Air Suspension Reviews

[jeffauclair]

There’ve been several members that have stated their 5th-gens have held up in similar weather to yours...like @DakotaRam in this thread! I’m down in Texas now, so I can’t claim that experience with this truck.

Wish can have the texas weather! -30 is bad on vehicle

 

[SpeedyV]

Wish can have the texas weather! -30 is bad on vehicle

True that. 110 isn’t great on a vehicle, but we spend most of our year in the comfortable-to-warm range.

 

[Netmaster]

I had a 2019 Laramie (5th gen) without air, and now I have a 2020 Limited with air. The air ride is definitely softer, more plush, which I prefer. The same bumps that jarred the 19, the 20 kinda floats right over them.

I like the adjustable height but I only use two modes: Normal and Aero. It does allow me to announce I’m engaging Aero mode like we’re about to enter warp speed when we hit the highway..

 

[Reverse]

We have a 2014 without air, and a 2020 with air suspension.

Now, the 2014 has 176,000 miles on it, so the shocks probably aren't at their best anymore. That said, the comfort level between the two is jarring. I usually drive the air suspension truck, and whenever I get in the 2014 I feel like there's no suspension at all The air suspension is very good at absorbing bad road surface.

The aero thing is cool, but doesn't get me any better fuel mileage. I have driven with it disabled, and mileage is virtually same. Sure is handy when driving into a low parking garage though

I don't live in a cold climate, but I have driven it there and have had no problems (35,000 miles on it)

 

[securityguy]

Had my 2019 for two years and the air suspension never had an issue and I would only buy a 2021 that had it as well. Great suspension!

 

[86grand]

"Theres more bad than good."

How many Rams with this air ride are on the road and in cold climates? No there is not 51% with complaints.

Also, I believe it is an entirely closed system, hot and cold cycles should not impact it as much as it seems people claim. Do you have more wet farts if you go through hot and cold cycles?


I want the title of "most posts with least value" lol

I've gone into a well air conditioned Taco Bell in the middle of Florida summer and definitely saw an increase after i ate and went back outside

 

[Jeepdinger]

I felt that way at first (coming from a 3/4-ton), but between the ORG and Hellwig, I’m very comfortable with it now.

Although...I would not have said “bounce”. That’s how I’d describe an F-150. I’d say what I initially observed was more of a “float” at high speeds.

@SpeedyV I just test drove a air ride ram. It was smooth, but definitely floated around. kind of like how a boat tracks when going slow. little up/down and side/side motion. Does ORG tame this with the HD shocks, or did the hellwig cut down on the motion? Trying to test drive all the suspension variations to figure out what I like best is a pain. You can forget test driving the aftermarket upgrades. I know I like the coil springs/ORG which rides like a german sedan. I like how smooth air ride is, but I just don't think I like that floaty feeling. Do you get used to it? Does Hellwig eliminate it, or just reduce feel?

Anyone in Atlanta (northeast) area have any experience or comments with these options?

Thanks for any comments/advice.

 

[Neurobit]

@SpeedyV I just test drove a air ride ram. It was smooth, but definitely floated around. kind of like how a boat tracks when going slow. little up/down and side/side motion. Does ORG tame this with the HD shocks, or did the hellwig cut down on the motion? Trying to test drive all the suspension variations to figure out what I like best is a pain. You can forget test driving the aftermarket upgrades. I know I like the coil springs/ORG which rides like a german sedan. I like how smooth air ride is, but I just don't think I like that floaty feeling. Do you get used to it? Does Hellwig eliminate it, or just reduce feel?

Anyone in Atlanta (northeast) area have any experience or comments with these options?

Thanks for any comments/advice.

Hellwig helped a lot for me. Much less “floaty”.

 

[cj7]

@SpeedyV I just test drove a air ride ram. It was smooth, but definitely floated around. kind of like how a boat tracks when going slow. little up/down and side/side motion. Does ORG tame this with the HD shocks, or did the hellwig cut down on the motion? Trying to test drive all the suspension variations to figure out what I like best is a pain. You can forget test driving the aftermarket upgrades. I know I like the coil springs/ORG which rides like a german sedan. I like how smooth air ride is, but I just don't think I like that floaty feeling. Do you get used to it? Does Hellwig eliminate it, or just reduce feel?

Anyone in Atlanta (northeast) area have any experience or comments with these options?

Thanks for any comments/advice.

More likely inherent bias than anything else. Drove both back to back, and the smoother ride might give some the impression of more float, but not in reality. As for the ORG riding like a German sedan, sorry, that comparison doesn’t seem fair. Some just like the firmer ride...I do as well, but save that for the other cars in the driveway.

I have both (German sports sedan and air ride 1500), and the ORG RAM was neither. The air 1500 rides more like an American luxury car, which would normally not be my pref, but was by far the best on-road driving experience of any pickup I tried. The ORG coil 1500 rides like a better damped, softer sprung, much more livable F150. That said, either air or coil 1500s are vastly better driving than the current 150.

