Anyone running Carli Suspension?

[mplaramie]

Looking at the Carli Commuter suspension for the incoming new 24 Ram. Dealer paid up for my 23 Ram trade in with current Icon and Core 4x4 set up so time to start over. Once dialed in, the Icons were great! However, been there, done that.

I have the 3" BDS w/Fox DCS Performance kit in a box (never opened) that I may use but looking to get opinions and feedback.

Anyone who is running the Carli set up, please chime in....... Or of course, any other suggestions are always welcome.

 

[H2OMAN]

The Commuter will not be as plush as your Icons but still an excellent system. Carli has upgraded systems as well.

 

[mplaramie]

The Commuter will not be as plush as you Icons but still an excellent system. Carli has upgraded systems as well.

Appreciate the feedback. One of my concerns was that Carli went to a proprietary coil over and shock recently. May stick with the Icons or us the BDS that's sitting around.

 

[H2OMAN]

Appreciate the feedback. One of my concerns was that Carli went to a proprietary coil over and shock recently. May stick with the Icons or us the BDS that's sitting around.

Correct. The Commuter is now proprietary. Also, still no reservoirs or adjustability. But it is a steal at $2400 with rear coils and end links.

 

[CalvinC]

First time I’ve seen the word “plush” associated with Icons.

Theyre outstanding shocks it seems.

OP would you describe the Icons as plush?
If I can get that + their handling benefits…

 

[H2OMAN]

First time I’ve seen the word “plush” associated with Icons.

Theyre outstanding shocks it seems.

OP would you describe the Icons as plush?
If I can get that + their handling benefits…

Well, I can tell you that the Fox 2.5 PE's are extremely plush. The amount of adjustability is insane.

 

[mplaramie]

First time I’ve seen the word “plush” associated with Icons.

Theyre outstanding shocks it seems.

OP would you describe the Icons as plush?
If I can get that + their handling benefits…

Ride is always subjective but YES, I think they ride plush for a performance coilover/shock. Fox and king have crazy adjustability but the Icons have been great! Yes, you feel the road but I stay planted, stable and they eat up bumps. My Ram handles like a sports car. Only issue I had was the rear spring clank that most dual rate progressive springs have. A couple coil sleeves and no clank.

With them on sale for the Holiday, I may actually buy them again for the new RAM if I don't go with Carli or the BDS that I already have.

 

[DownNTexas]

Ride is always subjective but YES, I think they ride plush for a performance coilover/shock. Fox and king have crazy adjustability but the Icons have been great! Yes, you feel the road but I stay planted, stable and they eat up bumps. My Ram handles like a sports car. Only issue I had was the rear spring clank that most dual rate progressive springs have. A couple coil sleeves and no clank.

With them on sale for the Holiday, I may actually buy them again for the new RAM if I don't go with Carli or the BDS that I already have.

Soooo this brand new BDS kit you still have unopened.. What's going on there? Why the purchase then hesitation? I think we may be in the same boat. I like the idea of the Carli kit but am not liking their post lift numbers. I have the Built to Serve addition which includes the Off Road Package, so the available lifts start to get a little, well.. less "lifty."

Ideally I'd like 4" of lift with a 35" tire, but I also want to stay away from the spacers and added hardware addition of the 4" BDS kit. Seems like the 3" Fox 2.5 system with UCAs and rear DSCs may be the way to go.

 

[H2OMAN]

Soooo this brand new BDS kit you still have unopened.. What's going on there? Why the purchase then hesitation? I think we may be in the same boat. I like the idea of the Carli kit but am not liking their post lift numbers. I have the Built to Serve addition which includes the Off Road Package, so the available lifts start to get a little, well.. less "lifty."

Ideally I'd like 4" of lift with a 35" tire, but I also want to stay away from the spacers and added hardware addition of the 4" BDS kit. Seems like the 3" Fox 2.5 system with UCAs and rear DSCs may be ththise way to go.

This is my Rebel with the Fox 2.5 PE. I have about 3 inches of lift up front. I also have the Eibach lift coils in the back. Eibach claims it's 1-1.5 inches depending. So they shouldn't really change anything over the stock Rebel coils but I think I got the extra half inch. No big deal to me. Just for your info.

 

[mplaramie]

Soooo this brand new BDS kit you still have unopened.. What's going on there? Why the purchase then hesitation? I think we may be in the same boat. I like the idea of the Carli kit but am not liking their post lift numbers. I have the Built to Serve addition which includes the Off Road Package, so the available lifts start to get a little, well.. less "lifty."

