2009 Ram 1500-5.7 Hemi with 3.21 Ratio Rearend [Archive]

gcchilds57

01-10-2009, 08:13 PM

My wife has a 2005 Ram 1500 Lone Star package 5.7 Hemi Truck and we love it. We pull a 30 travel tariler with it; no problems. I am interested in purchasing a new 2009 Ram 1500 Quad Cab SLT with the 5.7 Hemi. This truck has a 3.21 rear end in it, but the salesman says there is no difference in what you can pull with the 3.21 compared to the 3.55 or 3.92. I say he is mistaken. Can anyone answer this question? :cool:

RedRam20s

01-10-2009, 08:15 PM

3.21 will be a dog for towing and really just in general. You really need the 3.92, ESPECIALLY for towing.

mheideman

01-10-2009, 08:53 PM

I have the 3:21's in mine (Didnt realize it until after I bought it :mad:), and it pulls my 20' ski boat just as good if not better than my previous Ram (05 1500 w/Hemi). The tow/haul and hill assist combo on the 09's make a huge difference in towing. Not to mention, the trailer sway control and coil springs in the rear. I plan on getting my 3:21's changed to the 3:92's with the lsd as soon as I hear of someone else doing it, and what they think.

frostbitte

01-13-2009, 08:53 AM

3.21's are standard, and you might see what ratio you really have in the options list. I know my 06 order sheet has them listed in the standard options list but in the options purchased list, it shows 3.92.

And yes, 3.21's are a crappy ratio. I wouldn't recommend them unless you had a manual transmission, or lived in a really, flat, flat area and did lots of highway driving or had a transmission geared for such a rear end, like a Nissan Titan. I think their tow package rear gears are 3.31's.

Frostbitte.

heathk2003

01-22-2009, 06:52 PM

Your salesman is a moron. If he was looking out for your best intrest especially since you will be pulling a 30' travel trailer, he would find you the same truck with 3.92's. The only way 3.21's would be acceptable is to someone who buys a truck and never pulls more than a couple thousand pounds with it.

JeffB2002

01-22-2009, 06:57 PM

The 3.21's are going to act like the 3.55's with the less HP motor. Like stated above, they will be a dog.....getting a minimum of 3.92's would be my recommendation.

05DodgeDakota

01-22-2009, 07:05 PM

your gonna want the 3.92s, espcially with the 20 inch wheels too. But even then a 30ft Travel Trailer is alot of a half-ton, how much does it weight?

JeffB2002

01-22-2009, 07:15 PM

I tow a 32'ter with my 1500. Weighs about 5600lbs.

gargoyle7417

02-16-2009, 07:55 PM

I just bought the 09 dodge with a 3.21 and a hemi (2wd - 2dr- short bed)- it says tow capacity is 6600lbs - so I called the dealer to see what it would cost for a change to 4.10 with anti sin differential and they said 1780 parts +680 on labor and then the tax - so I called Mud Connection here in Little Rock they work on this sort of stuff all the time and they said first drive it and see how it feels and if you want to do it then it would run 1200 parts and labor. - please let me know your thoughts

I just bought the truck and pulled my landscaping trailer around the block and it felt good actually lighter -so now I am wondering if I should even mess with it - the thing that concerns me is there is no tow mode only a shifter with a "+" sign or "-" for changing the gears once in drive and what wear is it going to put on the engine and transmission - should I just go ahead and do the axle change? - advice please

RedRam20s

02-16-2009, 08:10 PM

$1200 seems a little high to me to change the gears out on just the rear end. Seems like I have been reading on here that people are doing it for several hundred less - I may be wrong though.

