2023 Rebel drivers side lean standard suspension

[DLantz]

Hi, I recently bought a 2023 Rebel night edition with standard suspension. I noticed that I’ve got a 1/2” noticeable lean to the drivers side both front and back. When you look at the truck from the front & rear it is noticeable. I took it to the dealership and they did there measurements and said it’s within the allowed specs of 15mm. It’s still noticeable and I’d like to fix it. What’s the fix for this bc I’d like to put a leveling kit on it. I was also going to do new shocks and upper control arms. I’m worried that the lean will still be there after the kit is installed. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thx

 

[vincentw56]

Hi, I recently bought a 2023 Rebel night edition with standard suspension. I noticed that I’ve got a 1/2” noticeable lean to the drivers side both front and back. When you look at the truck from the front & rear it is noticeable. I took it to the dealership and they did there measurements and said it’s within the allowed specs of 15mm. It’s still noticeable and I’d like to fix it. What’s the fix for this bc I’d like to put a leveling kit on it. I was also going to do new shocks and upper control arms. I’m worried that the lean will still be there after the kit is installed. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thx

There is another thread on here already about it and many more. Basically it comes down to too bad, live with it. Sometimes the fuel adds wait one side. Or many other things can cause it to. But there's nothing that can be done and no one has ever found a solution for it.

New RAM 1500 not leveled

Hey, I am proud owner of a new RAM 1500 5.7 E-Torque with Douple Cab and standart bed (6.4?). It's my first real US car, and I love it ( I am from Germany and have the pleasure to live here at the Eastcoast for a few years.) To keep a long story short (i searched for the issue, but couldn't...

5thgenrams.com

 

[DLantz]

There is another thread on here already about it and many more. Basically it comes down to too bad, live with it. Sometimes the fuel adds wait one side. Or many other things can cause it to. But there's nothing that can be done and no one has ever found a solution for it.

New RAM 1500 not leveled

Hey, I am proud owner of a new RAM 1500 5.7 E-Torque with Douple Cab and standart bed (6.4?). It's my first real US car, and I love it ( I am from Germany and have the pleasure to live here at the Eastcoast for a few years.) To keep a long story short (i searched for the issue, but couldn't...

5thgenrams.com

There’s no way this is normal to have a brand new truck leaning to the drivers side. It looks absolutely ridiculous. Why did the TRX have a fit for it by installing one part # up could springs on the drivers side. Nobody should pay $80,000 for a crooked truck

 

[vincentw56]

There’s no way this is normal to have a brand new truck leaning to the drivers side. It looks absolutely ridiculous. Why did the TRX have a fit for it by installing one part # up could springs on the drivers side. Nobody should pay $80,000 for a crooked truck

Good luck getting it fixed. I'm sure there are a lot of trucks that lean and no one can actually tell a 1/2 inch difference.

 

[flying53brian]

Add an adjustable lift like the Fox 2.5's and you'll could dial in an extra 1/4-1/2" on drivers side. An expensive fix for sure and not what you probably want to hear.

 

[kdoublep]

Let some air out of the drivers side tires

 

[CalvinC]

Most vehicles have a lean one way or another. Mine has a significant driver side lean.

If you were planning on a level kit anyway you might consider adjustable height shocks and compensate the leaning side a bit. Folks do that a lot on 4Runners & GX's.
Theoretically you are then running a different spring preload, & therefore ride characteristics, if the perch heights are not same both sides, but I've never heard anyone complain.

 

[LaxDfns15]

There’s no way this is normal to have a brand new truck leaning to the drivers side. It looks absolutely ridiculous. Why did the TRX have a fit for it by installing one part # up could springs on the drivers side. Nobody should pay $80,000 for a crooked truck

You're going to have a lot of people tell you it's normal. I didn't think it was normal, and mine leaned about 1/2" as well. I tried everything. Swapped shocks, swapped springs, tested with the bed loaded/unloaded, checked frame heights. Finally concluded it's a warped/improperly installed bed, but I didn't remove the bed to test it. I ended up installing a 1/2" spacer on the driver side. It's, now anywhere between 1/8-1/4" depending on gas level and that's small enough to be negligible. These were what I got and sold the extra to someone else not happy with their lean: 1/2" .5 Inch Rear Coil Spring Spacer Lift Kit Set for 2009-2018 Dodge Ram 1500 747989912732 | eBay

Good luck getting it fixed. I'm sure there are a lot of trucks that lean and no one can actually tell a 1/2 inch difference.

