Air Suspension in colder climates

[Dupras]

While I patiently wait with my build in BX stage, I’m looking for some feedback from Ram owners who live in the colder climates (northern states and Canada). In my current build (2022 Limited)I’ve deleted the Air Suspension based on some reading of some challenges that owners have had in the colder climates but I am wondering if that was the older version of the air suspension and if there has been changes to fix the problems for those of us in colder climates. It can get as cold as -35 to -40 Celsius here at times (normal winter temps hover around -20 to -30) and as much as I really want to try the air suspension for ride comfort, should I stick with having it deleted?

Looking for some thoughts and feedback.

 

[Cajun_]

I don't live in anything near what anyone would call a cold climate but this video may help you

I should also say that while the air ride is amazing. The truck still rides better than any other truck on the market without it.

 

[AMS Guru]

I LOVE my air suspension and it's yet another reason I'm a huge Ram fan. Keep in mind people that air suspension is utilized on 75%+ of every commercial truck on the road. Like any feature of any vehicle yes it's capable of issues. Not going to stop me from having it.

 

[SpeedyV]

While I patiently wait with my build in BX stage, I’m looking for some feedback from Ram owners who live in the colder climates (northern states and Canada). In my current build (2022 Limited)I’ve deleted the Air Suspension based on some reading of some challenges that owners have had in the colder climates but I am wondering if that was the older version of the air suspension and if there has been changes to fix the problems for those of us in colder climates. It can get as cold as -35 to -40 Celsius here at times (normal winter temps hover around -20 to -30) and as much as I really want to try the air suspension for ride comfort, should I stick with having it deleted?

Looking for some thoughts and feedback.

In the 3+ years the 5th gen has been in production, I’ve seen very few AS failures reported here…and I’m not certain any were cold weather failures.

 

[djevox]

I have a piece of hard-earned advice that took me a decade and a half to figure out: the forum posters are the 0.01%*. Get what you want and don’t alter it based on forum posts.

* Number is made up and for dramatic effect, but represents the number of actual sales vs people complaining about problems.

 

[Dupras]

Yes I was hoping for some user experiences but you’re absolutely right, doesn’t represent a whole picture, just a very small segment .

I just don’t want to have the truck in the shop all the time if there are air suspension issues in the cold, but I also want the air suspension ride…..ahh first world problems haha

 

[MarvsAMartian]

Might possibly be trading my Sport in for a Limited with Air. Will be sure to update this if/when that happens. Can't really get more north than where I live unless you're in Alaska.

Generally speaking though, the Air Ride on these trucks are horrible in cold weather. I think I've posted here before that there's literally a business dedicated and specialized at removing dead air in these trucks in Edmonton, AB. No first hand experience as I have never owned a truck with air ride, but soo many second and third hand accounts of it happening. Take that for what you will. Air ride in these trucks is amazing, but if you live somewhere its below freezing 8 months of the year then its something to consider.

 

[AMS Guru]

I have a piece of hard-earned advice that took me a decade and a half to figure out: the forum posters are the 0.01%*. Get what you want and don’t alter it based on forum posts.

* Number is made up and for dramatic effect, but represents the number of actual sales vs people complaining about problems.

Well put. Forum members join/comment for a number of reasons: We're passionate about our brand (ME), having an issue-sometimes a major one (I've been there twice with another brand years ago-went through two Lemon-Law buy-backs), or just looking for some information (pretty much all of us).

That being said, the gripes are a LOT, LOT, LOT more vocalized than the praises overall on ANYTHING on the internet with the feeling the "squeaky wheel gets the grease". Any item designed and built by man or beast is definitely capable of having issues and nothing lasts forever here on earth. We buy the products that meet our needs and wants and hope they hold up.

I firmly believe Ram has made major strides over the past 10 years in re-inventing their brand (no pun intended with the name change from Dodge Ram) to become the premier full size truck on the road. All North American brands of full size trucks on the road are admittedly good ones if they are in business today. Ford, GM twins, Toyota, Nissan-and now we've got some newcomers with electric options very soon with Tesla, Rivian, Lordstown, Bollinger, etc.

