Should I upgrade from my 5.9?
12-22-2015, 11:51 PM
#16
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Location: Used to be missoula, montana: Now in Sonoma County California
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so i posted this in another thread but ill add it here
I have a 2003 305/555 nv5600 CCLB 4x4 3.73 gearing. 200k miles (and ill be keeping it for quite some time)
my 2016 CCSB 4x4 with aisin is nice my only complaint is with the 3.42 gears it often feels like its lugging. and there is the typical torque management off the line throttle lag which seems to get more pronounced each year. the lower gearing of the tranny as well as the slightly more positive shifts sure is noticeable especially on some of the nor cal steep 10%-17% grades. So great for towing and imho i like firm shifts and the ratio split. so far the overriding of gear selection seems to be much less of an issue than the 68rfe. the shifts are slower than the 68rfe and under hard acceleration empty my 2012 is a faster street driving truck than my 2016. i didn’t buy the 2016 for racing though
my 2012 CCSB 4x4 with 68rfe is what i like to call a rubber band tranny the tranny is probably perfect for 95% of the drivers out there. i am a manual transmission diver and so the transition to the 68rfe took some getting used to. compared to the aisin at full throttle or when you hammer it the 68rfe is faster to get through the gears, making acceleration smoother and more pleasurable when empty and it holds fairly well on 99% of the grades out there with most reasonable loads. i don’t like how it over rides the selected gear on downhill grades under some circumstances it will attempt to up shift. and occasionally it will override a selected gear ratio on a hill climb and attempt to downshift or attempt to unlock the converter to raise rpms. though i understand the intent of the programming often it is at an inopportune time and causes the truck to loose speed that it otherwise could have maintained
All that said there is a very real possibility that I’m going to sell my granite grey babied 2012 CCSB laramie with 55k miles soon or trading it in and i will be buying a 2013+ most likely a 2016 G56 QCSB 4x4 laramie in granite grey or steel metallic is in my very near future. though id like a longbed that is the one compromise with the other half. hence why i keep the 2003 around. with the 2012 laramie i could do a manual tranny swap, but in its current shape I probably could get $39k-40k. So its hard to justify going through the work of the swap when theres that much of a down payment possible.
Adding into this discussion is G56 trucks too
So my observations after driving a 2015 CCLB G56 truck is the G56 trucks are snappier off the line. they have near zero lag compared to the two autos. when stepping from one to the other it was really noticeable. which must be attributable to the torque management programing on the autos. though it doesn’t have 900 ft/lbs like my 2016. it does keep pace with my 2012 68rfe 370/800 2500 pulling an identical 12000 lbs load and on steep switchback roads. Some of the local highways and two lane connectors are 10, 12 and some 17% grades the manual tranny shines as it doesn’t continually search for the right gear. its disadvantage is once in a gear thats probably the gear you’ll be using for most of the grade. the aisin has an upper hand if you don’t mind the random gear shifting and hunting and you’re really trying to win the loaded truck WOT drag race to the top of the hill but thats sure not easy on the tranny.....overall highway cruiser and mountain road cruiser that 2015 3500 SRW with G56 brought me back to the manual transmission on my next purchase. now if I’m cruising the interstates at 45-50+ my Aisin truck is definitely king for WOT loaded drivability but for the mountain highways and roads with 15mph and 25 mph corners and steep grades the aisin, even a duramax allison hunt for gears where as that 2015 just chugged up the grade sometimes cornering in 3rd but overall pulling the grade very well across a wide speed spectrum in 4th without missing a beat. the most recent grade I’m referencing is st helena grade. highway 20 from calistoga to middletown CA. And the other area where I’ve driven all three regularly and the g56 really shone was out to fort Bragg from Willits on again highway 20. with around 12k loads
Food for though. if i were buying an auto id have to ponder what i was using it for because the 68rfe is definitely better in traffic, around town and on the highway unloaded and mildly loaded. The Aisin is a better overall tranny and definitely so when loaded for sure, even unloaded it is very smooth and firm.... it just like to race to OD and lug the motor more than i think it should ....... it really shines well on I80 going over and down donner summit just isn’t as fast through the gears the 68rfe, but holds them better. The 2015 G56 owns the highway 20’s, highway 49’s and 395’s of CA’s two lane steep grades and switchbacks and its a pronounced difference that I’m impressed enough with to go backwards. its all just my opinion but if they’d put 3.73’s or 4.10s in the SRW aisin and 68RFE trucks it’d change things some for my opinion but with 3.42’s the g56 loved em.