Ideally I'd like 4" of lift with a 35" tire, but I also want to stay away from the spacers and added hardware addition of the 4" BDS kit. Seems like the 3" Fox 2.5 system with UCAs and rear DSCs may be the way to go.

Honestly, I bought the BDS on a sale and the shop I use became a BDS dealer. I was not sure if I was going to like the Icons but I do. The Icons have been great. Plus it is a bonus to have the second set up if/rebuild time comes around.

The new RAM is getting the BDS 3" w/Fox 2.5 DSC. Icon will become my spare.

When I did my set up, I also didn't want to add brackets, ect. My goal was to keep everything a direct replacement. Good luck.

 

[erikbmack]

This is my Rebel with the Fox 2.5 PE. I have about 3 inches of lift up front. I also have the Eibach lift coils in the back. Eibach claims it's 1-1.5 inches depending. So they shouldn't really change anything over the stock Rebel coils but I think I got the extra half inch. No big deal to me. Just for your info.
View attachment 171576

Absolutely beautiful set up. Quick question for you given you seem to know your stuff! I just bought the BDS 3 inch lift kit with Fox 2.5 performance coil overs for my 2022 big horn. BDS suggests 33x 12.5s and 18x9 wheels with 5 inch backspace or the same dimensions for 20x9's... what wheel size would you opt for given my truck is mostly driving around town with trails on the weekends? Additionally, what offset would you recommend? Thank you so much for your help.

Here is the lift

3 Inch Lift Kit | FOX 2.5 Performance Elite Coil-Over | Ram 1500 (19-2

Up the ante in your 2019-2024 RAM 1500 4WD truck with style and performance by installing this 3-inch lift kit featuring FOX Performance Elite 2.5 coil-over shocks from BDS Suspension. Designed to improve stance, performance, and capability, this kit includes everything necessary to set your...

bds-suspension.com

 

[mplaramie]

Absolutely beautiful set up. Quick question for you given you seem to know your stuff! I just bought the BDS 3 inch lift kit with Fox 2.5 performance coil overs for my 2022 big horn. BDS suggests 33x 12.5s and 18x9 wheels with 5 inch backspace or the same dimensions for 20x9's... what wheel size would you opt for given my truck is mostly driving around town with trails on the weekends? Additionally, what offset would you recommend? Thank you so much for your help.

Here is the lift

3 Inch Lift Kit | FOX 2.5 Performance Elite Coil-Over | Ram 1500 (19-2

Up the ante in your 2019-2024 RAM 1500 4WD truck with style and performance by installing this 3-inch lift kit featuring FOX Performance Elite 2.5 coil-over shocks from BDS Suspension. Designed to improve stance, performance, and capability, this kit includes everything necessary to set your...

bds-suspension.com

@H2OMAN knows a hell of a lot more than me. However, I do know that rim width, offset and tire width can also be a big factor in finding the biggest tire.

Are you going to stay with your stock wheels or go aftermarket? Are you aiming for 35's?

 

[H2OMAN]

[USER=53737]@H2OMAN[/USER] knows a hell of a lot more than me. However, I do know that rim width, offset and tire width can also be a big factor in finding the biggest tire.

Are you going to stay with your stock wheels or go aftermarket? Are you aiming for 35's?

That's debatable but thanks for the vote of confidence.

 

[H2OMAN]

Absolutely beautiful set up. Quick question for you given you seem to know your stuff! I just bought the BDS 3 inch lift kit with Fox 2.5 performance coil overs for my 2022 big horn. BDS suggests 33x 12.5s and 18x9 wheels with 5 inch backspace or the same dimensions for 20x9's... what wheel size would you opt for given my truck is mostly driving around town with trails on the weekends? Additionally, what offset would you recommend? Thank you so much for your help.

Here is the lift​

3 Inch Lift Kit | FOX 2.5 Performance Elite Coil-Over | Ram 1500 (19-2

Up the ante in your 2019-2024 RAM 1500 4WD truck with style and performance by installing this 3-inch lift kit featuring FOX Performance Elite 2.5 coil-over shocks from BDS Suspension. Designed to improve stance, performance, and capability, this kit includes everything necessary to set your...

