Help with new to me 2019 lifted Ram 1500 Classic

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tokillamurderer

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Hello all, I hope I'm posting this in the right spot. This is kind of an all-around call for help on a truck that is completely new to me. I'm coming from a 2000 Suburban 2500. I just bought my 2019 Ram 1500 Classic Tradesman about 3 weeks ago. It came lifted with 20" Elegante wheels and 35x12.50 Haida tires. Here are my concerns. I'm trying to get the dealer to deal with the first one (highway wobble) with the 30 day warranty they offered. I'm dropping it off Monday morning. Who knows what they'll do. Anyway:

1) Above 65 mph or so on the highway, there is a pretty good low-frequency vibration (wobble?). It feels like an unbalanced wheel, or maybe a bent or damaged wheel. I had the dealer cover a tire balancing, but they wanted me to use Town Fair Tire, who was too busy to even call me when the truck was done, so who knows what they did. They did remove all the old weights (they left all the adhesive...) and added lots of new weights in different locations. There was zero change to the wobble after that. They didn't say anything about damaged wheels. I'm most concerned about this issue, as it could wear other components out.

2) The truck pulls slightly to the left, only really noticeable on the highway at speed. I also had the dealer pay to have Town Fair align the truck. Who knows what they did, as there was no change to this issue after that visit either. It isn't bad. I have a shop I really like who always does everything right the first time, and I'll probably pay to have them align it properly at a later date. Unfortunately, they can't balance 35" tires there.

3) This one is big. The truck does not handle right for daily/highway driving. I'm not experienced enough with lifts or knowledgeable enough about suspension components to know why. Here is the best way I can describe it. There is a big right-hand curve on the highway I take to work, and there is a seam in the road in the middle of that curve. I usually hit it doing around 60-70mph. I hit it around 60mph the other day, my first time driving that road with this truck, and the truck seemed to float over the seam, disconnected with the road, and the truck ended up in the lane to the left of me before the curve was done. This is dangerous, and I definitely wasn't expecting it. I don't know what the previous owner did as far as a lift on the truck. I don't know if this would be caused by shocks, springs, lack of proper components, or what. But it seems like the tires weren't allowed to absorb the bump, and instead the tires and truck came off the road and I lost controllability. Ideas?

4) I'm not sure how to determine what I have for a lift. I took some pictures of my undercarriage, maybe some of you can help. The front shocks appear to be stock, but I don't know. I can't find any logos or info on the rear shocks. My biggest 2 questions are: how do I determine how much my truck is lifted, and how do I keep this look and amount of lift but make it ride and handle properly as a daily driver? I don't plan on really doing much off roading, I just love how it looks.

Thanks for any and all help, info, ideas, etc! The close-ups of the info on the shocks in the pictures are the front shocks (front passenger side specifically). I couldn't find much on the rear shocks.
 

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tokillamurderer

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Adding pictures of the truck itself for reference. This is how it currently sits.
 

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Joshua Collins

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Putting it out there personally have not had any luck out of non name brand tires but that's just me. How much weight do the wheels have after the rebalance? I would say those are the culperate to about 75% of your issue the remaining part would be poor alignment if I were to guess at it.

Having the wheels checked for runout wouldn't be a bad idea either.

Just for reference I had some 35x12.50 aturro at's at one point and after attempting to get them to balance several times they were swapped out for some nittos. After the nittos were on no issues. And not saying the nittos are the best tire out there but have had good luck with them, Cooper, and toyo personally.

Good looking truck by the way hopefully they get it sorted out for you.
 
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tokillamurderer

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Thanks for the info man! There is a piece of metal in the tread of one of the tires, but it isn't leaking. I'll be replacing it at some point, and I'm definitely not sticking with these China tires, so hopefully you're right. I was gunna go with KO2's, I have them on my Suburban 2500. Any thoughts on them vs Nitto?
 

Fediej

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Good looking truck, I second the idea of getting rid of the cheapo tires. Lots of people like the K02s.
 

huntergreen

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My opinion might be less helpful. I would find a good off road shop and let them fix it. Find an off road club by you and ask for a recommended shop. Ultimately this will save you time and it will be fixed correctly.
 
