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I am 'considering' taking a $7-9K hit and getting rid of a 09 2500 Mega Cab SXT and gaining a 10 3500 Mega Cab Larami. Financially, not real smart, so now I am at the process of just looking for facts, not opinions about creature comforts and the likes. If you are smart on the nuts and bolts of the 2010, I welcome your empirical thoughts.

1. One catch is that the 10 is a 4.10 axle ratio. 95% of the time I am doing city driving. A knowledgable friend mentioned that the 4.10 would get equal or possibly better fuel mileage than the 3.73 because it gets up and goes easier at each stop.

2. Are there other negatives to having a 4.10?

3. Additionally, he said that at cruising speeds, the MPG may take a slight hit, but not too noticable because the 6-speed Auto that is in it is intended to keep the RPMs lower and he believes that the 4.10 may run 300 RPMs faster at 60-70 mph compared to a 3.73 - so, some difference certainly, but not anything that will cause regrets.

4. Can anyone comment on the stopping power of the brakes or size difference of the caliphers? My understanding is that the brakes are larger in a 3500 vs. 2500, but does it make a difference since the vehicles are diff weights? I pull a 10-12k lbs trailer. Trailer brakes, tow haul, and exhaust brakes all work well. I am just curious if there is a difference in performance of the disc brakes.

5. What is the best programmer for the $. Not looking to get much more power; looking for fuel economy both when I am towing at cruising speeds and when I am tooling around town empty.

6. Talked to a guy who owns a fleet of diesels. He said that they change out oil every 10k miles if they are hauling a lot and every 15k if they are not. However, every 5k they change the oil filter. Saves tons of money and they supposedly have never had any problems. Logical to me, but, again, I am looking for long term experience or good facts to support/destroy this idea.

7. Same guy told me that in the winter (I live in Alaska), they start all of their vehicles and leave them in neutral. He said that if they are in park, the tranny fluid does not circulate and warm up. Therefore, even if your engine or oil is warm, you can wear out the transmission by constantly running it with near freezing fluids. Does neutral circulate the fluids and help?

8. Dealer says that they changed the frame in 2010. Now is it a solid rectangle structure and 3 times stronger. Any truth?

9. Do you know of any kinks in design changes (going to the infamous 4th gen) that I should wait on and see if they get worked out?

In the end, I am looking for a truck to last the next 15 years. If I have to extend an extra year of payments (from what I am at now) to do it, I want to know that I am making a somewhat wise decision. Again, please respond if you are an expert - even if that is only for 1 or 2 of the questions.
Thank you kindly!

sheriffav8r

I'm having the same internal discussion. I think I'm sold on the 4.10 gears and SRW for my rig. From what I've heard, the 3.73 and 4.10 will pull heavy just fine, but I'm looking long term and larger tires in the future. That will make my 4.10 the same as or taller than a 3.73....

I think the brake sizes are the same for 2500/3500s....

Only one programmer and one chip out there, really. Smarty for the programmer and H&S for the chip/display. I guess with all the EGR/DPF stuff most guys don't do much until the warranty runs out or they do everything and fix it themselves....

Oil changes are prompted by the EVIC which uses engine cycles to decide when to change the oil, but I believe that 7500 is normal, and the engine will "make oil" because of the emissions stuff (adds diesel to the crankcase). The "just change the filter" stuff sounds good but why not just change the darn oil while you're at it....

My 47RE only circulates oil in Neutral. That's why you check the tranny fluid at idle in neutral. I don't know about the 68RFE, but if you check the owner's manual on tranny fluid level check you should get your answer....

Dealers are generally morons, in my limited experience....

Good luck on your decision....

roger.t

to start with i am no expert but i do drive a 2010 on a daily bases and have spent many hours in and around Blake Clarks 08 mega. The biggest things that i have noticed are. Starting with the cab, the new hydraulic mounts on the cab make a world of difference to the ride. The door design has been changed so that the wind noise problem has been eliminated. As for as the gearing goes I have 3.73 gears realistically I am averaging 15 Mpg on the highway. in town it goes down to about 13. now something i have done is at cruising speed using the manual lever switched from 6 to 5th gear which changed RPMs by about 3 to 400 RPMs and the MPG according to the on-board display dropped 3 to 4 mpg. On the frame issue the B&W goose neck that I installed on my truck was manufactured for a 2009 so take that as you will. Hope this helps.

RAMRODD

I wanted 4.10 gears but couldn't find a mega dually with them. Honestly I am glad I got the 3.73 and I am grossing 39K just pull in 5th loaded and 6th unloaded

H@S is the only programmer for the 2010. Don't waste your money unless your going to delete your DPF. I gained 3 mpg by doing both. But the exhaust brake cuts out at 30 mph I am not happy with that but HPS is working on a update.

Bob Wagner expects the smarty will be available late this month

DJENSEN9367

I just got ride of an 08 with 4.10's, new 2010 truck has 3.73, i tow all the time and i loved the 4.10 - will tow 7000 miles this month with the new truck and see how it does. i am sure i will use 5th more on the grades. no comparison yet but my 06 with 3.73 got about the same mileage as my 08

Part

Turns out they just sold the truck I was researching and the guy who was interested in mine had a change of mind. Trying to trade an 09 for a 10 and not lose the house really takes some stars lining up and I thing God was closing the doors to a greedy desire. If I still wanted to push my will, I would be increasing my debt by $15K and that is definitely not worth the upgrades.

Nonetheless, I thank you for your posts and encourage others to continue to post to these important questions. Again, facts only, or else we can all run the risk of allowing emotions to dominate our desires and lead us into selfish trouble.

ramtradxb

DJENSEN - you note that the '10 exhaust brake is better than the jacobs on your '06...that really caught my attention as my experience on larger Cummins is just the opposite - but since I don't think Cummins put a jacobs on a '06 CTD in a Dodge, that must've been an aftermarket conversion? Closing off the exhaust to give some back pressure is never as effective as altering the combustion to essentially create pressure in the cylinders that slows the engine down, is it?

Mike Holmen

I personally wouldn't trade off the truck. If the only reason is for better fuel mileage, its not going to happen. Stock and brand new my truck gets around 13-14mpg. With the programmer, 18-20mpg.

Towing with 3.73 works pretty nice and I haven't had an issue. The cab is better, but thats about it. Its pretty much the same truck.

For $9k, you can change gears, if you really want 4.10's, which to me is a waste, unless your towing heavy everyday. I towed with my 02 heavy and it has 3.55 gears, no issues. I even have 33in tires and a lift on it.

For the 09 you have more choices for programmers than the 10. There are some small issues with the 10 H&S, but its pretty much code free dpf/cat delete.