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6 Speed vs 8 Speed

10K views 60 replies 26 participants last post by  robmease 
#1 ·
I'm looking at buying a 2013 Ram and just wondering what the gains are if I order the 8 speed, I've read 20% better mpg and 3 sec faster 0-60mph, What are your thoughts, Sorry if this is a double post I searched and didn't come up with anything
 
#2 ·
3 sec faster 0-60mph
I find this very hard to believe lol.

Certainly the ratios of the 8 speed are better, but the 6 speed is also good. Highway mpg will be roughly the same since both transmissions have the same final ratio. Although I bet the 8 speed will be at least slightly more efficient. The city mpg should be a little better with the 8 speed and it should feel "lighter" while accelerating.
 
#18 ·
Highway mpg will be roughly the same since both transmissions have the same final ratio.
Incorrect, the 8 speed will do much better. I have a 2013 Hemi 8 speed 4x4 QC with 3.21 gears. My dad has a 2009 with the Hemi, 5 speed (which is the same as the 6 speed) quad cab, and 3.21 gears. Effectively the only difference is that mine has the 8 speed and is a 4x4.

I always get at least 1 MPG better than he does on the highway, and I average 1.5-2 MPG better. That doesn't sound like a whole lot, but mine is also a 4x4 and his isn't
 
#5 ·
I don't put much faith in window stickers, I looked at a 2012 tacoma trd sport DCLB before I bought my ram and the window sticker on the taco said 29mpg highway (Canadian) and salesman told me straight up 23 or so @110km/h (highway speed here). I know this to be true as friends have this truck 2010-2011 and they get the same or worse tham my hemi on the highway.

Anyways a little off topic, but still relates....
 
#6 ·
I have not heard about the 0-60 time, but MPG is only officially 10% better. The EPA is dragging it's feet about releasing the numbers for the 2wd Hemi-TorqueFlite combo, but the 4wd is rated at 15 city, 21 highway 17 combined. That is equal to Ford's EcoBoost.
 
#9 ·
well not sure mine is the v6 (18-19 city (hand calculated,so far, , only filled up once and 2 half tank fill ups, and 27 mpg highway (evic one time trip so far) my last was hemi (14-16 city for it, 18-22 highway).. have not seen the window stickers just what people on the forums are saying
 
#61 ·
same

well not sure mine is the v6 (18-19 city (hand calculated,so far, , only filled up once and 2 half tank fill ups, and 27 mpg highway (evic one time trip so far) my last was hemi (14-16 city for it, 18-22 highway).. have not seen the window stickers just what people on the forums are saying
my 6 is getting the same mpg its better than the Tacoma 4cyl I replaced
 
#11 ·
I test drove the 6-speed and the 8-speed. I thought the 8-speed shifted a little smoother. If there is an MPG benefit to the 8-speed, then I see it as a bonus. I'll be doing probably 70 city/30 hwy driving with my Ram. Can't wait to get my truck and see how it does outside of the initial test drives.
 
#15 ·
I really like the 6 speed in my truck, I don't want buyer's remorse so when they arrive I am not going to test an 8 speed. lol
 
#19 ·
Love the 8 speed. With the low 1st gear it accelerates very quickly. The ratios are spaced nicely. The shifts are dramatically faster and firmer than the old 2011 1500 5 speed. The 2nd & 3rd gear ratios on the 5 speed was so close it was basically a 4 speed.
 
#21 ·
The 8-speed has less loss.
Good or bad; you get the e-Shift knob.
I don't think that the 6-sp is running the same throttle control algorithms during shifts or the temp/fluid management.

The top gear ratio is the same but the 8-speed has a wider total gear range allowing you to have a lower gearing in 1st (all else the same). So you can run a higher rear axel gear without 1st gear slump........effectively making the last gear taller. The caveat is that the towing capacity is decreased.

I think that the rear gear choice is a better question vs. 6sp vs 8sp. IMO the 8-sp transmission makes the truck, I would have purchased a different brand without it.

It also allowed for a 6-cyl NA engine in a full-size +cab truck that doesn't suck to drive.
 
#22 ·
The 8-speed has less loss.
Good or bad; you get the e-Shift knob.
I don't think that the 6-sp is running the same throttle control algorithms during shifts or the temp/fluid management.

Whoops, I meant to explain that in my previous post.:doh:

The top gear ratio is the same but the 8-speed has a wider total gear range allowing you to have a lower gearing in 1st (all else the same). So you can run a higher rear axel gear without 1st gear slump........effectively making the last gear taller. The caveat is that the towing capacity is decreased.

