2500/3500 Rear Air Suspension

There was some talk of this when I bought my 2500 in March of 2014 but it wasn't available and I didn't think much of it. I've been doing some research and learned that there are different systems on the 2500 and 3500. The 2500 looks to be a full air system while the 3500 is a supplement for some leafs. Both seen to lack much in the way of manual adjustments. This info is all just coming from threads and articles on various message boards I've found online.

My main question is if the rear air on either truck helps the unloaded ride?? I have manual bags on my truck which are a bit of a hassle to air up and down but are great for adjust-ability. If/when I go for a new truck I'd prefer a 3500 but would prefer not to have the ultra-stiff unloaded ride of the full leaf spring suspension. It's probably a long shot but has anyone driven both air and non-air trucks? And/or if you have the air suspension, how's the ride?

mtofell said:

My main question is if the rear air on either truck helps the unloaded ride?? I have manual bags on my truck which are a bit of a hassle to air up and down but are great for adjust-ability. If/when I go for a new truck I'd prefer a 3500 but would prefer not to have the ultra-stiff unloaded ride of the full leaf spring suspension. It's probably a long shot but has anyone driven both air and non-air trucks? And/or if you have the air suspension, how's the ride?

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The best answer is the ride quality is directly related to the road surface conditions.

I've driven both albeit the non air leveling as a demo ride before I ordered my 3500 with the rear air leveling system. If there is a difference, it isn't noticeable in an AB test drive. On bad roads you will feel the bilateral jerk of uneven pavement and every pot-hole and bump.

I lower the rear tires to 60 pounds when I'm not pulling the fiver, on reasonable roads the ride is reasonable yet firm. I find the amount of steering input more troublesome (as compared to my 2013 1500) than the ride.

When I add 3,000 pounds of pin weight, the ride is as smooth as glass, even on the crappy Detroit road surfaces.