Hey guys first off I want to say Hi, and I enjoy this great site.

My story is I have a 2006 Dodge Ram Quad Cab 5.7l hemi. 4x4


I race atv's and I pull a 14ft enclosed trailer, approx weight is 3500lbs. Also haul 2 or 3 atv's while pulling so that bumps me up another 1000lbs. I gotta say I'm not to impressed with the 5.7 as far as towing goes. I've played with the tow/haul gear.. OD off etc and really didn't notice much difference as far as torque went. I think this truck should have more jam when pulling but I know its going to cost money for the upgrades needed. Truck is all stock. I'm on a tight budget because all of my money goes into my racing, but I do plan on getting flowmaster 40 series, and going with the Tru flow intake system.

Would running a high grade synthetic oil help any? I'm sponsored by Amsoil but only run it in my quad, I may try to swing a deal and get some for my truck also.

I don't know much about the electrical system of these trucks, my question is, how reliable are these chips that they sell for gas trucks? I know there not as effective as the ones made for diesel but would they be worth the $$ for the torque that I'm needing? I don't care about HP I just want torque, and I plan to upgrade to a 20ft enclosed trailer in the spring.

Thanks in advance, Cool site!


[IMG]local://upfiles/77752/281EEE31AF934B8887CBE4C10F241716.jpg[/IMG]

 

Amsoil is good stuff! I changed my motor oil, tansmission, transfer case, and differentials to amsoil and have not been sorry! Are you in Amsoil's prefered customer program? That saved me a bunch on buying the fluids! As far as the power issue goes, I don't have that problem with my 2004.5 3500. But then it has the cummins!

 

If I were to do it all over I should of just bought a cummins!! rub it in! But I'm stuck with this for a while. Yeah I'm on the perfered customer program, it has saved me hundreds of dollars through out last season, I love it!

 

Yea, the Hemi is not wanting for HP, but it is a bit lacking in the low end grunt department. I find that if you keep the rpm's up around 3000 and above, it tows like a whole different animal, but then it drinks gas.
The change to 4.56 gears makes a big difference in towing for me. You have a lot more power available from a dead stop and at lower speeds. I think some of that is gained by virtue of the fact that the gearing gets you up closer to the power band at slower speeds.
The addition of a CAI, LT Headers and a free flowing exhaust gives me aLOT more ponies, and better fuel economy, but, if anything, cost me a little low end torque because there is less backpressure.
My fix for this is going to be a KRC 210 Cam. It's a real torque beast! I've test driven an '05 4x2 with that cam and 4.56 gears and it had the best low end pull I've ever felt by far, short of driving a diesel.
It will have some CEL issues, because it's grind is so aggressive, and requires some other mods to be able to handle it. (I have the other components in place, and only lack the actual cam, springs, retainers and damper to complete my project). A good compromise would be a Comp 260, (not the torque monster the KRC is, but a good upgrade from stock) it doesn't require the other upgrades that you need to make the KRC work.
A good solution for your towing needs, without breaking the bank, would be to upgrade the gears and add a tuner. The Superchips tow tune in combination with the 4.56 gears would give you a good bit better towing performance. Synthetic lubes would be great forover-all longevity, especially in a tow vehicle, but I don't think would give you much more towing capability, at least not enough to feel.

 

Changing gears on a 4x4 can get pretty expensive. I'd first do the usual intake / Superchips route because the intake is proven to add a good bit of usable power under the curve on these trucks. They're well worth it, esp. if you're a cheapskate like me and get a $75 ebay setup instead of dishing out $400+ for a name brand. So far I'm very happy with that combo on my truck. With yours being an 06, you can (unlike on my 03) use the programmer to change shift points as well.

Isnt' it amazing that for all the "feel" of a lack of low-end torque, it's rated to put out over 300 ft lbs from 1200rpm and up. That should be pretty satisfying but it isn't. My old truck (GM TBI 350) felt quicker from 0-30 even with its 3.43 rear.

I plan to add LT headers eventually, along with an electric fan conversion and finally the cam upgrade. At that point I should be finished --- yeah, right!! [8D]

 

Thanks a lot for your input guys. I think the gears will be to expensive, but something I will consider down the road. I think the first steps I'm going to take is the Exhaust/Intake and I am going to go witht he superchip, and try to figure out how to work that thing haha!

Hammer-If I come across some extra money down the road, I will take into consideration about the cams and gears, I know I would prolly see more gains from those than the early mods that I'm doing, so Thanks A Lot. you gave some great advice

 

I have an 04 4x4 Quad Cab Hemi with a 3.55 rear and 17inch tires and my truck tows very well. No problems. I tow a 21 ft Boat on a Load Rite trailer with Dual wheels .WhenI use the tow mode I average 13.5 MPG. I'm hauling 6,000 lbs normally.There's plenty of power and take off. It has Daul exhaust and an K/n air filter.