bds-suspension.com

Your question is more complicated than you might think. Since you want to go trailing you may want to consider keeping the lift as low as possible but high enough for necessity. You can get 35's on a 2 inch level. But I guaranty you'll get pounded as your fender comes down on your tire with every hit. 3 inches seems to cure this. Many if not most of the trails I take inevitably end up on a shelf road. I can mostly deal with that but many of those will end up being narrow. OK, that's not optimal but doable. Then throw in an off camber. This is the part of off roading I hate. Whenever it happens I just want to be somewhere else. They suck. Compound that with a high center of gravity like with a 6 inch lift and all bets are off. It seems everyone I know feels the same way. So, having the lowest center of gravity possible is high priority. You may think, "well, jeepers do tall lifts". Yes they do but they also go wide to off set the high CoG. The fat asses on our trucks already make us wide. My truck is so fat I have to be very careful of which trails I take. Imagine trying one of our trucks on Black Bear Pass. My point is that you want to enjoy yourself and you can't allow your natural tendencies to go bigger get in the way. This is why you don't see many full size overlander trucks with 6 inch lifts. It severely the trails you can take. As for tires, in the dirt you want all rubber. Which means the smallest rims you can get. 15's would be great but good luck with that. So, 18's. Then you can easily do 35's on a negative 12 offset. Some guys need to trim. Most don't. Post up pics when you're done.

 

[DownNTexas]

This is my Rebel with the Fox 2.5 PE. I have about 3 inches of lift up front. I also have the Eibach lift coils in the back. Eibach claims it's 1-1.5 inches depending. So they shouldn't really change anything over the stock Rebel coils but I think I got the extra half inch. No big deal to me. Just for your info.
View attachment 171576

Looks killer. Great info, much appreciated. The BDS 3" kit also claims their included springs add 1.5 in the rear. I do like some rake on the truck and could live with .5-1.0 inches of rake. Level trucks never look level to me! Seems like the Rebel and ORP equipped trucks measure when comparing apples to apples aftermarket-wise. What are your current measurements with the FOX 2.5, Eibach coils, and the Nittos?

Honestly, I bought the BDS on a sale and the shop I use became a BDS dealer. I was not sure if I was going to like the Icons but I do. The Icons have been great. Plus it is a bonus to have the second set up if/rebuild time comes around.

The new RAM is getting the BDS 3" w/Fox 2.5 DSC. Icon will become my spare.

When I did my set up, I also didn't want to add brackets, ect. My goal was to keep everything a direct replacement. Good luck.

The current sale prices on these kits have me ready to pull the trigger as well.

Your question is more complicated than you might think. Since you want to go trailing you may want to consider keeping the lift as low as possible but high enough for necessity. You can get 35's on a 2 inch level. But I guaranty you'll get pounded as your fender comes down on your tire with every hit. 3 inches seems to cure this. Many if not most of the trails I take inevitably end up on a shelf road. I can mostly deal with that but many of those will end up being narrow. OK, that's not optimal but doable. Then throw in an off camber. This is the part of off roading I hate. Whenever it happens I just want to be somewhere else. They suck. Compound that with a high center of gravity like with a 6 inch lift and all bets are off. It seems everyone I know feels the same way. So, having the lowest center of gravity possible is high priority. You may think, "well, jeepers do tall lifts". Yes they do but they also go wide to off set the high CoG. The fat asses on our trucks already make us wide. My truck is so fat I have to be very careful of which trails I take. Imagine trying one of our trucks on Black Bear Pass. My point is that you want to enjoy yourself and you can't allow your natural tendencies to go bigger get in the way. This is why you don't see many full size overlander trucks with 6 inch lifts. It severely the trails you can take. As for tires, in the dirt you want all rubber. Which means the smallest rims you can get. 15's would be great but good luck with that. So, 18's. Then you can easily do 35's on a negative 12 offset. Some guys need to trim. Most don't. Post up pics when you're done.

Valuable info Sir!

My offroading consists of playing in muddy fields and daily driving on the God awful "paved" roads in my 5 mile radius. These roads ride like a semi-tame trail.. washboard washed out tread eaters, pot holes, poorly repaired seams, etc. It's an experience just to get to the highway for the Monday-Friday 60 mile round trip. Something tunable and and rebuildable would be worth the coin to me. 6 inches is a hard pass. 4 inches looks sexy to me.. but spacers and knuckles and on and on.

My stock tires are 32" tall. Front fender sits 37.5" off the ground, 22.5" from center of hub. Rear is 40" off ground, 25" from center of hub. 35s with close to 3" of lift up front and a little something in the rear would have the truck closest where I'd like it without a full 4" kit.

 

[erikbmack]

@H2OMAN knows a hell of a lot more than me. However, I do know that rim width, offset and tire width can also be a big factor in finding the biggest tire.

Are you going to stay with your stock wheels or go aftermarket? Are you aiming for 35's?