power wise the three trucks in the end its really hard to tell much of a loaded acceleration difference between the g56, the 800 motor and the 900 motor even though dodge says theres 240 ft/lbs difference they all maintain speed really well and in the conditions i describe there isn’t any big power blow your mind difference. unlike if you are discussing a 1996 160hp auto 12v vs a 215 hp manual tranny 12v back then that was a different driving experience all together.... i don’t remember the last time i was cursing any of the three for being under powered and the real kicker i still feel like the 2003 even in stock HP settings is snappier than all three lol
I have a 2003 305/555 nv5600 CCLB 4x4 3.73 gearing. 200k miles (and ill be keeping it for quite some time)
my 2016 CCSB 4x4 with aisin is nice my only complaint is with the 3.42 gears it often feels like its lugging. and there is the typical torque management off the line throttle lag which seems to get more pronounced each year. the lower gearing of the tranny as well as the slightly more positive shifts sure is noticeable especially on some of the nor cal steep 10%-17% grades. So great for towing and imho i like firm shifts and the ratio split. so far the overriding of gear selection seems to be much less of an issue than the 68rfe. the shifts are slower than the 68rfe and under hard acceleration empty my 2012 is a faster street driving truck than my 2016. i didn’t buy the 2016 for racing though
my 2012 CCSB 4x4 with 68rfe is what i like to call a rubber band tranny the tranny is probably perfect for 95% of the drivers out there. i am a manual transmission diver and so the transition to the 68rfe took some getting used to. compared to the aisin at full throttle or when you hammer it the 68rfe is faster to get through the gears, making acceleration smoother and more pleasurable when empty and it holds fairly well on 99% of the grades out there with most reasonable loads. i don’t like how it over rides the selected gear on downhill grades under some circumstances it will attempt to up shift. and occasionally it will override a selected gear ratio on a hill climb and attempt to downshift or attempt to unlock the converter to raise rpms. though i understand the intent of the programming often it is at an inopportune time and causes the truck to loose speed that it otherwise could have maintained
All that said there is a very real possibility that I’m going to sell my granite grey babied 2012 CCSB laramie with 55k miles soon or trading it in and i will be buying a 2013+ most likely a 2016 G56 QCSB 4x4 laramie in granite grey or steel metallic is in my very near future. though id like a longbed that is the one compromise with the other half. hence why i keep the 2003 around. with the 2012 laramie i could do a manual tranny swap, but in its current shape I probably could get $39k-40k. So its hard to justify going through the work of the swap when theres that much of a down payment possible.
Adding into this discussion is G56 trucks too
So my observations after driving a 2015 CCLB G56 truck is the G56 trucks are snappier off the line. they have near zero lag compared to the two autos. when stepping from one to the other it was really noticeable. which must be attributable to the torque management programing on the autos. though it doesn’t have 900 ft/lbs like my 2016. it does keep pace with my 2012 68rfe 370/800 2500 pulling an identical 12000 lbs load and on steep switchback roads. Some of the local highways and two lane connectors are 10, 12 and some 17% grades the manual tranny shines as it doesn’t continually search for the right gear. its disadvantage is once in a gear thats probably the gear you’ll be using for most of the grade. the aisin has an upper hand if you don’t mind the random gear shifting and hunting and you’re really trying to win the loaded truck WOT drag race to the top of the hill but thats sure not easy on the tranny.....overall highway cruiser and mountain road cruiser that 2015 3500 SRW with G56 brought me back to the manual transmission on my next purchase. now if I’m cruising the interstates at 45-50+ my Aisin truck is definitely king for WOT loaded drivability but for the mountain highways and roads with 15mph and 25 mph corners and steep grades the aisin, even a duramax allison hunt for gears where as that 2015 just chugged up the grade sometimes cornering in 3rd but overall pulling the grade very well across a wide speed spectrum in 4th without missing a beat. the most recent grade I’m referencing is st helena grade. highway 20 from calistoga to middletown CA. And the other area where I’ve driven all three regularly and the g56 really shone was out to fort Bragg from Willits on again highway 20. with around 12k loads
Food for though. if i were buying an auto id have to ponder what i was using it for because the 68rfe is definitely better in traffic, around town and on the highway unloaded and mildly loaded. The Aisin is a better overall tranny and definitely so when loaded for sure, even unloaded it is very smooth and firm.... it just like to race to OD and lug the motor more than i think it should ....... it really shines well on I80 going over and down donner summit just isn’t as fast through the gears the 68rfe, but holds them better. The 2015 G56 owns the highway 20’s, highway 49’s and 395’s of CA’s two lane steep grades and switchbacks and its a pronounced difference that I’m impressed enough with to go backwards. its all just my opinion but if they’d put 3.73’s or 4.10s in the SRW aisin and 68RFE trucks it’d change things some for my opinion but with 3.42’s the g56 loved em.