JeffB2002

02-17-2009, 07:04 AM

1200 seems fine for a 4x4 and definately high for a 4x2

05DodgeDakota

02-17-2009, 07:12 AM

Ya it should be more like 300 for the gears, then about 300 for the install, plus anothe 300 if you want a locker or LSD too. That's for a 2wd. For 4wd just double everything.

frostbitte

02-17-2009, 09:43 PM

I'd still install them. You'll be impressed that you did, especially the first time you punch it off the line. :D

Frostbitte.

gargoyle7417

02-21-2009, 08:46 AM

I think I might just go ahead - has anyone lowered there gears and what did it feel like - was it a big difference? I know it will have a lot more punch but what about pull?

Thanks for the replies I was estimating on the high end he said the labor was 350.

I have to admit everyone who gets in it says it has punch and I say "Just wait for me to change the gears, then it will have punch" - but my biggest concern again is the difference in pulling.:huh:

Try Linux

02-21-2009, 05:10 PM

you need the 3.92

gargoyle7417

02-21-2009, 05:19 PM

Thanks ... do you know why it would be better for towing versus the 4.10?

Josh Brown

02-21-2009, 05:36 PM

Not apples to apples but I had a 03 Hemi 2500 with 4.10 gears and the 5pd auto would always want to be in OD and I wanted a lower gear yet. I would not have a Hemi with a high geared rear end. Get the 3.92

hemi1569

02-21-2009, 06:20 PM

If your truck pulls it fine with the 3.21 gears, leave it if your happy. No sense in changing out gears on an 09 less there' broke....
Besides, if you have autostick you can just hold your gears...

dodge5.9liter

02-22-2009, 06:53 PM

how big of difference are the 3.21 to 3.92's off the line? Answer the man's question!!
lol I would like to know also soon.

Thanks

dlyle

02-22-2009, 07:24 PM

how big of difference are the 3.21 to 3.92's off the line? Answer the man's question!!
lol I would like to know also soon.

Thanks

I've driven both the 3.92 and the 3.21's. Both are fast but the 3.92's were quicker. I compromised and went with the 3.55's.

dodge5.9liter

02-22-2009, 07:32 PM

I've driven both the 3.92 and the 3.21's. Both are fast but the 3.92's were quicker. I compromised and went with the 3.55's.

I think the main concern is it really that big of a difference? I mean I can't see it being any quicker then a second to 60mph or 70mph.

I could be wrong and 1 second can be a lot of time :crazy:

There aren't any test done in the different ratio's to see the difference either.

El_Greko87

02-22-2009, 07:42 PM

NO 3.21's FOR TOWING!!!! go 3.92s trust me!! i have had 3.92s in my last 2 trucks and i have 3.55s this time around, and i HATE my 3.55s, im going back to 3.92s next chance i can price out some gears
dont get the 3.21s man, please u will regret it

JeffB2002

02-23-2009, 08:39 AM

If you already have 3.55's, then getting 3.92's is not worth the small jump versus the cost. With 3.55's I would go a minimum of 4.10's. With the 3.21's, I would go a minimum of 3.92, but preferably 4.10's.

I went to 4.10's and if had to do over again, I would have gone 4.56's. ;)

Josh Brown

02-23-2009, 02:20 PM

08PwrWgn

02-23-2009, 07:25 PM

0-60 does not give the full truth in choosing gear. The doing 60 with a load and hitting a hill, that is the test. If the 09 is like any other Hemi with auto it will damn near fall on it's face before shifting down. I hate that feeling, get as low of a gear as you can get.

Josh Brown is right, the 5 speed auto trans is notorious for having a big gap in ratios between 1st and 2nd, and not much better between 2nd and 3rd, and the only way to overcome that issue is lower ratio (higher numbers) differential gears, and with the 09's, 3.92 is the best you can get, except in the R/T which is 4.10. If you are going to tow, especially up to the max rating, 3.92 is the ONLY way to go in the 09.

gargoyle7417

02-23-2009, 07:38 PM

Thanks for all the replies - I think I'm going to go with the 4.10 unless someone thinks 3.9 is better, for me -

