I have a 2003 1500 with the Hemi and 3.55 gears. I thought I was buying the 3.92 gears but I did not (my fault). I tow a 4,000 lb. boat and trailer combo and am wondering if anyone out there has some solid advice for me to switch to the 3.92 gears. Also, I am wondering if anyone has done it at a dealer and what the cost was.

The Hemi seems to struggle a little bit on hills with the current set up. Thanks to all for any advice.

 

Put in 4:10's, you'll love 'em, and MPG won't be that different than the '92's, might even be better when towing.

 

If you are running the 17" wheels then you might want to stick with the 3.55's. The reason the 3.92's are put in the Rams is those trucks come with the 20's and they are a larger tire then the 17's. If you do alot of highway driving then the larger gears will get your gas milage, the 4.10s are not much different but your RPM's will go up which means more fuel used.

 

I have a 3.92s with 17" wheels (factory stock). I'd probably reccomend switching to 4.10s I wasn't that inpressed with the way the truck towed my 3700 travel trailer.

 

I have 17" tires and 3.92s...Off Road Group....Don't two anything, so can't tell a difference! lol

 

Dont get me wrong, I love the 4.10's, I had them in my 2001 and it hauled ***** with 35's on it, but the highway milage was crap... 10-12MPG on the highway... and that was not even towing anything.

 

I just bought a 2004 quad cab and it had 3.92 rear end instead of the 3.55 I was hoping for. I don't tow much - if ever. How much MPG can I save if I switch to the 3.55 rearend?
Is it worth the cost to have it traded out, considering today's fuel costs?

 

Ive got a 4 door with 20's and 2WD and my best friend has the 17's on His 2WD Reg Cab and our MPG is not much different at all and we both have very similar driving habits. I wouldnt spend the money.

 

I have an '04 QC with 20's and 3.92 gear. I think that with the 20's the 3.92 is still a little on the tall side. Feels more like a 4 speed than a 5 speed. Second gear goes to what.... 75mph. That's just stupid.
4.10 would be much better and you'd actually be able to use the extra gear.

I just got my truck and the gearing is my biggest complaint. It just doesn't feel nearly as sporty as I expexted with the HEMI. It would actually be much better is second gear wasn't so damn tall!!

 

I have the Hemi and 3:92 gearing in my 04 Quad Cab, and tow a T.T. which comes in, as towed, at about 4600 Lbs. I just made a short trip to Atlanta this past weekend, some fairly good hills encountered, and was pleased with the towing results I got. I did shift over to the tow position several times and had good results although I do think that this does cause the truck to stay in the lower gears a touch too long.

Having said that, I would say that the 4:10 gearing would be better if you did a lot of towing. I previously owned an 02 Dakota with the 5.9 engine that had 3:55 gearing and pulled the same trailer. It is hard to judge the difference in the gearing due to the difference in horsepower and torque, but I would have expected that there would have been more difference in the comfort of towing than there was between the two vehicles. That's not to say that there is not a great difference, there is, but not what one that tows a lot might have expected.

If I were you and were thinking about changing gearing, I would opt for the 4:10 if available. That is, of course, if you plan on doing a lot of towing. By the way, I get much better gas mileage towing and with regular driving than I did with the 5.9 in the Dakota.