Ram 1500 Differentials: Overview Guide

Starting with the smallest ring size, we have the 8-inch unit you can find in the front-end of your 2002 through 2011 Ram. This design is great for daily drivers, and can sustain a considerable amount of abuse. They are far from the beefiest units, but for your daily driver you’re probably not going to need to thrash on this unit.

Aftermarket upgrades are limited, but guys doing serious four-wheeling would likely swap this unit out or start with a truck equipped with a stronger front differential. 

8-Inch Differential (Front) Highlights

• 10-bolt differential cover
• 8-inch ring gear
• 29 splines
• 10-ring gear bolts

Next is Chrysler’s 8.25-inch differential. If your truck’s birthdate is somewhere from 2002 until 2004, you might find one of these units living beneath the rear of your Ram. Chrysler has been using this platform since the 1970s, and it has seen many changes throughout the years.

These differentials can handle a moderate amount of abuse and are just fine for guys who occasionally find themselves on the trail. Because it has been around forever, the aftermarket offers plenty of parts for the prospective modder to be able to beef up these units for a decent level of abuse.

8.25-Inch Differential (Rear) Highlights

• 10-bolt differential cover
• 8.25-inch ring gear
• 29 spline
• 10-ring gear bolt

Here again you’ll find a Chrysler favorite that has been around since the dawn of the performance era. You can find these in cars like the Charger and Coronet ranging as far back as 1968. This differential continues to be used in late model Rams.

In stock form, you can lay a serious beating on these and have it perform reliably from day to day. If this was good enough to back the Elephant 426 Hemi, it will absolutely stand up to whatever you have in mind to throw at it. These are something of a prized jewel, and guys look to get their hands on these units, regardless of what year vehicle they came out of, for their custom builds.

If you know you’re going to push the limits of these differentials’ capabilities, you’ll find it extremely easy to find anything you need for it. From state of the art carriers to any ring size imaginable, there’s no job you couldn’t take on with this setup.

9.25-Inch Differential (Rear) Highlights

• 12-bolt cover
• 9.25-inch ring gear
• 31 spline
• 12-ring gear bolts

Despite having a similar ring size as the popular rear differential, the internal workings of these front units are not the same, nor are they compatible. That isn’t to say these units aren’t as good. They were found in work truck models of the Ram 1500, such as the Power Wagon, from 2003-2013.

They may have a short lifespan in the 1500, but they are used in the larger 2500-3500 Rams as well. This goes to show these are designed to stand up to a serious beating and will perform well under any condition. Like most other reputable differentials, this is well supported by the aftermarket.

9.25-Inch Differential (Front) Highlights

• 14-bolt cover
• 9.25-inch ring gear
• 33 spline
• 12-ring gear bolts

Like the 9.25 front differential, the 10.5 was designed to live under the Ram from 2003-2013. It too would be featured under trucks like the Power Wagon, and was shared across the larger trucks. These units are massive, and it would take a serious beating to blow one up.

In stock form you could depend on these to perform on the pipeline with your truck loaded with guys and gear. Taking this off road and thrashing on it won’t really give these units too much trouble, but you can easily modify these to perform as so desired.

10.5-Inch Differential (Rear) Highlights

• 14-cover bolts
• 10.5-inch ring gear
• 30 spline
• 12 ring gear bolts

2012 and newer Rams are built with the 215mm unit bolted into the front end. These units are not the most popular amongst builders in the Ram community. In fact, most guys who are looking to build their 2012 Rams look for a front differential out of a 2011 truck.

It bolts right in place, and guys can modify the differential to reach their desired performance levels. What makes these units so hard to work with was a design put in place by the engineers.

In all other carriers we covered, you will notice in the spec list there is a count of how many bolts each carrier used to mount the ring gear in place. Well, these have none. In fact, these units have the 8.5-inch ring gear directly welded to the carrier itself. So if one wanted to swap out the ring gear for something lower, the whole carrier would go with it. This makes the job much more complicated and naturally a lot more expensive. The aftermarket doesn’t support them very well, and this is likely what drives most users to make the swap.