Majority of my driving would be non-towing. I'd tow my 5x10 tilt bed single axle trailer maybe 500 miles a year if that much. East central Wisconsin is mostly flat to moderate grades, the kind where the cruise control in my Dakota doesn't sound labored at all to maintain speed on grades (with the 5spd manual trans and only 245hp). I'll sometimes haul something like a mid-size motorcycle or snowmobile. But most bed loads will be less than 500lbs, when I even haul anything in the bed.
But, clear this up for me. A 2013 Ram 1500 with the 4.7 V8 offers the 3.21 or 3.55 rear axle ratio. The 2013 Ram will certainly weigh more than the 56 C-Dak when done. With at least 310hp and a 545RFE trans how can the 3.21 rear axle ratio not be a reasonable choice for every day driving? At steady speed of say 70mph, the revs would be about 2300 with the 3:55 axle ratio (like it is now in my 2001 Dakota), with a 3.21 axle ratio the revs would be about 2,080. I know from numerous times driving my Dakota if I keep the revs close 2,000 (about 60mph) the gas mileage does increase into the 20+ mpg range (on a 2001 Dakota with 200,000 miles on it, 5-spd manual, 3:55 ratio). So I'm thinking ahead to see if I can get close to 2000 rpm at 70mph.
Andy, my 48 Plymouth coupe has a 1990 Dakota chassis with the mighty 3.9 V6 (listed as 170 HP), 5 speed (AX-15 OD), with a 3:55 limited slip, throttle body EFI, (all factory stuff, the car is probably in the 3,000 lbs range). I can tell you without a doubt that when I am pulling a few hills in western WI at 70 mph in 5th gear, the car can loose 10 mph by the top of some of those hills, with the throttle wide open getting a run at them. That car averages 21-23 mpg on the highway (I don't drive to get super mpg). I can tell you without a doubt the factory didn't care if the vehicle could maintain a given speed with any motor, transmission, or rear gear ratio, all they cared about was getting it out the door and lasting until it got past the warranty limits. A motor that is laboring hard, at low rpms, and getting poor gas mileage seldom needs costly warranty repairs, which is good for the car company. That 2013 1500 Ram with a 4.7 and a 3:21 gear probably won't need drive train repairs until after the warranty expires. The factory doesn't care if the truck is a slug to drive once someone took it home the first time.
