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Thuren - decisions

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Milly

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I am struggling to decide which part I should install first. I would love to do all three at the same time but i struggle with spending this kind of money all up front and would rather do it in sections.

My truck is 2023 Ram Crew Cab 2500 6.4 regular box.

I started looking into this with the hopes to improves the ride quality, steering, but still be able to tow my 27’ travel trailer (7000lbs) without issues.

Current my truck doesn’t track straight and has a slight pull to the right. Dealer fixed alignment but still no change. It has rear end hip when hitting bumps back to back and is jarring when entering my driveway everyday. IMG_4569.pngIMG_4278.jpegIMG_4548.jpeg
 
None of that is going to "fix" you issues/complaints.

Start by getting it aligned to the Thuren specs (can be found on their web site) and go from there. Do not go by the factory alignment specs. If you still have issues pulling look at changing your tires.

As far as rear Hip? (I assume you mean hop) put some weight on the bed. It's an HD truck and made for hauling weight so unloaded it's not going to ride like a 1/2 ton. You could also try lower the tire pressure when not towing
 
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Maybe I will start there and take it to an independent alignment shop and see how it does from there. Currently I run the fronts at 58lbs and the rears at 53lbs. Lowest I can go without setting off the TPMS.
 
The swaybar will yield the most noticeable results, in my opinion. I removed mine (free) and that improved the ride more than upgrading the shocks. Thuren swaybar has good reviews as well.

The rear track bar kit is reported to help the rear end characteristics but I have no firsthand experience with that kit.
 
I would start with the sway bar, I just put it on mine and couldn’t be happier. I also did the boogie bumps and they preform well too.
 
Another vote for the sway bar. I ran just the sway bar on my 3500 for about a year and ~20k before just recently doing .5” thuren springs and fox 2.0 shocks. The sway bar was a huge improvement in taking the harshness from the factory bar.
 
I too tow a 7K trailer that's 28' overall and adding the Thuren components has made it a pleasure to drive the truck towing or not. I did the front sway bar, 1" front coils, Fox 2.0 shocks. I left the rear alone as I tow and and the Thuren rear springs are a softer rate. I did the alignment to Thuren specs. When not towing the tire pressures are 65F/50R and it rides almost like my 1500 did. Towing it's 65/65psi, perfectly level with a 850lb tongue weight and weight distribution at exactly 100%, I don't even feel the trailer back there nor does it act up at all in any situation. I did it all at once, easier to get over once done and then forget about it instead of nibbling away at the wallet.
 
I’m hearing the sway bar will make a huge improvement on the daily ride. I haven’t looked into carli suspension but will take a peek at that too.

This truck is just a completely different beast than all my 1500’s that came before it. The front end feels loose, floaty, and rides like it has square wheels.

Maybe I’m just being too picky and got too comfortable with my last truck. The sole reason I went to a 2500 was to pull my camper better and safer and it does that 100%.

I may still do the 2” lift on the front to give it a better stance and more level with the possibility of going to a little larger tires. So maybe I should focus on lift/sway bar and tires. Then do an alignment to thuren specs.
 
Milly said:
I’m hearing the sway bar will make a huge improvement on the daily ride. I haven’t looked into carli suspension but will take a peek at that too.

This truck is just a completely different beast than all my 1500’s that came before it. The front end feels loose, floaty, and rides like it has square wheels.

Maybe I’m just being too picky and got too comfortable with my last truck. The sole reason I went to a 2500 was to pull my camper better and safer and it does that 100%.

I may still do the 2” lift on the front to give it a better stance and more level with the possibility of going to a little larger tires. So maybe I should focus on lift/sway bar and tires. Then do an alignment to thuren specs.
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Exact same reason I got mine, while my 2017 RAM 1500 with four corner air suspension could tow it, it struggled even with a Hemi and 3.91’s. We are west coast and cross the Sierras virtually to get anywhere. Got tired of power loss and the Hemi screaming at 4-5K uphill. And it never felt real stable towing.

I too felt it was completely different and it bugged me. I researched here and other places and two weeks after buying it I did the Thuren mods. Total different truck after that. After a few weeks I was completely comfortable with it and never missed the 1500 again. Absolutely have no regrets.
 
