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Carli Suspension Questions-Cost and Comfort

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I am about to pull the trigger on the commuter system with new radius arms also.

Anyone have a Carli system? I want to improve the ride more than anything, remove a lot of the bouncyness of the rear.

Also, what is the average rate for a shop to do this? The shop quoted me 12 hours at 185 an hour. Wasn’t sure if that was the norm for more off road shop.

Any input is appreciated
 
Lots of people have Carli kits installed.

I have this one: https://www.carlisuspension.com/product/dodge/dodge-ram-2500-3500/ram-suspension-systems/3-inch/2019-ram-2500-4x4-hemi-3″-suspension-systems/pintop-system/ with the R2 coils and I put 37" tires on it (later, separate invoice).

Drastically improves ride quality, however 'drastically improves' needs to be taken in the context of a truck that came from the factory with ride quality that would try and launch you through your window every time you drove over a speedbump or curb. It still doesn't ride anywhere near as smoothly as my 1500 did, or any SUV or car I've ever owned, but it is much better than stock.

That said, I can and do blast this truck up ****ty old rock strewn mining roads in the mountains at stupid speeds and it always delivers the goods (and doesn't try and send me through the window). These are usually bookended by 3-4 hour highway driving to get to/from, and those rides are tolerable. I'm not screaming to get out of the truck after sitting in it for that long. Longer trips or trips that I don't need the truck for, I am very happy to take my wife's X5 and enjoy some comfort.

The truck is also my daily driver. A couple trips around town every day. Again, ride quality is tolerable.

Shop quoted me 17 hours of labor @ $175/hr. That was to install the above kit plus every option listed on that page except for the ball joints, and I had them remove the air dam and install Carli's intercooler 'skid plate' as well. They also fabricated and installed a new drive shaft so there wouldn't be any binding with everything jacked up, and then aligned everything.

It was worth the investment and I have no complaints based on what I wanted to be able to do with the truck.
 
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How do you like the R2? Am considering that myself. Does it rake the back very much? do pull a heavy trailer/camper? Where in Colorado are you? I am in Grand junction.. Thanks in advance,Jim
 
Barely any rake at all. I don’t tow heavy, but I didn’t want to give up payload capacity. I imagine it would be a smoother ride with the R1s. I’m in Douglas County.
 
Thanks for the reply! Im on the fence between the 2? Stop in and say hi if you're in western Colo!!
 
Ride comfort can be dramatically enhanced, especially on rocky roads, by going from a 20" wheel to an 18" or 17" wheel. A 35x12.50 on a 17" wheel will give you more sidewall for absorbing sharp-edged rocks/bumps...
 
johanh13 said:
Ride comfort can be dramatically enhanced, especially on rocky roads, by going from a 20" wheel to an 18" or 17" wheel. A 35x12.50 on a 17" wheel will give you more sidewall for absorbing sharp-edged rocks/bumps...
Click to expand...
I had 20s on My 1500 rebel and they were great, however i have since discovered the that 17-18 inch with 35s or 37s is the ticket, especially with 2500-3500 trucks. When I bought my truck the dealer made me a deal on wheels, so juts ordered what had before and wished I wouldn't have....
 
johanh13 said:
Ride comfort can be dramatically enhanced, especially on rocky roads, by going from a 20" wheel to an 18" or 17" wheel. A 35x12.50 on a 17" wheel will give you more sidewall for absorbing sharp-edged rocks/bumps...
Click to expand...

I go back and forth between 275/70R18 and 285/60R20's on my 3500 and there is no dramatic ride enhancement on the 18's over the 20's. I do run proper pressure for the load and spend plenty of time on rough roads too. The 20's are my preferred wheel size for everything but airing down during hunting season, which is why I have 2 sets of wheels/tires.

The biggest enhancement to ride comfort is proper pressure for the load.
 
AH64ID said:
I go back and forth between 275/70R18 and 285/60R20's on my 3500 and there is no dramatic ride enhancement on the 18's over the 20's. I do run proper pressure for the load and spend plenty of time on rough roads too. The 20's are my preferred wheel size for everything but airing down during hunting season, which is why I have 2 sets of wheels/tires.

The biggest enhancement to ride comfort is proper pressure for the load.
Click to expand...
True on the pressure! My pickup is about 5,000 lbs on the front axle and 3,000 lbs on the rear axle, so what pressure would you run in a 35x12.5r20 vs 35x12.5r18 ? I would run about 50psi front and 40psi rear on the 20's. On the 18's I would run about 40 front and 30 rear... I am sure these numbers could be optimized, but this results in a somewhat 'dramatic improvement'. Of course, there was one other difference, which was a contributor too; on the 18's I was running Fox 2.0 shocks, on the 20's I am running King 2.5...
 
johanh13 said:
True on the pressure! My pickup is about 5,000 lbs on the front axle and 3,000 lbs on the rear axle, so what pressure would you run in a 35x12.5r20 vs 35x12.5r18 ? I would run about 50psi front and 40psi rear on the 20's. On the 18's I would run about 40 front and 30 rear... I am sure these numbers could be optimized, but this results in a somewhat 'dramatic improvement'. Of course, there was one other difference, which was a contributor too; on the 18's I was running Fox 2.0 shocks, on the 20's I am running King 2.5...
Click to expand...

18’s 40/25
20’s 45/25

If it’s over 5K then add 5 psi to both.

 
I have 18s methods on 35s. I run about 40 front and 35 rear. When driving and they warm up they get about 45 front and 40 rear. I got that from cjc when I got my Carli and wheels/tires.
 
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