dieselnewbie

Are there any significant advantages to a stick shift?

Also, anyone here ever replace a clutch?

If so, how long did the first one last?

How much did that set you back?

Now I'm thinking I may buy a stick.

Thanks!

DT.

Nevada

Nothing like "rowing the boat" for me. I have always hated slushboxes. I have never replaced a clutch, but there are several people on this board that are running aftermarket clutches. I have found the stocker to be adequate for an un-bombed truck. South Bend is a popular aftermarket clutch. The 48re is a relatively new auto so there are not a lot of high mileage units out there, but the previous 47re is well known as a transmission that does not stand up the the high torque of even a stock Cummins, especially if used for heavy towing. I have had several Dodge/Cummins combos in both auto and stick configurations, and out of eight trucks, I have never had a stick that had trans or clutch problems, and I have only had one auto that DID NOT have transmission problems. (All of my auto's have been 47re's)

spots

Another thing with the 6 spd is that you have some imput of where the RPM is and also some manual control for slowing down. Oh yeah did I mention E Brake??
Automatics are fer little 'ol ladies.....

dieselnewbie

Yes.

I've never had a 6 speed.

That's alot of gears. Must be to provide the driver with finer control across the entire powerband of the Cummins.

Even the 48RE, has alot of gears for an auto.

When I started lookign at the Ram Cummins I figured I'd buy a 3500 short bed quad cab with the 48RE.

Now I'm leaning toward a 3500 long bed quad cab 6 speed.

The debate going on in my head has been mostly settled by reading this board.

One thing's for sure:

The wife won't be driving it if it's a stick, and that may be a good thing!

FiverBob

You need to understand not all the gears are used in normal driving running solo. We would start off in 2nd (sometimes 3rd if not in a hurry and maybe on a slight downslope), maybe move to 4th from 2nd, then 5th and 6th. You only need 1st if towing something pretty heavy and then only to get it rolling.

48RE only has 4 gears.

My wifey drives the truck - - not much, but she does it. She prefers her Town Car - - now try and figure that out.

White Ram

You get to stay at an RPM that you want for the conditions.

Easy to add an e-brake.

If you stay stock power you probably won't ever replace your clutch. unless you keep your truck for a realy long time.

steve

DaHammer

Well here is my two cents...I have been driving my 04.5 3500 dually for oh, two days now...sort of makes me an expert huh? I run 4.10 gears and find that 6 speeds, like the others say, is superfluous when running empty. I just get to fifth ASAP and leave it there until I have to stop...Sixth is an OD and used when I hit the highway...Rob in Maine

dieselnewbie

OK, here's a modifier:

What if most of the time you were just using the truck as your daily driver, and not towing or hauling anything?

And when you did tow or haul a payload it never exceeded the capacity of the 48RE tranny.

What transmission would you prefer for level of use?

Thanks,

DT.

Tom Bolitho

For me it is definitly a stick trans, more gears the better. I drive my truck empty and in L.A. traffic daily. I usually skip gears, 2-4-6 or 2-3-5-6

Jeff in TD

I guess I'm the odd duck, in that I generally hit all 6 gears even when empty, and I wish it either had more gears, or a bigger jump between ratios.

There seems to be a smaller RPM jump between the higher gears, and I would gladly trade a bigger jump to have both the trailer towing ability of a truck with 4.10's (in low) and the ability to keep up with traffic in a 75 zone without winding out the engine, like a truck with 3.73's in 6th...

Auxiliary transmission with splitter, anyone?

rjordan

i have a 6 shooter and love it. i usually start in 2nd and hit em all. i use it as a daily driver, and for anything that i might want to pull. i wouldnt trade it for a slush box. but that just my .02

graphitecumnz

Love my 6 spd... start in 2nd(unless I California stop it then I go from 3rd) and I hit all the gears. It's my only vehicle so I drive it everywhere... in town, highway, empty or loaded... it could definitely use a few more gears though...

BigBlue

I wish I had gotten a stick. I hate my auto.

1sttruck

I have a 5 spd, and there was never a question about stick vs auto. Funny though, one would think everything else being equal the that a 6 spd would be used on the SO while a 5 spd would be used on the HO, as more gears are needed for heavier loads and lower engine output. I know that the 6 spd that is used is heavier duty, but one would think.....:^)

Forstner

I might sound like a stick in the mud - but because of long term syncro. the manufacturer recomends shifting in chronologicle order. That said, I iove my 6-speed and wish we had at least 1 more tall gear. Starting off in 2nd and going through to 5th does'nt take you far. ( 5th is good from 30mph to 65mph w/3:73) Of course that is empty. Hauling loads this system is a blessing! I still have not been touched on the big hills, and I'm running a stock 305/555 2003. YEH!