Hi all -- New member here, got some ?? about my new to me '16 2500

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White six four

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Softer coils. Shocks won't do much especially if keeping the stock rear springs. Shocks will help the front some with stock coils, but replacing both coils and shocks will make a bigger difference. I have thurens coils in the front and icon coils in the rear with the non reservoir fox shocks up front and bilsteins in the rear.

Just my opinion but it's mostly the rear that makes for the unloaded rough ride. Hop up in the bed and jump up and down. The suspension barely budges. Putting 400lbs or so in the bed helps with stock suspension but then if you use your bed you have whatever "weight" you're using in the way.
 
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GeneM

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Were you able to get coils that were the same height as stock because I don't want to get any lift
 

White six four

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Thuren does make stock height rear springs but only lift springs for the front. If you tow or haul a lot you're going to squat more with a softer coil just so you're aware.

Everyone's definition of a rough ride is different but you might be happy with just bilstein or fox shocks front and rear.
 
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GeneM

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Thuren does make stock height rear springs but only lift springs for the front. If you tow or haul a lot you're going to squat more with a softer coil just so you're aware.

Everyone's definition of a rough ride is different but you might be happy with just bilstein or fox shocks front and rear.
Ya i suspect shocks are my only option,,, lowering the air pressure has helped a little bit..
 

Zoe Saldana

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Well honestly I'm not sure but it seems like there are better options for valve bodies which I'm thinking would help prevent unforseen issues.
Could be I'm overthinking this and worrying for nothing.
 

Dodge 1500 4X4

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Putting 400lbs or so in the bed helps with stock suspension but then if you use your bed you have whatever "weight" you're using in the way.
How does it handle when you have a load in the bed or towing, shocks really don't increase the ride quality they help to stabilize the load and prevent excessive bounce.
 

White six four

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shocks really don't increase the ride quality they help to stabilize the load and prevent excessive bounce.
Agreed, that's why with the stock rear springs and no weight in the bed any shock won't do much because the rear doesn't "cycle" the stiff coils enough for the shocks to prevent the bounce. A guy might see a little improvement going to a better shock but no where near the improvement in ride quality going to a softer coil with the same better shock.

When I had the stock coils, bilstein front shocks, and stock rears and used my truck for work, gang box plus other tools and supplies in the bed, which depending on the day was 500-1000 lbs it rode really nice. The best/softest feeling ride was the summer we pulled our 9700lb gross camper. I never took it to the scales so never got it weighed. Since I'm pretty much done using it for work and our camper is in a permanent spot now I went with the coils I did along with the little lift. 3inch in front and 2 in the rear.
 
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GeneM

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How does it handle when you have a load in the bed or towing, shocks really don't increase the ride quality they help to stabilize the load and prevent excessive bounce.
Never towed with it yet.. Only had it a couple days
 

nlambert182

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I would suggest towing with it BEFORE replacing the coils. Mine rides perfectly fine (to me) but I also have the expectation that an HD truck is going to be a fairly stiff ride. However, when I tow my camper it rides smooth as silk. You may end up introducing additional sag and require more WDH adjustments to compensate when towing (and potentially putting more stress on the a-frame of the trailer, depending on what you tow).
 

62Blazer

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65 psi in the rear tires is still pretty high. The rear of an empty pickup is a lot lighter than the front, and you are only running 50 psi in the front. I'm not saying the only issue is the tire pressure, but I would at least recommend lowering the rear to maybe 45 psi just to try it out. The TPMS warning will come on, but it's just a dash light.
I would suspect the biggest ride quality improvement would come from the rear. As already stated in other posts check out offerings from Thuren. They have a soft rate rear coil that is advertised as being closer to a 1/2 ton truck, just keep in mind that you may need to do something to handle the weight when towing. Airbags are fairly cheap and easy to install, and can be adjusted to compensate for the weight. I have airbags on my Power Wagon for towing (much softer rear springs than a normal 2500). Thuren offers a bumpstop setup where you can go back and forth between normal stops when empty and a load control setup. Supposedly pretty easy to change the setups. The load control setup is the same concept as a Timbren. I'm sure they are a good setup but cost about double that of a basic airbag setup. And while they look quick and easy to change, it's not as easy as it is to adjust airbags.
Shocks may help with the ride quality some. Keep in mind that the coil springs are controls the ride, and the shocks just dampen the spring movement. Some people swear that new shocks made a huge improvement in ride quality. If the current shocks were completely worn out I'm sure new shocks would help.......just my personal experience is that I've never really noticed a huge difference in ride quality on the street with new shocks. On my 2500 I put Thuren front coils and their Fox 2.0 shocks on the front at the same time. Honestly didn't notice much difference in actual ride quality on normal paved roads (again, this is in a PW so softer factory front springs than a normal 2500). At a later time installed the Fox 2.0 on the rear. Maybe a small ride quality improvement after this (or maybe I'm just trying to justify the $400 cost....).
 
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GeneM

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All good points and yea I know the coils are what controls the ride/comfort and shocks play a small part in that unless they are worn out. I think for now I'm just going to live with things the way they are and just accept that I'm back in the HD truck world like it or not.
 

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I know it's different for everyone, but when I went from my 2012 2500 with leafs to my 2016 3500 with leafs, there was a small adjustment period (but not a ton). When I went back to a 1500 for a short period it was night and day... so much that by that point I hated the squishy feel. When I went back to my current 2500 with coils it feels just right. :)

Maybe it's something you can get used to?
 

oledirteh

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Go drive a 3500 around for a bit. youll go back to the 2500 and be thankful for how it rides lol.
 
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GeneM

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Go drive a 3500 around for a bit. youll go back to the 2500 and be thankful for how it rides lol.
Hahaha, you know what... I drove a new Chevy 2500 and 3500 before I bought this truck and to my surprise the 3500 rode better than the new Chevy 2500 and my '16 RAM 2500. In fact this might even be stiffer than the Chevy 2500 was but most likely the same. EIther way I went this route b/c I didn't want to spend 60k on a truck so I got this '16 RAM with 55000 miles for 32k.
Anyhow, I'm sure I'll get used to it to a certain degree.. I sure wish I could have found a 1/2 ton that was capable of towing a 9k lb toy hauler and sure on paper many of them claim they can but reality tells a different story.
 

oledirteh

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Hahaha, you know what... I drove a new Chevy 2500 and 3500 before I bought this truck and to my surprise the 3500 rode better than the new Chevy 2500 and my '16 RAM 2500. In fact this might even be stiffer than the Chevy 2500 was but most likely the same. EIther way I went this route b/c I didn't want to spend 60k on a truck so I got this '16 RAM with 55000 miles for 32k.
Anyhow, I'm sure I'll get used to it to a certain degree.. I sure wish I could have found a 1/2 ton that was capable of towing a 9k lb toy hauler and sure on paper many of them claim they can but reality tells a different story.
yup i tow a 9600lb heartland torque 314T toy hauler. once i load it with water, my 1800lb can am x3 turbo RR and a raptor 700R and or the outlander 700, 30 gallons fuel, food ect its more around 13000+ its a pig and put a whooping on the 2500. pulled fine but was a hand full once i was kitted out. 3500 just works. but i know going from the 2500 coils to 3500 leafs was a life style change lol. bridges would make me go thats rough in the 2500 to where in the 3500 im 8 inch's off my seat LOL
 
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