Ride Quality

[baf3472]

I'm new here so hello to everyone. I'm in the process of buying a 2021 1500 and was hoping to get some questions answered about the ride quality with and without the air suspension. I'm not a big pickup guy, it is a necessity for work. Its my only vehicle right now so whatever truck I do end up buying, I would be using as my everyday vehicle as well. I've always had another car for personal use as well as a truck, mostly BMW, Jaguar, etc., but with this pandemic and the uncertain future, I'm better served with only one vehicle right now. I've seen the interior of the the new rams and they're definitely something I like and are upscale and luxurious enough to keep me happy. Having said that, ride quality and comfort are my main wants for my next truck. I'm coming from a 2017 F150, and while the ride was ok, I feel like I would like more comfort in my daily driver. I wont be towing much, if at all so that's not a factor for me. Before anyone says it, I've already thought of just getting an SUV, but decided I'm better served with a pick up. Does the air ride improve the quality of the ride that much more than just the stock coil overs? I will be taking one for a test drive soon, but was hoping someone can compare the ride that has gone from a F150 to the Ram and has more than a few miles behind the wheel that you would get in a test drive. Thanks and look forward to joining your ranks

 

[Biga]

While I can't really compare to an air ride truck, I will say the steel suspension rides very well for a truck, even better then some cars. I think you will find the ride is a lot better then an F-150 which have a less settled rear end.

 

[SpeedyV]

I'm new here so hello to everyone. I'm in the process of buying a 2021 1500 and was hoping to get some questions answered about the ride quality with and without the air suspension. I'm not a big pickup guy, it is a necessity for work. Its my only vehicle right now so whatever truck I do end up buying, I would be using as my everyday vehicle as well. I've always had another car for personal use as well as a truck, mostly BMW, Jaguar, etc., but with this pandemic and the uncertain future, I'm better served with only one vehicle right now. I've seen the interior of the the new rams and they're definitely something I like and are upscale and luxurious enough to keep me happy. Having said that, ride quality and comfort are my main wants for my next truck. I'm coming from a 2017 F150, and while the ride was ok, I feel like I would like more comfort in my daily driver. I wont be towing much, if at all so that's not a factor for me. Before anyone says it, I've already thought of just getting an SUV, but decided I'm better served with a pick up. Does the air ride improve the quality of the ride that much more than just the stock coil overs? I will be taking one for a test drive soon, but was hoping someone can compare the ride that has gone from a F150 to the Ram and has more than a few miles behind the wheel that you would get in a test drive. Thanks and look forward to joining your ranks

Drive both. The coils are surprisingly good, but nothing matches the air suspension over a large bump (e.g. railroad crossing). The adjustable height is also really handy, even when just loading the bed or hauling around the in-laws!

 

[taz2016]

Whichever suspension you go with I would suggest you stick with 18" wheels. The higher sidewalls will give you a significantly softer and more comfortable ride than the 20" or 22" wheels.

 

[jastevenson]

Had a 2016 F-150. Even with the 18” wheels and standard suspension, the ride was complete garbage. Nearly got a concussion every time the rear wheels traveled over an expansion joint on the highway.

Ram rides 100x better. But if you are a ride quality snob like me, stick with the 18 inch rims and avoid ORP.

 

[BLBigHorn]

I have the 18 inch rims. I love, love, love, the ride of this truck ('21 big horn). I keep stressing over whether I should've went with the 20's because they look better, but the ride of this thing is ridiculously good, so not sure i'd want to...

 

[Snwjnky]

The ride of my Rebel with air and 18" wheels is amazingly nice.
I upgraded the sway bar as well. Corners much better.

 

[LaxDfns15]

Coming from a leaf spring truck to this rear coil truck you're going to have a much better ride regardless of spring or air. I personally did not get air as it would have just been one more system on top of this already complex truck to cause headaches and issues down the road (outside of warranty).

If you're truly concerned with ride quality, like others have suggested, I would go with 18" wheels and P rated tires. E rated like the Duratracs on the Rebel, will be stiffer and provide less flex.

 

[Wsmith]

I did not get the air, just something else to go wrong and I don't tow much. The ride on my coil over Ram is superior to my 2019 Honda Ridgeline ( no longer have it) and it was unibody based on a car. No comparison for you but the coil is an exceptional ride. Test drive both over the same stretch of road.

 

[Dusty1948]

I can only echo most of the previous points and since I rode in one recently, I can confirm negative comments about the jittery ride of the F-150. I can also tell you that compared to my 2010 and 2014 Ram 1500s with 20-inch wheels, my 2019 with 18s rides noticeably better.

I can't provide a comparison to the air ride suspension because I've never been in one.

Best regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33 gallon fuel tank, factory dual exhaust, 18” wheels. Build date: 03 June 2018. Now at: 042967 miles.

 

[Morenar]

I test drove both a 2020 Ram with air suspension and a 2021 with non-air both with 22 in rims and yes the ride with the air suspension there was less noticeable bumps while driving but I ended up going with the 2021 and do not regret it. The ride is still better than other trucks I test drove and better than the Sierra 1500 I came from.

