Personal mileage comparison between 3.21 and 3.92 gearing with the e-Torque thrown in

[VictoriaFarm]

I traded in my 2019 Ram 1500 Limited with a 3.21 rear end for a 2020 model with a 3.92 and e-Torque. Didn't really need it but the dealership was in a pinch due to low sales at this time and made me an offer I could not refuse. So I got basically the same truck, same color, with a lighter color interior and lower rear end. The lighter color has always been my preference but was not available to me due to supply when I purchased my 2019. When I pull my 6000 lb cattle trailer, the 3.21 was OK but the 3.92 does a much better job. The e-Torque was not on my wish list but that was the only truck available in March with the lighter interior. I upgraded my 2019 truck with Michelin 275/65-20 and aftermarket rims. When I traded it in, the tires and rims were swapped onto the new truck. So there is no difference in the tires. A Rough Country programmer was installed to recalibrate the speedometer due to the tire size change on both trucks.

So, this mileage comparison is with the same driver, same habits (good or bad), same tire setup, and the only change is the rear end and the e-Torque. The comparison did surprise me as I expected my gas mileage to suffer with the 3.92. My 2019 with the 3.21 rear end had 25,000 miles on it and the B Trip was never reset since new. At the time of sale there was a cumulative average of 16.4 mpg. 3000 miles have been accumulated on the 2020 so far and my average mpg has been 18.3 mpg. There has been about 250 mile on the new truck that were used towing an 6000 lb trailer. The trailer towing mileage was not know on the 2019. The ratio should be about the same as I use it routinely.

My observations is that the MDS is active more often in the city and at speeds up to 70 on the highway. Could be contributing to the increase. The takeoff performance is outstanding! Just small thing that makes you smile. The auto start/stop on the engine with the e-Torque is very quick. Usually, this system annoys me. I rent a lot of vehicles for my work and swore that this would be an option that I would have avoided. When you sit at a stop light the car would stop and then the air in the vents would get hot before the light would change. In south Texas, that is a big deal. The Ram's system will start the vehicle back up just as the air starts to loose its cool. That was my litmus test.

 

[Willwork4truck]

Wow, that’s a surprise that your short-term average mpg is actually better. Start-stop could be part of it for sure. I can see for towing you might get better due to 3.92’s.
I appreciate the info but have a question as far as what was the deal and why do you think the dealer offered it? Normally depreciation on the year old truck is north of 15-20%, that would be hard to accept for me anyway.

 

[VictoriaFarm]

The dealership had to meet a quota to get their incentives. If you are the right person, they will actually sell a truck at a loss to them because if they do not get there sales quota met they will come out even more negative. The new truck cost me about $7000. Part of the savings was that i got a 0% interest verses the 3% that I currently had. Pulled all of the economic numbers together to justify. Was it worth it? I am more happy with this truck, so for me, yes.

 

[Willwork4truck]

Thats a rare alignment of the planets type deal but since it worked for you, good.
For me I’d not want to pay $7K for the same options since you got things like the 33 gallon, ET, financing improvements plus the better colors that was a smart choice.
If I could do it over and she wasn’t so picky on colors inside then I’d have been happier with the 33 gallons, level 1 for the front camera, some bed accessories and maybe the 3.92’s. That’s not quite worth $7K (maybe $4) but it is a year newer so yeah, that would work.

 

[WXman]

Good comparison. Not sure where you live, but here with our hills and hollars and curves I've always thought the deeper gear ratio actually helped mileage because the engine doesn't have to lug as hard.

There are a couple of members here who will strongly disagree with me, but that's fine. I've been playing around with 4x4s and gear ratios for 20 years. And I've also already gone through the exercise of showing with math that "my 5th gear is your 6th gear" is not accurate. Numerically lower gear ratios are never a benefit anywhere, with the exception of long, straight, flat interstate trips.

Congrats on the new truck.

 

[STR]

I agree w/Willwork4truck- Start/Stop is the difference...

 

[Timeless]

The dealership had to meet a quota to get their incentives. If you are the right person, they will actually sell a truck at a loss to them because if they do not get there sales quota met they will come out even more negative.

Congrats on the new truck.

