Factory air-suspension vs. air bags

[Havieair]

New to this forum and new to the world of towing. I'm looking to purchase a Ram 1500 that would be a daily driver and tow a travel trailer about 100-500 miles, 6-8 times a year to campsites in the Texas hill country. I found a good deal on a Big Horn 5.7L V8 (no etorque), Crew Cab, 2WD, 3.92 gear ratio, 26 gal tank, and trailer break. No heavy options like the sunroof, rambox, multi-function tailgate., etc. If the vin decoder on the Ram website is accurate, which some has said it's been fixed, the payload for this truck is 1750.5lbs.

When towing the travel trailer I estimated I would have at max 600lbs (including the weight of let's say 100lbs for a weight distribution hitch) of payload in the truck. I don't have the travel trailer yet either but am looking for something, when loaded, of 6,000lbs or less.

My question is should I pull the trigger on the truck on the lot knowing that I may add air bags later if the trailer setup I eventually get is causing sagging or should I go with a custom build that includes the air-suspension? I know the custom order is definitely going to cost me more then making a deal for the one on the lot. Just looking for recommendations - thanks!

 

[LaxDfns15]

Rear air bags are easy to add. If you just go with air bags and no compressor then you're looking at sub $400. With a wireless compressor that auto regulates I paid around $750 and installed myself. Tons of threads on towing and travel trailers, but just expect 10-15% tongue weight (so 600-900 pounds for a fully loaded 6k pound trailer), plus 100 or so pounds for WD hitch, plus gear. Payload runs out very quick.

Do not trust the payload numbers until you see the yellow sticker in the door jamb. If the truck is not near you ask the dealer to take a pic.

 

[Drewster]

New to this forum and new to the world of towing. I'm looking to purchase a Ram 1500 that would be a daily driver and tow a travel trailer about 100-500 miles, 6-8 times a year to campsites in the Texas hill country. I found a good deal on a Big Horn 5.7L V8 (no etorque), Crew Cab, 2WD, 3.92 gear ratio, 26 gal tank, and trailer break. No heavy options like the sunroof, rambox, multi-function tailgate., etc. If the vin decoder on the Ram website is accurate, which some has said it's been fixed, the payload for this truck is 1750.5lbs.

When towing the travel trailer I estimated I would have at max 600lbs (including the weight of let's say 100lbs for a weight distribution hitch) of payload in the truck. I don't have the travel trailer yet either but am looking for something, when loaded, of 6,000lbs or less.

My question is should I pull the trigger on the truck on the lot knowing that I may add air bags later if the trailer setup I eventually get is causing sagging or should I go with a custom build that includes the air-suspension? I know the custom order is definitely going to cost me more then making a deal for the one on the lot. Just looking for recommendations - thanks!

I would just wait for a model with air suspension. The nice part about having it factory is that it'll constantly adjust for load on its own - you don't need to fiddle with extra controllers, etc. On top of that, it's just really handy to hit a button when the road stops on a trail or you want to load cargo easier. In other words, it's just a nice feature to have in general.

That being said, it doesn't sound like you tow *that* often, and something under 6,000 lbs you could likely just do with the super simple bags (if any). As mentioned before, if you're worried about the weight of the hitch, etc., the weight of an airbag pump, controller, hardware, etc. should also be considered.

 

[JJRamTX]

One of the reasons I upgraded from 3rd Gen to 5th Gen was the four corner air ride. It makes the truck smoother everyday in driving and everyone who rides in my truck is like "This rides like a luxury SUV or Sedan not like a truck at all". One of my favorite features besides the 12 inch screen and 360 view cameras. It really depends on how much you are going to use the truck. I am at 42K miles now and the air ride has already paid for itself with use by towing, loading, and convenience.

 

[Finn5033]

For your needs save the money and install some air bags. No need to spend thousands more. I have the airlift 1000hd bags on my truck. I use them for towing my RV fish house. They cost $120 and can be installed in an hour. There are YouTube videos showing how. I just keep a small battery compressor with me to fill them when needed. I’ve used those bags on three different Ram trucks I’ve had and never had a problem with them. In fact I overloaded the crap out of them on my 2013 express and they didn’t fail.

If you get the factory air suspension, once your bumper to bumper warranty is up any issues you have with it will cost you out of pocket and be very expensive.

 

[Havieair]

Thanks everyone for the quick feedback — real helpful.

 

[mopar mark]

Had a 2019 with air suspension, traded for 2020 same truck no air suspension, prefer towing with the 2020

 

[Rossum]

Just looking for recommendations

Go to a dealer and drive two trucks, one with and one without. I was also wondering whether I should get it or not. After driving both, I decided I preferred the feel of the conventional suspension.