 

[RRSBighorn]

My 2019 ram with coil springs is a far better ride than my 2011 leaf spring Silverado. I didn't want the air ride because of extra weight, cost and complexity, so I can't comment on how that compares to the standard Ram coil suspension. But I would like to also comment, that I have 20 inch wheels, and I don't think you can tell much difference between 18 and 20" tires. I get that the low profile tires would seem like a harsher ride, and I'm sure the difference between 18 & 22" would be noticable, but the 20" is a good compromise if you really into the looks of your wheels and tires. If you don't care about the looks, the 18" wheels and tires are less money and may give you an incremental better ride. Another thing to consider though, as far as ride and noise quality, is the type of tires used, ie off road vs passenger tire. Many off road tires have an aggressive tread with extra multiply ply side walls that will affect the ride quality, my Ram 1500 has passenger 20" tires since I don't go off road. My Ram is used as a daily driver, and it rides better than many cars I've owned in the past.

 

[CPenn1086]

I test drove a couple of F-150s prior to buying the Ram and the ride quality is night and day. The Ford was very jittery over even the smallest imperfections in the road. Not something I could have lived with in a daily driver. As far as air ride goes, I would say its personal preference. My dad has air ride in his Grand Cherokee and I am not a fan of how it rides....but maybe its just me. Also, I have 20s on my truck and they ride surprisingly comfortable for a rim that size. Perhaps due to the decent amount of sidewall you get. I did test drive a truck with the 22"s and it felt way too firm for my liking. I have had sport sedans in the past with oversized rims and skinny sidewalls and it was more headaches then it was worth. If you get 22"s, get bigger tires right away.

Hope that helps!!

 

[mikeru82]

Bottom line is with or without air suspension, the new Ram 1500's ride better than any pickup out there. The difference in ride comfort between air and coil spring suspension is negligible in my opinion. Main benefit of air suspension is the ability to adjust ride height, and auto adjust when you have a load. It's not worth the extra cost if your only concern is ride quality. I know others will argue, but as the owner of one of each I think I might know a little something about it.

 

[Dusty1948]

Speaking low profile tires, my daughter has a 2018 Veloster with 40 series Nexens. She's on her fourth (yes, you read that correctly) replacement tire from hitting either a pothole or pavement break. Each time it's a split in the sidewall.

Regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33 gallon fuel tank, factory dual exhaust, 18” wheels. Build date: 03 June 2018. Now at: 042972 miles.

 

[Aseras]

I live off a 4 mile "dirt" road. The air suspension is totally worth it over coils. Leaf trucks feel like the end of the world. You'll lose teeth when the road gets rough. The air suspension makes even the worst practically negligible. Especially washboard or series of potholes the leaf trucks make bouncing their asses off going down the road.

 

[reidcc]

I live on a fairly rough road, and love my standard coil suspension, and I have 20 inch wheels/tires.
My previous truck was a 2016 Colorado which rode horrible. I also drove a 2020 Silverado RST and a Sierra Elevation, both with the Z71 or X31 suspension, and the RAM outclasses them completely.

Chris

 

[Rexx]

Unlike a lot of people in this thread I find there is a fairly big difference between the air and coil suspension.
I had coil in my sport and while the ride was very good, the air ride is something else. The ram with air ride is better than many luxury vehicles I’ve ridden in for ride quality.

 

[hoodac78]

I'm new here so hello to everyone. I'm in the process of buying a 2021 1500 and was hoping to get some questions answered about the ride quality with and without the air suspension. I'm not a big pickup guy, it is a necessity for work. Its my only vehicle right now so whatever truck I do end up buying, I would be using as my everyday vehicle as well. I've always had another car for personal use as well as a truck, mostly BMW, Jaguar, etc., but with this pandemic and the uncertain future, I'm better served with only one vehicle right now. I've seen the interior of the the new rams and they're definitely something I like and are upscale and luxurious enough to keep me happy. Having said that, ride quality and comfort are my main wants for my next truck. I'm coming from a 2017 F150, and while the ride was ok, I feel like I would like more comfort in my daily driver. I wont be towing much, if at all so that's not a factor for me. Before anyone says it, I've already thought of just getting an SUV, but decided I'm better served with a pick up. Does the air ride improve the quality of the ride that much more than just the stock coil overs? I will be taking one for a test drive soon, but was hoping someone can compare the ride that has gone from a F150 to the Ram and has more than a few miles behind the wheel that you would get in a test drive. Thanks and look forward to joining your ranks

I went from a 2016 F150 Lariat FX4 to a 2019 Ram 1500 Limited with air ride. This is my second Ram and I can tell you the Ram does ride better than the Ford and has a better turning radius as well which helps if you live in the city. I mainly got the Limited for the air ride for towing purposes, but that being said it sure is a nice ride with the air suspension. I love my truck and I look forward to driving it all the time.....even look for reasons to have to go out and drive it. I liked my Ford too, but the Ram definitely has a more luxurious feel inside. As they say though, the ride 'feeling' is entirely subjective and an individual preference so I would suggest taking both for a rip to see what you think.

 

[river rat]

FWIW, I think my limited with air suspension rides better than the wifes range rover.