That's exactly my experience and I own both a 3.21 and 3.92. Next time I trade my 3.2 in I'm going 3.9 for that truck too. But to be fair, while towing 6K with the 3.2, it did just fine if you don't mind it shifting 3-4-5-6-7-8 and back all day (mountainous terrain). Even with just two dirtbikes in the back it's 5-6-7-8 all day.
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The best rear axle ratio for me
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Mountain Whiskey
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Well, yea, no matter what the milage sucks. 3.21, struggling against a mild breeze eats up gas just as a 3.92 spinning a couple hundred rpm faster does. It's the fuel efficient 5.7 liter sucking the tank dry.
Take a look
Please post your Tire and Loading sticker
Hi, Looking to order and wanted to know the REAL cargo ability. Looking for pictures of the cargo sticker, Please post Model, gearing and specific options that may alter max cargo weights. ie Limited, 5'7, 4Wd, 3.92 Thanks (see attachment)
5thgenrams.com
A lot of trucks are sub 1300lbs payload. Stick a couple guys in the truck plus some gear and you only have a few hundred pounds of tongue weight or gear left.
mikeru82
Legendary member
At 1046 lbs, I have yet to see anyone with a lower payload rating than I have. I guess if someone has the same truck I have, but has the ORG instead of the Night Edition package it might be lower LOL. But then again I didn't buy this truck for towing, or hauling much besides people. And the occasional yard waste or landfill run. Truck details are in my sig.
IvoryHemi
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One post wonder but @rpresley49 said he has only 976 lbs payload
mikeru82
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Louhound88
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3.92 in 8th is equivalent to a 3.21 in 7th. So a 3.92 at highway speed at 2000rpm would be the same as if you keep your 3.21 in 7th gear.
3.92 advantage comes in 1st gear right, where you have the extra bottom gear to pull easier from a dead stop. Gain an extra overdrive gear with 3.21 but sacrifice a low end towing gear. This is why payload is less for 3.21 gear ratio, as you'll struggle to two at speed 60mph and higher with 3.21.
Likewise if you plan any kind of exhaust you may end up with highway speed drone with 3.92, as around 2k rpm seems to be the drone zone with Borla. At least it is for me. So me having 3.21 gears lets me drive 75mph + without drone. And even with 35" tires I get decent mpg for a truck, averaging 17mpg at 70mph.
When I was buying my truck I wanted 3.92. Couldn't find one anywhere and got lucky finding the truck i wanted just with 3.21 gears. Thought it over for a while and figured i'd try it out as at most i'm towing 5k lbs. Overall my truck with 3.21 was plenty quick stock and I don't tow enough to feel effects of lower tow capability.
3.92 advantage comes in 1st gear right, where you have the extra bottom gear to pull easier from a dead stop. Gain an extra overdrive gear with 3.21 but sacrifice a low end towing gear. This is why payload is less for 3.21 gear ratio, as you'll struggle to two at speed 60mph and higher with 3.21.
Likewise if you plan any kind of exhaust you may end up with highway speed drone with 3.92, as around 2k rpm seems to be the drone zone with Borla. At least it is for me. So me having 3.21 gears lets me drive 75mph + without drone. And even with 35" tires I get decent mpg for a truck, averaging 17mpg at 70mph.
When I was buying my truck I wanted 3.92. Couldn't find one anywhere and got lucky finding the truck i wanted just with 3.21 gears. Thought it over for a while and figured i'd try it out as at most i'm towing 5k lbs. Overall my truck with 3.21 was plenty quick stock and I don't tow enough to feel effects of lower tow capability.
I have a 3.92 and tow around 7-8000 lb. It tows super easy but honestly it wouldn’t matter if I had the 3.21 as the transmission would just drop a gear under certain loads.
The truck has more than enough motor for either rear end up to max towing. The 8 speed has made this debate mostly obsolete - in my 2010 with the 5 speed (realistically it behaved as a 4 speed) the rear end made a huge difference - basically dropping from a highway gear to the 2/3 weirdly spaced gears was a huge problem at some highway speeds.
With the 8 speed you barely notice when you’re in 6/7/8 cruising at most highway speeds or 4/5/6 while accelerating/climbing. Whether you’re up or down one depending on your rear end doesn’t really matter.
My friend’s 3.21 non-etorque gets the exact same mileage and tows almost identical to my 3.92 ET. Rear end, mds, 4WD, auto start/stop, and air ride aero all make tiny fuel efficiency gains, and even when all applied together you might get 0.5-1mpg improvement. Maybe. These were all designed to aid with EPA testing and have very little benefit in the real world. None of this overcomes the fact you’re driving a 6000 pound aerodynamic brick with nice looking but heavy and useless 22 inch wheels.
