3.21 vs 3.92: The Last Word

[SnowBlaZR2]

Greetings,
I am amazed that something as small as a difference in gear ratio can divide people to this degree and cause such disrespect.
But it is the times in which we live...

I'm not an engineer or a guru or anything important like that, but I can read:

View attachment 129764
On the left you have the 3.21 ratio and on the right, you have the 3.92 ratio. Seems pretty clear which one tows more.
Whether that means "better" that is up to you.


From what I have read, the MPG difference is not that great; maybe 3100 pounds is not either.

Yeah, that's nice. What gearing did you order in your 2022?

 

[Mountain Whiskey]

For a tired old topic, this thread blew up to 5 pages since my last reply 15 hours ago.

I've said all I can say as an Engineer. The 3.92's advantage disappears at 24mph, pulling or not. Highway speeds will see absolutely no difference with a 10,000lb trailer on your caboose.

What is towing a lot? A Jet Ski? A Camper? A Horse Trailer?

Get the 3.92 if you plan on towing near the 1500's max towing capacity....on a regular basis or more.
Get the 3.92 if your driveway doubles as a ski slope.
Get the 3.92 if you off-road or overland and you need a super low gear.

I plan to tow a good amount, but mostly light, like cars or enclosed utility trailers. Only a few times in the truck's life will I ever reach or exceed my tow capacity, and even if I do, I know my truck will still pull fine and stop fine because I have 500ft.lbs of torque and the same brakes as any other 1500.

To each their own, but ya'll really put too much faith in the capabilities of the 3.92.

Here's a rule of thumb, if your camper is so light that you could tow it with a 4Runner, you don't need a 3.92.

The 3.92 might pull it better, but so would a 3500.

Ah, the proud "I'm an engineer " proclamation. Yes, the overcomplicators of the species.

Wasn't some Einstein engineer the one who placed the oil filter in the location it is? Yea, that was probably the same one that thought putting 3.21 gears in these trucks was a good idea.

 

[SnowBlaZR2]

Ah, the proud "I'm an engineer " proclamation. Yes, the overcomplicators of the species.

Wasn't some Einstein engineer the one who placed the oil filter in the location it is? Yea, that was probably the same one that thought putting 3.21 gears in these trucks was a good idea.

Yeah, always get a chuckle out of that. Dude could be a Sandwich Engineer for all I know.

 

[djevox]

Yeah, always get a chuckle out of that. Dude could be a Sandwich Engineer for all I know.

There ya go, a bachelor’s in sub engineering.

 

[TNRamGuy]

Sandwich engineering is some valuable stuff, maybe the most important of all engineers

 

[AngelPhoenix]

I can't find the clip anywhere but this reminded me of Scrubs with Dr. Cox saying "Johnson is a Dermatologist, which is Greek for fake doctor"

 

[ferraiolo1]

Yeah, always get a chuckle out of that. Dude could be a Sandwich Engineer for all I know.

Lol yep. The second some one inserts the “I know better because my job is X” which has no relevance to the subject. It’s kinda hard to take them seriously.


If they said their job was working for the epa and doing the mpg test then yeah I would trust them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[SpeedyV]

Ahhhh, these threads are always comedy goldmines.

"The Last Word" oh you poor child...

I was tempted to post this and then lock the thread (…getting the “last word”, as it were)

 

[SnowBlaZR2]

I was tempted to post this and then lock the thread (…getting the “last word”, as it were)

 

[ferraiolo1]

^Hahahahahahaha


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[theblet]

Lol yep. The second some one inserts the “I know better because my job is X” which has no relevance to the subject. It’s kinda hard to take them seriously.


If they said their job was working for the epa and doing the mpg test then yeah I would trust them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The epa? Would not trust at all

 

[Ninety-9 SE-L]

Ah, the proud "I'm an engineer " proclamation. Yes, the overcomplicators of the species.

Wasn't some Einstein engineer the one who placed the oil filter in the location it is? Yea, that was probably the same one that thought putting 3.21 gears in these trucks was a good idea.

Ah yes, the proud "I have no formal education on the matter, so I'll rip on someone who knows more than I do because I'm DEFINITELY right" proclamation.

The moment I wrote "Engineer" I was waiting for someone like you to come out of the woodwork and immediately use that line. It's funny to live in a world where "I'm stupider than you" is a bragging right, but then again, I have to listen to keyboard mechanics talk about power and work as if you know what those 2 terms actually mean.

Replacing rotational speed with torque won't magically make your vehicle more powerful. It's got more torque off the line, but you're sacrificing rotational speed. Go too extreme and you'll have plenty MORE torque....but you'll never get anywhere because you'll only be going 40mph by 4th gear. Gear ratios are funny in that they have a sweet spot, but they never give you any more power. As stated, 25mph is where the 3.92 stops being useful, and can even become a burden.

I'm not going to lose sleep over it, but ya'll joke about the 3.21 can't pull anything and ties up traffic like a Prius with a handicapped hang tag. You have no idea how little difference it makes, even with a trailer attached. Particularly if ya'll are towing trailers with power-robbing 4x4s. I'm willing to bet none of you are putting yourselves in situations where the 3.21 would be a problem and if you're genuinely concerned that you'd be in such a situation, you should REALLY start shopping for a 2500.

