Is air suspension worth it?

[CaptainCJ35]

How much does it help with rear end squat when towing/hauling?

I can't answer from experience, but TFLTruck has some 2019 Ram 1500 Ike Gauntlet tow test videos. Looks like it levels the truck 90+% of the original ride height... like the was just a 1/2 inch squat or so.

I can say it's pretty "active". The other day the compressor kicked on for a couple seconds when I was sitting on the tailgate waiting for someone to meet me in a parking lot.

 

[CaptainCJ35]

How much does it help with rear end squat when towing/hauling?

This seems like a good demonstration right here...

Payload

How much weight can these trucks actually haul in the bed, anyone out there haul anything besides groceries yet, gravel? Firewood? Landscaping stone from Home Depot. Can they do better than 2000 pounds without dragging the bumper

5thgenrams.com

 

[Utahjazzman]

Thanks! I appreciate the comments

 

[RAMpage]

Along with thousands, maybe even 10’s of thousands between canadian and american owners. Yea.....unlucky.

The day i brought my ram in, there was 13 other rams in that day alone, ahead of me at that dealership, all for the same thing. Couldnt get a loaner or a rental because every dodge dealership had booked them already. You go out on the dealers lot and all you see is rams slammed down and resting on the bump stops. But yea, im the unlucky one....

10's of thousands trucks in with defective air suspension? lol ya, I'm sure. Considering how few of them actually have it that would be a VERY high percentage. It would be a recall at that point I'm sure. Between my cousin and a friend of mine, they have over 40 years of experience working at Dodge dealerships as mechanics and can count the air suspension problems on one hand.

 

[J-Cooz]

I like it. The fact you can lower it down to help loading and unloading as well as car washing is huge. Plus the load levelling is nice.

Filled the bed on my Limited the other day with firewood. I heard the compressor come on and level it out and the truck didn't squat at all.

Yes there were some problems with the old system, but hopefully they are fixed on this truck. The Jeep grand Cherokee also uses air suspension so I think FCA should have it figured out by now.

 

[1stTimeRAM]

My wife has air suspension on her '14 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I liked that feature so much that it was a must on my RAM. I live in Arkansas, so I don't have to worry about deep freeze temps or anything like that. I really like having it. My wife is short, and my mom is too, so it's nice to be able to lower it a bit to make it easier for them to step up into. It also helps with loading/unloading cargo from the bed. I like that it auto-levels with any weight in the bed or when pulling a trailer. A little extra ground clearance when driving to my deer stand isn't a bad thing either. And it rides as good as any vehicle I've ever been in.

 

[SpeedyV]

I've heard of that, do you know what has been updated for the air suspension?

I'm not too worried about long term, as I tend to trade in my daily driver every two years, still prefer a painless two years vs constantly having things fixed.

To my knowledge, full specs of the redesign haven’t been shared. You can find press info stating that the new system was simplified with a single compressor, and that it operates faster.

 

[Biga]

10's of thousands trucks in with defective air suspension? lol ya, I'm sure. Considering how few of them actually have it that would be a VERY high percentage. It would be a recall at that point I'm sure. Between my cousin and a friend of mine, they have over 40 years of experience working at Dodge dealerships as mechanics and can count the air suspension problems on one hand.

Well the Ram air suspension has not been around for 40 years or even 10 years. I think it depends how long you want to keep the truck. If your the person that keeps a truck for a long time the question is not if but when you will have issues.

 

[SpeedyV]

It’s awesome. Ride quality, adjustability, etc. As others have stated, it was one of the differentiating features that influenced my decision to go with a Ram.

 

[Snakes709]

10's of thousands trucks in with defective air suspension? lol ya, I'm sure. Considering how few of them actually have it that would be a VERY high percentage. It would be a recall at that point I'm sure. Between my cousin and a friend of mine, they have over 40 years of experience working at Dodge dealerships as mechanics and can count the air suspension problems on one hand.

Hasnt been a recall because it hasnt killed anyone yet. Thats what fca told me after I asked them why mine and everyones warranties were denied. Excuses ranged from user error, user abuse, lack of completed recalls (on systems that has nothing to do with air ride), to off roading and my favorite “the ram 1500 is a summer recreational vehicle and is not recommend to be operated in the winter months”. Its a ****ty system, no question about it. But keep being a ram nut hugger, whatever makes you happy.

