Ok here is the deal, I am getting rid of my half ton and getting back into a 3/4 or 1 ton. I am Looking for A standard cab, long bed, 4wd with a 5.9L Cummins. I would love to get a manual if i can find one only because I miss driving them. But I know the AUTO is better for towing. My question is what is the big difference, I tried to find the difference in Payload & towing specs, but couldn't find anything good. Just want to hear from some people. THoughts on MPG's, wear and tear, and general thoughts on this. I miss going through the gears myself but if the auto is much much better.....well Ill have to miss it a while more......thanks everyone in advance, I am already searching for vehicles...

 

Who told you an auto will tow better? Maybe a built auto will tow better than a stock manual, but if you get a good clutch for it that's all you'll need for the manual, the auto will double or triple your costs to make it a good enough towing candidate. An auto will have lower rpms while driving, in a Cummins it can help you or hurt you. A standard likes to be at 1900rpm (mine does)cruising, and 1900 seems to be just right for mileage with a NV5600. And with a standard you will only see problems eventually from wear and tear, clutch, slave, and gears if you push alot of power. JMO

 

MANUAL! That is, unless you want to race. Then the auto is the way to go, but for what God and Dodge intended a Cummins Ram for, a handshaker is the best!

 

I don't think you can go wrong with either one...as long as it has a Cummins under the hood.

Sometimes I wish I had a stick...other times I'm glad I have an auto.

Find a truck you like, with the right price, and you will not regret 6 in a row.

 

If I could do it over again I'd get a manual. My brother has the EXACT same truck as mine (right down to the color) except his has the 6 speed and I like driving it almost as much as my truck. I only like mine more because it's got more power (and it's mine).

 

Manual if you are going to tow. That old "auto is better for towing" crap is just dealers trying to sell a more expensive truck!

ROW ROW ROW the truck!

 

Sweet, I was leaning towards the manual for all those reasons. 1. They are so much cheaper to fix & maintain. 2. It's just so much more fun!!! I live in NYC and sit in traffic a lot. but still worth it to me to rip through gears. My concern was that the clutch wouldnt hold the load of a auto. But if the towing cap is the same and everything else is the same.....a cheaper, more fun, easier to maintain drive train is right up my ally!!!
Now I have to find one I like....

 

For towing a manual will be better. But you have to deal with it backing up a long load. Easier with an auto, but better gear selection is key when towing heavy. My built auto is good but you have to sink another $4000-5000 in it to make it that way and you never get past only having 4 gears.


Oh, almost left out. If the truck has a G56 manual be ready for a Southbend unit with the solid flywheel. The dual mass flywheel stinks along with the clutch assembly. Not as good as a NV5600 clutch.

 

Stick...


I had a 12valve/5spd, then bought my 3rd gen with an auto and been regretting it ever since....
I miss rowing gears, more fun, better mileage, easy when you make more power down the road to upgrade the clutch ~$1500 vs. $6k for a built auto....

 

I'm not sure why people keep saying this? My G56 works well,I'm only at 30,000 miles but I've pulled heavy with it, seems to work great! Shifts smooth,engages nice...no prob at all.

 

Tranny works good. It is just the clutch. I drove one and liked the way the tranny shifted but didn't like the clutch feel at all and I have driven alot of different manual trannies. My 1990 Nissan 300TT had a vaccum assisted hyd. clutch. Mash on that baby a couple of times with the car off to bleed down the vaccum and that baby was STIFF. I miss that car!!!!!

 

I wished I had a 5 or 6 speed in my 92!!! I LOVE my 6 speed manual in my 04, so glad I ran across this truck when I was getting rid of my Tacoma. I actually get better fuel milage in my 3500 Dually 373 gears and 6 speed than I did with my 2000 3.4 liter Tacoma, WAY BETTER.... (Sorry got off topic) Love my 6 speed...

 

I drove both and didn't care much for the manual for a couple reasons. (1)The final drive ratio is too low which means at the same speed the manual RPM is quite a bit higher. This hurts the fuel mileage. (2)Where I live the traffic gets bad, and driving a stick in stop and go takes all the fun out of owning one, especially in the hills.

 

All the cars I’ve ever owned were manual including my CTD. It took me a month to finally find my Mega Cab and it was all the way up in Portland OR. If he gets a late model 06 (I believe December build date) then it will have a P52104714AE G56 with the taller gears. Since I have the older G56 I compensated by going to 37” tires. At 60MMPH (my max speed on the highway) it’s turning right at 1,700RPM and I get 22.25MPG hand calculated. So even the older G56 can get decent mileage. I know rush hours in the bay is horrible and driving (auto or manual) is a torture. I’ve driven my Mega Cab in San Francisco’s famous hills with absolutely no problem whatsoever. With such a low 1st you will never stall on the infamous SF stop sign/light where the only thing you can see is the blue sky. You move forward hoping there’s person or vehicle in front of you.

I would say get a G56 but then again I’m bias towards manual. If you increase power over 50HP then start thinking about a clutch upgrade. Just my $.02

 

I also agree with getting a manual, there is nothing like ripping through the gears. The stick will outpull the stock auto hands down, ive got a built auto and my 03 with the nv5600 will eat it up, plus i think you get more torque to the ground with a stick.