I just believe for 1/2 ton trucks specifically Ram has the best one for ME and that's all that matters.

I'm open to full-electric pickups and there are things about them that are very exciting such as the incredible acceleration. In my line of work range is extremely important so at this time only the long-range CyberTruck and the upcoming Ram Electric are contenders with 500 mile range. Neither is yet to market. I'll be watching both very closely.

I think RIvian will do well, but there are features (or lack thereof) that put me off with theirs. Ford's Lightning looks compelling and is the most "normal" truck but the advertised range is pathetic even on the "long range" version.

 

[Dupras]

Might possibly be trading my Sport in for a Limited with Air. Will be sure to update this if/when that happens. Can't really get more north than where I live unless you're in Alaska.

Generally speaking though, the Air Ride on these trucks are horrible in cold weather. I think I've posted here before that there's literally a business dedicated and specialized at removing dead air in these trucks in Edmonton, AB. No first hand experience as I have never owned a truck with air ride, but soo many second and third hand accounts of it happening. Take that for what you will. Air ride in these trucks is amazing, but if you live somewhere its below freezing 8 months of the year then its something to consider.

That’s what I have read as well. I’m certainly not that far north haha but northern Ontario does have our fair share of nasty cold weather.

 

[MarvsAMartian]

That’s what I have read as well. I’m certainly not that far north haha but northern Ontario does have our fair share of nasty cold weather.

If I ever move to Texas, best believe I'm getting a RAM with air ride haha. On a similar note, the power folding side steps are also a big issue in cold weather (lots of snow). All that said, if your truck is garage kept all winter you may stand a chance at not having them die on you.

 

[MLB12]

While I patiently wait with my build in BX stage, I’m looking for some feedback from Ram owners who live in the colder climates (northern states and Canada). In my current build (2022 Limited)I’ve deleted the Air Suspension based on some reading of some challenges that owners have had in the colder climates but I am wondering if that was the older version of the air suspension and if there has been changes to fix the problems for those of us in colder climates. It can get as cold as -35 to -40 Celsius here at times (normal winter temps hover around -20 to -30) and as much as I really want to try the air suspension for ride comfort, should I stick with having it deleted?

Looking for some thoughts and feedback.

I'm located in Calgary, Alberta, so about 55 miles east of the base of the Rockies. Due to the location, in the winter months we can see temperature swings in a single day from -30 C(-22 F) to +20 C(+68 F) from 7;00 AM to 12:00 Noon( a 5 hour period). It is a phenomena called a chinook, and while not necessarily exclusive to Calgary and area, they are certainly more common here than anywhere else. Outside of the chinooks our winter weather is pretty normal for Western Canada.

So, where am I going with all this? Since 2014 I've had a '14, '15, '16, '19, and now a '21, all 1500s, all Longhorns. To date I've never had a single problem with the 4-corner air. I sold my '16 to my son-in-law and he did have a problem, but it was an electrical circuit issue, not the air-ride itself, and it only happened once. A co-worker of mine who lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba, which is 948 miles east of me, did have a problem with his '17 Rebel. Rather than risking the possible inconvenience of the air-ride causing issues, he elected to have the dealer change the air-ride out to a more conventional suspension.

All this taken into account, I'd have to say that the 4-corner air on the Rams is extremely good and dependable, and as long as I'm buying Rams to tow my 24' enclosed car hauler they'll always be equipped with the Mother MOPAR optional air.

Outside of the issues that others seem to have, so not disputing their experiences or opinions, what I can say is that from my perspective the suspension has been improving over the years. I'm not sure if that is because of changes in the mechanical engineering of the system overall, or because they keep tweaking the firmware and/or software, or all the above. The ride in my '21 is substantially better than what it was in my '14, and with each successive year just gets better.

So this is just my nickel's worth, but my experience is nothing short of great. If anyone was to ask, I'd say to check the checkbox for the option and get the 4-corner air.

