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everyone hate there 3:21 gears?

Mirowpl

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3.21s here. They are what I wanted as will tow whatever I needed. I have stated before, if I really was concerned about towing I would get the 2500, with cummins. 3rd dodge/ram and second with 3.21s. First had 3.55
 

PurpleRT

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3.21 are fine it’s all personal preference. I don’t tow to often but opted for 3.92 gears. Had 3.21 in my 4th Gen which was fine but really felt the effect when I switched to AT tires. For the $99.xx charge it was a no brainer to go ahead with the 3.92 here this time around. MPG difference is very minor.


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ManchuWarrior

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6-7-8 ooohhh here comes a little incline in the road 8-7-6... levels out 6-7-8 quickly.
Oh here comes a hill harsh downshift 8-5....
3.21 gear ratio is soooooooooooooo annoying. the constant downshift. then quickly back into 8th.

My 3.92 pretty much stays in 8th my whole commute to work, and there are two little slight hills. never downshifts. just glides only up the hill in 8th.
I've only towed a few times with my truck as I just got it so I'm no expert. Are you using Tow mode? How fast are you driving while towing? I drove 60 miles one way on highways and not once did I hit 8th gear. I'll admit I tow slow like 60mph slow in the right lane. Maybe that's why I never hit 8th gear, but tow mode to my knowledge tries to avoid 7th and 8th gear unless you are hauling ***.
 

tyromeo55

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What I hate.....


Every time this thread gets bumped to the top and I have to read the subject line and its improper use of the word there....
"Their" is always fodder feeding the grammar monsters. =-) If we don't let it float to the top every now and then someone would just post something worse. I think of it like leaving a small ding in the truck because I know if I ever fixed it the truck would get totaled the next day.

3:21 has suited me just fine. I keep about 1K# worth of tools and material on the truck full time and I can still get almost 16MPGs in the city and 19 Hwy (if I keep it around 65). Pull my tilt trailer and scissor lift from time to time (5K #) and I bet it would tug it down the road at 100 if I really was dumb enough to try.
 

RedFred

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6-7-8 ooohhh here comes a little incline in the road 8-7-6... levels out 6-7-8 quickly.
Oh here comes a hill harsh downshift 8-5....
3.21 gear ratio is soooooooooooooo annoying. the constant downshift. then quickly back into 8th.

My 3.92 pretty much stays in 8th my whole commute to work, and there are two little slight hills. never downshifts. just glides only up the hill in 8th.
Do you just make things up as you go? My truck has the 3.21's and stays in 8th. I don't notice any excessive shifting. If you like your 3.92's good for you, I'm not hating on the 3.92's, I've had both. Did you even have a truck with the 3.21's that was sooooooo annoying to you? It's just kind of funny how people get so triggered about what rear end they have. What ever they have is the best, blah blah blah.
 

Nibis

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That's funny, my 21 BTS crew cab with 6.4 bed moves along nicely on 87 octane. I'm not quite sure where you're getting the "knocking and pinging" thing from though lol
Mine will ping with 87 if I'm getting on it.
 

Biga

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I ordered my truck with the 3.21 gears, it's the way I wanted it. My 2014 had them and it preformed well so I did the same thing again. I don't get any excessive shifting and it runs down the interstate at a nice low 1700 rpms.
 

Yzcr87

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I should be in the 3.21 camp but I went with 3.92's purely as a luxury at the expense of a little fuel economy. I drive 30k a year all highway and only tow a 3500lb boat 40mi on the weekends. I prefer the slightly increased ability to pass another vehicle or climb moderate hills without an 8-7 downshift and prefer the light load/higher rpm feel of 3.92's of over higher load/low rpm feel with 3.21's while running 70-75mph. This driving experience and effortless feel the 3.92's give is comparable to what the Ford Ecoboost trucks provide and may be why they have become so popular, even over Fords own 5.0L V8. I just can't bring myself to purchase an overly complex ecoboost that sounds like it belongs in a minivan. Just personal preference.
In my opinion, if your trailer has 1-2 3,500lb axles under it, the difference between 3.21 & 3.92 while towing will be negligible. Over a 7,000lb gross, 3.92 will start to become adventageous and only then at take off for the lower effective ratio while in first and second gear, and at highway speeds as the 3.92 allows the transmission to maintain a higher gear for a given load, taking full advantage of what the 8 speed has to offer.
 
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jkm312

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I should be in the 3.21 camp but I went with 3.92's purely as a luxury at the expense of a little fuel economy. I drive 30k a year all highway and only tow a 3500lb boat 40mi on the weekends. I prefer the slightly increased ability to pass another vehicle or climb moderate hills without an 8-7 downshift and prefer the light load/higher rpm feel of 3.92's of over higher load/low rpm feel with 3.21's while running 70-75mph. This driving experience and effortless feel the 3.92's give is comparable to what the Ford Ecoboost trucks provide and may be why they have become so popular, even over Fords own 5.0L V8. I just can't bring myself to purchase an overly complex ecoboost that sounds like it belongs in a minivan. Just personal preference.
In my opinion, if your trailer has 1-2 3,500lb axles under it, the difference between 3.21 & 3.92 while towing will be negligible. Over a 7,000lb gross, 3.92 will start to become adventageous and only then at take off for the lower effective ratio while in first and second gear, and at highway speeds as the 3.92 allows the transmission to maintain a higher gear for a given load, taking full advantage of what the 8 speed has to offer.
My thoughts exactly. Well said.
 

ferraiolo1

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Mine pinged really bad on 87. Specially if you revved it.

Ether every truck is different. Or some people are more sensitive to hearing issues than others.


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BowDown

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I intentionally sought out a truck with 3.21s and bought it because that's what I wanted. I've had a 3.92 truck and didn't care for it nd noticed no difference in performance. I also rented a Gen 5 3.92 truck and notice no difference in performance versus a 3.21 truck.

I might tow three or four times a year and maybe 6,000 pounds Max when I'm doing it so towing is not an issue and the few times I have towed, I had no issues. I'm driving about 20,000 miles a year so I'm enjoying the 3.21s.

As for those call in a 3.21 truck sluggish or slow compared to a 3.92 truck, that's laughable. Both trucks are slow, have a 620whp z06, everything is slow compared to that so 3.21 versus 3.92 makes zero difference.

Mileage over 5500 mi and current mileage both predominantly City, 70/30 or better City
 

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Bcryan

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i have the 3:21 gears and they tow my 21 Cabin Cruiser just fine. It squats the truck pretty good , being a 1500 so you know it weighs quite a bit. If you need to drop a gear to pass use the paddles. That being said if I did lift the truck and put 37 inch tires the 3.92 is the way I have gone. I do off-road quite a bit and the response is fine on the stock tires.
 

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