08PwrWgn

02-23-2009, 10:14 PM

Thanks for all the replies - I think I'm going to go with the 4.10 unless someone thinks 3.9 is better, for me -

I recommended 3.92s for the original poster because he had not bought an 09 yet and 3.92 is the lowest available when purchasing new, but since you already have an 09, JeffB2002 has good advice, go with the 4.10s, the only drawback is the mileage may be a tick lower than 3.92s, but not necessarily. The other reason you may want to go with 3.92s is if you drive a lot of highway miles at higher speeds and only tow occasionally. For more info look at the 3rd gen forum threads on the subject, there is a lot to read, some of which may be applicable to your specific "what if" questions.

gargoyle7417

02-26-2009, 04:42 PM

Ok so I went to the service shop and they said they would do it for 700 and then I tod them since it is 2 wheel drive I want the anti spin differential and they said it would be another 400. So this is what I'm going with - thanks for all the input guys!!

Ps. I decided on the 4.10 - geez dodge what are you thinking a Hemi with 3.21???????:rolleyes:

WenieD

03-10-2009, 03:15 PM

RandomRaider

03-10-2009, 04:02 PM

What are yall talking about??? The 3.21's will do fine for towing. limit top gear if you need to but other than that it'll work great!

This engine makes loads of torque at lower RPMs so as long as you dont try to tow 6000 lbs in 5th gear all will be well.

I have a quad cab SLT with 3.21's and the hemi and I just towed my wrangler on an 18 foot car hauler. Towed 10000 times better than my 92 gmc..and easily 50% faster acceleration with my 4.7L commander towing the same load.

I do agree that the 3.96 or 4.10 would improve towing but not enough to warrent the 600 bucks to change the gears

That's very encouraging WenieD.

I was initially a little mad at getting the 3.21's because I was getting the impression that they wouldn't tow for crap. I might...*might* tow twice a year and it would probably be my buddie's 4500 - 5000 boat. The trip is 55 miles to the lake each way and mostly level highway.

I'm certain that there is truth to better towing with lower gears...I am just glad to hear I didn't make a big mistake by getting the 3.21s.

Paul73

03-14-2009, 06:37 PM

I'm looking to get a new 09 slt quad or crew not sure yet, how are the standard 3:21 for normal driving with out towing?
Would it be better to get the 3:91 and would there be much difference in mileage. Looking at a 2wd
Thanks

WenieD

03-14-2009, 09:31 PM

The numerically higher rear end rations will be slightly faster but I drove all three and couldnt tell a huge difference. The 3.21's still allow the truck to accelerate faster than any other truck i've owned or driven...and it's nice and smooth running 1500 rpms at 65 mph!

so far mixed city and highway i'm averaging 16.9 mpg which is much higher than i expected...the truck has 489 miles on it.
In 3 weeks i'll be towing 6000 lbs on 900 mile round trip. I'm hauling an 18 foot car hauler and my wrangler to an offroad park. I installed the brake controller today using the proper wiring harness for the prodigy brake controller. I mounted it using an existing bolt..took 5min!!!

Paul73

03-14-2009, 10:26 PM

Thanks,,, i don't expect to be doing much towing, it would be driven mostly around town driving, in snow in winter and with a 2wd the 3.92 is a limited slip rear which i would think should be better in the snow with out the added expense of the 4wd,, just wondering if it will be much worse on fuel ?

v8440

03-15-2009, 07:35 AM

NO, not only will it not be much worse, it may actually be better! Time and time again, people who swap from 3.92's to 4.56's report better mileage up to 70 mph, with it getting worse above 70. Going from 3.21's to 3.92's will move the breakeven point to an even higher speed.

I can also say that when we swapped the 3.92's my wife's old '05 truck came with for an axle with 3.55's, mileage did indeed get worse, highway and city. We did it to help a buddy out-he had a rcsb '05 with 3.55's, and my wife's truck was a quadcab with 3.92's. Both trucks were limited slip. I let my buddy swap axles, thinking it would help make his truck quicker and get my wife better mileage. Boy was I wrong about that. His truck picked up on the track, but she ended up with worse mileage everywhere! It wasn't a huge drop, but it was definitely a drop, NOT a gain like we thought it would be.

