HOV

My new 3500 has 1200 miles on the odo, so it was time to break it in right with some heavy work! This post will contain a towing ability comparison between the 2006 Ram 3500 as listed in my sig, and my previous 2005 Silverado 2500HD D/A 4x4 extended cab.

I went down to my RV storage lot and hooked up my 10,000# 5th wheel for the first time. (I use a Reese 16K slider that was previously installed on my Silverado.) Hooking up was a little harder on the Megacab because the rear seat area is so large that I could not see the hitch as well as on the Silverado, plus the middle position headrest was directly in the way. It was just a minor inconvenience though, and the rest of the hookup went fine.

I used the bumper 7-pin connector because I have not yet installed a bed outlet yet. I was not sure if the Dodge OEM 7-pin plug was set for trailer battery charging because it did not say anything on the schematic (see my other post about that please.) The bumper connection worked fine, with the umbilical draped over the top of the tailgate.

Before I got going, I flipped up my mirrors to the towing configuration. These mirrors are SUPERB and much better than the extendable 2005 Silverado mirrors. Did a quick pull test and was off.

During my break-in tow, I gave full throttle at every light, and ran the truck as hard as it would go. I left it in cruise up and down hills for the most part, but also tried manual control to see the difference. I left it in T/H mode mostly, but was forced to used O/D disable on a few hills while using manual throttle control. I'll explain more below.

Towing flat, the Ram feels very similar to the Silverado. However, it was more stable because of the longer wheelbase and better suspension, and the front end did not do the horrible basketball dribble bounce that my 2500HD used to do with its stock suspenders when going over certain kinds of bumps. The CTD pulled just as hard if not harder than the Duramax on the flats, and it didn't have as much turbo lag/EGR silliness as the Silverado (the CTD doesn't have an EGR system and the Duramax does). For flats, the Ram gets a big thumbs up. I towed mostly at 55 mph over back country roads with cruise set; the truck idled along at ~1300-1400 RPM in overdrive.

On hills, it was a mixed bag. With cruise, the Ram would allow a 5 mph dip in speed before it went out of overdrive and shifted down to 3rd gear. When it did drop out of O/D, it would shift down to 2nd gear for a split second then back up to 3rd and finish pulling the hill. There were no problems maintaining speed with cruise control set.

However, when I went to manual control, the truck had a hard time maintaining speed on steeper hills. I alternated using both T/H mode and O/D disable and it used 3rd gear for the hills at 55, but when I'd lose speed the truck simply would not downshift to second even with full throttle. This was very frustrating. I couldn't make it up hills at 55 mph. For this, the Silverado gets the nod for better hill climbing ability simply for the sake of better computer shift control. It would be a simple fix for Dodge to just make the truck downshift if the truck is at WOT but still losing speed at ~2500 RPM. The next lower gear would have put me up to around 3K RPM which would have been perfect for the hill.

Grade braking ability was excellent, and the truck did a great job maintaining speed with cruise set on steeper descents. The grade braking was faster and more responsive than the Silverado's grade braking, which was really finicky. Ram gets the nod for grade breaking ability without a jake brake.

I executed all kinds of standard traffic maneuvers with my Reese 16K slider and had no clearance issues with my 5th wheel.

Ride height was just a tad saggy in the rear, and my overload springs were at the start of engagement on a level surface. I estimate pin weight of the trailer to be around 1800 pounds. The Silverado (even being a 2500) gets the nod for the ability to stay level when loaded, because it has a lower ride height with tail end while empty slightly higher. Compression of the bed from trailer weight brings the Silverado level, but the Ram with its higher, level ride height is pulled down in the rear a little.

Braking ablility using service brakes with trailer brakes was slightly better on the Ram.

Throughout the whole trip, the Ram ran very cool and was about 15-20* cooler than the Duramax normal towing operating temperature.

After my 100-mile hard pull up and down the hills, the CTD became quite snappy after I left the RV at the storage lot. I think this pull did indeed help the break-in quite a bit.

Overall towing score:

Hooking up: Silverado wins for better visibility (but you don't get a limousine back seat with the Chevy...)
Flats: Ram wins for better suspension and less lag due to no EGR system
Hill ascent: Silverado wins for better automatic shifting
Hill descent: Ram wins for better grade braking
Ride level: Silverado wins for being more level
Braking: Ram wins for more secure feeling brakes

Perhaps most importantly, the Ram did not break down while towing. I saw no billowing white or black smoke (in fact the Ram never smoked at all, and the Duramax smoked all the time at higher throttle settings), there was no stuttering or stumbling, and the CTD performed very well. The Ram gets the win here with my purchase dollars, and that's why I got rid of my LLY Duramax - chronic, persistent fueling problems.

