Work truck suspension upgrade

[Kap1]

Hi All,

I've got a 2013 1500 QC Big Horn hemi 4x4 with almost 90k miles.

It's my daily driver and a work truck, has a camper shell and I estimate that my tools, supplies and the camper all together weigh approximately 1000-1200lb load total payload which I carry daily. Add to that myself 200 lb, and wife, and we're looking at a total load of the truck 1300lb minimum. I think I'm over the allowed payload ...

My truck has been a bit wobbly/jumpy on the freeway when I drive fast, around 75-85mph, especially if there are slight humps on the freeway. Back when truck was new, it was much more stable at high speeds than now.

I explained this situation to my mechanic, and he checked the front end and said that everything is fine, but one of the optional repairs is to replace front both lower ball joints with lower control arm as he noticed a little bit of play in these parts. He said not critical but normal wear and tear and that may contribute to some wobble.. And I can wait a year or two before doing it.

I don't know much about suspension .. What would you recommend to do in my situation. I want an increased stability while driving fast (as it was when truck was new) , try to increase payload and improve suspension so it doesn't sag or wear out fast since I do carry lots of weight with me at all times. I do not want a lift as I need to fit into garages in downtown. No lowering either.

Should I replace the parts as my mechanic suggests?

Upgrade springs? Shocks? Leafs? Anything else suspension related?

I think I need some components with higher payload rating?

I want to make sure it's the last suspension upgrade I'll do and it'll be good for another 100k+ miles. I don't get as much enjoyment cruising as before because truck is more wobbly and jumpy now. When it's not loaded it's still fun to drive, and no wobble. But I want to improve it so it handles better while loaded too

Thank you in advance!

 

[crash68]

I'm guessing your shocks are the culprit. It could be partly your tires if they have a lot of miles on them.

 

[Hipps2000]

You don’t have leaf springs in the rear. I would look and variable rate rear springs that increase your carrying load. Look at tuft truck. I have super springs which allow for 400-500lbs more carryload in rear.
Also the upper and lower rear control arms are garbage and probably shot. They are rubber. I upgraded mine with core 4x4. They make an upper and lower kit for the rear. Very solid and with poly bushings.

Next you can run a heilwig rear sway bar factory sucks this one is nice and heavy and holds the rear together nicely.

You could also upgrade the rear track bar and end links core 4x4 makes really good stuff.

Lastly shocks I run blistein 5100 all around.

In the front I would recommend checking endlinks as well as upper contro arms, the ball joints probably are shot and the factory joints are not the best.

Upgrade these components as they are the weak points.

 

[Kap1]

You don’t have leaf springs in the rear. I would look and variable rate rear springs that increase your carrying load. Look at tuft truck. I have super springs which allow for 400-500lbs more carryload in rear.
Also the upper and lower rear control arms are garbage and probably shot. They are rubber. I upgraded mine with core 4x4. They make an upper and lower kit for the rear. Very solid and with poly bushings.

Next you can run a heilwig rear sway bar factory sucks this one is nice and heavy and holds the rear together nicely.

You could also upgrade the rear track bar and end links core 4x4 makes really good stuff.

Lastly shocks I run blistein 5100 all around.

In the front I would recommend checking endlinks as well as upper contro arms, the ball joints probably are shot and the factory joints are not the best.

Upgrade these components as they are the weak points.

Thank you for all the great info!

Will my truck sit higher if I do get all these upgrades? Especially the bilstein 5100? I'm trying to avoid lifting it at all as it's already a challenge fitting into garages. Which other shocks I can use to avoid the lift?

 

[Hipps2000]

Will not lift the rear at all. In the front they are leveling or adjustable shocks, you can just run them at the stock height or I choose to level front up approx 2” up which is middle setting, I can still get my truck in my 9x7 garage with 34” tires and a 1.5” body lift on mine. I have all the upgraded suspension parts above on my truck now.

 

[KnurledNut]

Rear sway bar

 

[69GWC]

TuffTruck 1211 coil springs
Hellwig sway bar
Bilstien 5100 shocks

Should get you back feeling good about the truck and the weight you are carrying.

