Carli 2.5 commuter

[DOFF]

Anyone have the Carli spec 2.5 commuter kit and can shed light on onroad/offroad ride quality and actual height you achieved? All the reviews I’ve read elsewhere have said “so much better than stock” or “best ride we’ve achieved”……doesn’t really help.

Only info Carli gave was even though it’s their commuter, it’s more than capable for hitting trails, dirt road and washboards as long as not for hours on end due to valving and non reservoir.

Thanks for the help.

 

[boogielander]

it will be more stiffer than stock on road. driving dynamic will be better than stock, because you will have reduced body roll.
offroad performance will be better, as your truck will have better composure and more confidence in going over obstacles.

ride height you're looking at about 2.5-3" in the front, in the rear you can expect about 1" or so.

i do NOT advise you hit big jumps/ whoops, or go through the entire Mojave Road with it in one setting due to lack of resi.


let me know what kind of specifics you're looking for, and i can try my best to give you an answer. personally i don't have the commuter but I've done the performance pack on customer's truck before, and I personally went with Fox 2.5 DSC for the shocks and coilovers (due to lack of inventory at the time of ordering), but used Carli suspension parts.

 

[FrostyGym]

it will be more stiffer than stock on road. driving dynamic will be better than stock, because you will have reduced body roll.
offroad performance will be better, as your truck will have better composure and more confidence in going over obstacles.

ride height you're looking at about 2.5-3" in the front, in the rear you can expect about 1" or so.

i do NOT advise you hit big jumps/ whoops, or go through the entire Mojave Road with it in one setting due to lack of resi.


let me know what kind of specifics you're looking for, and i can try my best to give you an answer. personally i don't have the commuter but I've done the performance pack on customer's truck before, and I personally went with Fox 2.5 DSC for the shocks and coilovers (due to lack of inventory at the time of ordering), but used Carli suspension parts.

I am looking at this as well but have seen reports of folks on the forum achieving around 1.5" front and .5" in the rear. It's difficult to know for sure as some on the forum stated they achieved virtually no lift but love the driving dynamics. Any thoughts on this irregularity from Carli?

 

[boogielander]

I am looking at this as well but have seen reports of folks on the forum achieving around 1.5" front and .5" in the rear. It's difficult to know for sure as some on the forum stated they achieved virtually no lift but love the driving dynamics. Any thoughts on this irregularity from Carli?

there is lift for sure. with the rebel you wil only have 1.5" and .5" in the rear.
I think those who say they got no lift is because it's less than what they expected. Carli's technical articles are pretty accurate and they do tons of testing before releasing the kits.

 

[DOFF]

I’m not doing as much of the fast off-roading that I used to and still wanted something soft on and off road. Was trying to decide between the commuter or go custom valving with fox 2.5 from accutune. The price point of the Carli commuter appealed to me but then again so does the reliability of the resi shock valving from accutune. Only downside is paying quite a bit more for accutune but I’d have the reassurance if I wanna hit it hard again.

 

[Ready Go]

@boogielander

I think you recently told me to not putz around with combos of ORGs and Eibach Pro-Truck Sports..just go to the Fox 2.5 PEs (or similar) that I really want right away.

I decided today that I'm gonna do just that. I started getting my current stash of parts ready to list here.

I was thinking to reach out to you as I get close to ordering.....

What makes most sense to me for best on-road ride (95%), comfort, and control is.....Carli Commuter.
2.5s F & 2.0s R w/ their Rebel rear springs (I have RB & MFT) would give me a Level/Slight Rake stance.

But, I do really like any strut/shock that is valve adjustable.....so the Fox 2.5 PEs fit that bill, but I do really like the Icon Stage 4s also (possibly Carli Kings even).

The Carli Commuters are half the cost of the other two (three)..but not valve adjustable. If Carli really has done the custom valve tuning they say, then maybe I don't need to spend that extra cash. Their articles and info are top flight for sure..great stuff!!

I know I won't be overlanding like you, but you've got knowledge that I'd respect.

I even gave some thought to dropping down to an 18x9 combo instead of the 20x9 w/ 285/60-20 combo that I'm moving towards, but the weight will end up too high for my tastes, so staying with 20s most likely.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

 

[Ready Go]

@DOFF

Looks like we've got the same line of thinking.

 

[boogielander]

I’m not doing as much of the fast off-roading that I used to and still wanted something soft on and off road. Was trying to decide between the commuter or go custom valving with fox 2.5 from accutune. The price point of the Carli commuter appealed to me but then again so does the reliability of the resi shock valving from accutune. Only downside is paying quite a bit more for accutune but I’d have the reassurance if I wanna hit it hard again.

accutune's valving is decent but one thing to note:
when my friend got his from them, he wanted trail tune for how we drive but accutune strongly recommended dual sport despite telling them what he's looking for and the weight he has on the truck. since he figured accutune knows better, he went with the dual sport. turned out dual sport fell way short of the expected outcome and it didn't perform as good as expected.

so if you plan to hit it hard, do the trail tune or go with the performance pack.
to be honest, after going out with some RAM HD guys that go 60-70+ on big whoops and jumping their trucks on the trail, I trust Carli more than Accutune for Ram application. Another option is Thuren. Thuren offers a more customized tuning that takes your specific vehicle weight (aka, stuff you have in the truck all the time) and your driving style into consideration. Thuren is also another big one that those HD guys run... even more than Carli.

