1500 - 37s and 4 inch or less lift Q&A + Pics

[Harley1200]

Anyone have experience or pics of 37 inch tires with a 4 inch or less lift? I won't be driving this every day and want capability for some off-roading. I'm set on going with 37s, for more clearance, and want minimal lift height. I'll use an aftermarket bumper to allow for clearance (probably Addictive Desert Design). Thinking of using the A.E.V. 4 inch lift, but adding King shocks instead of the Bilsteins the kit comes with. I think I like the look of a 4 inch lift on the 1500 with 37s more than a 6 inch or level. Truck is a 2013 Sport non air ride.

I've seen 2 people successfully use a 2.5 shock kit, like the ICON, with an aftermarket bumper for 37s. I'm guessing you could use any 2.5 shock kit like King or Fox as long as you achieve lift of roughly 2.5 inches or more in the front (so essentially level).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTWINh3knEk&t=253s
https://www.instagram.com/ramuber1500/​

Trying to learn as much as I can before starting. Has anyone done this and able to offer advice/considerations/suggestions/pics?

Thanks!

 

[JB1]

@ram1500rsm

 

[ram1500rsm]

Yes I run and offroad 37's on 2.5/2.75" front depending on when I measure lift with King CO and shocks. I've posted on another thread how. Tires are KO2 37x12x5x17, wheels are 17x9 -12offset.

 

[ram1500rsm]

Check post#14 here, 37's on small lift brown bag course
https://www.ramforum.com/threads/on-the-fence-bds-6-tire-size.158195/page-2

You can also check my full journey on my built thread in my sig.

Have fun.

 

[Harley1200]

That's super helpful. Thanks for sharing and posting with so much detail. I'm now thinking about waiting until they release details on the TRX. Either will trade in for that or buy a 2020 ecodeisel and do some kings and 37s following your build.

 

[ram1500rsm]

Np bro.

 

[Nanaue4x4]

Hate to bring this back @ram1500rsm and @Harley1200
But realized im also i Socal, and basically have your copy cat builds!
Im also running 37x12.5r17 with a 0 offset up front, (my wheel and tire combo is 96 lbs!) i have ironman full suspension, (supposed to be 2.5 up front, 2inch spring in the rear), after seeing your photos i think i may have more than a 2.5 lift up front. Is there anyway you guys can post a hub to fender well measurement so i can figure out, i had stock airride before and deleted that, without taking measurements(because it popped) .

Thanks in advance!

 

[hodge-xj]

Hate to bring this back @ram1500rsm and @Harley1200
But realized im also i Socal, and basically have your copy cat builds!
Im also running 37x12.5r17 with a 0 offset up front, (my wheel and tire combo is 96 lbs!) i have ironman full suspension, (supposed to be 2.5 up front, 2inch spring in the rear), after seeing your photos i think i may have more than a 2.5 lift up front. Is there anyway you guys can post a hub to fender well measurement so i can figure out, i had stock airride before and deleted that, without taking measurements(because it popped) .

Thanks in advance!

I'm messing with my current setup and pulled numbers off a stock truck today. CCLB was the truck.

Hub to fender +/- .25"]
20.5" front
23.5" rear

 

[Nanaue4x4]

I'm messing with my current setup and pulled numbers off a stock truck today. CCLB was the truck.

Hub to fender +/- .25"]
20.5" front
23.5" rear

Thank you so much for this!
Im going to have to remeasure when i get home, Im only supposed to be running 2.5 inches of liftup front, so this will settle that

 

[hodge-xj]

Thank you so much for this!
Im going to have to remeasure when i get home, Im only supposed to be running 2.5 inches of liftup front, so this will settle that

post up what you find. I'm curious

 

[Nanaue4x4]

post up what you find. I'm curious

So what i found was,
Hub to fender front:
~25 in
ground to fender front:
42.25in
Hub to fender rear:
~ 24.75 in
Ground to fender Rear:
~42
My tires measured out to be 36.2 on the truck, my spare measures out to a true 37
So im assuming that puts me at about a 3.25 lift up front which would explain why my down travel is so bad.
Im currently running Ironman Suspension that i did a full Air ride delete with, they are completely garbage. I threw the coils on without messing with any height, and they have it preloaded extra on a 2 inch spring so much im at more lift than advertised (both set of front struts are like this) i broke a set already.

