73s. I remembered it topped out at like 85-90.

 

The later model 03's came with the 48re.. The older 48re's did have a problem with output shafts breaking due to the improper heat treating of the metal during fabrication.. They changed the heat treatment in the 04.5 and the sharfts have been much better since then.. (Information gathered from Dave Goerend during a lenghty disscusion)

IMO a stipped out manual tranny will be cheaper to maintain in the long run.. However a auto will save you money in fuel.

 

I can't comment on the auto because I was only looking for a 6sp when I went truck shopping. But I can say the manual is very easy to daily drive. My truck was only going to be a DD for a year but then the economy tanked and it is still my DD.

 

Thats funny i've got an 06 w/G56 and 4.10 gears????? have gotten 20.9 MPG empty, hand calculated, pure Hwy, and it handles 15K race car trailer very well.....

 

After reading too much in the forums a while back, I felt bad about my choice to get an auto. A buddy of mine just happened to have a 6 spd and wanted an auto, so we thought about doing a trade.

I went to test drive his truck, and after that I was very glad I went with an auto. I'm sure I could have driven that 6 spd much better with some practice, but as far as my test drive went, my built 48RE was way more fun to drive.

If I were to use the truck mostly for towing, especially in urban areas, I'd get a 6 spd no doubt. But for the majority of use as a daily driver and household stuff hauler, the 48RE does great.

 

Going to drive both back to back on Saturday. Identical trucks with the exception of the tranny. If the manual is livable I'll probably end up going that route.

Anyone know the gearing ratios on the 6spd? Is 6th an overdrive or 1:1? (this is for the NV5600 tranny)

 

Did you install the 4.10's into your 06 yourself? Because if you didn't, and the gears are what came stock from the factory, they will be 3.73. 06 w/ G56 ONLY came with 3.73 from the factory. If you wanted different gears, you had to change them.

 

Get the auto.

I have an '03 with the 6spd and 4.10s. I pull a 12K trailer and would prefer an auto. The SB clutch grabs too hard off the line if I'm not carefull and causes wheel hop. A small change in speed forces you to shift gears and its NOT a nice shifting tranny.

My '01 was an auto and I miss it. The 6spd is stronger/more reliable(as long as the clutch holds) but the auto is way nicer to drive and more relaxing on a long trip.