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Ram 3500 Stiff suspension

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killborn

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Just received my 22 3500 Longhorn a couple weeks ago. It has the factory rear air bags and I have stock 20’s tires. Loving the truck but it really is a stiff ride, particularly the rear suspension.
Anything I can do make it a little better on the back roads which doesn’t involve aftermarket parts?
Will it break in over time? Maybe dropping tire pressure when not towing?
What would recommend front/rear pressure be for the stock 20’s when not towing?
 
I’ve been running 40 psi in the rear. Railroad tracks and farm roads are still quite rough. I’m worried my only options for the improvement I want are ~$2500 rear springs or sell my truck and my a 2500 :(
 
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Probably not a whole lot you can do about it. You already have the softest 3500 with the air suspension. If the tire pressures are lowered and it’s pretty much game over aside from spring modifications.

You might try loading 4-500 pounds in the bed and see if it smooths it out. Sometimes some weight back there helps take the jarring out of the ride.
 
Imaking20 said:
I’ve been running 40 psi in the rear. Railroad tracks and farm roads are still quite rough. I’m worried my only options for the improvement I want are ~$2500 rear springs are sell my truck and my a 2500 :(
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Either you want a one ton or you want a smooth ride… no one buys a one ton truck for the ride…
 
Icky said:
I my 22 3500 rides 100x better than my 13 2500 did ‍♂️
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My 14 jeep JK rode worse than my 01 3500 mind you i put the highest coil rate springs from the 4dr in it to get a cheap 2.5” lift lol
 
All that jarring you feel will disappear once you throw a ton and a half into the bed or tow 24k+ behind you. That's why the RAM Gods put that magnificent creature on the planet. Otherwise, if you must, drop the rear tire pressure as noted by the others and enjoy!

My 2021 RAM 3500 SRW is a daily driver, I don't drop any air at all. 65F/80R every day for me. I have grown numb to the ride. I don't much notice it. I put 7500XL air bags and a 40g aux tank in the bed and the ride did improve a tiny bit. But when heading out with my 5er for a weekend of glamping, she's as smooth as a 70s Caddy riding a new highway.
 
Yes, depends on your budget. Switch to Deaver leafs, upgrade the shocks to Carli and the springs... problem solved.

Oh, do the tire psi or remove the 20" wheels
 
Icky said:
I my 22 3500 rides 100x better than my 13 2500 did ‍♂️
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Agree! I run 65 psi in front tires and 60 psi in the rear on my 22 3500 (with air) and it rides 100x better than my 2013 2500 with same tire pressures.
 
I would start by swapping to 17" or 18" wheels and quality tires. The combination of crappy stock tires and the small sidewalls on the 20s gives a harsh ride. If that's not smooth enough for you then it's softer leaf springs and matched shocks. Thuren does a great job in that department.
 
I’m surprised how often I still hear people (including dealers) suggest “add weight in the rear” despite it being a factory air assist truck. As soon as you add weight, the truck adds air to compensate. Making the ride worse.

I’ve got ~300 lb extra on the rear all the time. I’ve tried rotating the factory sensor as much as possible and didn’t notice a difference. Next up I’m getting setup with AlfaOBD to see if I can disable the air components for when I’m not towing. Fingers crossed that’s enough to take the sharp bites off of RR tracks and farm roads.
 
I hadn’t thought about how the air suspension would react to more weight.

My truck(s) don’t have air suspensions.
 
My wife rode last weekend for the first time in my 21 3500 dually pulling the camper. We usually take 2 vehicles so she can pull the boat. She was amazed at the ride difference compared to our old dually. These trucks are meant to be pulling weight the air bag suspension is worth the ride unloaded.
 
No argument that the air suspension is fantastic when towing. The primary reason we bought this truck is to pull around a 38 ft trailer we are living in full time for a bit. It handles the weight with aplomb, even if that means a sometimes abusive loaded ride on rough roads.

My issue is now more to do with living with the truck the rest of the time we aren’t towing (which is a percentage that will grow considering forward). The fact that the truck keeps some air in the bags (likely to compensate for the mild weight of my canopy) just means the rear is a bit jarring even with low pressures in my 35” tires.

I just yanked fuses 5, 50 and 87 to prove out the hypothesis of “disabling” the auto air. That did the trick. It still rides like a truck down a rough road, but now it’s not embarrassingly jarring.
 
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