Is this new transmission a lot better than the old 47re? I am in the market for a used 2003 4x4 diesel and all the trucks that are currently available have the 47re. Also I have heard that the 48re will be compatable with an exhaust brake, I am assumming this is not the case with the 47re? What is the difference between the two trannies?Thanks in advance. Wade

 

I have had my '03 for about a month. It has the 48RE transmission. When I bought the truck I didn't know squat about the different trannys. After spending some time on this web site, I was thrilled when I went out to the truck and checked the window sticker and saw that it had the 48RE trans. The jury is still out as to whether or not this trans will be without its own problems, but at least it was designed beefier to try and eliminate some of the weaknesses of the 47RE. <br>As far as the exaust brake goes, the 48RE supposedly was designed to use an exaust brake. If you go to the Jacobs (jake brake) web site, they have a statement that you should check regularly for news of availability of an ebrake for the 48RE auto trans. Up until last week they were stating that they were in the process of certifying the ebrake with Dodge. The change in the statement leads me to believe that Jacobs has finished there testing and is just waiting for Dodge to bless it.

 

I had a 47RE in the 01 V10 I traded for the 03 HO with a 48RE and I can say the 48 is a better shifting tranny, no soft shifts only firm.....