 

[SpeedyV]

I have a piece of hard-earned advice that took me a decade and a half to figure out: the forum posters are the 0.01%*. Get what you want and don’t alter it based on forum posts.

* Number is made up and for dramatic effect, but represents the number of actual sales vs people complaining about problems.

There’s definitely some truth to this. Forums are great for talking yourself out of anything.

Still, I think it’s significant that with (many) tens of thousands of members here, we’ve seen almost no AS issues yet.

 

[ram813ltd]

Might possibly be trading my Sport in for a Limited with Air. Will be sure to update this if/when that happens. Can't really get more north than where I live unless you're in Alaska.

Generally speaking though, the Air Ride on these trucks are horrible in cold weather. I think I've posted here before that there's literally a business dedicated and specialized at removing dead air in these trucks in Edmonton, AB. No first hand experience as I have never owned a truck with air ride, but soo many second and third hand accounts of it happening. Take that for what you will. Air ride in these trucks is amazing, but if you live somewhere its below freezing 8 months of the year then its something to consider.

i just bought a limited comes standard with air suspension. you'd hardly ever know you were in a truck. only thing i notice and probably because previous truck had stiff suspension is i can't take corners as fast as i used to. i can't comment on air susp. cold weather performance. coldest we get is 30f
$7k off list. couldn't touch a used ram for that around here.

 

[Cajun_]

The 24v battery on the etorque would probably end up being an issue in the cold more than the air suspension. And the system will basically lock itself in normal hight if it detects any problems.

 

[Fatherof3]

I had the air ride in my 2016 Rebel . I had no issues with it for the first 2 1/2 years then the compressor burnt out twice in 7 months . The dealer explained that the system would self level when it was parked and the cold air would freeze a check valve which would make the compressor run until it burnt itself out . I always left mine in normal ride height too .
With that being said my BIL has a 2016 Rebel that he puts in Entry Exit every time he parks it and has never had a problem with his .

 

[Pertzbro]

I paid $3K to have mine deleted after year 5 with it. Started with the rear loosing pressure on the interstate at 75mph. It gave no errors. It was then intermitten and would lose air while parked but then would pump up after starting.

The final straw was when it started doing the front bags. Last February i didn't have any suspension for a week during a real cold snap. Even after putting it in a heated garage. After that i called the dealer to see if they've done it before and he said they had deleted a few Rams and Lincoln Navigators. I wouldnt buy another Ram with the current air suspension design. Mine was a 2015.

 

[Pertzbro]

The 24v battery on the etorque would probably end up being an issue in the cold more than the air suspension. And the system will basically lock itself in normal hight if it detects any problems.

This is false. It WILL lose air in one or all bags and the compressor cannot pump them up in extreme cold.

 

[SpeedyV]

I paid $3K to have mine deleted after year 5 with it. Started with the rear loosing pressure on the interstate at 75mph. It gave no errors. It was then intermitten and would lose air while parked but then would pump up after starting.

The final straw was when it started doing the front bags. Last February i didn't have any suspension for a week during a real cold snap. Even after putting it in a heated garage. After that i called the dealer to see if they've done it before and he said they had deleted a few Rams and Lincoln Navigators. I wouldnt buy another Ram with the current air suspension design. Mine was a 2015.

It will be interesting to see how the 5th gens (with redesigned compressor, etc) hold up compared to your 4th gen.

 

[VectorZ]

Yes I was hoping for some user experiences but you’re absolutely right, doesn’t represent a whole picture, just a very small segment .

I just don’t want to have the truck in the shop all the time if there are air suspension issues in the cold, but I also want the air suspension ride…..ahh first world problems haha

If you do a search you will find this has been discussed multiple times. I live in Alaska and have had two trucks with air suspension and I have never had an issue.

 

[IvoryHemi]

I’m at 38k now and have two hiccups with the air suspension within the last thousand miles or so. Could be a coincidence but both times it sat out overnight.

I love my air suspension and wouldn’t want a Ram without it.