Inbred

03-15-2009, 10:50 AM

just asking, when you swapped axles, did you reset the computer for the new ratios?

v8440

03-15-2009, 10:57 AM

No, the speed sensor is on the rear axle. It reads off the tone ring beside the ring gear, so it will read the same at any given speed regardless of axle ratio. A change in tire height is the only thing that would throw it off.

Paul73

03-15-2009, 03:48 PM

Thanks for the info, i will consider the 3.92's as the dealer is going to need to look for a 2wd when i am ready to buy
Paul

Inbred

03-15-2009, 11:42 PM

I've always been in the school that shift points (especially part throttle) should be changed after a gear swap.

johndoe123

03-22-2009, 08:00 PM

I have a 09 ram 1500 crew 4wd 5.7 3.92

Pulls my Wrangler (TJ) + overweight (3300 #) 16 ' car trailer just fine. Get a lighter trailer that's not so overkill and you won't even know it's there.

Now enclosed... that's annoying. It's not a weight issue, but rather a parasail issue. There's no reason to enclose a jeep, so why bother.

Bowjack

03-24-2009, 04:01 AM

All I know is I freaked out when a dealer tried to sell me an 09 with a 3:21. It really depends on what you are shooting for, say for good looks, it doesn't matter. 3:55 for towing minus a ton of killer hills for daily commutes. I'd go with the 3:92's so as not to up come up short in a pinch, in any case; anything above 3:92's is just straight up killer, with 4:56's assisting that 390hp power plant. A match made in truck heaven...

toledojeeper

03-28-2009, 05:19 PM

I just traded a 2007 hemi 1500 with 3.92 gears because I hated pulling my 30 foot 7200 lb camper with it,it was a dog.I also had the 20 inch tires which also hurt towing capacity,I went with a 2009 2500 hemi with 4.10 gears and hope the trailer pulls better.Don't listen to the salesman,get the 3.92 and don't get the 20 inch tires or you will hate pulling your camper.

emsdad

04-04-2009, 05:22 PM

I just bought a 09 and the salesman told me it had 355's. I told him I owned a lawn biz and a travel trailer. To my surprise it has 321 gears. According to dodge.com it doesn't haul as much as my 03 dakota................thats a crock. I called the dealer to see what the cost would be to get the 392 and if the warranty would still be good. I had one dealer tell me 1785.00 and no the warranty would be void on the rear. I had another dealer tell me as long as it is a gear set that is available as a option the warranty would be honored. I dont know what to believe. I called the sales guy back and told him what I found out and reminded him of his mistake in telling me it had 355.....he is checking???? to see what can be done. If not I will haul whatever I want and when it breaks they can fix it.

Bowjack

04-04-2009, 07:07 PM

Man, that's straight up bull, and you got horned to boot. I ask a salesman why were there so many 3.21? He said many people wanted to save gas, why in the sam-tarnation would anyone want to buy a dodge ram to save gas, and loose hauling, and towing capability. You will only get first timers with that one, no offense. They are aiming for that new market; No reason to have 3.21's on a dodge ram. My last 03, 04, and current 07 would roll over, and laugh at me if I bought anything less than 3.92's. 3.55 aren't bad at all, just never had 'em. Screw them, if you can, I know times are tough, but grab some bigger gears, bigger than 3.92's. Now for the good part, you do have an awesome truck!

