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Toss up between aisin or not

12K views 75 replies 40 participants last post by  towpro 
#1 ·
Just read the sticky about how the first assin was horrible and the new one still has weak points . I was all set to go out and upgrade to a 3500 to get the assin (2016) and now im worried ......i thought that was the way to go as far as reliability ? Plans for truck would be future delete and moderate tune as well as up to 6 inch lift and 37's ....light towing if any .....please help as i was only a day or 2 away from ordering the truck
 
#4 ·
If you read around this forum you will find that, for a deleted truck with a tuner, the 68RFE would be the preferred transmission as there is no aftermarket tuning for the Aisin like there is for the 68.
 
#5 ·
I had a 68RFE in my 2012 and it was a great tranny. Towed 19K lbs. with zero issues. You have to be smart when towing heavy and what I mean is that when you leave a red light, you do not mat the throttle. Ease into it and you won't have any issues. I did get the Aisin with my 16. Wanted the extra grunt for future fiver purchase...
 
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#6 ·
The Aisin changes the rear end to a larger one. I also think the programming of the 68RFE is crap. I haven't had any problems with it, but it's SLOW to react in far too many situations. I also don't like how under heavy acceleration, gear changes are very abrupt. The Aisin seemed to have a different method for shifting that made shifts smoother. But then, my Aisin experience is solely a few test drives of '16/'15 trucks.
 
#12 ·
Why do people post that do not have their facts straight? The aisin does not change the rear gear ratio! Only getting a DRW regardless of auto transmission will let you choose a different gear. All SRW come with 3.42 rear. Until you know , maybe lay low. :spank:
 
#8 ·
Since you plan on light towing, if any, as well as deletes I would recommend the 68. Pretty hard to justify the extra weight and expense for no reason. Also, with the 68 you can get transmission tuning with your delete software. To date that is not available with the Aisin.
 
#10 ·
well as a person who killed a 68RFE part of me thinks go the aisin. I think these 3.42's+big power+big tire are just death on the overdrive clutches.

now on the flip side you could take that money you save and put it aside for a 68RFE build but some places will not stand behind the trans with 37's and 3.42's.

tranny and gears is ~7-8k (don't ask me how I know ha ha)


now I will say that I was driving in the 100hp tune when consensus is that is too much for 68rfe but it was way more fun than the 60hp tune.


on a side note though after trans build the 130hp tune is more fun than the 100hp tune. I think the aisin is holding those tunes though but no first hand experience to comment.
 
#21 ·
I've had the Aisin in my last two trucks, and the 68 before that. The reason I spend more to get the Aisin is the lower ratio in gears 1-3. Makes it a lot easier to get a heavy load moving.
 
#17 ·
X2, I have owned both. The 68RFE was great once I got it tuned.

But, with the new truck knowing that my days of tuning and deleting are over, I went with the Aisin, its shifts perfect every time towing or not towing.

Get the Aisin.
 
#14 ·
Aisin all the way, the 2016 shift patterns are near perfect. The 2013 had two updates that also made it a joy to drive. I used the 2013 with aisin and 4:10's on our drive to Carmel Cali form Toronto and back (10k kms). The truck was built proof, in the desert at 36c with the a/c on and pulling a two car enclosed gooseneck trailer. The power through the mountains was just out of this world, I was passing other vehicles going up hill.

Aisin or nothin
 
#19 ·
Dang skippy! Drive it right and you don't need to upgrade the clutch if staying stock, even with mild tunes. In other words if you use the clutch push it to the floor then let off while shifting. Besides replacing a clutch IS cheaper than an auto rebuild, they slip all the time so they wear faster. Just my .02cents worth. Oh yeah, shifting without using the clutch and no gear grinding means you doing it right too.
 
#20 ·
I got the 68rfe on my 14. It was the biggest disappointment i have ever had with a vehicle. It had the worst programming i have ever seen. In this day and age there is no excuse for such a poor product. My 68rfe only towed very lightly since my equipment was all on site. I drove it with a light foot and the respect for the machine it was because i make a living with it. It was all stock. It had every symptom described in all the trouble threads. I thought i would just ignore it because i use it for work doing construction. If my truck is in the shop i am not working. Several of my guys are also stuck at home. My customers get upset and it costs me work. My transmission failed twice before 15,000 miles. All the over drive clutches went out along with the valve body and torque converter. I traded it in on the lift for my 15 Aisin. The Aisin is not perfect. I have seen some issues that were either a bad unit right out of the box. Those were swapped out for a new unit. The others were fixed with a flash. The Aisin is not as good as my Allison was in my 12 LML. It is close though and it does what a transmission should. Most of the time you forget it is there.
My brothers 15 68rfe is currently having major issues and he is going to trade out. Many of my subs drive diesels. Not a one is happy with their 68. I have not met anyone outside of this forum that was content with the 68. If you need to place an order soon do research and decide if you can live with the issues and be without it if it fails. I am not trying to offend with my comments. Some on here love their 68. I listened to those same guys and got a 68 with less research than i should have done. I don't want you guys to go through all the wasted time and money i went through without telling my side of the issue.

Edit: i have had an early g56. That thing was used to its fullest daily. It took a south bend double disc clutch to hold the power from the upgrades but after the clutch it just rocked until 100,000 miles when i sold it. The guy i sold it to has beat it to death and the truck is abused but the trans keeps going. If my wife could be comfortable shifting her own gears i would never consider another automatic transmission.


