Ride difference between 2500 and 3500

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Joe442

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Is a 2500 a much better ride comfort wise than a 3500? Or not a huge difference. With and without towing. Camper will be bought after I get a new truck so not worried about payload or towing cap. right now.
 

mtnrider

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Yes, there will be a difference. How much is always somewhat subjective, some say a huge difference others say very little. Bottom line, if you need a 3500 you need a 3500 and ride is going to be irrelevant.

I personally wouldn't hesitate to get a 3500 if I needed it.

.
 

andymax

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I'm a firm believer in upsizing for the sole reason that no matter what RV/Boat/Cargo trailer, etc you get, there will always be a good chance you'll want to upgrade. If I were in your shoes I'd seriously shop for, but not purchase, the trailer you want and only then decide on the truck. Find out the bumper/pin weights, etc once you've decided on which features you need. The 3500 will give you a lot more headroom to make other decisions. Also, you gotta figure out the gas/diesel thing too because a 2500 diesel is fairly compromised with payload.

Lastly, if this were my decision I'd easily opt for the 3500 SRW over the 2500 all day long.
 

Bengalcats1958

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I was in that very quandary myself last November ‘2021’ with the possible upgrade of our travel trailer camper to a 5th wheel. This time I wanted the truck to not be my limiting factor on camper purchase. So the truck I ordered in November and received two weeks ago is a 3500 single rear wheel. It will pull our 35 foot 10,800lb travel trailer easily, (still load distributed with 12000lb Equalizer hitch) and will pull most 5th wheels in the future as well. I looked at the 2500’s, but the comparison was no contest. Ride is stiff, but still comfortable. HO diesel has endless torque and still averaging 15-16mpg unhitched, reaching nearly 20mpg on the interstate flat and level at 72mph. Though trips to fill up with diesel are between half and three quarter tank full. I have to say the diesel runs best stretching it’s legs rather than lumbering around town. But very glad I went 3500.
 

fkingpsuce

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Does the 3500 still come with leafs (leaves?) vs the coils in the 2500?
 

bcbouy

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3500 with d rated flotation tires in a lower pressure and lose the tpms sensors.it will ride the same as a 2500.just keep a spare set of e rated rubber for towing/hauling.it takes no significant time to switch them over.
 

BWL

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To me the difference is quite noticeable unloaded. Once it has weight on it then it rides just as nice IMHO. The 2500 diesel ram payload is stupid low though for such a heavy truck because they limit it to 9900/10k Can/US for classification purposes so If I had my heart set on a 2500 I'd go Ford or GM since the payloads are considerably higher (1k or better) unless you opt for the 10k downgrade package that includes a different door sticker to drop the class. Wish ram would do the same
 

jejb

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I own an 18 2500 Cummins with air suspension. It rides really well unloaded. When I was deciding what to order earlier this year, I test drove a couple of 3500's, dually and SRW. Very noticeably stiffer riding. Backend skipping/hopping over road irregularities that my 2500 would just suck up. Feedback from folks that had owned both agreed with what I found. So I ordered another 2500 diesel.

But what the others are saying above is correct, not much payload on a 2500 if you're going to go diesel. If you're getting a good sized camper and carrying a family in the truck, you will be well over the legal max. Truck will likely haul it just fine, but you have to figure out your risk tolerance. We have a diesel pusher RV so I know I'll never haul anything that big behind my 2500. But there'd be no question if I was going to haul a big camper, it'd be a 3500, unloaded ride be damned.
 

Scottly

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Had 'em both....2018 2500 and my 2021 3500. The 3500 runs decidedly harsher when empty. It feels like a ...a...truck, not a baby-carrying, grocery-getting, make-the-wifey-happy manbun mobile that the Ford F150 tries so hard to be. It has leafs in the rear instead of coils. It doesn't sink down when you stand on the bumper. It's taught. On the upside, hit the "tow/haul" button when it's empty and watch the little ******** in his euro-**** sports car cry when your H O Cummins smokes him up to 100mph. Just my $.02
 

68PowerWagon

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People stating the 3500 rides rough, is that with air ride or without? I have heard the 3500 with air ride rides very close to the 2500 with coils.
 

jejb

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People stating the 3500 rides rough, is that with air ride or without? I have heard the 3500 with air ride rides very close to the 2500 with coils.
One guy that commented on a thread I started about this recently had both a 2500 and 3500 (SRW), each with factory air suspension. He said there was still a world of difference in the ride, with the 3500 being much harsher. And that makes sense since the 3500 doesn't even lower when you hit the Alt Ride Height button, unless you have something like at least 600lbs of load in the bed. The 2500 lowers with no load in the bed.
 

DWDurr57

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I recently upgraded from a 2009 3500 DRW to a 2022 3500 DRW and I can undoubtedly say that the 2022 rides much smoother than the 2009, love the air ride suspension!!! Keeping in mind that it is a 1 ton truck the ride is a little stiff and more noticeable on certain road conditions. With just a little weight in the bed (500lbs) it rides like a cowboy cadillac.
I tow a wide variety of equipment with my truck (ranging from 500lb jet skis to 25k lbs airplanes and everything in between) IMO if you’re going to tow anything go big. The stress difference in synchronized driving (your tow item pushing you down the road) and always being in control of your towed equipment with a bigger truck makes all the difference in the world in your traveling experience. Not to mention that it’s easy too get your equipment moving down the road but stopping it is a completely different story, 3500 gives you better braking and more weight to control the stop. I can certainly attest to everyone wants to pull in front of me and stop when I’m towing my 35’ 15k lbs 5th wheel. I will gladly accept a slightly harsher ride in some conditions knowing that when I ask my truck to work for me, I can do it stress free knowing I can stop…..just saying.
 

stevenP

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I have both a Gen5 2500, and a Gen4 3500. The 3500 rides a lot harsher than the 2500 all day long. And yes the 3500 is all leaf springs in the rear for suspension. It is what it is when it comes to this topic. If your hauling some big heavy RV or a goosneck trailer and need a 3500s payload capacity, well theres not much else to say. But is there a ride difference....yes the 2500 rides smoother and softer unloaded. But it either is a truck not a luxury SUV.
 
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