Questions for you Ram experts:

1. Does O/D disable lock the TC just like T/H mode?
2. Is there any way to improve the shift logic for my transmission?
3. Does the transmission learn? It seemed like it pulled better toward the end, staying in 3rd longer even on flats.

boostjunkie1

Well I would have to say that your comparison is a pretty good one. Your Auto woes is why I prefer the 6spd for better towing control. The interior room is unmatched in this class with the Mega Cab. The brakes are superior with the trucks that you have compared. The new 06's are better in the braking department. The new power of the DMax is really good with the new Transmission shifting control. Good Write Up!!

MikeyB

Good writup.
The best thing you can do to the 48re is upgrade the torque converter and valve body.

MikeyB

HOV

What will it do to upgrade the TC and VB? I've seen the VB acronym but didn't know what it was until now.

P.J

More usable torque and HP to the ground. Increased line pressures, better shift points, less heat.
It's not cheap, but from reading hundreds of personal accounts, the benefits are amazing.

I went with the 6 spd.

JSCC

Nice write up. I will say one thing, the shifting down to second, then back into third. It actually stays in third, but does it without the torque converter locked, then locks the converter and starts to pull. Mine does the same thing. As a former Duramax owner, I agree with everything else you wrote. The new six speed will solve the issues with the 4 speed auto.

I did the torque converter and vb upgrade at about 32,000 miles on my 05'. What I noticed, besides the fact that it dont slip when locked, is it loads the motor heavier(since it stays locked), and with the valve body, and higher pressure, you get more positive shifts. Thats about it. Mine was to the point it would make noise and not move far(38,000lbs does that). So that was my reasoning for upgrading.

With a little box, that 10,000lbs will not feel like much, and will hold third or OD on any hill you point it at.

Again, nice write up.

timk006

HOV,
Nice write up. I am questioning the sag thing. We have about 3500 lbs pin weight and our rig just is just barely on the overloads. You are 100% right on with the d*** transmission. We are also considering a tc and vb, or a new 6 speed?
TimK

HOV

On the sag issue, it may have even been just a perception issue on my part that the rear end was a little lower (by a few inches at most) than the front, but most certainly the overload springs were nearing the start of engagement. It's quite posible I have underestimated my pin weight also.

Regardless of my automatic issue, I'm still glad I bought an auto. This became our sole family vehicle (plus motorcycle for my commutes), and the complexity of driving a large rig through urban areas is slightly magnified by having to row gears. I have driven large vehicles in the past, but my wife hasn't so I'm glad we have an auto to keep the complexity down, at least for her sake.

Also, we do mostly unloaded driving so the 6-speed would be a cut in gas mileage for us.

Any links to VB and TC upgrade sources?

jrs_dodge_diesel

http://www.dieseltrans.com/

http://www.gbtransmissions.com/

ptgarcia

On my last trip I had about 2000 lbs of load on the bed. I had a 1100-1200 lb golf cart and a 9000 lb travel trailer (I was really loaded this time) in tow. Without the weight bars snapped up the rear overloads justed kissed the stoppers. With the bars snapped up they didn't touch at all. I'm betting you had more weight on the pin than you thought.

DanTana

HOV,

Don't get too hasty in going for a tranny upgrade. I have a bunch of RV behind my 2006 and so far my 48re has done well. Go with a box like the Edge EZ with about 65 more horses will make your truck shine on the hills. I top a lot of hills without a downshift.

P.J

Sweet rig DanTana
One on Ebay right now just like (a 2007) I checked out one (for giggles) at the dealer I just bought from, very nice. Very, very nice.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2006-...28804367QQrdZ1

DanTana

If someone can buy that rig on ebay for the bid listed that is a steal.

We looked at a lot of RVs before we ordered the Day Dreamer and think it is the best deal on the market. The Elite Suite is a real nice rig but for darn near 35k more it is not worth it. Mind you the ES has some points of quality over the DDreamer but not for me.

Back to the topic of trannys, mine coupled with the eBrake has really worked out well.

HOV

Thanks Dan. Although I did notice you have 4.10 gears and I have 3.73's, I am surely towing less weight than you are. Sweet fiver you got there!

Thanks to jrs_dodge_diesel, I checked out some info on upgraded TC and VB, and I probably will go that route in a while. I think that taking full advantage of the power my engine makes now probably takes precedence over making more. There was a LOT of difference in RPM between TC locked and unlocked, and that tells me that the TC is not operating as efficiently as it could be. I'm thinking that some gauges, a TC and VB would make some nice first and last mods to my truck.

Okay, and maybe an Edge EZ. You sold me.

scottrod

Try the Quadzilla XZT box... Cheaper than an EZ and it works very well.