 

[boogielander]

@boogielander

I think you recently told me to not putz around with combos of ORGs and Eibach Pro-Truck Sports..just go to the Fox 2.5 PEs (or similar) that I really want right away.

I decided today that I'm gonna do just that. I started getting my current stash of parts ready to list here.

I was thinking to reach out to you as I get close to ordering.....

What makes most sense to me for best on-road ride (95%), comfort, and control is.....Carli Commuter.
2.5s F & 2.0s R w/ their Rebel rear springs (I have RB & MFT) would give me a Level/Slight Rake stance.

But, I do really like any strut/shock that is valve adjustable.....so the Fox 2.5 PEs fit that bill, but I do really like the Icon Stage 4s also (possibly Carli Kings even).

The Carli Commuters are half the cost of the other two (three)..but not valve adjustable. If Carli really has done the custom valve tuning they say, then maybe I don't need to spend that extra cash. Their articles and info are top flight for sure..great stuff!!

I know I won't be overlanding like you, but you've got knowledge that I'd respect.

I even gave some thought to dropping down to an 18x9 combo instead of the 20x9 w/ 285/60-20 combo that I'm moving towards, but the weight will end up too high for my tastes, so staying with 20s most likely.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

i'd say stay away from icon.
In 2023, of the 4 customer-supplied Icons that we installed, 2 of them had shock leaks within the first 6 months and required warranty. One Icon Billet UCA (supposedly stronger than the tubular ones) on a Bronco sheered off within 6 months of install. A friend's friend's Bronco's Icon pintop sheered off the first weekend out on trail post install, required a hefty towing bill. Their Electronically controlled kit thing is nothing but hyped up. Sure, it's cool to eliminate the need to turn the knobs, but the ride quality is still no match to King or Fox 2.5.

we don't carry/ stock Icons at our shop for that lack of reliability. Ironically, the only thing that came from Icon that doesn't have any problem are the wheels LOL

Regarding the Commuter vs Fox 2.5 PE, you already listed out the pros and cons. Commuter is more wallet-friendly, but the 2.5PE gives you adjustability. The current Carli Commuters are their own product, they are not using the Fox 2.0 and revalved like before, so it does come with their own valving. However, the Commuter is still more biased toward street driving and can overheat when spending extended hours on the trail.

Ultimately, it's your decision. Both Commuter and Fox 2.5 PE has their drawbacks. The Commuter fits your use just fine and is good for wallet, but just know that you probably will want that adjustability the Fox 2.5PE provides when you're hitting that 5% of your driving (and trust me, you'll want to go faster and faster when you're on dirt). The 2.5 PE is a big step up, but is not so wallet friendly. Carli Performance Pack is another step up on Fox 2.5, as it offers more droop than Fox 2.5PE, but the drawback is it doesn't come with adjusters (Carli doesn't believe in adjusters lol) and can ride a bit more firmer on the road. To be honest, if Carli Performance Pack didn't have over 12 months of lead time at the time of ordering (whereas Fox only had 6 months, which worked perfectly for me because I was ordering parts right after I ordered the truck and I estimated about 4 months lead time for the truck, and I wanted to get my truck done within 6 months to allow me plenty of shakedown time in preparation for my big trip), I'd went Carli Performance or Thuren custom Kings with Carli support mods.

oh, and regarding the wheel and tire choice, 20s are fine for you if you're not doing lots of bumpy trails (aka, if you're doing mostly forest service roads/ fire roads, you'll be fine). If you have the 5.7 with 3.92 rear end, the unsprung weight doesn't really matter in regard to putting down power and MPG. Only time it mattered is when swapping out spares but with some practice, you can easily do it solo.

When it comes to offroading, like for men, every inch counts!

 

[Ready Go]

Ok, so Icon is out (Honestly, I looked at them because the new Carli Commuters look like a possible Icon-sourced design..I don't who replaced Fox).

I guess if I ultimately decide I have to have valve adjustability, then that's probably gonna be the 3" 2.5 PE package (gotta look that up again see if I'm referencing the correct one).

This Carli King is even more pricey, but not by much, but Fox is my first place.

 

[Ready Go]

BTW...thank you for all that awesome insight!!

I seem to remember someone here (not sure if you) that if you're streeting the FOX 2.5s, to start with High & Low speed valving at basically zero/softest setting(?) and maybe wouldn't need much change(?). Now I'm sure off-road is a whole other story.