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The truck has more than enough motor for either rear end up to max towing. The 8 speed has made this debate mostly obsolete - in my 2010 with the 5 speed (realistically it behaved as a 4 speed) the rear end made a huge difference - basically dropping from a highway gear to the 2/3 weirdly spaced gears was a huge problem at some highway speeds.
With the 8 speed you barely notice when you’re in 6/7/8 cruising at most highway speeds or 4/5/6 while accelerating/climbing. Whether you’re up or down one depending on your rear end doesn’t really matter.
My friend’s 3.21 non-etorque gets the exact same mileage and tows almost identical to my 3.92 ET. Rear end, mds, 4WD, auto start/stop, and air ride aero all make tiny fuel efficiency gains, and even when all applied together you might get 0.5-1mpg improvement. Maybe. These were all designed to aid with EPA testing and have very little benefit in the real world. None of this overcomes the fact you’re driving a 6000 pound aerodynamic brick with nice looking but heavy and useless 22 inch wheels.
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millerbjm
Ram Guru
Back to your original post question - I believe you were asking given your intended use what axle-ratio would be most practical? I would recommend the 3.21 axle ratio given what you outlined for use. As you've seen here and in the many other axle-ratio discussions if you want to have the fastest truck off the line or if you do lots of towing and want better towing max capacity you might consider the 3.92. While the mpg difference between identical trucks with a 3.21 and 3.92 may be negligible on a tank by tank basis it will add up over the life of the truck and every MPG counts when gas prices are high. I have been driving a Ram 1500 with a 3.21 rear axle since 2014 and all my trucks are used for daily commute, hunting and camping trips loaded down with people and gear, trips to the landscaping yard for mulch, hauling wood from the cabin and towing ATV's small travel trailers etc. The truck performs all these tasks well and I do not have constant gear shifting - the transmission in my trucks has always performed very smoothly. I use my truck as a truck and also want it to be a comfortable people hauler and commuter and it does all of those amazingly well and I do care about the mpg's because even if it is a truck every gallon saved in $$ in my pocket and cleaner air. If you want the most 'macho' truck or just need an ego feed from your vehicle ditch the 1500 wimpy truck and get yourself a CC 8' box dually 1-ton with a diesel or buy a TRX or power wagon to show everyone how cool you are - otherwise just grab the 3.21 like 95% of others and go happily on your way 
deeve
Ram Guru
I dont think there is a "wrong" choice. Even if your needs are not 100% perfect for either ratio each does everything well. Differences seem marginal at best and are so easily influenced by other factors that it is hard to do an apples to apples comparison. I dont know if that 95% number is accurate but it doesn't really matter. I would be curious to see the source for it though.
Louhound88
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Lol these comments are always funny to me. As if anyone with a 1500 is truly seen as a hardcore truck user. Any 1500 truck is a compromise between truck stuff and daily commuting in comfort. Weekend hobby running is what 1500's are for.
All but about 500 miles on my truck are while towing/hauling. I use my 1500 like a truck, which is why I don't have 3.21s.
mikeru82
Legendary member
I hear this a lot, but what exactly does that mean? Seriously, I use my truck as a truck...sometimes. I also use it for commuting back and forth to work. Or to pick up groceries. Or as a way of getting my family from one place to another. It's a 5 passenger vehicle with a bed. And has some amount of towing capacity. I could say the same about many other types of vehicles. When I was growing up we used the family station wagon to pull the boat to the river. Were we mis-using that car as a truck? Am I not using my truck as a truck when I have 3 or 4 passengers with me but I'm not towing or hauling anything? My truck is capable of doing this, as a truck. In my mind I'm using it as a truck for everything I use it for.
It means man stuff. Things that make you want to pound Natty Lights and throw plastic into a fire because you can.
Louhound88
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Why stop at a 1500 though? Why not a 2500? Must have been some determining factor where more towing and payload capacity wasn't necessary.
If the SRW 3500 was the same size as my 1500, I'd have one.
Still, that's no reason to intentionally neuter my 1500.
Louhound88
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Lol, they're pretty close in size.
Do you have a single cab 1500 with an 8' bed? hand crank windows with vinyl seats? 5 inch radio? Surely you wouldn't neuter your 1500 with those things either. All those things add weight that limit payload and towing. No passengers either as that'll limit you too.
I'm not team 3.21 or 3.92, I actually wanted 3.92 when i was in the market. If they offered 4.10 i'd have wanted that too lol.
That's silly. Those are tangible upgrades that improve the function of the truck. Kind of like upgrading to 3.92s, but the better gearing costs you nothing in payload and increases towing capacity.
The only legitimate argument for not upgrading to 3.92s is that it saves like $72.
I'd rather spend the $72 and get a better truck.
