Hey all,
Seems like a lot of questions about how to pull this off, so I just want to chime in with what worked for me and some thoughts about lowering in general.
Setup: 2005 RAM 1500 RWD Rumble Bee Edition
Engine: 5.7 Hemi
Transmission: 545RFE
Differential: 9.25" AAM 3.92
Wheels & Tires: 305/40/R22 SRT-10 clone wheels
Lowering Kit: BellTech 2" Front lowering springs / 5" Rear axle flip kit
and most importantly...
Leaf Springs: General Spring KS heavy duty 5(4/1) leaf springs (It's got 4 leaves, plus 1 overload leaf) 2200lb capacity
Any time you lower the vehicle (except for spindle drop kits), you have to jack up the spring rate to keep from bottoming out. You definitely notice it on the front coils, but the leaf springs are pretty hard already so no change necessary for street driving. But since I noticed the leaf springs sagging and I figured I'd be doing some towing in my future, I decided to replace the stock springs with heavy duty. Good move, turns out! The heavy duties actually make the rear sit up an extra inch from level, and then when you load up it drops into level. Total weight for truck + trailer + car + motorcycle + a ton of tools was over 10,000lbs (I checked at a CAT scale, just for giggles). Not bad for a lowered 1500!
How does it ride? Like a truck. It's pretty stiff all around but I like the way it handles and there's minimal body roll. The lion's share of ride quality is based on your spring rate, so that comes with the territory. I'm still using the BellTech shocks, and actually when the lower shock bushing bracket broke I sent them a message and they sent me a brand new set of shocks with much beefier shock bushings. This isn't "lowering specific" but with where the powerband is on the Hemi you have to really "put 'er in the ketchup(high revs) to get the whole thing rolling on the entrance ramps. I never felt like it was underpowered though. Rear gear ratio and slightly smaller tire diameter compared to stock helps.
If you have any suggestions, questions, or recommendations, I'm totally open!
Seems like a lot of questions about how to pull this off, so I just want to chime in with what worked for me and some thoughts about lowering in general.
Setup: 2005 RAM 1500 RWD Rumble Bee Edition
Engine: 5.7 Hemi
Transmission: 545RFE
Differential: 9.25" AAM 3.92
Wheels & Tires: 305/40/R22 SRT-10 clone wheels
Lowering Kit: BellTech 2" Front lowering springs / 5" Rear axle flip kit
and most importantly...
Leaf Springs: General Spring KS heavy duty 5(4/1) leaf springs (It's got 4 leaves, plus 1 overload leaf) 2200lb capacity
Any time you lower the vehicle (except for spindle drop kits), you have to jack up the spring rate to keep from bottoming out. You definitely notice it on the front coils, but the leaf springs are pretty hard already so no change necessary for street driving. But since I noticed the leaf springs sagging and I figured I'd be doing some towing in my future, I decided to replace the stock springs with heavy duty. Good move, turns out! The heavy duties actually make the rear sit up an extra inch from level, and then when you load up it drops into level. Total weight for truck + trailer + car + motorcycle + a ton of tools was over 10,000lbs (I checked at a CAT scale, just for giggles). Not bad for a lowered 1500!
How does it ride? Like a truck. It's pretty stiff all around but I like the way it handles and there's minimal body roll. The lion's share of ride quality is based on your spring rate, so that comes with the territory. I'm still using the BellTech shocks, and actually when the lower shock bushing bracket broke I sent them a message and they sent me a brand new set of shocks with much beefier shock bushings. This isn't "lowering specific" but with where the powerband is on the Hemi you have to really "put 'er in the ketchup(high revs) to get the whole thing rolling on the entrance ramps. I never felt like it was underpowered though. Rear gear ratio and slightly smaller tire diameter compared to stock helps.
If you have any suggestions, questions, or recommendations, I'm totally open!