Thank you so much for the quick reply, y'all are great. And yes, I'm planning on running new wheels and 33's -35's. Certainly not going for a crazy high lift. Just want to increase the drivability, and get rid of this awful rake

 

[erikbmack]

Your question is more complicated than you might think. Since you want to go trailing you may want to consider keeping the lift as low as possible but high enough for necessity. You can get 35's on a 2 inch level. But I guaranty you'll get pounded as your fender comes down on your tire with every hit. 3 inches seems to cure this. Many if not most of the trails I take inevitably end up on a shelf road. I can mostly deal with that but many of those will end up being narrow. OK, that's not optimal but doable. Then throw in an off camber. This is the part of off roading I hate. Whenever it happens I just want to be somewhere else. They suck. Compound that with a high center of gravity like with a 6 inch lift and all bets are off. It seems everyone I know feels the same way. So, having the lowest center of gravity possible is high priority. You may think, "well, jeepers do tall lifts". Yes they do but they also go wide to off set the high CoG. The fat asses on our trucks already make us wide. My truck is so fat I have to be very careful of which trails I take. Imagine trying one of our trucks on Black Bear Pass. My point is that you want to enjoy yourself and you can't allow your natural tendencies to go bigger get in the way. This is why you don't see many full size overlander trucks with 6 inch lifts. It severely the trails you can take. As for tires, in the dirt you want all rubber. Which means the smallest rims you can get. 15's would be great but good luck with that. So, 18's. Then you can easily do 35's on a negative 12 offset. Some guys need to trim. Most don't. Post up pics when you're done.

Thank you so much for the awesome info and response- I really appreciate it. After reading your recommendations (as well as a few others) I definitely will be opting for the 18's. I couldn't agree more with your take on lift height and true capability- so many guys think taller is better and suffer on the trails. Hence why I opted for the 3-inch lift ( I figure it's a good compromise between a strict level kit and a 4 inch suspension lift). One last question, what is your opinion on the BDS recommended tire size of 33x 12.5s vs 35x 12.5's on this 3 inch lift? My last ram I installed the Bilstein level and ran 275x65 R20 with no rubbing. Definitely not trying to stuff the largest tires possible and would prefer to not rub. Again, thank you so much.

 

[H2OMAN]

Looks killer. Great info, much appreciated. The BDS 3" kit also claims their included springs add 1.5 in the rear. I do like some rake on the truck and could live with .5-1.0 inches of rake. Level trucks never look level to me! Seems like the Rebel and ORP equipped trucks measure when comparing apples to apples aftermarket-wise. What are your current measurements with the FOX 2.5, Eibach coils, and the Nittos?



The current sale prices on these kits have me ready to pull the trigger as well.



Valuable info Sir!

My offroading consists of playing in muddy fields and daily driving on the God awful "paved" roads in my 5 mile radius. These roads ride like a semi-tame trail.. washboard washed out tread eaters, pot holes, poorly repaired seams, etc. It's an experience just to get to the highway for the Monday-Friday 60 mile round trip. Something tunable and and rebuildable would be worth the coin to me. 6 inches is a hard pass. 4 inches looks sexy to me.. but spacers and knuckles and on and on.

My stock tires are 32" tall. Front fender sits 37.5" off the ground, 22.5" from center of hub. Rear is 40" off ground, 25" from center of hub. 35s with close to 3" of lift up front and a little something in the rear would have the truck closest where I'd like it without a full 4" kit.

You'll get it sorted out. I don't know my measurements. I never took them. Sorry.

 

[H2OMAN]

Thank you so much for the awesome info and response- I really appreciate it. After reading your recommendations (as well as a few others) I definitely will be opting for the 18's. I couldn't agree more with your take on lift height and true capability- so many guys think taller is better and suffer on the trails. Hence why I opted for the 3-inch lift ( I figure it's a good compromise between a strict level kit and a 4 inch suspension lift). One last question, what is your opinion on the BDS recommended tire size of 33x 12.5s vs 35x 12.5's on this 3 inch lift? My last ram I installed the Bilstein level and ran 275x65 R20 with no rubbing. Definitely not trying to stuff the largest tires possible and would prefer to not rub. Again, thank you so much.

The taller the tire the easier it is to roll over stuff. So, I would recommend the 35's. My philosophy is to get a tire with serious shoulder lugs to protect against getting them ripped up. Traction is kind of secondary to me(Off road. On road traction is important obviously). It's just that the tires with the deepest treads usually are the one's with the best shoulder lugs.

 

[erikbmack]

The taller the tire the easier it is to roll over stuff. So, I would recommend the 35's. My philosophy is to get a tire with serious shoulder lugs to protect against getting them ripped up. Traction is kind of secondary to me(Off road. On road traction is important obviously). It's just that the tires with the deepest treads usually are the one's with the best shoulder lugs.

Noted! I will definitely look into the 35's. Thanks again @h20man, appreciate all of your advice!