Yes, but with the 8 speed the difference in tow rating between a 3.21 axle truck and one with 3.92s is much less than the difference between a 6 speed truck with 3.21s and one with 3.92s

The 3.21 with the 8 speed raises the tow rating to about what the 3.55/6 speeds were rated for, so they dropped the intermediate ratio.
 
#26 ·
Just my 2 cent opinion....
I had two 2010 hemi`s w/6-speeds and 3.55 ratio, now i have a 2014 w/8-speed and 3.92 LSD. I will never own/drive a truck without the 8-speed ever again, these 8-speeds are leaps and bounds, over previous 6/speed transmissions. My 2014 mpg is better, it accelerates way better and smoother than the 6/speed. When i hit the go pedal, the 8/speed never bogs, never trys to figure out what to do next, you hit it hard, its on fire with absolutely NO hesitation issues like the 6/speeds are known for. If you`re stuck on the 6/speed, you`re either jealous, or you just havent drove one with the 8/speed long enough to actually appreciate the difference. At first, when i got mine with the 8/speed, i wasnt sure i liked it vs the previous 6/speeds i owned. But now that i`ve driven it for awhile and learned how it performed, there`s absolutely no lookin back ever again.
 
#27 ·
I find this very hard to believe lol.

Certainly the ratios of the 8 speed are better, but the 6 speed is also good. Highway mpg will be roughly the same since both transmissions have the same final ratio. Although I bet the 8 speed will be at least slightly more efficient. The city mpg should be a little better with the 8 speed and it should feel "lighter" while accelerating.
I came from a 2003 Tahoe to a 2013 RAM with the eight speed, 3:21 axle ratio, I agree with snrusnak observation. My highway MPG is up two MPG over the Tahoe but my city driving is up several MPG. Some of the gains can be due to modernization of the powertrain.
 
#28 ·
I have a 2013 with the 8 spd and it is smooth and flawless. Whether or not it gets better mileage than the 6 spd, no one will ever know because you could never have identical comparisons between two or more vehicles.I do know the torque is great and the 8 spd shifts smoothly and there is never any lag. I had a 2012 Silverado and it was a dog compared to the Ram and I get better fuel mileage with the Ram.
 
#29 ·
Ratios
65RFE 3.00 1.67 1.50 1.00 .075 0.67
8HP 4.71 3.14 2.10 1.67 1.29 1.00 0.84 0.67

Range for from 1st to 6th for the 6 spd = 2.33.
Range for the 8 spd is 4.04.

I never drove the six speed but it's 2-3 ratios are very close, just like my 2011 5 sped. It's basically a waste.

The 8 speed is a dramatic improvement over the 5 speed. I have been a fan of ZF designed transmissions for years. Variants of the 8HP are in the Rolls Royce, Bentley, BMW, Dodge Hellcat, Audi, Range Rover
 
#32 · (Edited)
I never drove the six speed but it's 2-3 ratios are very close, just like my 2011 5 sped. It's basically a waste.
Your 2011 RAM 5 speed was, except for the shift pattern, identical to the later model 6 speed. Same guts, same gears, just different shifting.

The 'old' 5 actually had 6 forward gears,,, 1st, 2nd, 2nd Prime, 3rd, 4th, and 5th

The 5 speed would only use 2nd Prime under certain downshift situations,,, It wasn't used during upshifts,,,

To my understanding, all they did to make it a 6 speed was turn '2nd Prime' into "3rd" by changing the shift patterns/using 2nd Prime on all up and down shifts,,, The old 3rd became 4th, 4th became 5th, etc,,,

(Please remember, GM and Ford were touting their 'new' 6 speeds about the time the RAM 5 speed miraculously became a 6 speed,,,)

While the 5 (or 6) speed transmissions were 'decent', I can't help but think the '2nd Prime' gear was kind of a Band-Aid to a previous concern,,, and turning that same transmission into a 6 speed was another 'band-aid', so to speak.

I had the 5 in my 09 and had no complaints,,, Now that I have an 8 in this new 14,,, eh,,, I'm tickled!!! :smileup:
 
#30 ·
I really love my 6 speed Express but the gear spacing from the old 5 speed in my Charger R/T is much better for performance. I would rather have an 8 speed but that's gonna have to wait a while, a Scat Pack R/T Challenger is the priority right now. ;-)
 
#34 ·
I believe they also changed the torque converters when they updated the 5 speed to the 6 speed. But the guts and gear sets are the same.
 
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