Best looking 2024 1/2 Stock Off-Road Pkg Today

[testerdahl]

It's not just the up and down aspect to the suspension, it's how composed it is when under stress. So if you hit a significant rut in the road with the GM, especially while in a curve, the GM/Ford will side skip in the rear much more, the Ram is more composed and you feel none of that side to side in the rear end.

The downside to the Ram/coils is that it doesn't handle weight as well, the GM and Ford will be easier to setup and more forgiving when it comes time to towing a trailer, I had a rough time getting my truck (Ram) dialed in. It's not just me, a lot of guys coming to a Ram for the first time complain about this, ride is excellent but the towing takes a bit.

All engineering is a compromise one way or the other.

Is it the concern over squat?

 

[Dusdaddy]

Is it the concern over squat?

Yeah, my Ram squats with any weight in the bed like a deer hunter with the squirts. You get used to it. If you haul heavy stuff often, you use airbags in the springs for cargo and a WD hitch for trailers over 5K. That levels out the truck really well and I prefer the ride of the coils over stiffer springs any day.

 

[zonedout]

Is it the concern over squat?

Did you get air suspension or coils?

The Rams with coils are progressive springs, which means the first inch sags quicker than the second.

Squat is not my concern, trucks are made/designed to tow best with some squat, it's more the handling. I had a hard time controlling porpoising in my truck. The coils are also more inbound (sitting towards the center of the truck) vs traditional leafsprings, which means it doesn't control heavy loads in the bed as well either, it gets more vertically "tippy" if that makes sense.

All of this can be tweaked. A properly balanced trailer is key, and running a good WDH is also important. I had the best luck with the Anderson No Sway because the chain setup it uses means there is no "spring" in the hitch itself. Traditional trunion bars (like the husky, equalizer etc) are a dynamic/spring force, and that + the coils in the back means you have two springs/suspensions playing off eachother whereas the Anderson has chains that are static force and never move.

For side to side sway, a better sway bar is key like the Hellwig. Some guys have upgraded the shocks to bilsteins and that works well for them.

Some Rams come with soft cushy tires, especially the cheaper trims with 18 inch rims, replacing those with stiffer sidewalls or even E rated tires is helpful.

My problems ended by upgrading the tires, swaybar, and the Anderson WDH. I'm not a fan of airbags or timbrens or sumo springs, they all change the unloaded ride quality. If you want to keep that best-in-class luxurious ride, then timbrens and sumos are definitely out. There is also reports of cracked frames using those devices (cracking right where the timbrens are mounted) because they constantly pummel the same spot in the frame over and over, the point of the suspension is to soak up the hits and distribute them.

 

[testerdahl]

Did you get air suspension or coils?

The Rams with coils are progressive springs, which means the first inch sags quicker than the second.

Squat is not my concern, trucks are made/designed to tow best with some squat, it's more the handling. I had a hard time controlling porpoising in my truck. The coils are also more inbound (sitting towards the center of the truck) vs traditional leafsprings, which means it doesn't control heavy loads in the bed as well either, it gets more vertically "tippy" if that makes sense.

All of this can be tweaked. A properly balanced trailer is key, and running a good WDH is also important. I had the best luck with the Anderson No Sway because the chain setup it uses means there is no "spring" in the hitch itself. Traditional trunion bars (like the husky, equalizer etc) are a dynamic/spring force, and that + the coils in the back means you have two springs/suspensions playing off eachother whereas the Anderson has chains that are static force and never move.

For side to side sway, a better sway bar is key like the Hellwig. Some guys have upgraded the shocks to bilsteins and that works well for them.

Some Rams come with soft cushy tires, especially the cheaper trims with 18 inch rims, replacing those with stiffer sidewalls or even E rated tires is helpful.

My problems ended by upgrading the tires, swaybar, and the Anderson WDH. I'm not a fan of airbags or timbrens or sumo springs, they all change the unloaded ride quality. If you want to keep that best-in-class luxurious ride, then timbrens and sumos are definitely out. There is also reports of cracked frames using those devices (cracking right where the timbrens are mounted) because they constantly pummel the same spot in the frame over and over, the point of the suspension is to soak up the hits and distribute them.

Just coils on the Big Horn if I'm reading the list correctly. I have towed with air bags before on a Ram, again IIRC, it has been a few years. I also installed air bags on the Silverado. I didn't notice any real change in towing or handling with the air bags. It really just leveled the rear.

I have towed with both a WDH and not. I find the WDH helps with sidewinds more than anything else. I feel pretty comfortable towing with or without a WDH. It just depends on what I'm towing. For example, a camper with tall sidewalls, then a WDH for balance and winds is best. We get pretty good wind gusts in the wide-open prairies in Nebraska.

If I'm towing a dump trailer, a WDH doesn't matter to me.

I hear you on the tires. That can really change how the truck tows since the stock tires are meant more for all purpose tires. Getting a tire more aimed at towing is a big deal.

 

[Fightnfire]

I much prefer leafs when towing to coils and a WDH on anythjing over 5k or tall like a travel trailer. Truck King did some good videos on the difference in coils in the RAM 2500 vs Leafs in the Chevy. My experience in the 1/2 ton realm is similar to their 2500- 3500 experience.