Lift/tires question

[Joemussy]

Hey everyone,
New member and ram owner. My first ram. I have a big horn with the 5.7 I’m coming from a Gladiator. I had an AEV lift on it, 315s, EVO Corse wheels, aluminum bumper etc. it had 3.77 gears. It was a dog lol. Struggle to hit 70-75mph. My question is how does the ride quality differ when you lift a ram? Is it still capable of highway speeds? Are you fighting the bumps in the road? I’m debating just doing a leveling kit in the front with 33s and going down to 18s. I’ll keep the 20s if need be though.
I appreciate anyone’s input and I’m sure this has probably been asked before so I apologize.

 

[CHeYeNNe71]

Mostly will depend on budget and lift you're looking to go. Along with tire size and gearing you have. 3.21. 3.92?

Many w/ 3.21 limit to 35's, but some do run 37's with proper lift. The 5th Gen transmission gearing is different from 4th Gen.

I'm going with BDS 3" w/ FOX 2.5 adjustable and 285/65R20 34.6X11.2 because of having 3.21. plus I don't want a full 35X12.5

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[Joemussy]

Yea I have 3.21 gearing. My fear is that it’ll turn into a dog on the highway lol. I do occasional camping trips. I’ve got a rooftop tent that I use. I just want to be able to maintain the ride quality as best as possible. I think a solid leveling kit and 33s might suffice.

 

[LaxDfns15]

On 33's the 3.21 gears won't have any issues. Guys really don't see issues until moving to 37's. I have basically 35's (295/70R18's) on the 3.92's and I didn't notice any difference from 33's. Bigger sidewall and bigger tires will usually be smoother unless you're moving from P to E rated tires. Then you'll notice it being more stiff. I've been on E tires for over 10 years now, so I can't remember what P tires felt like on a truck.

 

[CHeYeNNe71]

Yea I have 3.21 gearing. My fear is that it’ll turn into a dog on the highway lol. I do occasional camping trips. I’ve got a rooftop tent that I use. I just want to be able to maintain the ride quality as best as possible. I think a solid leveling kit and 33s might suffice.

Make sure to use Leveling struts only, not garbage spacers. Bilstein, Eibach, Fox or RC M1.

 

[Rambilt]

I use rough country leveling struts and rough country rear shocks then replaced my tires with 35s. I also added airlift airbags because I pull a small travel trailer. I love my setup even though I did it in a cheap kind of way. I love the way my truck handles, my speedometer is spot on after changing the tire size using Alfaobd with a bypass cable. Good luck to your project!


v/r

Rick

 

[Choate]

It’ll be fine on 35s. Not fast by any means but my truck would hit 110 easily but I don’t try. Driving 80mph on the highway is no problem except it will want to shift into 7th a lot w 3.21

 

[motomarc]

I use rough country leveling struts and rough country rear shocks then replaced my tires with 35s. I also added airlift airbags because I pull a small travel trailer. I love my setup even though I did it in a cheap kind of way. I love the way my truck handles, my speedometer is spot on after changing the tire size using Alfaobd with a bypass cable. Good luck to your project!


v/r

Rick

How is the ride in general VS stock with the rough country .
better or worse??
I saw you like the way it handles.
My new stock is soft up front for sure.
I want to level it ASAP and have it a bit stiffer.
Got to be able to go off road some in Colorado clear the baby head size and bigger rocks when I travel up there.
I have been looking at the rough country or the Rancho's for budget and pre loaded strut and spring , I can't decide on the 5000 or 9000 shock they are both adjustable.
So many options it's like a candy store.
It's my new daily driver and some light off roading will be done but I don't want to spend a fortune unless I win the lottery.

 

[Rambilt]

How is the ride in general VS stock with the rough country .
better or worse??
I saw you like the way it handles.
My new stock is soft up front for sure.
I want to level it ASAP and have it a bit stiffer.
Got to be able to go off road some in Colorado clear the baby head size and bigger rocks when I travel up there.
I have been looking at the rough country or the Rancho's for budget and pre loaded strut and spring , I can't decide on the 5000 or 9000 shock they are both adjustable.
So many options it's like a candy store.
It's my new daily driver and some light off roading will be done but I don't want to spend a fortune unless I win the lottery.

I really love the way my truck rides now. It's a bit stiffer than stock probably because of the e rated tires. I tow a trailer so I went with load E tires that has higher load range for towing. Anyway, the rough country N3 leveling struts combined with the Suretrac tires was perfect for my setup. I also have the N3 rear shocks absorbers and the airlift airbags. I only have the airbags inflated to 10psi and the rear does not sag at all. So with my setup I am golden. BTW, I don't do any four wheeling I just want my truck to look good.

With my limited experience with the rough country and the suretrac tires all I can say is I love it and I highly recommend them. Not so hard in your pocket. Good Luck to you.


v/r

Rick

 

[boogielander]

bookmark these two threads and copy the build.

35x12.5R18 on Performance Orientated Lift - a Overview, Procedure, and Review.

In this thread, I will be detailing the info regarding the tire choice, suspension choice, and trimming needed. Note: My procedure involves irreversible modification to the truck, so consult a professional of your choice and proceed at your own risk. This thread is to SHARE HOW I DID mine and...

5thgenrams.com

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

these two has all the information you need for performance orientated setups AND it doesn't negatively impact your on pavement driving. If anything, they actually help with on pavement driving because now you can take corners faster with all the added weights.
Only things to note are:
1. You can go with Carli Kings, but Fox 2.5 DSC offers more tuning and can give you on-road and off-road modes
2. For tires, instead of doing 12 ply like I do (because i have 3.92), you can get away with 10 ply. That should give you some savings on unsprung weight
3. For tires, go with Wildpeak AT4w instead of AT3w, since AT4w is the new version.

Contrary to the 3" kits from BDS and the like, you do NOT want it to be at 3" because that offers less travel than if you leave it at Fox's OE setting of 2". IF you must mess with it, bring it up to 2.5" instead of 3" for least amount of restriction on travel.

edit:
seeing that you are debating 18 and 20 wheels.
Let's just say, 18" wheels of same tire size offers more "meat" on the tire, so it soaks up more road imperfections AND allows you more comfort when aired down. BUT, with 18" wheels, you will need to pick wheel offset and some wheels do not fit due to wheel weights interference. That's why I said just copy my build because it's been tested and guarantee fit. No headaches on your part.

ps: surprised that you went from JT to DT and not a 2500 PW lol

 

[Joemussy]

Wow thanks for all the information! I really appreciate it. I loved my JT. I used to work for an Overlanding shop so got everything at cost. Great truck but the lack of power and room started to get to me. Not to mention the engine started making a pinging noise (detonation I believe) and it was just out of warranty. The other problem is trails here in the north east are pretty narrow. It wasn’t the most trail friendly truck with the long wheelbase. A JL 2 door would be ideal. Once I saw how much room the big horn had I was sold. Still blows my mind lol

 

[boogielander]

Wow thanks for all the information! I really appreciate it. I loved my JT. I used to work for an Overlanding shop so got everything at cost. Great truck but the lack of power and room started to get to me. Not to mention the engine started making a pinging noise (detonation I believe) and it was just out of warranty. The other problem is trails here in the north east are pretty narrow. It wasn’t the most trail friendly truck with the long wheelbase. A JL 2 door would be ideal. Once I saw how much room the big horn had I was sold. Still blows my mind lol

should've got a 2500 and tow the JL 2 door LOL
jokes aside then you should know what's quality and what's not! the threads i listed are more than capable for ya.