Today my dad and I put a new rear end in my 1996 dodge ram with a 360 engine. We also put large 16 inch mud tires on it. My dad bought a wrecked truck off the insurance company to fix mine and the wheels were better than what I had. After the repairs, I took it on a 15 mile test drive, myself, to feel it out. It seems to have little more power, but gas mileage went way down, and it shifts weird. When I pour the coals to it, takes a few seconds to spool up. When it finally finds it sweet spot it just goes from there, and off it goes. sometimes it will miss a gear and I have to let off the gas to let it catch. This is different to me. It also struggles to get up hills if you dont have much momentum. You really have to sit on it to climb hills if you slow down before them. It gets up fine just seems to work harder to me. My dad is a mechanic he said it was fine to him but his words don't assure me. It's really loud now, and I tell myself maybe it's running weird Becuase I'm used to quiet vehicles. And it's just in my head. I treasure my truck, I've worked really really hard to earn the parts and my dads time to get It where it moves under its own power without something falling off.

Watcha think? Nothing to worry about?

 

Read the stickied plenum thread at the top of technical discussion page. It may cause your issue with the hills. when you say "sounds louder" , as in its idling high? Or just sounds louder then it should?

 

Newbie here, sorry.

It's been straight piped. (Exhaust sytem rusted out) What I'm saying is I'm not used to loud vehicles so maybe it's just in my head that its acting weird.

 

You should read the plenum sticky anyway.

 

What gear ratio was in your original rear end? What gear ratio is in the newly swapped-in rear end? Also, is this a 2WD truck?

 

The plenum is probably no good, so as suggested read the sticky. You did reinstall the o2's right? If you used the old ones they are most likely no good.

 

And what size are the 'new' rear tires?

 

I'm guessing it's a combination of your head and your new tires.

Those two things will jack you up man. lol If the new tires are larger, it's going to essentially make the truck slower, and since you've got straight pipe now the sound is going to be exaggerated.

 

You'll also lose some bottom end if the exhaust is opened up too much.