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tokillamurderer

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That's absolutely helpful, thanks man. I thought about that, but wasn't sure how to find a shop that specializes in lifted trucks. I'm looking to make it a comfortable, reliable daily driver, but with the look and stance it has right now. That sounds reasonable to me, I hope it will to a shop as well.
 
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tokillamurderer

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Update. I dropped the truck off at the dealer I bought it from for the wobble. They said the tires are scalloped, and that they don't warranty tires. I've had this thing for a month and put a couple hundred miles on it. Regardless, there is a piece of metal in the tread of one of the tires, so I ordered a set of KO2's.

My friend who builds lifted Rams said to put an adjustable track bar in the rear and a pitman arm drop. Any advice, knowledge, opinions, etc on these?

Again, when hitting bumps on the highway, the truck seems to float over them and not stick to the road, making it very hard to control. It doesn't continue to be uncontrollable after. It also wobbles pretty good above 65 mph or so. Hopefully tires will fix that.

My friend followed me to the dealer, and we stayed on the phone so I could tell him when the truck got uncontrollable. He said it looked like my rear axle shifted to the left in the bumps that made the truck float. Would that indicate a track bar (panhard bar?) issue? Any help would be hugely appreciated!
 

j-b

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A couple of things I noticed. Your CV angles are very extreme. They should be almost flat, or have a slight bend to them. This is most likely causing you to be out of alignment. If you do not have enough positive caster it will drive like a shopping cart. Which is exactly the situation you described. You also probably have very little down travel left. My guess is no one who knew what they were doing has ever aligned your truck.

I would guess you have the Rough Country 3" Kit. A good swap out would be the Readylift 4" kit

A better track bar will certainly help the truck feel planted in the rear, but it should drive okay with the factory one.

Also 4th gen 1500's do not have a pitman arm as they are IFS. :cheers:
 
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Bump steer is what you are experiencing when you go over the bumps, caster and camber if not set right can make your truck do that, you might need some UCAs to fix the geometry of that lift kit and possibly new upper and lower control arms on the rear.

I had bump steer on my truck that was really bad, I replaced my lower control arms in the rear and it made it better, did not completely eliminate it but now the rear doesn't hop all over the place when going through washboard roads lol ...
 

ram1500rsm

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Pitman arm drop in a 1500 IFS truck? and that wouldn't be a good idea with a live axel either. that's a cheap fix that doesn't work if you want to have a nice steering.

What size tires do you have in there?
Measure ground to the edge of your fender front and rear. The angle of your CV axle is a little steep. and you already have aftemarket front UCA's, only couple of lifts come with those if the PO did buy as a kit. You may have alignment issues, shock issues, control arm issues CV axle issues, tire balance issues etc. First thing is to get a alignment report, and check all your bushings are good.
 
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tokillamurderer

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A couple of things I noticed. Your CV angles are very extreme. They should be almost flat, or have a slight bend to them. This is most likely causing you to be out of alignment. If you do not have enough positive caster it will drive like a shopping cart. Which is exactly the situation you described. You also probably have very little down travel left. My guess is no one who knew what they were doing has ever aligned your truck.

I would guess you have the Rough Country 3" Kit. A good swap out would be the Readylift 4" kit

A better track bar will certainly help the truck feel planted in the rear, but it should drive okay with the factory one.

Also 4th gen 1500's do not have a pitman arm as they are IFS. :cheers:
Thanks for the info! And I guess I haven't looked under my truck with enough detail to know about the pitman arm. Woops.

Is the only cure for the CV axel angles to drop the front diff? Does that end up killing ground clearance?

Why would you recommend swapping lifts, and why add another inch? What makes you say it's the Rough Country 3"?

I had Town Fair Tire check the alignment, since that's who the dealer had me use for warranty work. They said they aligned it but didn't give me any paperwork. I then dropped it off at the dealer and told them to have it aligned too, which they said was checked and aligned properly. Who knows. I have a great alignment shop I plan to use, but haven't gone there yet because their balancer won't accept my 35's and I needed an alignment too.
 