 

[Ellisstrong]

Hasnt been a recall because it hasnt killed anyone yet. Thats what fca told me after I asked them why mine and everyones warranties were denied. Excuses ranged from user error, user abuse, lack of completed recalls (on systems that has nothing to do with air ride), to off roading and my favorite “the ram 1500 is a summer recreational vehicle and is not recommend to be operated in the winter months”. Its a ****ty system, no question about it. But keep being a ram nut hugger, whatever makes you happy.

Why are you so angry?

 

[cra1g]

...and my favorite “the ram 1500 is a summer recreational vehicle and is not recommend to be operated in the winter months”.

I guarantee FCA never said that. Develop some critical thinking skills, and stop believing everything you read on Facebook.

 

[RAMpage]

Like cra1g said there is no way they said that. Honestly it sounds like you've had some bad dealer experiences (or maybe read too many negative comments online and have convinced yourself the air suspension has a 100% failure rate). Recalls don't have to be made because someone died. If the air suspension was that faulty, they'd probably do a recall BEFORE a major failure that killed someone. If you don't want the option then don't get it but no need to tell someone asking about it that it WILL fail. I think there are more people on here with leaking trucks or poor A/C systems than busted air rides.

 

[Skyalkov]

The air suspension was a must have for my ‘19. Replaced a ‘17 Rebel with the new truck. The old truck had zero issues with the suspension, and was great for towing and heavy loads. The leveling feature is the most important part for me with towing our horses. I’ve never had an issue in either truck with it not working correctly. I’m sure there are problems as there are in all mass produced vehicles, but I’ve found the feature to be very useful.

 

[VaderRebel]

We should all be careful with our comments in this thread. The OP asked a very specific question and the answers that were directed to that question were clear, it is useful for towing.

Unless you have spent 3 years of, dozens of phone calls to FCA, dozens of trips to the dealer at 7am with a disabled truck in a lineup of 20 other disabled trucks in the freezing cold, numerous complaints to every government agency and having to consult a lawyer... you should keep your opinion to yourself. Until you've lived in those shoes, you can't imagine the frustrations and emotions.

So have some sympathy and class when choosing your response to some poor s-o-b that tries to raise a red flag about something they experienced in relation to the original question.

And for the record, anyone that knows these unicorn techs that have worked at FCA dealerships for dozens of years and have never heard of or only seen a handful of issues... you sound like a 5 year old repeating incorrect rumors you heard your dad talking about at the dinner table.

Let's all do a "quick head shake" and get our heads back into helpful and kind mode.

 

[kliffy77]

I’d avoid Air Suspension on a Rebel at all costs!

 

[riccnick]

+1 for the air suspension being great. Haven't had any issues, or met anyone in real life with them either. My truck went through last year's New England winter just fine, not a hint of any weaknesses in sub zero temps, towing / hauling or not.

 

[Downytide]

Hi all, thank you for all the feedback, unfortunately the truck with air suspension has much higher sticker, after all the delays they finally got the paperwork taken care of, and I'm due to pick it up today.

Can't wait.

 

[JJRamTX]

Hi all, I had put deposit down for a Rebel, there was a mix up on paperwork so the delivery is taking longer than expected, however, they offered a similarily equipped truck with air suspension, I'm slightly hesitant since the last gen rebel suspension is well documented, but intrigued by its ability.

Is it worth it? Will it give me problems in Canadian winter?

I live in Colorado most of the time and when we were in the -15F range my Air Suspension had no issues. I have read that they redesigned the system with newer components and new design from the 2018 and older trucks. The only thing I have noticed is the ride is smoother in Aero Mode as opposed to Normal when it is below 40F

 

[DavidNJ]

The air suspension has big advantages as a day-to-day truck and for carrying big loads.

However, there are very few mods. Fancy Fox or King shocks won't work. There are no springs that can be changed. The 'level' kits that work by faking out the ride height sensor do it at the expense of wheel travel in droop...droop is pretty important for articulation off-road.

So, IMHO, a serious off-roader probably overlanding would be better off with a steel spring setup, adding the air ride or equivalent if they want to level heavy loads. If the Rebel is for street use, then the air suspension should be a good thing. It used to be standard on the Rebel.