power wise the three trucks in the end its really hard to tell much of a loaded acceleration difference between the g56, the 800 motor and the 900 motor even though dodge says theres 240 ft/lbs difference they all maintain speed really well and in the conditions i describe there isn’t any big power blow your mind difference. unlike if you are discussing a 1996 160hp auto 12v vs a 215 hp manual tranny 12v back then that was a different driving experience all together.... i don’t remember the last time i was cursing any of the three for being under powered and the real kicker i still feel like the 2003 even in stock HP settings is snappier than all three lol
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BroncoAZ (06-09-2017)
12-23-2015, 07:38 PM
#17
Registered User
I purchased a 2005 3500 new, It now has 45k miles on it. I put it away in the winter and it never sees salt. I think when I am pushing up Daisies it will come with me.
Keep the 4.5 5.9 - I would - I have a 2001 24 valve that I drive in the salt.
Keep the 4.5 5.9 - I would - I have a 2001 24 valve that I drive in the salt.
01-28-2016, 04:35 PM
#18
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Actually, the 96 Dodge auto was 180 hp. But I know what you're saying.
03-30-2016, 12:28 AM
#20
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so i posted this in another thread but ill add it here
I have a 2003 305/555 nv5600 CCLB 4x4 3.73 gearing. 200k miles (and ill be keeping it for quite some time)
my 2016 CCSB 4x4 with aisin is nice my only complaint is with the 3.42 gears it often feels like its lugging. and there is the typical torque management off the line throttle lag which seems to get more pronounced each year. the lower gearing of the tranny as well as the slightly more positive shifts sure is noticeable especially on some of the nor cal steep 10%-17% grades. So great for towing and imho i like firm shifts and the ratio split. so far the overriding of gear selection seems to be much less of an issue than the 68rfe. the shifts are slower than the 68rfe and under hard acceleration empty my 2012 is a faster street driving truck than my 2016. i didn’t buy the 2016 for racing though
my 2012 CCSB 4x4 with 68rfe is what i like to call a rubber band tranny the tranny is probably perfect for 95% of the drivers out there. i am a manual transmission diver and so the transition to the 68rfe took some getting used to. compared to the aisin at full throttle or when you hammer it the 68rfe is faster to get through the gears, making acceleration smoother and more pleasurable when empty and it holds fairly well on 99% of the grades out there with most reasonable loads. i don’t like how it over rides the selected gear on downhill grades under some circumstances it will attempt to up shift. and occasionally it will override a selected gear ratio on a hill climb and attempt to downshift or attempt to unlock the converter to raise rpms. though i understand the intent of the programming often it is at an inopportune time and causes the truck to loose speed that it otherwise could have maintained
All that said there is a very real possibility that I’m going to sell my granite grey babied 2012 CCSB laramie with 55k miles soon or trading it in and i will be buying a 2013+ most likely a 2016 G56 QCSB 4x4 laramie in granite grey or steel metallic is in my very near future. though id like a longbed that is the one compromise with the other half. hence why i keep the 2003 around. with the 2012 laramie i could do a manual tranny swap, but in its current shape I probably could get $39k-40k. So its hard to justify going through the work of the swap when theres that much of a down payment possible.
