A/S

[A4Owner]

Is this air suspension system a soft cushy ride or a hard firm ride? Roads in my area suck...massive pot holes, lotta expansion joints, train tracks...cracks. I feel like the a/s would be smoother in this environment but now I'm not sure. I read one reviewer who said it was "crashy" compared to coils???

 

[stevj]

Regardless of the suspension you have, a pothole is a pothole, and you're gonna feel it.
Try to miss them so you won't crack a rim.

Steve

 

[RAL]

I found that all of the 5th gen Rams had a significantly better ride than the competition - F150, Silverado, Tundra. Not even close in fact. The Limited we drove (borrowed for several days) had improved ability to recover from multiple disturbances, but it was subtle, relative to the regular suspension. To me, the biggest advantage of the air suspension is the ability to keep the truck level if you are regularly towing. The downside of air suspension is that, common to many of the German sedans that use a similar system, typical suspension freshening in the 75k-125k range will be several order of magnitudes higher than a standard set up. That is only a concern if the money is material to you and if you keep the truck that long.

If you are concerned about pavement where you live, another thing to keep in mind is wheel diameter. The larger the wheel, the smaller the tire sidewalk and this will cause a deterioration in ride quality. My truck has 20s and while they look gorgeous, from a ride perspective I have no doubt a smaller wheel would improve it. Some of the limiteds have optional wheel sizes up to la 22 IIRC. I would avoid that size and stick with the smaller standard wheel. In my judgment, wheel size and sidewall cushion play a greater role in what you perceive in the cabin because by definition a suspension can only react to what is transmitted and if you lessen what is transmitted at the wheel, you will improve the ride.

Good luck, HTH.

 

[A4Owner]

I found that all of the 5th gen Rams had a significantly better ride than the competition - F150, Silverado, Tundra. Not even close in fact. The Limited we drove (borrowed for several days) had improved ability to recover from multiple disturbances, but it was subtle, relative to the regular suspension. To me, the biggest advantage of the air suspension is the ability to keep the truck level if you are regularly towing. The downside of air suspension is that, common to many of the German sedans that use a similar system, typical suspension freshening in the 75k-125k range will be several order of magnitudes higher than a standard set up. That is only a concern if the money is material to you and if you keep the truck that long.

If you are concerned about pavement where you live, another thing to keep in mind is wheel diameter. The larger the wheel, the smaller the tire sidewalk and this will cause a deterioration in ride quality. My truck has 20s and while they look gorgeous, from a ride perspective I have no doubt a smaller wheel would improve it. Some of the limiteds have optional wheel sizes up to la 22 IIRC. I would avoid that size and stick with the smaller standard wheel. In my judgment, wheel size and sidewall cushion play a greater role in what you perceive in the cabin because by definition a suspension can only react to what is transmitted and if you lessen what is transmitted at the wheel, you will improve the ride.

Good luck, HTH.

Sorry but that's a complex, long winded response. I don't mind the length mind you...but the complexity was a bit much. Only words I understood were MONEY and "Not even close in fact" in connection with the other incumbents. What is "freshening"??? NO CLUE what you mean by that. None in fact.

 

[DEG]

I have a limited with the 4 corner air suspension and can't really tell any difference in ride quality from my 2017 without air.

 

[A4Owner]

Sorry and to clarify the issue further, let's remove money and functionality from the discussion. IF I was to ask PURELY which Gen 5 suspension set up, coils or a/s had the "Superior" ride quality, which would it be. And feel more than free to outline what "Superior" even is to yourself.

 

[A4Owner]

I have a limited with the 4 corner air suspension and can't really tell any difference in ride quality from my 2017 without air.

Okay thanks...just to ask where the wheels and tires similar to both?

 

[DEG]

Okay thanks...just to ask where the wheels and tires similar to both?

No, I had 20s on my 2017 and 22s on my current ram with air suspension.

The only time I get a shock from the air suspension is when I lower it to entry/exit mode in the garage to clean the windows or access the bed easier and forget when I back out. I have about a 3 inch drop exiting my garage and I think it hits the bump stops when in entry/exit mode. It automatically raises to normal ride height after a few MPH so it's not an issue driving down the road..

 

[RAL]

Sorry but that's a complex, long winded response. I don't mind the length mind you...but the complexity was a bit much. Only words I understood were MONEY and "Not even close in fact" in connection with the other incumbents. What is "freshening"??? NO CLUE what you mean by that. None in fact.

Tempted to respond but won’t. Good luck with your search.

