Tradesman ECO Diesel 1500 vs Express 1500

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STecoD

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I was wondering if anyone knew the difference in the suspension on the 2wd 1500 eco Tradesman vs the 2wd 1500 express. The express sits almost level vs the eco sits front end low comparatively. Is it just different suspension or do they level the express trucks. I was planning on leveling my truck and was wondering if I could swap for some factory suspension off an express or if I needed to go aftermarket.


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cbsmith

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The Express suspension is the same as all of the other models, aside possibly from the Outdoorsman models when they were made.

Were both trucks you were looking at Ecodiesel? The Eco is a heavier engine so if Ram used the same springs on the Eco vs the Hemi the front would sit a bit lower.
 

14hemiexpress

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The Express suspension is the same as all of the other models, aside possibly from the Outdoorsman models when they were made.

Were both trucks you were looking at Ecodiesel? The Eco is a heavier engine so if Ram used the same springs on the Eco vs the Hemi the front would sit a bit lower.

Nailed it eco is heavier
 

Ricks Ram

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I believe he's referring to the two wheel drive trucks. It seems to me that the two wheel drive Express sits higher than two wheel drive Tradesmen regardless of which engine is in them. I have seen many 2 wheel drive Express trucks that actually look like their four-wheel drives. From what I have read the Eco diesel weighs in at around 507 Lbs. I'm not sure what the 5.7 Hemi weighs but I would think it's not to far off from that. Maybe it's for fuel economy? I'm not sure but I have definitely seen the difference he is talking about.

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STecoD

STecoD

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I saw a 2wd Tradesman today that was angled the same as mine. It was a V6. The Pentastar is an aluminum block so it can’t be near that heavy.


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Jeepwalker

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My guess would be it's set lower for best fuel economy. Smaller hole poked into the air stream. The 2wd Eco is the flagship industry-wide high fuel economy truck (or at least it was for a while) that RAM has been splashing across advertisements and dangling in front of prospective buyers to get them into the showrooms. The fuel economy numbers ARE pretty astonishing. It must be working weather they ultimately sell trucks with Ecos or Hemi's, because even my Ford buddy asked me the other day (out of the blue) what I knew about the Rams with the Eco engine. He'd seen some advertisement with the high fuel economy numbers.
 
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STecoD

STecoD

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My guess would be it's set lower for best fuel economy. Smaller hole poked into the air stream. The 2wd Eco is the flagship industry-wide high fuel economy truck (or at least it was for a while) that RAM has been splashing across advertisements and dangling in front of prospective buyers to get them into the showrooms. The fuel economy numbers ARE pretty astonishing. It must be working weather they ultimately sell trucks with Ecos or Hemi's, because even my Ford buddy asked me the other day (out of the blue) what I knew about the Rams with the Eco engine. He'd seen some advertisement with the high fuel economy numbers.
It does get very good fuel economy, especially runs good with the GDE tune in it. I really like the truck just the clearance under it without ramps or jacking it up make it rough to change oil and fuel filter. I also would like it for the look also.


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Ricks Ram

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I can't say for sure but it would seem like the express pickups possibly have taller springs in the front. I guess one way to find out would be to look up the part numbers for the front springs for a 2WD Express and a 2WD Tradesman with the same engine package and see if they are different. All I know is there's an obvious difference in the two trucks. I know the fuel economy would probably suffer a little bit if you leveled it but I think they look a lot better almost level than they do raked that much in the front.

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crash68

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From what I have read the Eco diesel weighs in at around 507 Lbs. I'm not sure what the 5.7 Hemi weighs but I would think it's not to far off from that.

If you look at the SAE J2807 charts. There is about 150 lbs difference between the front base weights of the Hemi and EcoDiesel.
 

Ricks Ram

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If you look at the SAE J2807 charts. There is about 150 lbs difference between the front base weights of the Hemi and EcoDiesel.
I get that. What I'm saying is there seems to be a pretty big difference in the front end ride height between the two even when they have identical engines the Express sits quite a bit higher than the two-wheel drive version. Even the V6 two wheel drive Tradesman sits low in the front. Also I'm pretty sure unless it was intentional Chrysler would use a stiffer spring to compensate for the weight of the EcoDiesel unless it was intentionally left lower.

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crazykid1994

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Is it possible the express with the plastic bumper may have something to do with it. The tradesman still has a metal bumper


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STecoD

STecoD

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If I sit on the bumper of an express it doesn’t drop down to the height of my truck. If you take into account the extra weight of engine and bumper I don’t think it weighs in at 230 lbs. I might just swing by the dealer and ask them but over half of them don’t know what are in the truck anyways.


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Ricks Ram

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I would imagine the dealers not going to have a clue if the trucks take different springs. I would suggest possibly getting the VIN number off of a two-wheel drive Express and then getting the VIN number off of a two-wheel drive Tradesmen with the same engine and then have the dealer look up the part numbers for the front springs or if there's some type of spacer on the 2WD Express trucks that makes them sit a little higher. I know it doesn't seem to make much sense that they would do that but the more I look at the two wheel drive Express truck they just don't seem to have the same rake as a Tradesman.

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Jeepwalker

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My 4x4 Tradesman sits low at the front too. When I bought it, my brother (who knows trucks pretty well) said, "I thought you told me you were going to get a 4x4?". He too was surprised how low they sit at the front. To be honest, I might have to take the lower air dam off next winter. Getting through a driveway that has snow plowed in front of it, is going to damage it eventually.

As for springs on the Express, yeah, definitely check with the parts dept. THey should be able to tell you. Not uncommon at all for different wire size and bent styles to suit different engines, truck weights and features (i.e. snow plow package on 2500's).
 

Express SN95

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Tradesman 1500s do not have "raised ride height." If you pull up a tradesman 4x4 build sheet and compare to an express w/20" wheels or Big Horn you would see that they have "raised ride height" while the tradesman does not.

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STecoD

STecoD

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Tradesman 1500s do not have "raised ride height." If you pull up a tradesman 4x4 build sheet and compare to an express w/20" wheels or Big Horn you would see that they have "raised ride height" while the tradesman does not.

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I will have to check that out. See if it is something I can get from the dealer or if I should just go with an aftermarket setup. I have the rest of it all upgraded so I might as well work on finishing the job. Also need to get the front trim above the bumper painted.


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Express SN95

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If youre looking to raise the front up aka "level" your best bet is Bilstein 5100s that are adjustable.

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Ricks Ram

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If youre looking to raise the front up aka "level" your best bet is Bilstein 5100s that are adjustable.

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The Bilstein 5100 adjustable shock is only for the four-wheel drive. His truck is a two-wheel drive.

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Express SN95

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The Bilstein 5100 adjustable shock is only for the four-wheel drive. His truck is a two-wheel drive.

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Sorry I missed that part. Disregard the 5100 adjustable shocks then.

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