DODGE RAM SUSPENSION: 101

Designing and manufacturing suspension for the Dodge Ram series trucks is a delicate balance of engineering, art and brute strength. Creating suspension systems that enable a vehicle delivered by Daimler Chrysler to land 7 foot high jumps and float over desert whoops is certainly a challenge. Inside this article base, you can discover how Dodge Ram Suspension is developed from research, the conceptual phases and testing... all the way to producing a production ready system with massive capability. The photo below hardly resembles a vehicle that you would throw at a desert floor at high speeds, but this is the base platform that we start with.

Dodge Ram Front Suspension

The front end of the Dodge Ram Suspension system is a basic 4-link design. The solid front axle is married to the frame via 4 control arms and controlled by shocks run through the coil springs. There are only a couple of configurations for solid axle 4x4 trucks, 4-link and radius arm setups. Dodge employs the 4-link configuration that we'll be going through in this article base. Carli Suspension doesn't alter the O.E.M. Dodge Ram configuration and all products bolt right into place in leu of their stock counterpart.

Dodge Ram Rear Suspension

In the rear of the Dodge Ram 2500/3500 truck, you'll find a live axle with leaf springs. Leaf springs offer a much greater increase in spring rate than that of a coil spring, which affords light rates for unloaded ride quality and heavier rates for payload capacity. Shocks are mounted to either the frame rail (passenger side) or a chassis crossmember (driver side).

Dodge Ram Chassis

The Dodge Ram is built on a hydro-formed frame, the strongest process you can use, which is the base of their Dodge Ram series truck line up. Boasting incredible strength and capability - being the highest performing line up of trucks that America produces. You can view all stock Dodge Ram 2500/3500 features and specifications directly from Dodge.com and see the figures based on model, engine options and add-ons for the most up-to-date information on the Dodge Ram series.

Dodge Ram O.E.M. Suspension

As a manufacturer, you're tasked with pleasing everyone, which brings in some compromise. Making a truck drive like a car, that can tow a 14,000 lbs trailer, carry over a ton in the bed, have a 4+ star crash rating and bust brush off road is probably impossible to deliver a 10 in every category... so the result is prioritization. What's are American's buying a Dodge Ram to do? Let's start with the obvious here:

1. Daily driver
2. Work truck
3. Towing and payload
4. Recreation

The truck will certainly have to have a plush freeway ride to accommodate customers. It should have enough space and capacity for workmen to carry tools and equipment. It should tow your boat, RV, dirt bikes and toys and should be able to ford a creek on a fishing trip. And Chrysler did pretty good on the 3rd Gen Dodge Ram line up. I assure you that the engineers at Chrysler didn't come into the office one day after the Board of Directors decided that the next model year should be able to drive through Mexico at 30-50 mph, off road and for hundreds of miles... just because it's fun. Nah, somebody else had to help make that happen.

Carli Suspension

So now we explore the more acute focused Dodge Ram Suspension systems that deliver the fun factor while still affording you the O.E.M. towing, payload and an even better ride quality, while being able to take an off-road thrashing and beg for more

Dodge Ram Suspension: Spring Rates