However I seriously doubt they ever sell a new truck at a loss. It may be sold with a very low profit but not at a loss. I'd have to see proof to believe it.

 

[STR]

^^^ Dealerships will sell a vehicle at a loss for several reasons. They are often incentivized with monthly sales quotas. While selling at a loss, they’ll be making a profit due to rebates. Also, they get volume bonuses, etc... While it’s not customary, it does happen.

 

[Timeless]

^^^ Dealerships will sell a vehicle at a loss for several reasons. They are often incentivized with monthly sales quotas. While selling at a loss, they’ll be making a profit due to rebates. Also, they get volume bonuses, etc... While it’s not customary, it does happen.

I hear ya and it does have logic...would just like to actually see it confirmed in paperwork or from a reliable source. Otherwise sounds like a sales gimmick.

 

[rlc2020]

Just keep in mind, the trip computer does not continue to calculate mileage forever. It only logs the last 700 miles or so. I just did a 3600 mile road trip and the trip computer matched the last tank when I got home. Hand calculated mileage was much more accurate (about a 2mpg difference) so having a trip that shows 7,500 miles since reset is only giving you the last few hundred miles of actual MPG.

That said, Glad you are enjoying your new truck. Seems like it was a good deal for you.

 

[Dusty1948]

I traded in my 2019 Ram 1500 Limited with a 3.21 rear end for a 2020 model with a 3.92 and e-Torque. Didn't really need it but the dealership was in a pinch due to low sales at this time and made me an offer I could not refuse. So I got basically the same truck, same color, with a lighter color interior and lower rear end. The lighter color has always been my preference but was not available to me due to supply when I purchased my 2019. When I pull my 6000 lb cattle trailer, the 3.21 was OK but the 3.92 does a much better job. The e-Torque was not on my wish list but that was the only truck available in March with the lighter interior. I upgraded my 2019 truck with Michelin 275/65-20 and aftermarket rims. When I traded it in, the tires and rims were swapped onto the new truck. So there is no difference in the tires. A Rough Country programmer was installed to recalibrate the speedometer due to the tire size change on both trucks.

So, this mileage comparison is with the same driver, same habits (good or bad), same tire setup, and the only change is the rear end and the e-Torque. The comparison did surprise me as I expected my gas mileage to suffer with the 3.92. My 2019 with the 3.21 rear end had 25,000 miles on it and the B Trip was never reset since new. At the time of sale there was a cumulative average of 16.4 mpg. 3000 miles have been accumulated on the 2020 so far and my average mpg has been 18.3 mpg. There has been about 250 mile on the new truck that were used towing an 6000 lb trailer. The trailer towing mileage was not know on the 2019. The ratio should be about the same as I use it routinely.

My observations is that the MDS is active more often in the city and at speeds up to 70 on the highway. Could be contributing to the increase. The takeoff performance is outstanding! Just small thing that makes you smile. The auto start/stop on the engine with the e-Torque is very quick. Usually, this system annoys me. I rent a lot of vehicles for my work and swore that this would be an option that I would have avoided. When you sit at a stop light the car would stop and then the air in the vents would get hot before the light would change. In south Texas, that is a big deal. The Ram's system will start the vehicle back up just as the air starts to loose its cool. That was my litmus test.

Between my 2014 4th gen (DS) and my 2019 (DT) I have essentially the same vehicle with the exception of rear axle ratio. The 2014 had the 3.92 axle and the 2019 has the 3.21 axle. Lifetime average (90,000 miles) of the 2014 was 18.64 MPG, while the lifetime average so far (33,000 miles) is 19.87. My driving style has not changed.

I would tend to agree with others that, at least in theory, the 3.92 ratio should actually provide better gas mileage under certain conditions, such as lots of stop-and-go, city, and driving in hilly terrain. In my case I live in a relatively flat-to-moderate hilly area.

I suspect that the 5.7 torque curve favoring low engine RPM explains why I'm seeing an overall increase in gas mileage. I can tell you this: with my 3.92s highway speeds over 60-65 MPH hurt fuel consumption, and conversely start-stop city driving hurts more in my 3.21s.

Best regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33 gallon fuel tank, factory dual exhaust, 18” wheels. Build date: 17 July 2018. Now at: 033319 miles.