Standard Coil vs. Air Suspension - my back to back review FWIW

[Tgryphon]

Driving experience I would think is the combination of ride and handling. My commute is over a gnarly 4-lane mountain road that is a giant slalom of sorts where beamers and teslas rule, but in my mind at least with my airsprung ram in ground hugging aero mode I've got the inside track on the F150s at least on those high speed hairpin turns.

IMHO the best thing you can do for handling with these trucks is the Hellwig roll bar. Improved handling a ton. Was especially helpful after I lifted it 6"

 

[Zogg44]

For me I saw the over abundance of tech was FOR SURE a gimmick just aimed at driving up the price. Whenever I see "adaptive cruise" I'm like great...something many cars have had for 25 but that cost an arm and a leg, and comes with a camera that will break in a few years and cause stupid check engine lights. NO THANKS. Cameras and sensors to help me park this beast is one thing...a cruise control "scam" that's another.

Adaptive cruise control isn't the same as regular cruise control and it's certainly not a "scam". It "adapts" to cars in front of you and will automatically slow you down and speed you back up to maintain distance, a feature that none of my older cars with standard cruise control have. For me it makes driving on the interstate easier because I can let the truck keep me a safe distance from the car in front, if it's a slower moving car. It's also great in stop and go traffic. Personally I think it's a terrific feature.

 

[Limited2021]

I have the air suspension and notice a difference when I am in aero mode vs normal mode on ride quality as well. You really notice a difference when going to OR1 and OR2.

 

[SpeedyV]

Both suspensions ride incredibly well. Unloaded, on relatively smooth roads, the coils may feel softer. They definitely feel “lighter”.

The advantages of the air suspension start to appear when you add a load, need to adjust height (as others have mentioned), or when you have extreme articulation…such as hitting a rough railroad crossing at speed, which practically disappears with air.

I ordered mine with the AS + ORG combo, giving the truck both a nice ride and “heavy, planted” feel. The Hellwig was the final piece I needed to achieve that.

 

[Erikh]

After owning a 2020 1500 limited diesel with air suspension I choose to order my 2022 Laramie without both. The diesel had 2 timing cover oil leaks within 8500 miles that took 2-3 weeks the first time and 4.5 weeks the second to repair. Not to mention horrendous delay in throttle response. With the air suspension, I frequently noticed the truck self leveling while not running which I believe caused the battery to have less than optimal charge level ~11.8 - 12.2 VDC. Given limp mode can be trigger with low battery voltage, I could not order another limited model due to A/S. Functionally, the air suspension was quite handy when adding tongue weight, or brief off-road trips in OR 1 or 2.

 

[A4Owner]

Both suspensions ride incredibly well. Unloaded, on relatively smooth roads, the coils may feel softer. They definitely feel “lighter”.

The advantages of the air suspension start to appear when you add a load, need to adjust height (as others have mentioned), or when you have extreme articulation…such as hitting a rough railroad crossing at speed, which practically disappears with air.

I ordered mine with the AS + ORG combo, giving the truck both a nice ride and “heavy, planted” feel. The Hellwig was the final piece I needed to achieve that.

Okay thanks. So what does ORG combo mean? And also what is a Hellwig? Also for Zogg45 thanks I didn't think about adaptive cruise that way. Now that you mention it: does that package also have the feature where if the truck thinks you're about to smash anyone it stops?

 

[SpeedyV]

Okay thanks. So what does ORG combo mean? And also what is a Hellwig? Also for Zogg45 thanks I didn't think about adaptive cruise that way. Now that you mention it: does that package also have the feature where if the truck thinks you're about to smash anyone it stops?

I was abbreviating “Air Suspension + Off-Road Group”.

Hellwig is a popular manufacturer of aftermarket sway bars, you can find thousands of posts in a handful of threads on these forums.

And yes, I have the advanced safety features, too. I honestly can’t remember how they’re packaged.

 

[Bpebler]

Okay thanks. So what does ORG combo mean? And also what is a Hellwig? Also for Zogg45 thanks I didn't think about adaptive cruise that way. Now that you mention it: does that package also have the feature where if the truck thinks you're about to smash anyone it stops?

ORG is for Off Road Group. Hellwig is the brand of rear sway bar.

Front or rear auto braking is part of a tech group package.

 

[A4Owner]

Ok thanks. Man these things are so complicated to configure in a lot of ways. But then again, you can really get a rig to suit your lifestyle.

 

[Bpebler]

No problem. SpeedyV makes a good point by saying he can’t remember how they’re packaged - Ram changed/bundled a few packages with each of all of the different trims which has made it basically impossible to remember anyway. I was making several different trim builds since late 2021 until I pulled the trigger in early April & Ram had changed/removed/bundled different options with each package & it was confusing & frustrating. Availability had a little to do with it as well. The build website is the most timely accurate you could reference but this site is more descriptive with the best feedback to elaborate on each of the options & experience/opinions of them. It will certainly help the most with building your rig to suit your lifestyle.