Where I live, the 3.92 offers me no advantage. We can sit here and argue "The DOT de-rated the 3.21, so the 3.92 MUST be better," but the DOT has to consider situations that most of us would not be in. I'm DEFINITELY not going to pull 12,000lbs up a mountain side with my 3.21, but I would never consider that scenario, anyway. The 3.92....yea, I guess it could pull that off, but if that was my burden, I'd be in a 2500 or 3500. I wouldn't be putting that much faith (and my life) into a 1500, just because I got the 3.92.

 

[djevox]

@Ninety-9 SE-L I thought we (including you) were just having fun and arguing for the sake of arguing, but if you’re getting offended, let us know.

 

[SnowBlaZR2]

Ah yes, the proud "I have no formal education on the matter, so I'll rip on someone who knows more than I do because I'm DEFINITELY right" proclamation.

The moment I wrote "Engineer" I was waiting for someone like you to come out of the woodwork and immediately use that line. It's funny to live in a world where "I'm stupider than you" is a bragging right, but then again, I have to listen to keyboard mechanics talk about power and work as if you know what those 2 terms actually mean.

Replacing rotational speed with torque won't magically make your vehicle more powerful. It's got more torque off the line, but you're sacrificing rotational speed. Go too extreme and you'll have plenty MORE torque....but you'll never get anywhere because you'll only be going 40mph by 4th gear. Gear ratios are funny in that they have a sweet spot, but they never give you any more power. As stated, 25mph is where the 3.92 stops being useful, and can even become a burden.

I'm not going to lose sleep over it, but ya'll joke about the 3.21 can't pull anything and ties up traffic like a Prius with a handicapped hang tag. You have no idea how little difference it makes, even with a trailer attached. Particularly if ya'll are towing trailers with power-robbing 4x4s. I'm willing to bet none of you are putting yourselves in situations where the 3.21 would be a problem and if you're genuinely concerned that you'd be in such a situation, you should REALLY start shopping for a 2500.

Where I live, the 3.92 offers me no advantage. We can sit here and argue "The DOT de-rated the 3.21, so the 3.92 MUST be better," but the DOT has to consider situations that most of us would not be in. I'm DEFINITELY not going to pull 12,000lbs up a mountain side with my 3.21, but I would never consider that scenario, anyway. The 3.92....yea, I guess it could pull that off, but if that was my burden, I'd be in a 2500 or 3500. I wouldn't be putting that much faith (and my life) into a 1500, just because I got the 3.92.

Bro...calm down.

I was an engineer in my younger years and have degrees from two of the best engineering schools in the country. I could have easily picked you apart when you made ridiculous claims about "they're exactly the same if you're above 25 mph and lock out 8th gear and don't pull on hills." I chose to keep it fun and relatively polite. You should consider doing the same.

If you'd rather not, I'm more than happy to discuss things like power, torque, and work that most of us learned in junior high physics.

 

[Ninety-9 SE-L]

@Ninety-9 SE-L I thought we (including you) were just having fun and arguing for the sake of arguing, but if you’re getting offended, let us know.

I get the humor and I wouldn't be adding my own to the conversation if I thought we were all going to get offended over it.

Still, we're having a technical conversation and recommending what people should think about buying. I was just waiting for someone to call out the "Engineer" comment. I think the 3.92 is held to an enormously high standard over the 3.21, and as I mentioned, it can also be a burden on the highway. It replaces one advantage with a disadvantage and honestly, it's very subtle in helping you tow.

Towing often doesn't mean squat if you're towing relatively light and/or towing on flat land. The 3.92 doesn't offer much advantage to most owners. I put a lot more faith on my brakes, frame, engine, and suspension, which is why I might be comfortable slightly exceeding my 3.21's tow rating, but I would never really consider exceeding the DT's overall capabilities. By the time the 3.92 really becomes a question of practicality, a lot of people should really start considering a 2500.

I mean, buy a 3.92 if you want. I'm not going to stop people from enjoying what they want to buy, but stop trying to convince others that the 3.92 is the only practical way to get sh't done.

I say the same **** to people who ask me about new cars:
If you WANT a new car, get what makes you happy and get the best you can afford....but don't preach about how you're making practical choices.

 

[SnowBlaZR2]

 

[Ninety-9 SE-L]

I could have easily picked you apart when you made ridiculous claims about "they're exactly the same if you're above 25 mph and lock out 8th gear and don't pull on hills."

I'm much more willing to have a practical and educated debate with something to back up your argument. You'll probably find me more friendly, too.

Logic against rhetoric is what takes these conversations off the rails.

 

[SnowBlaZR2]

I'm much more willing to have a practical and educated debate with something to back up your argument. You'll probably find me more friendly, too.

Logic against rhetoric is what takes these conversations off the rails.

I'm sorry, but "I'm an engineer" doesn't count as "backing up your argument."

 

[TNRamGuy]

I'm much more willing to have a practical and educated debate with something to back up your argument. You'll probably find me more friendly, too.

Logic against rhetoric is what takes these conversations off the rails.

Rhetoric is what makes these fun, logic often makes for posts that are way to many paragraphs to be helpful or entertaining

 

[SnowBlaZR2]

Rhetoric is what makes these fun, logic often makes for posts that are way to many paragraphs to be helpful or entertaining

K. Now that we've settled that, can we get back to having some fun?