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tokillamurderer

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Bump steer is what you are experiencing when you go over the bumps, caster and camber if not set right can make your truck do that, you might need some UCAs to fix the geometry of that lift kit and possibly new upper and lower control arms on the rear.

I had bump steer on my truck that was really bad, I replaced my lower control arms in the rear and it made it better, did not completely eliminate it but now the rear doesn't hop all over the place when going through washboard roads lol ...
Thanks for the reply! What would tell me if I need control arms? What do I go about checking?
 
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tokillamurderer

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Pitman arm drop in a 1500 IFS truck? and that wouldn't be a good idea with a live axel either. that's a cheap fix that doesn't work if you want to have a nice steering.

What size tires do you have in there?
Measure ground to the edge of your fender front and rear. The angle of your CV axle is a little steep. and you already have aftemarket front UCA's, only couple of lifts come with those if the PO did buy as a kit. You may have alignment issues, shock issues, control arm issues CV axle issues, tire balance issues etc. First thing is to get a alignment report, and check all your bushings are good.
How can you tell I have aftermarket front upper control arms? Is that good or bad? I have 35x12.50 tires. Just ordered a new set of KO2's for it.
 
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tokillamurderer

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A couple of things I noticed. Your CV angles are very extreme. They should be almost flat, or have a slight bend to them. This is most likely causing you to be out of alignment. If you do not have enough positive caster it will drive like a shopping cart. Which is exactly the situation you described. You also probably have very little down travel left. My guess is no one who knew what they were doing has ever aligned your truck.

I would guess you have the Rough Country 3" Kit. A good swap out would be the Readylift 4" kit

A better track bar will certainly help the truck feel planted in the rear, but it should drive okay with the factory one.

Also 4th gen 1500's do not have a pitman arm as they are IFS. :cheers:
Also, you say I probably have very little down travel left. Can you explain? Is this because of the shocks or the control arms? I would have thought that if they put taller springs in with stock shocks, which I what I think they did just judging from the branding on the shocks, I would think that would cause the shocks to be further extended at rest than stock, and for them to run out of extension over bumps. I'd guess that would cause the tires to come off the ground when the truck body goes over the bump. Am I way off? Is the only way to check this to remove the shocks and extend them?

I guess I should have known better than to buy a modified truck as a reliable daily driver. I'm coming from a rotted out 2000 Suburban 2500 which has been the most reliable vehicle I've ever owned. I only bought something so new and expensive because I didn't want to have to work on it... guess that backfired. I also was hoping to keep getting used vehicle warranties and have everything taken care of. I shot myself in the foot, didn't I? Can a lifted truck be a reliable daily, or should I get out now if that's what I'm after?
 

Atcer2018

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How can you tell I have aftermarket front upper control arms? Is that good or bad? I have 35x12.50 tires. Just ordered a new set of KO2's for it.
If you look at your pic 080634 it shows a RC on the ball joint cap. RC is the logo for Rough Country. OEM UCAs are stamped steel and yours are forged. I don’t think you can use factory shocks with a 3 inch lift. You may have puck spacers to level the front end. Puck spacers reduce the range of suspension travel and will put your CV’s at an increased angle which your pics show.
 
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tokillamurderer

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If you look at your pic 080634 it shows a RC on the ball joint cap. RC is the logo for Rough Country. OEM UCAs are stamped steel and yours are forged. I don’t think you can use factory shocks with a 3 inch lift. You may have puck spacers to level the front end. Puck spacers reduce the range of suspension travel and will put your CV’s at an increased angle which your pics show.
Oh no ****, I didn't even notice the RC. Thank you for pointing that out! Do you happen to know if those are any good? The reason I think the shocks are stock is because of the Chrysler logo in the pictures of the front shocks. I couldn't find logos on the rears but they definitely don't look new, or fancy like I think most aftermarket suspension parts usually look.

