I have a 2001 with a 5.2 V8. I bought it used a little over a year ago. The previous owner put a lift kit on it and 285/75R16 tires. I have not been happy with this truck since I have had it. It constantly lugs. I cannot use cruise control on the highway because when I come up on any little incline, the cruise drops the transmission 2 gears and runs the RPMs up to around 4500. I have to cancel the cruise and just not use the cruise. I even lock out overdrive when I am driving just around home. Any suggestions from anyone would be very appreciated. I really do not where to start with fixing this problem.

 

Welcome to DF...

Your problem is an under powered motor for a lifted truck with oversized tires. the taller you go, the more air you push and the harder the truck has to work.

I'd start with this... Mopar cap & rotor, MSD 8.5 superconductor wires, autolite 3923 plugs (non-platnum). Adjust your TPS to .75v at idle, then if on a budget, you can slot the crank sensor and change the timing by a few degrees. It is possible your truck may have the death flash which retards timing considerably to prevent pinging (caused by a leaky plenum gasket). there are plenty of things you can do to bump power...

50mm Fastman TB
Programmer (Hypertech, Superchips)
K&N FIPK or round filter on top of the TB
1.7 roller rockers (crowers are my favorite)
good cat back exhaust
gibson headers
mod the intake manifold

those are a few of the mods that can be done, some cheeper than others, some offer better bang for the buck than others. All are tried & true performers.

Check out the DIY thread at the top of the forum for more info...

 

Great recommendations...also check the gear ratio in the rear. A gear change might be in order. I had a Ranger 4.0 a few years back and it was fine until I lifted it. The 3.23 gears just lugged the engine and worked the trans. temp into the red zone. I put in a set of 4.10 gears and it was great. Trans temp went down and it drove peppy again. Highway mileage went down about 4mpg but....hey....It's lifted so mpg isn't on top of your list.

 

check out xxl's beastly truck to see what they are talkin about with gears. Hes gotta run damn near 5.33's to get them tires rollin. i 2nd steve and darrin, mod the engine and change the gears.

 

Thanks for the info. It sounds like that a rear end change would be the most practical avenue at this point. Can you tell me how to go about finding out what size I have and how to figure out what size I need to go to? Also, could you ballpark a figure of what this might cost to have it done?

 

If it hasn't been changed before there is usually a tag on the rear gear cover. Get the numbers off of it. I think it's also on a sticker somewhere. This is assuming it is the stock gear. The other way is jack up both rear tires, mark a mark on the tire and a mark on the driveshafl...then turn the drive shaft one full turn counting the revolutuions the tire makes. Thats the gear. 4.11:1 ratio will be 4 full revolutions plus a little extra. This will also let you know what differential you have . If both tires roll the same direction when you turn it then you have Posi rear. If one goes one way while the other turns the opposite way then you have limited slip. If only one turns you have an Open rear. As for the price...it depends onm the brand name. This is where you don't go cheap as possible. Check Sumitt Racing they are usually around 200.00 for the ring and pinion and 85.00 for the bearing set. Watch out for E-bay unless the dealer has a lot of sales and great ratings. My friend bought a set that was advertised as Richmond and it came apart in 3 months. Found out it was a cheap Chinese copy. I buy Sumitt because of the customer service and quality. Now for the Labor. Depends on where you live. In Florida I had mine done at Cottman Transmissions for 200.00. If not done right it will whine like hell or clunk like a bad u-joint. This will wear it out fast and will usually let go at the least opportune time.

 

haha true
my engine is mostly stock
i have msd wires and fusion plugs and CAI
have noticed some difference in power
true for best performance - but gears can be costly... depending how much you can do yourself or you can afford
i used to at one time run with 3.55s with 38 inch tires... lugged severely!!
huge strain on everything although it did roll and maintain speed on flat road but couldnt get over 60 on intersate in OD lmao

i have 4.56s in my truck and they STILL arent enough in my opinion...i will be moving to 5.13s soon
you have 285s probably try 4.10s, 4.56s for you would be a little high

you more than likely have 3.55 now

 

I appreciate all the info that I am receiving. All the information is great.

I took a look at the programmers that steve05ram360 suggested. The information talked about changing shift ranges for oversized tires, etc. It seems like that nailed it on the head. It is almost like I've got enough power, but the transmission shifts down prematurely. Does any of this make sense? Also, it looks like I can program the computer myself versus having to spend $$ on labor for a rear end change. Programmer vs. rear end change? Which would be more beneficial?

I did check on the tag on the rear end and it is 3.5. The original tire on the truck was 30" tall and the tires that are on the truck now are 32" tall. The truck only has a 4" lift on it. I hope this information will give everyone a better understanding about what I am working with.

 

If you had the turbo diesel I'd say programmer but, The programmer for the Dodge gas engines are not going to give you a great wow feeling. They do let you adjust the fine points but, The first thing any Mustang, Camaro, or street drag car owner does is change the gear. It doesn't give you any horsepower it just puts what you do have to the ground. It's like a 10 speed. If you're in the wrong gear it's hard as crap to get rolling but ok when you are cruising but, try and pass someone and you'll find yourself wanting to shift to that easier gear. Now imagine towing someone on your handlebars. Your legs would be on fire for a week after trying to do that in the wrong gear. That's what's happening to your transmission and engine. Remember..the number one killer of a transmission is my wife....just kidding...it's HEAT! You are heating the tranny up bad when it's lugging to get going. Changing the gear will give you the best bang for the buck. Then get the programmer to adjust the speedo and such. My 99' 5.9 had 3:55's. The programmer gave me 1/10th a second better 1/4 mile time. For 250.00 I was highly disappointed. I had the gears changed for 500.00 parts and labor and dropped a 1/2 second off. Well worth the money.

 

Dont be fooled by the info on the programmer's websites... the dodge tranny's cannot have their shift points altered via aprogrammer. One thing that just occured to me is that you may have a TV cable that might be out of adjustment. Look at the cable on your TB and see if there is any slack in it. if there is, you will have to adjust it at the linkage on the TB. there should be none. you may also be able to tighten it up some which may cause it to downshift easier, not 100% sure on that though you'd have to experiment. the adjuster is just a clip that holds the cable in the linkage and pops out real easily.