2006 Dodge Ram 2500 Transmission - 4Wheel & Off-Road Magazine

We all know that the new breed of diesel trucks is fast, and with a little tuning you can pump out massive amounts of power. But how does all that newfound performance transmit through your stock transmission? In most cases the answer is, "Not very well." When the stock transmission was engineered there were specific tolerances set in place that limit the amount of power that the components can handle. From your torque converter to the output shaft, a certain intensity is reached where slippage occurs. Damage results from trying to inadequately control whatever power increase that you are attempting to send through the stock components.

Not all transmissions are built alike, and the upgrades needed on one type of transmission may not be true for another. When we started building our '06 Dodge Ram 2500 with the 5.9L Cummins, we knew that it wouldn't be long before all that newfound power ("Turbo 2 Go," "Power Atop Power," "Easy Diesel," Sept. '07) would start showing the telltale signs that our transmission was on its way out. Good indicators that your automatic transmission might be damaged are prolonged shift intervals; jerking when the truck is under load; slippage, which you can usually tell by increased rpm accompanied by only a slight increase in speed or movement; and transmission fluid that appears or smells burnt.

To prevent our daily driver/weekend hauler from leaving us stranded, we gave the transmission experts at North America Diesel Performance (NADP) a call and explained what the truck was primarily used for and the power levels we were hoping to achieve. They suggested replacing the stock unit with one of their Heavy Hauler series transmissions. This complete replacement transmission includes a triple-disc billet torque converter, heavy-duty input and output shafts, and a full array of billet internals to give our truck's transmission the ultimate balance of strength and reliability. With our truck sporting 35-inch tires and 4.10 gears we needed to make sure that the added rolling resistance wouldn't be a detriment to our new transmission. Luckily for us this is something NADP deals with regularly, and thus they built a transmission that would assure us of solid shifting and holding while towing heavy loads.

We put our transmission(s) through a series of tests including before and after dyno runs and towing tests to note overall shifting characteristics. We were amazed at how much of a difference a built transmission could make. No longer were we experiencing slippage or power loss as the 800+ lb-ft made our four-door diesel feel like a rocket, but it also didn't snap our neck every time it needed to shift. For the installation we drove over to Inglewood Transmission where Mike Lovrich and his team of knowledgeable transmission masters installed our new 48RE transmission and gave us a look into the damage that happens to a stock transmission when power levels are heavily increased over stock.

Inglewood Transmission's Juan Lopez removed the stock 48RE transmission from our '06 Dodge Ram 2500. Since the new transmission is a complete replacement, we only had to disconnect the transmission lines, electronics, and linkage since that is all that will be reused.
Inglewood Transmission's Juan Lopez removed the stock 48RE transmission from our '06 Dodge
A good way to detect signs of a damaged transmission is by checking the fluid. We all know that a frothy pink means you've encountered water, but if it looks brown and burnt then it's a good sign that heat damage has occurred inside.
A good way to detect signs of a damaged transmission is by checking the fluid. We all know
If you are planning on increasing the power in your diesel, a stronger torque converter will help save your transmission. The converter transmits the power from the engine into the transmission, but in order to effectively get the power to the ground the converter will need to lock up. When additional power is applied to the stock converter, the discs inside become damaged and the converter housing can warp, resulting in an increased amount of slippage that will eventually lead to additional damage to the transmissions internals.
If you are planning on increasing the power in your diesel, a stronger torque converter wi

In addition to upgrading your converter, you will also need an improved valve body to ensure trouble-free shifting and provide adequate amounts of pressure for fluid delivery. NADP builds each valve body to spec for your individual driving needs, whether it's racing down the strip, towing your rig, or beefing it up for that daily commute.
In addition to upgrading your converter, you will also need an improved valve body to ensu
Once the power comes through the torque converter, it then encounters a series of clutches. Excessive heat and friction can cause the clutches to become burnt on the fiber side and then crystallizes the metal disc. After this happens, the clutches will never hold correctly again. This will cause your transmission to slip excessively and can leave your truck standing still.
Once the power comes through the torque converter, it then encounters a series of clutches
With a few thousand miles logged towing and a healthy list of upgrades done to our engine, it was no surprise when we found metal particles floating in our pan. The culprit was a worn race on the input housing.
With a few thousand miles logged towing and a healthy list of upgrades done to our engine,

Equipped with a complete array of parts for superior strength and longevity, our new Heavy Hauler-series transmission from NADP was built to hold the massive amounts of torque our common rail can produce. And if we ever want to go chasing down Power Alley, our new 48RE has the capacity to handle 750 horses with no problem.
Equipped with a complete array of parts for superior strength and longevity, our new Heavy
Immense power transmission through the output shaft can cause the shafts to break under load. To combat this we opted for NADP's billet output shaft. This gives our unit additional strength to withstand the increased power and torque loads.
Immense power transmission through the output shaft can cause the shafts to break under lo
Heat is the number-one killer of transmissions, so it's important to keep a close check on your fluid levels and transmission temperature. We opted for the Mag-Hytec transmission pan for our unit, and were pleased to find that it was already outfitted with a transmission port for us to thread our temperature probe into. In addition to the ability to hold more fluid, the pan also has grooved elements to help capture air and dissipate heat.
Heat is the number-one killer of transmissions, so it's important to keep a close check on

Our '06 Dodge Ram 2500 is equipped with the 5.9L Cummins and outfitted with a set of 35-inch BFGoodrich A-Ts. To clear the new meats we installed a 2-inch leveling kit from Superlift and added a set of Bilstein shocks. This not only helped to smooth out our ride, but reduced the rpm at highway speeds due to the fact our truck was equipped with the taller 4.10 gear ratio from the factory.
Our '06 Dodge Ram 2500 is equipped with the 5.9L Cummins and outfitted with a set of 35-in
So how much torque were we actually losing through our stock transmission? Our new peak is 878 lb-ft. That's an increase of 220 pound-feet over our original dyno pull with the old setup.
So how much torque were we actually losing through our stock transmission? Our new peak is

SOURCES
BFGoodrich Tires 877-788-8899 www.bfgoodrichtires.com	Superlift superlift.com
North American Diesel Performance www.nadp.ca	Inglewood Transmission