 

[Ceri]

Coming from several trucks with coil springs (and rear leaf springs) on the last 4 trucks I've owned, most of which I've modified their suspension systems significantly in one way or another, the air suspensions is the smoothest even with my night edition 22" rims. I've got a 4" lift on order for it, and when that goes on, I'm switching to 18s with 35s for added sidewall because I think this ride could get even better with more rubber.

I had rear drop shackles on my '02 ram 1500 and 20s on street tires. It softened the rear end too much compared to the front, so it was "hoppy" going over bumps at speed.

I had front leveling spacers on my '04 ram 1500 on 20s on street tires and later some nitto terra grapplers (leaning a little more all terrain) and added a hellwig rear sway bar. It was very planted, but could be jarring going over big changes in the road and while the truck was well planted, passengers could feel the G force in a corner.

I had a 3" body lift, plus cranked torsion bars and a rear add-a-leaf in my '05 ram 1500. I changed up the rims on that one and ran 18s with 35s. Loved the ride quality compared to all my previous trucks.

My sister had a 4th gen single cab 2013 with the 4 corner coil spring suspension and I also had a rental quad cab for a couple of weeks (~2014-2015 model year). I didn't hate it, but it definitely felt different to drive than my 3rd gens. I would guess that's closer to the 5th gen coil spring setup, though I haven't driven one. They were fine, but felt a little too car-like for me to want to step into a 4th gen with coils.

On my current 2022 limited, the air suspension system is jarring when I set it up to Offroad 2 (maximum), but Offroad 2 is for trail crawling, and reverts downward when you get up above 20ish mph for too long. You can feel the stiffness, and it's very reactive/bumpy. Entry/Exit can be similarly jarring, but more because of the bump stops if you roll over a parking lot pot hole. Entry/Exit has a limit of 5 mph, so you wouldn't be spending much time there either. In Normal or Aero modes, where I spend 98% of my time, you still know when you go over something big, but the truck never loses responsiveness and doesn't feel floaty like some GM trucks I've driven. Factory GM trucks feel disconnected between the cabin and the frame, like the wheels go one direction and the rest of the cab wants to keep going the other. Even on the Ram with the body lift, I never felt that disconnect.

I can't compare apples to apples with the coil setup in the 5th gens as I haven't spent a significant amount of time driving one other than test drives. To answer your question, the air suspension is "softish", but maintains good stability and handling. I'm not a fan of the factory Pirellis at all, but I've mostly been running all terrains for the last 10 years on my trucks. I'm hoping that switching from 22s on skinny rubber to 18s with fat rubber will improve the ride quality even more, and I've got a shopping cart with a Hellwig rear sway bar if the lift diminishes the handling.

 

[A4Owner]

Ok thanks. A/s is a standard option on the LTD in my local market. You have to pay a fee to get it deleted and replaced with coils. I'd never do that because in my mind that would be stupid even if, down the road, the system would be needing for some expensive repairs. The only actual experience I have with a/s was in a Jaguar XKR. That cat was a sweet ride, but comparing it to a large truck makes little sense so I won't. I know that the overall ride quality of 1500 series trucks has experienced a quantum leap in the past 20 years, and I'm aware that Rams ride by far the nicest.

 

[BowDown]

Where you will find the air suspension superior isn't the absorption of bumps or surface irregularities, it's the recovery from those surface irregularities.
An air ride truck and a coil suspension truck will but absorb the bump the same however the air rise suspension will absorb the subsequent suspension rebounds after a bump. On other words, the coil truck may continue to one or more rebounds after a bump whereas the air ride truck typically has none (the recovery).

The air ride does a better job of smoothing the ride on an average roadway but do not think it's going to turn a washboard road have into a smooth ride.
The air suspension ride is not at all firm however it's firmest ride is OR2.
Aero and normal are not land yacht soft either and handle just fine.

Don't listen to the expense comments, get the warranty if you're concerned

 

[barrak]

Ride quality is only a tithe of air suspension's benefits. A user might care for some but not for others.

Air suspension helps entry/exit; so do side steps, especially the deployable type... actually more practical (quicker) and easier to maintain.
It levels the truck with a heavy trailer; so does better hitch equipment and training... actually safer.
It smoothens the ride; but only marginally, given the excellent 1500 ride without it.
It hunkers the vehicle down at highway speeds; probably a worthy benefit for frequent long commutes... would like to see comparative mpg numbers (without the Moose Mode, please!).
It levels the truck when the bed is max loaded; probably worth it for frequent overlanding use.
Edit: Missed an obvious one: off-road/deep snow/fording maneuvers.

Ok... maybe not exactly a tithe.