Most people that aren't car/truck guys that just glance at your truck? They won't notice. I noticed it within 2 months of ownership on my truck. I can feel a 1/2" difference when I change the PSI in the air bags. Once you notice it once, you notice it forever.

 

[Darksteel165]

My truck and previous trucks have been level side to side.
Shouldn't of taken ownership if it wasn't right before you gave anyone any money for it.

 

[boogielander]

Saw similar question somewhere in the facebook groups but here's my answer as a tech who does offroad modifications.

• First, ALL makes and models have lean one way or the other, especially when the vehicle's higher off ground. Heck, even Japanese made vehicles have leans, and Japanese are more detail orientated than us in general. It is normal to lean and if it's within spec, don't worry about it.
• My theory for lean is fuel and to compensate for road surface. Fuel tank is on the driver side, so with fuel in take, the weight drops the height a bit. Road surface is not even. Usually, road surface on the passenger side will be slightly lower than driver side to help water runoff when it rains. OE design probably taken that into consideration.

Now, here's what's more important for you moving forward:

• Since you mentioned you want to level/ lift the front, don't worry about the lean because if you use proper kits and have people who know what they're doing, the "lean" can be addressed.
• Proper kits: height adjustable coilovers, NOT spacer lifts. Spacer lifts are junk.
• For proper kits that makes life easier, look for height adjustable shocks that use threads to adjust height. Offerings from King and Fox 2.5 DSC are examples of proper kits. These kits have left and right shocks, and sometimes, depending on which one you got, will come pre-adjusted to address the lean. Best to consult the shock manufacturer for clarification.
• Kits that utilize clips such as Bilstein 5100s for height adjustment can be used to address the lean issue, but then you'll need to trial and error.
• When doing this, there is no need to upgrade spring rate or anything to address it. Again, leaning is compensated through coilover.
• There is NO NEED to waste your money with heavier rated springs in the front. IF you really must waste that money, send it my way. I'm eyeing that GoFastCamper and I'm about $10k short. Every penny counts.
• When leveling/ lifting, it's best to just go with coilover because the springs on coilovers are designed for that height and the new suspension travel. Don't reuse old springs.

Now, if you're going to "level" it using spacers... forget everything I said.

 

[Rick3478]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the sway bars. If they are not straight, they will pull against the springs and cause lean. If you really want your truck leveled, disconnect one end of each sway bar, then you will know how much is due to springs alone. Once you have corrected for the springs and/or shocks, you can hook the sway bars back up with unequal length links and/or replace them as needed.

 

[LaxDfns15]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the sway bars. If they are not straight, they will pull against the springs and cause lean. If you really want your truck leveled, disconnect one end of each sway bar, then you will know how much is due to springs alone. Once you have corrected for the springs and/or shocks, you can hook the sway bars back up with unequal length links and/or replace them as needed.

When I was chasing mine I disconnected everything and had it sitting on just springs. Axle to frame was equal in all scenarios, ground to frame was not. Putting weight in the bed was the only thing that made them equal.

 

[Rick3478]

When I was chasing mine I disconnected everything and had it sitting on just springs. Axle to frame was equal in all scenarios, ground to frame was not. Putting weight in the bed was the only thing that made them equal.

So if axle to frame was equal but ground to frame was not, that seems to narrow it down to:
Ground - is the surface where you did this actually flat and level?
Tires - are they all the same size and properly inflated for the load?
Especially tires, if you are running unloaded with less than optimal weight, height can vary a lot with small differences in weight, and loading the bed becomes the great equalizer, mashing them down to more solid running dimensions.

 

[LaxDfns15]

So if axle to frame was equal but ground to frame was not, that seems to narrow it down to:
Ground - is the surface where you did this actually flat and level?
Tires - are they all the same size and properly inflated for the load?
Especially tires, if you are running unloaded with less than optimal weight, height can vary a lot with small differences in weight, and loading the bed becomes the great equalizer, mashing them down to more solid running dimensions.

I did everything I could think of except taking off the control arms. Only springs, no tires, flat garage, swapped tires, swapped springs, swapped shocks, hell I swapped the bump stops. Swapped sway bar end links. Everything but take the bed off. End of the day the 1/2" spacer got it to less than 1/4" with a full tank of gas. Good enough for me.