 

[hodge-xj]

So what i found was,
Hub to fender front:
~25 in
ground to fender front:
42.25in
Hub to fender rear:
~ 24.75 in
Ground to fender Rear:
~42
My tires measured out to be 36.2 on the truck, my spare measures out to a true 37
So im assuming that puts me at about a 3.25 lift up front which would explain why my down travel is so bad.
Im currently running Ironman Suspension that i did a full Air ride delete with, they are completely garbage. I threw the coils on without messing with any height, and they have it preloaded extra on a 2 inch spring so much im at more lift than advertised (both set of front struts are like this) i broke a set already.

For comparison with my icons, gladiator 2" coils and 34s I'm at,

Hub to fender front:
23" +/- (1 turn preload over icon setting)
Hub to fender rear:
24.5"

Ground to fender is arbitrary as our tire sizes are significantly different.

How much down travel do you have with this setup?

 

[Nanaue4x4]

For comparison with my icons, gladiator 2" coils and 34s I'm at,

Hub to fender front:
23" +/- (1 turn preload over icon setting)
Hub to fender rear:
24.5"

Ground to fender is arbitrary as our tire sizes are significantly different.

How much down travel do you have with this setup?

In the rear, im at about 9.5-10 inches of useable travel, i can get another 2 inches if i disconnect the sways, and disconnect the shocks, with the coils still pretty much in their resting place, but loose. So definitely gonna go with longer shocks. I have all Metal cloak rear end from a gladiator besides the ironman shocks and springs.

In the front im not too sure how to go about the measurements.
Im running Ironman 4x4 foamcell pro, they have 15.9 inch springs(or about 16) compressed down to 13 inches, so down travel im at about 3.5 inches, and up travel alot less because the bump stop is in the way. Im wondering if lowering the preload they have set will really allow my front end to get the advertised extended travel
Watchinf some videos on youtube of another silver ram on 37’s, testing BLD. He looks like he has exactly the same travel I have up front. Im assuming these 4th gens are just starved of travel up front.

 

[hodge-xj]

In the rear, im at about 9.5-10 inches of useable travel, i can get another 2 inches if i disconnect the sways, and disconnect the shocks, with the coils still pretty much in their resting place, but loose. So definitely gonna go with longer shocks. I have all Metal cloak rear end from a gladiator besides the ironman shocks and springs.

In the front im not too sure how to go about the measurements.
Im running Ironman 4x4 foamcell pro, they have 15.9 inch springs(or about 16) compressed down to 13 inches, so down travel im at about 3.5 inches, and up travel alot less because the bump stop is in the way. Im wondering if lowering the preload they have set will really allow my front end to get the advertised extended travel
Watchinf some videos on youtube of another silver ram on 37’s, testing BLD. He looks like he has exactly the same travel I have up front. Im assuming these 4th gens are just starved of travel up front.

Measuring up front is tough. I usually go off the specs listed for shock travel, then doing my best to measure it at ride height etc. With springs installed it's pretty much an educated guess. If I'm being lazy I'll measure shock length at ride height and from top of tire to fender, then the same at droop and compare.

2" is the minimum down travel specified by king and fox IIRC and I believe the more ideal setting is 2.5" or more. So it's a balancing act. We are starved for useable travel, especially in low speed scenarios. I can say my icons are noticeably worse with a couple turns of preload. I've personally settled on 1 turn more than factory and have adjusted my rear to make it aesthetically appealing to my eye VS raising my front more. Icon also runs 650lb coils so they are rather stiff and become harsh with alot of preload. Also....be careful at full droop. At full lock my CVs kiss the ears on my Icons. I'm on like set 4 of cv shafts and I'm looking to replace them again.

Are you running stock front sway bar links? @ram1500rsm was able to squeeze extra travel by using different links. I have a set of newer extended Smaxx links so DM me if you need a set.

The rear in these trucks is easy to squeeze some pretty good travel out of which is cool. And the fronts will cycle around 10" of total wheel travel, but in order to use it about 2-2.5" lift is about all I can see being realistic before the ride likely sucks.


Post 298 in ram1500rsm build thread he shows a 1/2 gain in up travel with longer links. Fyi

 

[Nanaue4x4]

Measuring up front is tough. I usually go off the specs listed for shock travel, then doing my best to measure it at ride height etc. With springs installed it's pretty much an educated guess. If I'm being lazy I'll measure shock length at ride height and from top of tire to fender, then the same at droop and compare.

2" is the minimum down travel specified by king and fox IIRC and I believe the more ideal setting is 2.5" or more. So it's a balancing act. We are starved for useable travel, especially in low speed scenarios. I can say my icons are noticeably worse with a couple turns of preload. I've personally settled on 1 turn more than factory and have adjusted my rear to make it aesthetically appealing to my eye VS raising my front more. Icon also runs 650lb coils so they are rather stiff and become harsh with alot of preload. Also....be careful at full droop. At full lock my CVs kiss the ears on my Icons. I'm on like set 4 of cv shafts and I'm looking to replace them again.

