2013 looks to be a good year for Ram HD trucks

[Viperdave]

i agree on not liking coil springs in the rear, a truck is a truck, but as more and more people buy trucks that dont necessarily need them, they want a soft cushy ride. payload, towing, etc dont matter.

 

[JESSE1]

GM used them for years in the '60's and early '70's Chevy and GMC pickups.

 

[Viperdave]

gm did use them from 1960-1972... a favorite of customizers because of how easy it is to lower...

but GM went back to leaf springs... maybe for a good reason (or not)

 

[dodge man]

D.P. if Ford was doing the stuff Dodge is doing, you'd be telling us how great it is. There is nothing wrong with coils on the back of a pick up. The air suspension is so the truck can ride lower at highway speeds, getting just a little bit better fuel mileage. As the quest for better mileage moves ahead, you will see more and more efforts like this to squeeze the last little bit of mpg out of a truck.

 

[s219]

...but as more and more people buy trucks that dont necessarily need them, they want a soft cushy ride. payload, towing, etc dont matter.

Exactly. I bet 80% of the trucks I see are used as cars. It's kind of pathetic.

 

[Brad_Blazer]

Mine will be for truck duty and road trips. I drive a Mazda 3 to work. I won't fault anyone for driving one daily and using it's capabilities 5% of the time or even if it's just the style of vehicle they like and it's always on car duty. Heck, plenty of people on TBN have a lot more tractor than their yard justifies and love every minute of it. It's not pathetic - it's the American Dream!

Besides, if everyone uses their trucks up you'll never find a creampuff decked out garage queen on Craigslist.

 

[Diamondpilot]

D.P. if Ford was doing the stuff Dodge is doing, you'd be telling us how great it is. There is nothing wrong with coils on the back of a pick up. The air suspension is so the truck can ride lower at highway speeds, getting just a little bit better fuel mileage. As the quest for better mileage moves ahead, you will see more and more efforts like this to squeeze the last little bit of mpg out of a truck.

Not true. Coils vs leafs is a no brainer. Look back at these threads and when dodge first announced coils four or so years ago I had concers. I have a USA Today article sitting on my desk right now that the reviewer clearly states the coils have had issues. They compared it to the F150 and GM trucks and chose the F150. They said the Ram fit well between it and the legacy GM that was seriously due for a update.

They work in a SUV but not a truck. The air bags are in to aid in sway more than anything. If you go back and read all my hundreds of respinces to air bag questions I have stated for years I am nit a fan of this bandaid for a bigger truck.

Chris

 

[JESSE1]

Air bag suspension should be standard on all pickups. Considering that most commercial medium and heavy trucks use air bags now means that a good system can be designed. I'm not refering to an air bag assist. I had rear air suspension on three Ford Expeditions and it worked great. I think a heavier version would have worked fine for a half ton pickup. Being able to automatically level a vehicle and softening the suspension of an unloaded truck would be a great asset.

 

[dodge man]

The air suspension on the new Dodges is to raise and lower the truck, at least that how the tout it. It may be there for other reasons. They show it on T.V. commercials all the time, it must be true.

 

[Brad_Blazer]

Leaf springs are horse and buggy technology. They are heavy and most of that weight is unsprung. With a typical leaf spring rear end there is no positive location of the axle, it can spring in any direction. If you think there is a cheaper suspension type than leaf spring you are dreaming. Heavy duty vehicles use leaf springs because it is the cheapest way to spring a heavy load period. I have had them sag and snap right off. Yada yada yada. ..