bumpy ride 2500 powerwagon

[Wynded12]

I traded in my 2019 ram 1500 classic for a 2015 2500 powerwagon last year. I love this truck, BUT how rough of a ride it is. I swear I feel EVERY single crack in the road. Is there anything i can do to make my truck ride a little more smooth??? Sometimes it scares me when im on the highway doing 75mph and it feels like my tail end is going to hop sideways..

 

[Jeepwalker]

Nice-looking truck. Welcome to the forum!

2500's are jut going to be stiffer, that's baked into the design. I'm guessing it's got 10-ply (rated) tires and they're probably pumped up to fairly high air pressure. It's probably got stiffer shocks. And I'm guessing your truck ...if it's a 4x4, has a solid front axle. All those generally bode for a rougher ride.

A couple things you could try is 1) lower the tire air pressure. Or 2) go with a slightly larger tire with a, say, Load C or D tire rating...as long as it works for your needs. And back off the tire air pressure a little ..on new tires. The larger sidewall tire with a little lower air pressure should help reduce the 'choppyness' a little. 3) Softer shocks would help too.

The trade-off will be less load capability and less crisp handling.

 

[Jeepwalker]

Plus WI roads are TERRIBLE ..and even worse in the winter!! That adds insult to injury. I don't even know if an Escalade could give ya a comfy ride here in the winter?! Maybe the best thing would be to just accept that's how a 2500 is and try to interpret the 'roughness' as 'toughness'...which in fact is the case.

I have a stiffly sprung H3 with 10-ply rated tires, so I know all about the rough ride. I actually like the rough ride in that vehicle. But I wouldn't want the same ride quality in my SUV. And I have to agree, the Ram 1500's really ride nice. That's one thing I like about them.

 

[ANGLICO]

After riding a hard tail Harley for decades, I welcome the "smooth" ride of my Power Wagon.

It's a bit more dry and warmer of a ride too.

Probably the easiest thing to do is air pressure and different shocks, as was mentioned already.

Everything is relative.

 

[Fatbob Frank]

Iowa roads are far worse than Wisconsin's but I think my Power Wagon rides surprisingly nice for a 3/4 ton.
Better than my cousin's new 1500 Trailboss for sure...
And I'm running 35" 10plys around 60psi...
Your PW is old enough than new shocks might be a good investment...

 

[Scottly]

This sounds counter-intuitive, but you can help by putting stiffer shocks on it. A lot of what you are experiencing is from lack of rebound dampening in the existing shocks. FOX shocks will cure the tendency of the truck to bounce your head through the roof when you hit a bump. The more expensive Bilsteins work well also...Not the crappy yellow ones, the upgraded silver ones.

 

[62Blazer]

In general a Power Wagon rides better than a standard 2500, however 1500's ride a lot better than a 2500. As already mentioned, what tires (size and load rating) do you have and what pressure do they have in them. Wouldn't be surprised if you had E rated tires pumped up to 80 psi on it. This would be the first thing I would check.

 

[CanuckRam1313]

I have 5100's on all four corners of my rig, albeit it's a 1500 Warlock.
However, I do run LT Range E 10-ply tires, but I set them all to 40psi.
The ride is excellent and controlled.

Tire pressure plays a big part in the overall feel, as does tire tire selection.
I used to run a much more aggressive A/T tire for the summer, and now I run the Michelin Defender LTX in LT295/65R20 which is a 35" tire as I am not off-road too much.
But I wanted a bigger tire to provide clearance and a better overall esthetic to my rig.

Love the feel and handling of this current summer set up.

 

[Jeepwalker]

Good point! We've heard plenty of owners on this forum indicate the Michelin's ride very well. And when the truck owners switch to another tire they really notice the increase in 'choppiness', and often switch back to the Michelin's. I've had great luck on other vehicles...haven't personally run them on my pickup.

So...maybe Michelin's are an option.

 

[CanuckRam1313]

Good point! We've heard plenty of owners on this forum indicate the Michelin's ride very well. And when the truck owners switch to another tire they really notice the increase in 'choppiness', and often switch back to the Michelin's.

So...maybe Michelin's are an option.

Truer words never spoken, Brother!

I've done my days of numerous A/T tires. I get that we all like the aggressive look, but the road feel, handling, control, and noise is a whole different level of... well, you get it.

If you're predominately a highway driver, the Michelin Defender LTX is a top choice as far as I'm concerned. I went this route to ensure my travels are safe, happy, and comfortable overall.
Are they a bit more costly; yes!
Are they incredible on the road in terms of handling,. control, and overall manners, especially in rain/heavy wet road conditions; yes!
Are they excellent for their overall wear capabilities for a long-term great ownership experience; yes!

Things to consider

 

[WINOverlander]

Powerwagons have the off-road suspension so will have more flex and "bounce" in some situations. But like was said before, 2500's ride rougher than 1500's for sure. I've heard great things about Thuren suspension upgrades and how it transforms the truck.

 

[2Tallguy]

Thuren Fabrication has everything to smooth out the ride while retaining much of the payload capacity.

 

[RedBeastWagon]

I previously had a 2019 Ram Rebel 4x4 and it rode smoother than my stock 2024 Ram Power Wagon. I have since changed out the coils, shocks, track bars and tires to Thuren/Carli components and Toyo RT Trail 37s. After changing out the suspension components and having lower tire pressures (currently run 40 psi front and 35 psi rear), the beast rides smoothly now and similar to my prior Ram Rebel truck. With the front solid axles, it definitely handles a bit different than IFS style trucks. However, it is a beast offroad.

 

[ReddJackson]

Personally I like the ride of my 2015 2500 Laramie 4X4…nature of the beast, freakin’ solid