 

[mplaramie]

I looked at the Carli Commuter as well. Knowing Carli is well respected and does a ton of research, it still scared me a bit that they use their own rebranded shock. Also, like others, I wanted the Fox adjustability even though I'm 95% pavement. That drove me to the BDS 3" kit with Fox PE shocks.

I did have Icons (stage 2) on my 23 Laramie and the stance was perfect and ride was nice. Never pushed them so they did great with the 4k miles I put on them. Thanks to the extensive knowledge from @boogielander Fox was the ONLY choice for the 24 Laramie. That's what drove me first to Carli but ultimately to BDS. Just hoping the stance will be the same as the Icon.....

 

[Ready Go]

There are add-ons that up this price, but this is the Fox 2.5-3" PE setup I'm looking at possibly for adjustable valving.
The Carli Kings are enticing, the Commuters are probably sufficient, but I ordered this truck with the idea that Fox PEs would eventually be going on, so

 

[Ready Go]

I looked at the Carli Commuter as well. Knowing Carli is well respected and does a ton of research, it still scared me a bit that they use their own rebranded shock. Also, like others, I wanted the Fox adjustability even though I'm 95% pavement. That drove me to the BDS 3" kit with Fox PE shocks.

I did have Icons (stage 2) on my 23 Laramie and the stance was perfect and ride was nice. Never pushed them so they did great with the 4k miles I put on them. Thanks to the extensive knowledge from @boogielander Fox was the ONLY choice for the 24 Laramie. That's what drove me first to Carli but ultimately to BDS. Just hoping the stance will be the same as the Icon.....

The BDS 3" PE package was the one I was looking at also. Did you go with the rear 2.5s option then?

 

[Ready Go]

@mplaramie

This one.....??
I'll be looking forward to how you like these, please keep us updated

 

[mplaramie]

@mplaramie

This one.....??
I'll be looking forward to how you like these, please keep us updated

Same kit but I didn't get the 2.5 for the rear. Still might exchange since it's in the box but probably going to stay with the 2.0. I don't tow, offroad or load my bed. Also going to have full Core 4x4 rear end with Hellwig 7793.

 

[Ready Go]

@boogielander

Holy smokes CJC Offroad shows Thuren Kings...~11 months build time!!

 

[boogielander]

Ok, so Icon is out (Honestly, I looked at them because the new Carli Commuters look like a possible Icon-sourced design..I don't who replaced Fox).

I guess if I ultimately decide I have to have valve adjustability, then that's probably gonna be the 3" 2.5 PE package (gotta look that up again see if I'm referencing the correct one).

This Carli King is even more pricey, but not by much, but Fox is my first place.

i doubt it's a icon-sourced design lol i much more inclined to believe they do their own.

Here are the parts list to save you some digging lol this one is the extended travel in the front that can get you 3"
but i highly don't recommend go full 3" because you are sacrificing a bit of travel.
i left mine at stock Fox setting and it's leveled with the carli Rebel HD rear springs.

 

[boogielander]

BTW...thank you for all that awesome insight!!

I seem to remember someone here (not sure if you) that if you're streeting the FOX 2.5s, to start with High & Low speed valving at basically zero/softest setting(?) and maybe wouldn't need much change(?). Now I'm sure off-road is a whole other story.

probably me lol i covered the finding optimal setting in this post I made:

Fox 2.5 DSC Suspension - A Brief Overview, Procedure, and Review of Proper Suspension Setup

There are plenty of suspension offerings on the market for the 5th gen Ram 1500 platform, ranging from cheap to expensive. In this thread, I will be detailing why I chose Fox 2.5 for my build, procedures of installing and dialing in the ride, and a review of the build as everything came...

5thgenrams.com

 

[boogielander]

I looked at the Carli Commuter as well. Knowing Carli is well respected and does a ton of research, it still scared me a bit that they use their own rebranded shock. Also, like others, I wanted the Fox adjustability even though I'm 95% pavement. That drove me to the BDS 3" kit with Fox PE shocks.

I did have Icons (stage 2) on my 23 Laramie and the stance was perfect and ride was nice. Never pushed them so they did great with the 4k miles I put on them. Thanks to the extensive knowledge from @boogielander Fox was the ONLY choice for the 24 Laramie. That's what drove me first to Carli but ultimately to BDS. Just hoping the stance will be the same as the Icon.....

nothing to worry about their shocks. They were running fox for a long time and im guessing something happened either on the supply side or contracting issues they went with their own.
to be fair shocks are the most simple things on trucks, just 3 parts: shock body, mounting, and piston/ valving. As long as the shocks bodies are machined correctly they will be fine.

Regarding 23/ 24 application, unless you have air ride, shock applications will be the same between the years. Possibly they just haven't update the website listings. I part time at a carbon fiber parts manufacturing company as their website/ IT guy, and I'm taking forever to update the years so I assume that's why you don't see 24 applications.