I chose the Longhorn to avoid the mandatory air suspension on the Limited. For my use I have no regrets... even though I daily-drove an air-suspended Audi Q7 for six years.

Curious to know: Does air suspension negatively impact load/tow rating as other optional equipment do?

 

[CalvinC]

From my many test drives, I found the ride COMFORT very similar between the two.

However the CONTROL and SOPHISTICATION between the two was very clearly different.

The coil sprung GT and Laramie (22s & 20s respectively) I drove were very floaty, and almost felt like they gyrated in sweeping corners. Stitching multiple corners together, like a right-left-right I felt the coils were surprisingly sloppy.

Nothing Some 5100s and a Hellwig couldn’t fix, but I was genuinely surprised, as I expected the AS to be the wallowy land yacht option.

It wasn’t. AS was superbly damped - the “one and done” comments are spot on.
For on-road I think that’s the way to go, if you don’t care to mod the suspension yourself.

Another understanding I have - someone please correct me if I’m wrong - is that if/when the AS fails you can replace it with conventional suspension fairly directly. You’d only have some orphaned airlines, buttons and need some programming to rid DTCs.

So my plan is to replace the full system with a Fox DSC setup with rear Eibach springs & new UCAs if/when needed.

Since we live in a world where people rip out brand new suspensions to put in systems like this anyway, I think the fear of AS repair cost is highly overblown.

Plus if you’re shopping a new Limited, you’re not exactly pinching pennies anyway.

 

[Darksteel165]

Ride quality is only a tithe of air suspension's benefits. A user might care for some but not for others.

Air suspension helps entry/exit; so do side steps, especially the deployable type... actually more practical (quicker) and easier to maintain.
It levels the truck with a heavy trailer; so does better hitch equipment and training... actually safer.
It smoothens the ride; but only marginally, given the excellent 1500 ride without it.
It hunkers the vehicle down at highway speeds; probably a worthy benefit for frequent long commutes... would like to see comparative mpg numbers (without the Moose Mode, please!).
It levels the truck when the bed is max loaded; probably worth it for frequent overlanding use.
Edit: Missed an obvious one: off-road/deep snow/fording maneuvers.

Ok... maybe not exactly a tithe.

I chose the Longhorn to avoid the mandatory air suspension on the Limited. For my use I have no regrets... even though I daily-drove an air-suspended Audi Q7 for six years.

Curious to know: Does air suspension negatively impact load/tow rating as other optional equipment do?

You missed one of the great benefits. Easy to work under the truck with no lift or jack. That will pay for the suspension itself over the years of needing to do work under it. I even replaced my exhaust myself without cutting anything or paying someone with a lift to do it.

 

[barrak]

You missed one of the great benefits. Easy to work under the truck with no lift or jack. That will pay for the suspension itself over the years of needing to do work under it. I even replaced my exhaust myself without cutting anything or paying someone with a lift to do it.

Never thought of this one. Will definitely consider that for the next purchase... if the belly keeps on growing.

 

[Darksteel165]

Never thought of this one. Will definitely consider that for the next purchase... if the belly keeps on growing.

Belley or not, extra space for arms is always welcome. And go up on ramps and you can do almost anything under there.
Was a big selling point for me.

 

[BowDown]

I use the air suspension to carolina squat my truck



Crispyyyy

 

[barrak]

I use the air suspension to carolina squat my truck

View attachment 173240

Crispyyyy

Drop the front as well and no one can touch your cats... CAT-Squat!

 

[TAJ45]

I found that all of the 5th gen Rams had a significantly better ride than the competition - F150, Silverado, Tundra. Not even close in fact. The Limited we drove (borrowed for several days) had improved ability to recover from multiple disturbances, but it was subtle, relative to the regular suspension. To me, the biggest advantage of the air suspension is the ability to keep the truck level if you are regularly towing. The downside of air suspension is that, common to many of the German sedans that use a similar system, typical suspension freshening in the 75k-125k range will be several order of magnitudes higher than a standard set up. That is only a concern if the money is material to you and if you keep the truck that long.

If you are concerned about pavement where you live, another thing to keep in mind is wheel diameter. The larger the wheel, the smaller the tire sidewalk and this will cause a deterioration in ride quality. My truck has 20s and while they look gorgeous, from a ride perspective I have no doubt a smaller wheel would improve it. Some of the limiteds have optional wheel sizes up to la 22 IIRC. I would avoid that size and stick with the smaller standard wheel. In my judgment, wheel size and sidewall cushion play a greater role in what you perceive in the cabin because by definition a suspension can only react to what is transmitted and if you lessen what is transmitted at the wheel, you will improve the ride.

Good luck, HTH.