Adding into this discussion is G56 trucks too
So my observations after driving a 2015 CCLB G56 truck is the G56 trucks are snappier off the line. they have near zero lag compared to the two autos. when stepping from one to the other it was really noticeable. which must be attributable to the torque management programing on the autos. though it doesn’t have 900 ft/lbs like my 2016. it does keep pace with my 2012 68rfe 370/800 2500 pulling an identical 12000 lbs load and on steep switchback roads. Some of the local highways and two lane connectors are 10, 12 and some 17% grades the manual tranny shines as it doesn’t continually search for the right gear. its disadvantage is once in a gear thats probably the gear you’ll be using for most of the grade. the aisin has an upper hand if you don’t mind the random gear shifting and hunting and you’re really trying to win the loaded truck WOT drag race to the top of the hill but thats sure not easy on the tranny.....overall highway cruiser and mountain road cruiser that 2015 3500 SRW with G56 brought me back to the manual transmission on my next purchase. now if I’m cruising the interstates at 45-50+ my Aisin truck is definitely king for WOT loaded drivability but for the mountain highways and roads with 15mph and 25 mph corners and steep grades the aisin, even a duramax allison hunt for gears where as that 2015 just chugged up the grade sometimes cornering in 3rd but overall pulling the grade very well across a wide speed spectrum in 4th without missing a beat. the most recent grade I’m referencing is st helena grade. highway 20 from calistoga to middletown CA. And the other area where I’ve driven all three regularly and the g56 really shone was out to fort Bragg from Willits on again highway 20. with around 12k loads
Food for though. if i were buying an auto id have to ponder what i was using it for because the 68rfe is definitely better in traffic, around town and on the highway unloaded and mildly loaded. The Aisin is a better overall tranny and definitely so when loaded for sure, even unloaded it is very smooth and firm.... it just like to race to OD and lug the motor more than i think it should ....... it really shines well on I80 going over and down donner summit just isn’t as fast through the gears the 68rfe, but holds them better. The 2015 G56 owns the highway 20’s, highway 49’s and 395’s of CA’s two lane steep grades and switchbacks and its a pronounced difference that I’m impressed enough with to go backwards. its all just my opinion but if they’d put 3.73’s or 4.10s in the SRW aisin and 68RFE trucks it’d change things some for my opinion but with 3.42’s the g56 loved em.
power wise the three trucks in the end its really hard to tell much of a loaded acceleration difference between the g56, the 800 motor and the 900 motor even though dodge says theres 240 ft/lbs difference they all maintain speed really well and in the conditions i describe there isn’t any big power blow your mind difference. unlike if you are discussing a 1996 160hp auto 12v vs a 215 hp manual tranny 12v back then that was a different driving experience all together.... i don’t remember the last time i was cursing any of the three for being under powered and the real kicker i still feel like the 2003 even in stock HP settings is snappier than all three lol
I have a 2003 305/555 nv5600 CCLB 4x4 3.73 gearing. 200k miles (and ill be keeping it for quite some time)
my 2016 CCSB 4x4 with aisin is nice my only complaint is with the 3.42 gears it often feels like its lugging. and there is the typical torque management off the line throttle lag which seems to get more pronounced each year. the lower gearing of the tranny as well as the slightly more positive shifts sure is noticeable especially on some of the nor cal steep 10%-17% grades. So great for towing and imho i like firm shifts and the ratio split. so far the overriding of gear selection seems to be much less of an issue than the 68rfe. the shifts are slower than the 68rfe and under hard acceleration empty my 2012 is a faster street driving truck than my 2016. i didn’t buy the 2016 for racing though
my 2012 CCSB 4x4 with 68rfe is what i like to call a rubber band tranny the tranny is probably perfect for 95% of the drivers out there. i am a manual transmission diver and so the transition to the 68rfe took some getting used to. compared to the aisin at full throttle or when you hammer it the 68rfe is faster to get through the gears, making acceleration smoother and more pleasurable when empty and it holds fairly well on 99% of the grades out there with most reasonable loads. i don’t like how it over rides the selected gear on downhill grades under some circumstances it will attempt to up shift. and occasionally it will override a selected gear ratio on a hill climb and attempt to downshift or attempt to unlock the converter to raise rpms. though i understand the intent of the programming often it is at an inopportune time and causes the truck to loose speed that it otherwise could have maintained
All that said there is a very real possibility that I’m going to sell my granite grey babied 2012 CCSB laramie with 55k miles soon or trading it in and i will be buying a 2013+ most likely a 2016 G56 QCSB 4x4 laramie in granite grey or steel metallic is in my very near future. though id like a longbed that is the one compromise with the other half. hence why i keep the 2003 around. with the 2012 laramie i could do a manual tranny swap, but in its current shape I probably could get $39k-40k. So its hard to justify going through the work of the swap when theres that much of a down payment possible.