Are you running stock front sway bar links? @ram1500rsm was able to squeeze extra travel by using different links. I have a set of newer extended Smaxx links so DM me if you need a set.

The rear in these trucks is easy to squeeze some pretty good travel out of which is cool. And the fronts will cycle around 10" of total wheel travel, but in order to use it about 2-2.5" lift is about all I can see being realistic before the ride likely sucks.


Post 298 in ram1500rsm build thread he shows a 1/2 gain in up travel with longer links. Fyi

I dont run a front sway bar currently, I might have to put it back on and see what i can get.
I was going off of Tinkerer’s adventure. His youtube channel states a IFS suspension does a little better with rear sways attached and fronts off/disconnected. I do have adjustable endlinks so i may just have to adjust them longer

 

[hodge-xj]

I dont run a front sway bar currently, I might have to put it back on and see what i can get.
I was going off of Tinkerer’s adventure. His youtube channel states a IFS suspension does a little better with rear sways attached and fronts off/disconnected. I do have adjustable endlinks so i may just have to adjust them longer

Well I would say if you're not missing the sway bar there's no need to put it back as it really won't help your articulation. I actually just came across his page looking at tires, ironically he's local to me. Havent seen his IFS video but he's intelligent enough that it likely makes sense lol.

How much down travel from ride height does your front have? I'd be curious if there is too much preload and its impeding the springs ability to compress.

 

[Nanaue4x4]

Well I would say if you're not missing the sway bar there's no need to put it back as it really won't help your articulation. I actually just came across his page looking at tires, ironically he's local to me. Havent seen his IFS video but he's intelligent enough that it likely makes sense lol.

How much down travel from ride height does your front have? I'd be curious if there is too much preload and its impeding the springs ability to compress.

So im about 3.5 inches of down travel from stock height fender to hub measurement. I just took some measurements fully flexed uptravel wise(body of strut to bumpstop)
The ledge i am on is 19.5 inches tall, so front can be compressed a little more

Before 25 inches hub to fender
Driver is 22
Passenger side, full tire still on ground
28.5, not maxed out

Rear before 24.75
Passenger side 20 inches
Driver 31 inches

Before the arms they provided were horrible, now they have Moog UCA’s with more articulation and i can see an increase in travel slightly. Just need to find a way to strengthen the lower shock mount and ill be golden

 

[Nanaue4x4]

To clarify, the before measurements were for rideheight

 

[hodge-xj]

So im about 3.5 inches of down travel from stock height fender to hub measurement. I just took some measurements fully flexed uptravel wise(body of strut to bumpstop)
The ledge i am on is 19.5 inches tall, so front can be compressed a little more

Before 25 inches hub to fender
Driver is 22
Passenger side, full tire still on ground
28.5, not maxed out

Rear before 24.75
Passenger side 20 inches
Driver 31 inches

Before the arms they provided were horrible, now they have Moog UCA’s with more articulation and i can see an increase in travel slightly. Just need to find a way to strengthen the lower shock mount and ill be golden

Aside from your hub to fender being more than the 2.5" height over stock in the front you're numbers don't seem horrible. Front looks to be a bit stiff which is likely why it won't flex/stuff all the way but otherwise it seems like it should perform ok.

I'd have to dig in my build to compare icon specs at droop up front. Wonder if ucas with a better BJ would benefit you.

What's wrong with the lower mount? What exactly is your main issue with your current setup?

*edit*
Pg-88 in my build has icon specs. Hub to fender on your truck is an extra 2" longer at full droop. That's significant vs what stock trucks would be. Now im intrigued by the specs of your iron man coilovers

 

[olyelr]

So im about 3.5 inches of down travel from stock height fender to hub measurement. I just took some measurements fully flexed uptravel wise(body of strut to bumpstop)
The ledge i am on is 19.5 inches tall, so front can be compressed a little more

Before 25 inches hub to fender
Driver is 22
Passenger side, full tire still on ground
28.5, not maxed out

Rear before 24.75
Passenger side 20 inches
Driver 31 inches

Before the arms they provided were horrible, now they have Moog UCA’s with more articulation and i can see an increase in travel slightly. Just need to find a way to strengthen the lower shock mount and ill be golden

I am extremely impressed you got up on that brickpaver wall without damaging it….kudos to whoever installed that lmao