JeffB2002

04-04-2009, 08:27 PM

emsdad

04-06-2009, 07:58 AM

What should I do????

emsdad

04-06-2009, 09:16 AM

I called chrysler and talked to a rep. They called the dealership and said that they were the only ones that could give me the window sticker. I gave the rep the last 9 of my vin and he couldn't tell what it had. thats funny that my local dealer pulled the build sheet and found it had the 321. The rep also told me that I had to deal with the dealership. I can see this may get NASTY. After all the bull that I went thru they are not going to be easy. What would you do? The option for the 392 is $300.00 according to Dodge.com. Now they are talking 1800.00. Please give me a little advice.

WenieD

04-06-2009, 12:15 PM

You guys are so full of it. I just got back from an offroading trip. Total trip mileaga was 815 miles. I have the 3.21 rear end.
I towed my 2005 wrangler on an 18 ft car hauler. Total weight was around 6000 lbs. My friend towed his on the same setup behind me in an 09 f-150 4x4.

The truck would accelerate to 70 or 75mph like there wasnt much load behind me at all. My friend would often ask me to slow down because his ford was having a hard time keeping up.

At one point someone was pissin me off going too slow so i punched it while going up a hill, passed the dude, got up to 85mph without much effort.

On flat ground 5th gear and tow haul mode was not a problem running 70 mph. Once we hit the hills it would hunt gears a little so i Locked it to 4th.
I put it in tow haul mode and locked it to 4th gear. 2400 rpm at 74mph roughly and it was not bogging at all. We would go up bridges or long hills and it wouldn't even unlock the torque converter or lose speed.

Ford got 10.4mpg and my dodge got 11.

emsdad

04-06-2009, 02:29 PM

Thats very reassuring but I still would like to have the 355 or 392. I cannot stand it when you are told something without getting the facts straight. I will make a stink over this! I am just a little fish in a big fish world but they will hear me one way or another.

emsdad

04-06-2009, 05:25 PM

Well the salesman from the dealership called me back and told me the 321 isnt available for the 09.......................that is straight up bull. Now what do I do???

cicdude

04-06-2009, 05:59 PM

Why are you dealing with the sales person at this point? Move up to the sales manager at the least, or the dealership manager/owner. Tell them the salesperson just outright lied to you about the 3.21 rear end. Tell them to flipping look it up right on the Dodge web site. Or better yet, page 25 of the brochure that lists it for the 5.7 Hemi. Shoot, my dealer tried to sell me one with 3.21's and I told them no.

toledojeeper

04-06-2009, 06:46 PM

The dealer is right,the SLT doesn't have the 3.21 axle unless it is 4x2.The sure way to know is go under the rear axle and check the metal tabs attached to the axle,they have the axle ratio punched on them.

cicdude

04-06-2009, 07:19 PM

ahh.. I didn't see he had a 4x4. You are correct, 3.55 and 3.92 are the only options with SLT in 4X4

emsdad

04-06-2009, 07:33 PM

Mine is a 4x2

emsdad

04-07-2009, 09:32 AM

cicdude

04-07-2009, 12:56 PM

I got up underneath the truck and looked at the sticker on the rear and its says 321. I am waiting for the dealer to provide me with the window sticker. They swear it has 355. If it says 355 on the window sticker, I dont know what to do. I know that at 60 it tachs 1400-1500 RPMs which tells me its a 321.

If the sticker says 3.55 and the actual RE says 3.21, I'd be going in to the manager and raising hell until they swapped it out to what was advertised.

emsdad

04-07-2009, 02:05 PM

Thats what I am hoping for.

jrod82

04-07-2009, 02:15 PM

I'd pull into the dealership and make the salesman, sales manager, and GM crawl under the truck so you can point out the 321 stamped bigger than ___t on the axle! :loud: Then as they lay there tie their ankles together wrap the rope around your hitch and drag those flippin a-holes around the lot! lol .. ok I wouldn't hurt them. But seriously would make them all crawl under the truck.

Oh!! and make sure you find the dirtiest spot in the lot so the SM and GM get their pretty little suites nice and dirty.