Adding into this discussion is G56 trucks too
So my observations after driving a 2015 CCLB G56 truck is the G56 trucks are snappier off the line. they have near zero lag compared to the two autos. when stepping from one to the other it was really noticeable. which must be attributable to the torque management programing on the autos. though it doesn’t have 900 ft/lbs like my 2016. it does keep pace with my 2012 68rfe 370/800 2500 pulling an identical 12000 lbs load and on steep switchback roads. Some of the local highways and two lane connectors are 10, 12 and some 17% grades the manual tranny shines as it doesn’t continually search for the right gear. its disadvantage is once in a gear thats probably the gear you’ll be using for most of the grade. the aisin has an upper hand if you don’t mind the random gear shifting and hunting and you’re really trying to win the loaded truck WOT drag race to the top of the hill but thats sure not easy on the tranny.....overall highway cruiser and mountain road cruiser that 2015 3500 SRW with G56 brought me back to the manual transmission on my next purchase. now if I’m cruising the interstates at 45-50+ my Aisin truck is definitely king for WOT loaded drivability but for the mountain highways and roads with 15mph and 25 mph corners and steep grades the aisin, even a duramax allison hunt for gears where as that 2015 just chugged up the grade sometimes cornering in 3rd but overall pulling the grade very well across a wide speed spectrum in 4th without missing a beat. the most recent grade I’m referencing is st helena grade. highway 20 from calistoga to middletown CA. And the other area where I’ve driven all three regularly and the g56 really shone was out to fort Bragg from Willits on again highway 20. with around 12k loads
Food for though. if i were buying an auto id have to ponder what i was using it for because the 68rfe is definitely better in traffic, around town and on the highway unloaded and mildly loaded. The Aisin is a better overall tranny and definitely so when loaded for sure, even unloaded it is very smooth and firm.... it just like to race to OD and lug the motor more than i think it should ....... it really shines well on I80 going over and down donner summit just isn’t as fast through the gears the 68rfe, but holds them better. The 2015 G56 owns the highway 20’s, highway 49’s and 395’s of CA’s two lane steep grades and switchbacks and its a pronounced difference that I’m impressed enough with to go backwards. its all just my opinion but if they’d put 3.73’s or 4.10s in the SRW aisin and 68RFE trucks it’d change things some for my opinion but with 3.42’s the g56 loved em.
power wise the three trucks in the end its really hard to tell much of a loaded acceleration difference between the g56, the 800 motor and the 900 motor even though dodge says theres 240 ft/lbs difference they all maintain speed really well and in the conditions i describe there isn’t any big power blow your mind difference. unlike if you are discussing a 1996 160hp auto 12v vs a 215 hp manual tranny 12v back then that was a different driving experience all together.... i don’t remember the last time i was cursing any of the three for being under powered and the real kicker i still feel like the 2003 even in stock HP settings is snappier than all three lol
05-05-2016, 10:45 PM
#21
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Keep the truck, in my honest opinion. If you want something new/more exciting, buy some cosmetic and performance parts for your truck, maybe a Smarty, it will make it way more fun. Unless I had piles of cash just sitting around, I'd keep the 04.5. The way I look at it, if you have a truck that is paid for and in reasonably good condition the cost of repairs will be cheaper than the cost of monthly payments for a new one, usually. So say you grenade your transmission in your current truck and it cost $3,000 for a repair. just for an example, say your monthly payment it $500, that's $6,000 a year, if you had a new truck. Well, that $3,000 transmission (that should now last another 100,000 miles) is half of what you would have spent on a new truck for the year. Now, what to do with the other $3,000 that you didn't have to spend because you fixed your paid for truck. That's a lot of golf clubs or fishing rods or truck accessories or what ever your into. This is just my mode of operation. You have a good truck with low miles. Just do the recommended maintenance and it will last a long time. I just turned 330,000 miles on my 2007 6.7. Only repairs so far this year was a new $190 radiator, it cracked. And a new pair of headlight assemblies ($200/pair) not because they were broke, they were just scratched and a little hazy. So in 5 months, im $390 into repairs for the year. That's less than one month of a new truck payment.
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