Like mentioned above, I would purchase the swaybar from your asking choices above. I would also throw out purchasing a front tracbar along with the swaybar and see how you like the handling of the truck. The stock tracbar even new has a little slop. If you feel some wag in the back loaded or unloaded the rear tracbar will take care of it. I find not all trucks have that feeling or people don’t notice.

The rear hop going around corners will only be address with upgrading the rear coils and shocks. It’s the nature of our unsprung weight. The front coils and shocks will get rid of the floaty feeling and nose dive when coming to a stop.
 
FWTW…If your new truck is not tracking straight I would have the dealer fix that first…..if you start changing suspension/steering parts with aftermarket parts and it doesn’t fix your issue you may be out of luck getting the dealer to help you under warrant. not to mention you may be throwing money at a problem your not sure how to fix.
 
I have all the frontend parts you list plus the track bar on my truck. Huge improvement in ride. The sway bar will help a lot when pulling into ramps at an angle. The spring and shocks for soaking up bumps, and I hear the rear track bar takes a lot of that side to side wiggle out of the back (I have an 3500 so no direct experience). I'd probably do the level kit first but it's all good stuff and is meant to work together. You might add boogie bumps to the list as well.

Get the alignment done to Thuren specs as well. It'll drive much better and tires will last longer. Stock specs have way too much toe in.

Carli has essentially the same stuff as Thuren but Thuren lets you customize more when you get into higher end shocks. Both good companies but I think Thuren has the edge to to custom valving. I got the Bilsteins to hold me over while my King 3.0s got built and am really impressed with how well the Bilsteins work for street driving and mild off road.
 
The front swaybar and rear trackbar will be the biggest improvements IMO, but as the others have said your truck should be tracking true from the factory. Get that fixed before you start upgrading stuff in-case you've got other issues that need to be fixed under warranty. Some dealers are cool, but others won't help you as soon as you start throwing after-market parts on. Once that's fixed then start doing suspension upgrades that match up with your needs/wants out of the truck.

When it comes to helping unloaded ride while retaining most of your payload I'm a huge fan of the Carli R2 rear springs + Sumo bumps(for when you really put some weight back there). That said you do need to run Thuren 2.75/3.0 fronts at a minimum with them IMO otherwise you'll be seriously raked out. My suspension build components are in my sig, but it's also a hodgepodge of components from Thurn, Carli, Metalcloak, CJC, Fox, and Supersprings rather than a kit from any one brand. Being that I have a CTD 2500 I already have a lower payload and I don't tow/haul much more than one could get away with in the right magical half ton max payload/towing configuration so it's the right "compromise" setup for me meeting unloaded, off the pavement, and towing/hauling needs.

That loose/floaty feeling you describe really isn't all that "fixable" if you're comparing a live axle to an IFS truck like a half-ton. You can do things to make it better like a better trackbar from Thuren or Carli, but even in my configuration I pretty much float down the hwy due to all the extra movement/flex allowed by the metalcloak 2 piece radius arms. It's something you just get used to driving HD trucks and is going to be closer to the feeling you get behind the wheel of a jeep than any modern half-ton.
 
I must have different perspective. Both my wife and I feel the 2500 rides better than my 2020 1500 did. I am very interested to see what improvements people experience with the sway bar and bilstein shocks. I tow a 30’ 7300 lb rv. Really impressed with my truck so far. Of course I just made the first payment. Lol
 
I appreciate all of the responses. Seems like most have loved the sway bar from thuren so I may start there after another trip to the dealer.

Overall I like the truck and love how it pulls my camper but the handling characteristics are going to take some time to get used to I suppose.
 
Maybe you should drive another 2500 to see if yours is similar. I suspect you have something wrong.

I’ve never been impressed with 1500 handling and those feel floaty and loose to me.. without hitting big bumps at interstate speeds, then it’s downright annoying and even scary at times.
 
Milly said:
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Your toe is way out of spec. It should ideally be 0-0.05°, according to Thuren spec. Caster is also on the high side, and technically out of spec. Your drivers front camber is also notably higher than your pass side.

You need to take it to an independent shop whos willing to spend the extra 15-20 mins to make it done right. I'd start there before tossing any parts at it.

Once you get to parts, the swaybar is the single most notable change you can make to the way is handles, larger tires are the biggest for how it rides (assuming good pressure and small rim), closely followed by shocks. The rear track bar def helps settle the rear, but I feel like it's not something everyone will notice, and if I could only do one thing it would be the swaybar on a daily driver.
 
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