Good luck man, sounds like the salesman just didn't know what he was talking about. Funny, I NEVER have met a car salesman that didn't know anything about what he/she was selling. :rolleyes:

emsdad

04-07-2009, 04:54 PM

Yea, I knocked the crap out of my forehead when I went underneath it. I am waiting for them to produce the window sticker. I am wondering if they will DOCTOR it to say 355. If so I am in buiseness.

26Red

04-08-2009, 11:59 PM

Stick it to 'em.... they should know what they are selling...

hounddogg

04-24-2009, 04:10 PM

Is there not a official TOW PACKAGE group offered like Ford and GM does?

emsdad

04-25-2009, 07:03 AM

If there is I would like to know what it is called. The only thing I have seen is the class 4 hitch option. Even with that it doesnt ask about rear gears.

Heminut

08-14-2009, 11:40 PM

I love my 3.92's and with the 17's it makes it real resposive.To overcome the problems y'all are describing,there is an easy way...bang that shift lever ? I use mine to keep the rev's near 2000 and no problems with hills and most around here run from 700-1000 ft.I was going for the 20" wheels,but,after driving one with 3.55's,I definately wanted 3.92's and then due to late nite deal confusion,I ended up with 17's anyhow...results ? Almost perfect in traffic and still get 17+ on cruise at steady 72-75 MPH.Some friends have 3.55's with the 17 and they are OK..until I let them try mine.After drag racing from the late 50's thru the 80's,gear makes more difference that almost anything. I wish they had 3.73's tho as that would seem ideal to me.I plan on going up to 305 tires and that should be about perfect with the 3.92's.

hounddogg

08-16-2009, 05:41 AM

3.92s with 20s comes out to 3.71 final.

Heminut

08-17-2009, 07:03 PM

Thanks Dog.I had a feeling it would be a decent ratio which is why I wanted them.If I go to an 295-305 tire,it will help a lot.Power and snap are there in spades.

ram03reg

08-17-2009, 08:44 PM

People on here FREAK OUT about gears. I have the 3:21 gear ratio with the 20in rims and the HEMI. I usually just pull a small boat but I have towed larger boats with out a problem at all.

I have thought about switching to 3:92's b/c every one on here dogs the sh!t out of them but I have not found the need to do so and I do not think that the power difference would justify the $$ it would cost to do the switch.

If there was a truck on the lot that I liked with the 3:92's then yeah i would have gotten it instead..but they didnt and I am glad that I did not wait until they could get one.

The one thing I do miss is LSD--LSD is nice

If you have the choice go with the 3:92s but I wouldnt buy a truck with the 3:21s then switch to 3:92s

Heminut

08-18-2009, 12:39 AM

Gear is very important for several reasons and unless its getting dark,you find one with 3.92's and love the test drive...buy it and then find 17" instead of the 20''s on everyother truck there.Afterfinding it still comes in with in range of 60MPH at 1800RPM,I am happy.For a big 4 door 4x4 truck,it moves out with authority.Even my skeptical son was impressed and altho he is a chevy guy at heart,he talked 3 others into this truck !

buckmann686

08-21-2009, 01:40 PM

What is the difference in using 3.21 gears and leaving it in 4th vs 4.10 and running it in 5th?

hounddogg

08-21-2009, 03:31 PM

if you mean like for towing? You still got to get the load moving.

buckmann686

08-21-2009, 03:46 PM

I don't think that the 3.21 geared truck will have a problem with 1-3 I think the big difference would be in the high gear. I know that the 3.21 will never pull as good as the 3.92 but should be fine for pulling just not in 5th gear.

hounddogg

08-21-2009, 05:45 PM

Gearing makes a big difference starting off and getting a load moving.The difference will be felt through ALL the gears.Trans temp will also indicate that.There is a REASON the 3.92 is rated to tow more then a 3.21 or 3.55.Ride a 10 speed bike and try pulling off in too tall a gear and or getting you up a hill from a dead stop in the wrong gear.Same deal in a car/truck.