I would definitely get the air suspension again. I use the ride height adjustment a fair amount - commuting in Aero, towing in Normal (love the auto-leveling), thru the snow and light off road in OR1, OR2 for when I need to get under the truck, and Entry/Exit sometimes for loading. Normal rides a bit stiffer than Aero, for reference.

while the EcoBoost F150 def has more grunt, the air ride, MFT, and interior, are top reasons to buy the 1500 DT...

 

[cj7]

Hellwig helped a lot for me. Much less “floaty”.

Not sure how that works - roll bars do nothing on a smooth road. What changes did you notice? Maybe we have different ideas about what “floaty” means...

 

[Neurobit]

Not sure how that works - roll bars do nothing on a smooth road. What changes did you notice? Maybe we have different ideas about what “floaty” means...

Less body roll. It’s a huge improvement over stock.
That was the only drawback for me on the RAM. Not that this is not a fault of the air suspension, but of the flimsy OEM bar that these trucks come with.

 

[SpeedyV]

@SpeedyV I just test drove a air ride ram. It was smooth, but definitely floated around. kind of like how a boat tracks when going slow. little up/down and side/side motion. Does ORG tame this with the HD shocks, or did the hellwig cut down on the motion? Trying to test drive all the suspension variations to figure out what I like best is a pain. You can forget test driving the aftermarket upgrades. I know I like the coil springs/ORG which rides like a german sedan. I like how smooth air ride is, but I just don't think I like that floaty feeling. Do you get used to it? Does Hellwig eliminate it, or just reduce feel?

I came from a 3/4-ton truck, so the "float" was obvious to me when I first drove a Ram equipped with the air suspension. The ORG definitely helps with up/down motion; it feels like a much "heavier" truck with the ORG (in a good way). But the ORG didn't address the feeling of side sway and understeer that I felt with the air suspension. The Hellwig eliminates this and can even make the truck feel like it can oversteer. It's shocking (to me) that a slightly stiffer bar makes such a profound difference, but it does.

 

[Trooper4]

I have had to put Air Line Antifreeze (Methyl Cloride) into my "On Board Air System"
to keep the Air Selenoid from Freezing up. I have an Oil and Water Filter on the
compressor line already. You can get the Antifreeze from a NAPA auto parts as
it is what the Semi Drivers have to put into their air system.

Malodave

You might put it into on-board air, but unless you're a better mechanic than me, you can't put it into the air ride on a 1500 limited. It's a closed nitrogen filled system.

 

[kapinallinen2]

Living in a fairly temperate climate so no help on the performance in arctic conditions.
I do find my Rebel to track and corner incredibly well with maybe a hint of under-steer if pushed very hard.
This thing is riding on Duratracks, I am impressed, would get the air suspension again.
Ford has done some suspension upgrades to improve unladen ride quality, the 2019 I test drove did not hold a candle to the Ram.

 

[Malodave]

You might put it into on-board air, but unless you're a better mechanic than me, you can't put it into the air ride on a 1500 limited. It's a closed nitrogen filled system.

I just saw that recently. The system is Hermetically Sealed.

Malodave

 

[Trooper4]

I just saw that recently. The system is Hermetically Sealed.

Malodave

Yep, and those little Hermetts worked their butts off to get it that way and keep it that way.

 

[A4Owner]

I have had to put Air Line Antifreeze (Methyl Cloride) into my "On Board Air System"
to keep the Air Selenoid from Freezing up. I have an Oil and Water Filter on the
compressor line already. You can get the Antifreeze from a NAPA auto parts as
it is what the Semi Drivers have to put into their air system.

Malodave

Good advice. So as a non Truck guy should I seriously consider doing this if I buy my first Ram and it has air ride? Would there be other Gen 5 owners of '19 or '20 trucks that have had sufficient time/mileage to verify this procedure? Probably not eh?

 

[SpeedyV]

Good advice. So as a non Truck guy should I seriously consider doing this if I buy my first Ram and it has air ride? Would there be other Gen 5 owners of '19 or '20 trucks that have had sufficient time/mileage to verify this procedure? Probably not eh?

There have been very few (if any?) problems reported on the 5th gen air suspension. And I’ve not seen anyone discuss messing with this sealed system.

 

[A4Owner]

So just so I understand this more clearly. The idea with the air suspension models is - during an extended cold period- you wanna put a couple small drops of Air Brake Antifreeze into that hose out back by the rear right tail light then eh? The idea is the fumes from the Air Brake antifreeze melt any condensation that would have frozen the lines of the system up? So like is it that if the lines get sections that are frozen, the computer "cannot know" whether the truck is level or not and you get situations where like the one guy said the truck pitches forward all the way to the ground yet the a$$ end is in Off Road 2 mode?

 

[cj7]

Good advice. So as a non Truck guy should I seriously consider doing this if I buy my first Ram and it has air ride? Would there be other Gen 5 owners of '19 or '20 trucks that have had sufficient time/mileage to verify this procedure? Probably not eh?

No. Don’t mess with the sealed system until you have to fix it. Odds are opening it, even to add antifreeze, will cause more harm than good.