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#24 ·
When I bought my truck I walked in and said "I either want a G56 or aisin" every day I drive my G56 truck I feel better about my decision, only changes gears when I say so, no down shifts for .003% grades, no gear hunting, EVER, the G56 and exhaust brake are like a match made in heaven for towing and DD stuff, autos have a mind of their own and it drives me nuts
 
#28 ·
Gear hunting for .003% grade:surprise:! that was a really dumb comment. I tow a 20K TH IN THE MOUNTAINS OF NC, TN, VA and WV, with several well known 7% grades and the Aisin hunts for nothing, nor do I lock it out.. It'll drop to 5th....hunt gears on a.003% grade??? That was a major fail comment.

I've owned two dually's with the RFE..great trannys as far as I was concerned.. Now on my second Aisin...an even better tranny, in my own personal experience.

To the OP, you need to research something other than an AFTER MARKET VENDOR, giving his take on the Aisin:doh::lol2: What did you think would be said by someone who sells aftermarket "fixes">:)
 
#25 · (Edited)
Got to drive my friend's @bigd5.9 2016 RAM 3500 Crew Cab Laramie 4x4 G56/3.73 truck a few weeks ago pulling this empty cattle trailer (I was designated driver whilst he had KFC---just say no to a greasy steering wheel) :hehe:



I hadn't owned a manual transmission CTD pickup since 2007.5 when I sold my '03 RAM 2500 Quad Cab w/305*555 and NV5600.

I was surprised to find out I could still actually drive one with very little "jerkiness" between shifts. After rowing through the gears a few times, I was back to my old self again.

For you hard-core manual transmission guys----you should count yourselves lucky since GM & FoMoCo don't even offer the manual transmission option in a 2500/3500/or larger truck.

With that being said.....my AS69RC has done me well and has not skipped a beat in my 149k miles of ownership. :thumbsup:
 
#36 ·
I have seen a couple G56 Laramie trucks but my dealer says they can't get one... are they just being lazy? What are your thoughts on the G56 vs NV?
 
#26 ·
I've had the AISIN in my last two trucks and both have been great. The sticky thread that talks about it being crap is BS in my opinion. Nobody on here is breaking their AISIN and they have been using them in the Cab and Chassis trucks for years without major issue. The 68 is probably fine for most people but the AISIN get's you more torque and its been a proven reliable trans despite what the thread might say about it. If they sucked everyone would be b!tchin about it.
 
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#27 ·
This is my 1st Aisin coupled with 3.73 axle and I tow 20,000# with it thru rolling hills with 6th locked out. 10,400 miles no issues yet it works well for me. G56 not for me I'm trying to be lazy as possible these days and crank up the stereo.
10k miles isn't much but it works and shift great towing heavy or cruising empty.
I just wished the truck would let me smoke the tires off if I wanted to without pulling the fuses to traction control and ABS. LOL
The Aisin is a nice $3000 option if you have the extra cash then you get the HO Cummins and 11.8 rear diff with vented cover and some other goodie. I'd go AISIN for the heavy hauling!
 

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#31 ·
Seems like the aisin is ideal for the stock tune heavy haulers, but as soon as you put some power to it you will find issues. Not saying it will break or hurt anything, IDK but I can say with a efi live and full delete its not very good once you get into partial throttle. Between funny shifts and flairs between 2-3, 3-4...WOT its does a little better but seems its all based on trq management in the tcm that no one has cracked yet.
 
#32 ·
WOW, glad I read your post...I'll just keep my pitiful Aisin stock due to the fact if one adds power to it...it's toast:surprise:...Been towing with an Aisin, heavy for a tad over 3 yrs... No jerky shift changes, no problems with power and torque..just plain old stock...you know, not everyone does deletes or tunes...too much money and from the almost 6 years I've been on here...seems more troubles and issues when tunes and deletes are done to a lot of the newer trucks...Ill stay stock and not worry about all that..thanks for the heads up on the vulnabilities of the Aisin:SMART::wink2:
 
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#41 ·
Even the aisin can fell....although less herd of than the 68rfe. My best friend bought a new 2013 4500 and the aisin died at 32k.....dont know details but the dealer changed the whole tranny and it took almost 2 months to get it back. He bought a new duramax while the 4500 was down so he could work, and when it was fixed he traded it for another 3500 duramax.

My truck has the 68rfe....yeah it shifts goofy and is always in too high of a gear, but it serves the purpose I guess. 58k miles and 24k of that is towing miles and it shifts good as new 68rfe...if that says much lol. I still love my Ram.
 
#42 ·
My experience towing a 15000 lb trailer with a 68RFE equipped 2014 3500 SRW: It does alright in terms of shifting. The shift program actually makes more sense loaded than it does empty. I think I would prefer the Aisin for its slightly lower gear ratios in first through third. The 68 struggles a bit getting a heavy load moving. Of course a better rear axle ratio would help.


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#43 ·
I have a '13 3500 with the 68rfe. I pull a Montana 5'er that weighs about 14-15K loaded. I am so, so glad I didn't spend all that extra money on the Aisin. I thought about it for a while, then decided against it. Most money saved ever for me in a vehicle purchase, and I'm 62. I've spent a LOT of money on vehicles in 46 years of driving. But that decision was the biggest "almost" vehicle decision I have ever saved on.
But, what the heck...If you have the extra thousands to spare (Plus the financing on those thousands), go for it!
 
#44 ·
The 68 is a solid tranny. The only things I didn't like about it in my 2012 were the violent torque converter unlocks when letting off the throttle after hard acceleration, and the shift programming where it had the engine at 1000 rpms instead of staying in a lower gear. I hauled my 15k+ 5th wheel and it was the best transmission I've ever had in a truck.

While I'd bet the Aisin is more stout, the extra money may not be worth it when you consider that you don't get it back in resale.
 
#45 ·
I'm sure some will disagree but if resale is what you're going for G56 is the way to go if I had a nickel for every auto to manual swap post or wanting to buy a manual truck add my truck would be half paid for by now
 
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