 

[Kap1]

Now that I'm starting to learn about suspension a bit, and price things out ...this estimate from my usual mechanic seems awfully suspicious: $434 for the front lower control arm x2 units ..

test Job #2 Replace both front lower ball joint
with lowe...
Labor 5 Work Requested - Replace both front lower ball joint
with lower control arm.
2.00 105.00 210.00
Part 7687687 Factory lower control arm W/Ball Joint 2.00 434.00 868.00

 

[Hipps2000]

In the front I went with the zone uca they are beefy As hell and come with a solid ball joint. Highly recommend them.

For the back controlarms nobody beats core 4x4. Call them directly and ask for Spence. Tell him you want the rear upper and lower control arms with the Johnny joints on one end and the poly bushings on the other as well as the rear bent track bar and have him give you a bundle price disc with all new hardware.

 

[ram1500rsm]

Given the miles and weight, start with the obvious, 2 new Bilstein rear shocks (24-187350) and 2 heavy duty rear springs, Given the amount of weight you carry at all times, I’ll go with Icon 1.5” rear springs or TTC 1223, You will push them down with 1200 lbs of weight, but more likely will ride level and with a lot more control, and 2 new front struts, Moog have full assemblies that you can use, plug and play, stock height. if you need front ucas, Moog make cheap replacements to replace the tired stockers. Honestly doubt you’ll need anything else besides this and a new alignment, granted nobody knows the health of your suspension/steering components just reading your post, that’s some serious weight to carry all stock for that much miles.

Good luck.

 

[Hipps2000]

The rear upper and lower control arms have simple rubber bushings and after 90,000 and heavy weight will also be toast. Replace with higher quality bushings like poly or Johnny joints.

Replaced mine at 35000 miles

 

[Kap1]

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for all the great advice for improving my suspension. I'm finalizing research on this and about to go do it!

So - i found a local performance shop that does a lot of truck lift kits and custom work etc... good yelp reviews, and had the owner with another tech inspect my truck while i was there. They took their time and tech even went on a 30 min test drive with me.

1. They found an outer tie-rod on passenger side which is moving maybe 1/2 inch back/fourth (driver side is solid and not moving). They said it's not big deal and i don't need to worry about it. I asked that they will give me estimate to fix it

2. Owner kept insisting that i have handling issues because my i load-up my truck, and recommended to get Firestone air bags. I asked him about heavy-duty coils, but he didn't favor that idea and said that it will mostly made my ride more "rigid" and they will sag eventually too.

3. They kept saying that there's nothing wrong with my truck and i don't need anything besides dealing with the weight issue when i'm loaded.

4. I asked them about improving performance and handling, and then they agreed regarding Bils 5100 struts/shocks install, and Hellwig sway bar... for which i'm waiting for a quote now. Interestingly enough, owner said to wait with the air bags installation for now and see if these upgrades will be enough for me.

5. I was surprised that they didn't try to sell me something else, and kept asking them about Rear Control Arms , Front Upper Control Arm, and kept asking if upgrading those will do anything for me? They raised truck on the hoist once again to inspect more, and kept saying that everything looks fine and there's no worn or blown bushing anywhere, and all is fine, and it won't do anything for me.

Soooo.... ? I thought that they'll tell me to upgrade everything: UCA, springs, shocks, struts, springs, sway bar, rear control arms etc... but i really had to drag it out of them as they didn't want to tell me about any of these.

Could you please tell me what exact benefits will i get if i upgrade the front UCA's to Zones, and Rear Control Arms to Core4x4? Are these upgrades only relevant if you do off-roading or will i get any benefits on-road/highway as well???

 

[ram1500rsm]

To give you the idea:
Bilstein 4600's are factory replacements and will do fine:
Bisltein 4600 front: 24-187343
Bistein 4600 rear: 24-187350

Rear springs
Contact Tuff Truck and ask if you should go with the 1211's or the 1223's given your bed load weight.

Get that installed and give it a try. If they're telling you everything else is ok, you should be ok.

There are 2 air bag applications for this truck, for instance from Air Lift for example, you have the 1000 system and the 5000 system, i have no idea how rugged the 1000 system is for permanent weight, i think the 5000 one is the heavy duty one as it holds up to 5000lbs...., i figure those who use this systems for a living can tell you more about them, hopefully we have those people around.

I prefer coil springs myself and bags as last resort, if the bags leak, aftermarket springs can hold more weight than the stockers, so assuming your bed load is permanent, coil springs will help a lot, then you can add bags if needed.