Also, how can you tell it is a 3" lift? Thanks again for the info!
 

j-b

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Oh no ****, I didn't even notice the RC. Thank you for pointing that out! Do you happen to know if those are any good? The reason I think the shocks are stock is because of the Chrysler logo in the pictures of the front shocks. I couldn't find logos on the rears but they definitely don't look new, or fancy like I think most aftermarket suspension parts usually look.

Also, how can you tell it is a 3" lift? Thanks again for the info!

Based on the stance, CV angles, and Upper Control arms I assumed you had this kit

3" Rough Country Lift

But it appears this kit does not come with rear shocks, Which you do not have factory rear shocks. Factory ones will be black and have a smooth boot cover.

So most likely you have some cobbled together lift kit done by someone who didn't know what they were doing. (cobbled together lift kits aren't always a bad thing many of us here have that, however it should not be riding poor. These trucks tend to ride better than most lifted when done right.)

The first thing I would do is make whoever sold you the warranty do an alignment along with balancing your tires. (make them show you the printout.) also any tire shop worth their salt could balance 35's.

If they can do that it should at least drive straight at highway speeds.

However what you have going on is a recipe for disaster down the road. (in my opinion lol)

If I were in your shoes I would do 1 of 2 options.

If you like the lifted look go with the Readylift 4" lift kit - and have a good shop do the install. @Quick_Shifter is in PA and is by far the best ram suspension guy in the world.

If you're okay going down a tad I would do Bilstein 5100's at 2.8 along with some Bilstein Rear Coils

That would be similar to what you have now, and ride very well.

I hope some of this makes sense lol.
 

El_Lobo_Gris1500C

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Sorry you’re having these troubles.

I would suggest eliminating the unknowns if what has been done hasn’t solved the issues you’re having.

I personally would get an alignment at a shop I know does good work, and if there is any doubt in the shape or possible damage to the wheels, I would go and get new wheels and good quality new tires (Toyo, Nitto, a hood quality top of the line name brand tire) and have them road force balanced, then get the alignment done. And you could even sell the existing wheels and tires for cash to recoup some of the costs of the new wheels and tires.

I would also have the truck suspension checked out by a good shop that does lift kits and installs, and if anything isn’t right there, or the kit is garbage, has worn out or damaged components etc. I would consider having them take it all out and install a good quality lift kit.

This way you start fresh, you know all your components are new, not damaged and in spec, and not somebody else’ beaten damaged second hand goods.

Finally I would suggest slowing down on curves on the highway/freeway and remember that a lifted vehicle has less stability at higher speeds and on curves and turns than a stock vehicle or even a lowered one. I had the Readylift 4” SST kit installed and the first thing you see in that kit is a warning info sheet stating the facts I mentioned about lifted vehicles being less stable at high speeds and turns. 60-70mph on a curve is probably too fast to be taking a lifted vehicle through, even if it were new with new lift kit parts and wheels/tires. For a truck that has issues and unknown yet problems that’s even MORE reason to take it slower and with caution.

Just my thoughts, I hope you can get these issues figured out and be safe for you and your passengers.
 

Atcer2018

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Your issues could all be related or independent of each other. As others have stated you really have to find out exactly what you have before you can figure out the best path forward. Opinions are like but holes as they say and my opinion is why go and purchase new rubber for over a thousand bucks if the suspension of the truck is *****. There may be nothing inherently wrong with your present tires. Yes they are made in China but millions of tires per year are made there and they aren’t all bad. The reviews on Haida tires are fairly decent. That said you can get your truck aligned from now till the end of time and even the best alignment won’t fix a sketchy suspension. To me if your suspension is sub par you’re wasting money on tires and alignments. From the pics you posted you have a hodge podge of suspension changes. Your UCAs are not OEM. Are the RC UCA geometry correcting or simply aftermarket because the lift ruined the ball joints on the OEM? Your CV’s are at a steep angle and your front struts look like they are using a puck spacer considering where the upper spring seat is showing. If you’re using a puck spacer it’s my humble opinion you are wasting money on new tires and alignments.
 
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