Air Ride Suspension Lifespan

[dearmosd]

Hello, I am on this forum to learn more about a potential purchase.

Been scrolling through but haven't found much info about the air ride suspension longevity. Seems the most I found was 2019 models had either pump issues, valve issue or sensors which seems understandable parts to fail but......

What is the longevity of the shocks themselves. I am a DIY mechanic and taking future maintenance into consideration of my purchase being that the shocks are $800 a piece. On average how many miles does one get with the shocks?

 

[SpeedyV]

Most issues I’ve read about were on previous generations (pre-2019). I don’t know about longevity, but my 2019 hasn’t experienced issues yet in the heat of Texas summers or cold of Michigan winters.

 

[My1stHemi]

I’ve helped a friend replace air bags and struts on his Mercedes GL 450 and it was pretty straightforward. Those systems, like the Ram 1500 DS used atmospheric air supply for inflating the air springs. That CAN lead to issues with moisture and contamination which increase risk to system components.
The 1500 DT’s use a closed loop system which is filled with nitrogen. This is a dry, clean inert gas that should increase longevity of the system.

I absolute love my “air” suspension truck and it rides and handles soooo much better than conventional coil and leaf spring trucks. The height adjustment comes in handy and the towing and payload performance is appreciated since it handles loads better than coil-spring trucks. My daily driver work truck is a Ford F150 Platinum, and my Ram Laramie drives like a Cadillac compared to the Ford.

At 72,000 miles I have not had any air suspension related issues and I plan to drive this truck for at least another 130,000miles.

 

[mikeru82]

What is the longevity of the shocks themselves. I am a DIY mechanic and taking future maintenance into consideration of my purchase being that the shocks are $800 a piece. On average how many miles does one get with the shocks?

I don't think anyone can answer your question about longevity because the oldest of these systems are maybe five years old for some of the early 2019 models. Judging by the relative lack of threads about air suspension issues on 5th gens I'd say it's been a pretty reliable system. How long are you planning to keep the truck? Are you shopping for new or used?

 

[dearmosd]

My1stHemi, thank you for the quick lesson and person thoughts on your ride. Personal feedback is what I am looking for.

Mikeru82, I thought the air ride has been a little longer but also realized that if it was equipped on 4th Gen then I am looking in the wrong section too.

I think the closed loop system makes sense on extending the life and that's what I was looking for. I planned on keeping my 2018 Suburban till it died but the ride quality was never great and is getting worse even with trying new springs/shocks/struts. I converted my Magnetic Ride Control struts for conventional struts Bilstein 5100 and although better now feel it's too soft. Overall thinking long term on maintenance with the suspension because that would be the reason I choose the Ram and air ride suspension combo.

 

[mikeru82]

You're right that air ride has been around longer. 4th gens had it as well. But the system was redesigned for 5th gens, and doesn't suffer from the many issues that plagued the system on 4th gens.

Honestly, if you're concerned at all about it you won't be disappointed with the ride on a 5th gen without air ride. I've owned 5th gens with both, and the ride in the truck with coil springs was just as comfortable as our current truck with air ride. The main convenience for having it IMO is to be able to adjust suspension height for different conditions/reasons.

 

[dearmosd]

I don't know I drove two vehicles days apart only difference between the two was the 6 ft 4 in bed had the air ride suspension and the 5 ft 7 bed did not and I thought it was a noticeably different ride much better with the air ride

 

[mikeru82]

The two trucks I mentioned were both crew cab short bed trucks. One was a Laramie (no air ride) and the other a Limited (with air ride). Several of my family members who rode in the Laramie commented on how smooth the ride was. They said it was like a luxury car. It even had the ORG package, which comes with 6-ply AT tires and a 1 inch factory lift.

You gotta go with what you want though, and if your experiences were different then more power to you.

 

[dearmosd]

Well I think I found a diamond in the rough with the combo this used vehicle has. I was looking for a tow capable ride that was smooth for a daily driver. It has a 6'4" bed, I dont care for the 22" wheels but figured I can sell/trade with someone on Marketplace

 

[mikeru82]

That's a well equipped Laramie. The only thing it's missing that I would want are ramboxes and the MFT. But I think you'll find the payload rating on that truck a disappointment because of all those goodies it has. Which will affect the tow rating as well. Not an issue unless you're wanting to tow heavy.

 

[My1stHemi]

I towed a 32’ travel trailer(rented for a week from RV share) and the owner had a steel spring ecodiesel DT that he said was white knuckles with the trailer. My truck towed it like a boss with the Hemi and the air ride. You’ll enjoy it that setup.

I also downsized my original 20” wheels to factory Laramie 18’s with 10ply tires. I prefer more sidewall than rim for the way I use my truck.

 

[dearmosd]

and the MFT

mikeru82, whist is MFT?
I did find the payload lower then I expected at 1301# but a non air ride with 3:21 gears and 5'7" bed still on 22" wheels was only at 1443#. I would only tow a boat/trailer no more then 6k# but will people and gear in the vehicle I would be coming close to limits but thats where my suburban is failing me. Where can I find the vehicle specific tow capacity with the build combo I am looking at? My friend build his f150 with max tow and he claims 3300# out of a crew cab 5'5" bed vehicle

 

[My1stHemi]

Ram payload charts by VIN

 

[dearmosd]

Cool info, thank you . Says max tow was 11k# which is plenty for me.

 

[mikeru82]

mikeru82, whist is MFT?
I did find the payload lower then I expected at 1301# but a non air ride with 3:21 gears and 5'7" bed still on 22" wheels was only at 1443#. I would only tow a boat/trailer no more then 6k# but will people and gear in the vehicle I would be coming close to limits but thats where my suburban is failing me. Where can I find the vehicle specific tow capacity with the build combo I am looking at? My friend build his f150 with max tow and he claims 3300# out of a crew cab 5'5" bed vehicle

Multi Function Tailgate

 

[dearmosd]

Gotcha. Yeah that wouldn't excite me as much as the GMC tailgate.

 

[gwilburn]

I had the 4-corner air suspension on my 2014 (delivered in Sept 2013). Ran it 100,000 miles. Never replaced anything on the air suspension. Did have some issues in the cold sometimes, but they worked out in short order. When i traded, I had an issue where the right rear would drop down when sitting. I think maybe a valve was bad. Dealer didn't want to fool with it.
BTW - pretty sure even back then it was a closed-loop system running on nitrogen.

 

[mikeru82]

Gotcha. Yeah that wouldn't excite me as much as the GMC tailgate.

Haha the GMC tailgate is all hype. I mean, the commercials were mildly amusing...at first. Then they became annoying. Their tailgate does nothing that interests me. The MFT does the one thing I do want, which is to get out of the way and allow me to load and unload items without the need to reach over the open tailgate. Include the center deployable step and you can easily get in and out of the bed.

The choice is yours of course, but unless you've actually used one you can't know what you're missing, short of removing the tailgate completely to load and unload stuff. Which is not really practical on a regular basis.

 

[dearmosd]

Didn't excite me enough to continue looking at GM. Picked up my Ram on Monday

 

[mikeru82]

Congrats on your new truck. It's traditional to include pics when you announce something like that.