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2022 Laramie 1500 - Fox 2.0 ruined my ride quality and 20 inch wheels ruined my power curve!

mister_chui

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I just gave my 2017 Laramie 1500, which I absolutely loved, to my son as a reward for joining the Air Force instead of going to some party college. In January I bought CPO a bone stock 2022 Laramie with no additional packages like Sport or Off-Road. Only "upgrade" was the e-torque hybrid. I didn't really want that, but It was a good deal and a sexy Hydro Blue so I jumped. Right off the lot it felt pretty darn good, power delivery was great. average mileage was about 17, ride was plush and quiet. Very nice.
However, the suspension was SOOOO soft it was almost dangerous in any kind of quicker cornering or emergency maneuver. Huge amounts of body roll. The 265/75/18 tires also looked like they belonged on a minivan and would blow a sidewall at the first high speed waterbar on a dirt road. No tread depth, no meat at all. So I figured I'd fix both problems in one go, and got a set of Fox 2.0 shocks with eibach springs, and some OEM 20" wheels from the Off-Road package, and some 275/65/20 BFG's to go on them. I left the front shocks at the minimum lift setting, .75 inch, so I didnt need new control arms, as it was inside the OEM geometry for the Off Road pack. 33 inch OD compared to 32 on the stock tires, I figured a 3% increase would barely affect the stock power curve but boy was I wrong. . Looked super cool, but DAMN they didn't do the power delivery, gas mileage, or ride quality any favors! 0-60 is now around the 8 second mark, waaaay off the published 6.7 seconds and slower than my 2017. Gas mileage in my normal mix went from 17 to 15, and the new suspension handles great in the corners but the ride quality sucks. Bouncy and jittery in place of the previous Cadillac ride. So I have a few questions:

1 - Stock rear end in this truck is the 3.22. To get back to the stock gearing it had with the original tires I'd need like a 3.32 which as far as I can tell nobody makes. Next step up in an OEM product in is the 3.90 gears which seem like a huge jump that may have unintended consequences. Is going to the Gen 4 3.55 gears an option? Are the internals or the entire pumpkins interchangeable? Would that even fix the twin problems of slow acceleration and lower economy?

2 - Anybody know the stock spring rate of the base Laramie? The Fox 2.0's came with new Eibach springs, and what I'm feeling cant all just be damping, the spring rate has to be higher as well, but its not published on the Fox spec. I'd love to go like halfway back to the stock feel, but not all the way because the body roll was truly alarming on mountain roads. Some of it is down to going to lower profile, 10 ply tires, but I had those same BFG's on my 2017 and it didnt have these problems, is that just down to it having the Off Road package suspension tuning? New models also have the 22 inch wheel option with 45 series tires, and those probably ride just fine so it cant all be tires. Do they get different springs between trims or just different shocks?

Overall I'm feeling a bit frustrated. I loved my 2017, it was the best vehicle I've ever had, and this one just feels off.
 
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Jedi9

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Do a Jscan or Alfawhatever flash for the new tire size on the truck. You may be surprised at the difference as its not just speedo correction but it will impact shift points of the transmission. I went to 295s and thought I turned it into a dog but was very happy after I reprogrammed and my torque and gas mileage came back.
 

JerryBsizzle

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Do a Jscan or Alfawhatever flash for the new tire size on the truck. You may be surprised at the difference as its not just speedo correction but it will impact shift points of the transmission. I went to 295s and thought I turned it into a dog but was very happy after I reprogrammed and my torque and gas mileage came back.
Agree. I've had 2 5th gens with 35s and both of them performed much better after correcting the tire size. My corrections were done by the dealer.

How many miles do you have on the current setup? Sometimes there will be some time needed to break in the new suspension.

Also, have you ever ran 10 ply tires? There is a huge difference from P-metric or standard load. What tire pressure are you running?
 

Imaso001

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"power delivery, gas mileage, or ride quality" 100% of what you don't like for those things I quoted from your post is because of the wheel size and tires you put on. I run Goodyear Duratrac 275/65/20 and the weight per tire is 63lbs compared to the stock tire 275/55/20 weight of 43 lbs per tire. Stock 18 inch wheels are about 26 lbs per wheel while 20's are around 36 lbs per wheel. Everything you did to the suspension to soften the ride did work, but you have to realize when you add a larger wheel that weighs more and larger tires that weigh more, you will feel much more of the road and your performance, mileage, and ride quality all suffers. Just a quick estimate of what you did, you're looking at adding about 30 pounds of weight per wheel/tire combo. If the ride bothers you that much, ditch the 10 ply and go back to regular tires.
 

Lpsouth1978

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Hellwig Sway bar!!! That would have fixed your cornering and stability issues while keeping the ride stock. Upgrading to E rated (10 ply) tires will affect the ride quality a bit, but I did not find it to be a massive change. As stated above, definitely recalibrate the tire size using JScan or AlfaOBD and the power curve should be good to go, though that 3.21 gearing isn't doing you any favors in that department. :)
 

JerryBsizzle

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I have 3.21's and 35x12.50s (76lbs ea) and have no power issues. Maintains 8th gear cruising at 80mph. Doesn't hunt.
 

boogielander

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fox is designed for performance. cornering performance. offroad performance. different valving and different springs.
the only way to achieve performance and comfort is to get the 2.5 DSCs and turn the small knob all the way down. Also, smaller wheels (18") will help as well as you will have more tire to cushion the road imperfections.

1717749977122.png
Fox 2.5 DSC with Carli UCA, Carli Rebel HD Rear Springs, Carli Rear Sway Bar End Links
Falken Wildpeak AT3W 35x12.5R18. 12 Ply tires.

Slow speed dial cranked to max while high speed dial cranked to lowest for on road in the front while remained maxed out in the rear. Plushy comfort on pavement and I can overtake cars in the mountains and carve corners without feeling like driving a boat.
Slow speed and high speed dial maxed out for off pavement. Comfortable, hitting washboards like they're not there. Going through desert hitting 70MPH is not a problem with ~600lb in the bed.

highest MPG with wheels tires and suspension without camper with ~150lb in the bed was high 18 almost 19.
highest MPG with everything (~600lb) in bed is high 17 almost 18.
City driving MPG empty and fully loaded is still around 15.
 

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