Crusty old shellback
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So after reading a lot of threads about articulink, Carli and Thuren suspension components and alignments, I decided to reach out to Carli for some info.
Base. '21 75th AE PW. 35" BFG KO2. 45/40 PSI. Aligned to Thuren specs.
I began asking Carli about shocks for my truck to give me a better ride. I am not found of lifting the truck any more as it's already high enough for me.
Carli responded back with the following info, and also put me in touch with CJC Offroad. It seems they are one of their main suppliers and probably do some testing for them.
"We offer both King and Fox shock options but none to suit the factory PW springs – all our custom valving is done to our spring rates. On yours, you can expect 2” of front lift and 1” rear lift with our lift. I know you stated you’d prefer not to lift it but, I outline the lift heights to show you they’re negligible enough to be considered."
I then received an Email from CJC and started a conversation with them. I'm passing this info on to maybe help some of you who are thinking of going this route.
"You're welcome to order just shocks, but from our experience it really doesn't alter the ride quality as much as most customers hope for, which is why we prefer the Carli systems that replace the springs/shocks together. Here's a video of our shop Power Wagon on a Carli system and 37s so you can get an idea of what that looks like and rides like.
Again, you're welcome to do shocks alone, but we have a feeling you'll feel let down after the money spent!"
My response and question:
Yea, I'm a member on the HDRam site and have see several of the guys are running the Carli setup and like it. My issue is the lift height as I use my truck. It's already fairly high from the factory, so trying not to go that route.
My other truck, 04 Chevy sits on 37s and 9" of lift and is basically unusable. Need a ladder to get into the bed.
On my PW, I did order the bed step which helps a lot climbing into the truck.
I'll have to do some serious thinking on it.
One question i do have about the suspensions is why does the lower level of the suspension have more front travel than the higher level when they both use the same spring, just different shocks?
CJC response:
We fully understand bed access and all salesmanship aside, we just want you to be happy with the setup. We truly think you'll be happier with the dedicated system as opposed to just doing shocks. That way you're also improving travel, articulation, and actually adding a little rear payload capacity in the process. The added lift is just to improve up travel and separate the axle/frame.
The variance in travel has to do with the size of the shock end caps and the shocks themselves. The King options have a slightly larger end cap/body, so you lose a hair of travel over the Fox systems. It isn't something that's really noticeable in the cab though as the added damping and control you get from the King packages more than make up for a few mm travel loss!
My response and more questions:
Hi again. So I watched your video again. Seen it in the past.
The Carli suspension you say as more flex in it than stock. Have you ran it on a RTI ramp and compared the numbers to the stock suspension? Just curious.
CJC response:
We have not run it on an RTI ramp unfortunately but we intend to
My response and questions:
Do you know if you can run 37s on the stock rims with the Carli setup and not rub when compressed and turned?
CJC response:
Sadly no. They're too tucked in, so you get rub on the radius arms and sway bar at full steering lock. To fit 37s on a Ram truck we recommend a +18 to +27 offset wheel that is no wider than 9,” as well as some mild trimming of the plastic fender liner and maybe pinch weld depending on the tire.
and a followup about the same issue
+18 to +25 tends to provide the best compromise between just clearing the body but also clearing the suspension with little to no plastic trimming being required.
So I hope this info helps some of you.
I'm still on the fence. To install the Carli suspension system, it will also require new rims and tires. And then I loose the spare under the bed.
Got to think about this some.
Base. '21 75th AE PW. 35" BFG KO2. 45/40 PSI. Aligned to Thuren specs.
I began asking Carli about shocks for my truck to give me a better ride. I am not found of lifting the truck any more as it's already high enough for me.
Carli responded back with the following info, and also put me in touch with CJC Offroad. It seems they are one of their main suppliers and probably do some testing for them.
"We offer both King and Fox shock options but none to suit the factory PW springs – all our custom valving is done to our spring rates. On yours, you can expect 2” of front lift and 1” rear lift with our lift. I know you stated you’d prefer not to lift it but, I outline the lift heights to show you they’re negligible enough to be considered."
I then received an Email from CJC and started a conversation with them. I'm passing this info on to maybe help some of you who are thinking of going this route.
"You're welcome to order just shocks, but from our experience it really doesn't alter the ride quality as much as most customers hope for, which is why we prefer the Carli systems that replace the springs/shocks together. Here's a video of our shop Power Wagon on a Carli system and 37s so you can get an idea of what that looks like and rides like.
Again, you're welcome to do shocks alone, but we have a feeling you'll feel let down after the money spent!"
My response and question:
Yea, I'm a member on the HDRam site and have see several of the guys are running the Carli setup and like it. My issue is the lift height as I use my truck. It's already fairly high from the factory, so trying not to go that route.
My other truck, 04 Chevy sits on 37s and 9" of lift and is basically unusable. Need a ladder to get into the bed.
On my PW, I did order the bed step which helps a lot climbing into the truck.
I'll have to do some serious thinking on it.
One question i do have about the suspensions is why does the lower level of the suspension have more front travel than the higher level when they both use the same spring, just different shocks?
CJC response:
We fully understand bed access and all salesmanship aside, we just want you to be happy with the setup. We truly think you'll be happier with the dedicated system as opposed to just doing shocks. That way you're also improving travel, articulation, and actually adding a little rear payload capacity in the process. The added lift is just to improve up travel and separate the axle/frame.
The variance in travel has to do with the size of the shock end caps and the shocks themselves. The King options have a slightly larger end cap/body, so you lose a hair of travel over the Fox systems. It isn't something that's really noticeable in the cab though as the added damping and control you get from the King packages more than make up for a few mm travel loss!
My response and more questions:
Hi again. So I watched your video again. Seen it in the past.
The Carli suspension you say as more flex in it than stock. Have you ran it on a RTI ramp and compared the numbers to the stock suspension? Just curious.
CJC response:
We have not run it on an RTI ramp unfortunately but we intend to
My response and questions:
Do you know if you can run 37s on the stock rims with the Carli setup and not rub when compressed and turned?
CJC response:
Sadly no. They're too tucked in, so you get rub on the radius arms and sway bar at full steering lock. To fit 37s on a Ram truck we recommend a +18 to +27 offset wheel that is no wider than 9,” as well as some mild trimming of the plastic fender liner and maybe pinch weld depending on the tire.
and a followup about the same issue
+18 to +25 tends to provide the best compromise between just clearing the body but also clearing the suspension with little to no plastic trimming being required.
So I hope this info helps some of you.
I'm still on the fence. To install the Carli suspension system, it will also require new rims and tires. And then I loose the spare under the bed.
Got to think about this some.
