PW Owners - Insight on Suspension

[Ram Wagon]

Roger that, thanks for the input!



Yup, will likely go the sandbag route if I can't seem to get it figured out.

Thanks for the suggestion!



I'll check the to see if the shield is loose for some reason.

Truck rides rough on both asphalt and concrete. Some areas are obviously worse than others though.

Thanks again to all who have provided input and suggestions. I've had my fair share of vehicles with modded suspensions (Infiniti G37S lowered on coilovers, lifted Tacomas & 4Runners and presently have a 1970 Dart with a full Hotchkis TVS system) so I'm not at all a newb to suspensions.... All I can say is right now, the PW ranks as the least comfortable of what I've owned and I'm pretty confident that shouldn't be the case.

Will continue to monitor the thread and update y'all as I try to remedy this.

Thanks!

My 18 PW suspension is a lot more comfortable than my 16 hellcat, that being said i just changed out my front suspension with the thuren springs, added the front track bar and fox 2.0 shocks. This has really tightened up the feel of the truck and the ride is better. I had also previously installed the thuren rear trackbar and that did make a big improvement on the ride as well, corners better, takes bumps better ect....just my $0.02

 

[Gamedog]

My 18 PW suspension is a lot more comfortable than my 16 hellcat, that being said i just changed out my front suspension with the thuren springs, added the front track bar and fox 2.0 shocks. This has really tightened up the feel of the truck and the ride is better. I had also previously installed the thuren rear trackbar and that did make a big improvement on the ride as well, corners better, takes bumps better ect....just my $0.02

Roger that, thanks man!

So tempted to just say fuggit and bite the bullet on Thuren's stuff.

 

[Halligan]

So I have a thought or two on this. First off, I've owned many different 3/4 and 1 ton trucks in the past and my PW is the smoothest riding stock truck of them all. However, I've never owned a 1500 Ram like you did before your PW so you may notice a stiffer ride in a PW vs. your coil sprung 1500.

Secondly, you are not the original owner of your truck so the question that begs to be answered is if in fact your truck is running stock PW rear springs. Maybe the original owner hauled some heavy loads with the truck and swapped the rear springs out for better handling.

Lastly, I'm a fan of Thuren suspension products. I run his front springs (1/2" over stock), track bar and 2.0 Fox shocks. I will probably add his rear track bar in the near future. I don't run his rear springs because after consulting with them on how I use my truck it was decided his rear springs would be too soft for me. If you plan to use your truck to haul much weight, even occasionally, you should contact Thuren and get their thoughts. FWIW, with my current setup my 2015 PW rides better than my wife's 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

 

[SeppW]

The 3/4 ton rides like a log wagon despite the coils and running the OE tires at recommended pressure amplifies it. The straight axles, weight of truck, OE tires, and factory suspension set up all contribute to a bumpy and squirrely ride. It is still smoother riding than older siblings. If you install a Thuren kit with the right shock set up for what you want to do with the truck, you'll notice quite a bit if difference over the OE set up. The track bars alone would be a big improvement. Thuren has some basic technical discussions on his Web site and you can talk to them as well. NADA

 

[ZookaTx]

Gamedog, I have lately been driving through Colorado to western Wyoming , on I-25, fairly regularly, both almost unloaded and towing a loaded (about 6000 lbs) cargo trailer behind my '19 PW. Starting about Colorado Springs and ending basically a bit before Cheyenne, that highway is so rough that it is miserable for hours, to the point that last trip I went throughNM to Shiprock and Moab to try to avoid it. I don't know who the state hired to do that stretch but they truly messed it up.
Did you ever get the tires balanced?

 

[MoPowered]

So I have a thought or two on this. First off, I've owned many different 3/4 and 1 ton trucks in the past and my PW is the smoothest riding stock truck of them all. However, I've never owned a 1500 Ram like you did before your PW so you may notice a stiffer ride in a PW vs. your coil sprung 1500.

Secondly, you are not the original owner of your truck so the question that begs to be answered is if in fact your truck is running stock PW rear springs. Maybe the original owner hauled some heavy loads with the truck and swapped the rear springs out for better handling.

Lastly, I'm a fan of Thuren suspension products. I run his front springs (1/2" over stock), track bar and 2.0 Fox shocks. I will probably add his rear track bar in the near future. I don't run his rear springs because after consulting with them on how I use my truck it was decided his rear springs would be too soft for me. If you plan to use your truck to haul much weight, even occasionally, you should contact Thuren and get their thoughts. FWIW, with my current setup my 2015 PW rides better than my wife's 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

I would tend to agree with Halliday, you need to see if you can get a part number off the spring’s. even though my 2012 is leafs in the back my Brother’s 2014 is coil and his truck rides great. Tire pressure, balance and possibly a broken spring/shock all come to mind. Does that left rear shock work in it’s range of movement. It looks to me like it go at stuck on a compression due to how dirty the lower half below the shield is and the clean ring above. Maybe a heavy load was the cause and bent shock shaft or blew the shock all together. Either way I run my tires at about 42lbs in the rear and 44lbs up front and rotate them about every thousands miles and when I wheel it I rotate them as soon as I get back. Good luck with it and keep us posted.

 

[Halligan]

Here's a pic of the left rear shock...

Looks like it heated up and melted from friction or something...

View attachment 218394

Wondering if it may be a sign of something bigger going on back there...

Let me add this shock does not look out of the ordinary. The blue plastic dust boot does rub the shock body as the shock compresses while driving and will rub then yellow paint off. Your boot looks like the lip folded over itself at one point causing that little tear.

You should of seen my Bilsteins when I pulled them off recently at 53,000 miles to install the Fox shocks. The looked like crap with the paint worn off from boot rub. They actually had rebound left and I didn't see any oil leakage.

 

[Mace Peveler]

Both of my rears have the yellow paint rubbed off as well.

 

[Mandride]

MY 2019 Limited got to riding and having lots of rebound vibration after the littlest bumps in the road, I had about 15k on it. Took it to the dealership multiple times. They told me it was my tires so I put 1200 in the truck for some top end Michelins. Still had the same ride. Took it back to them and they replaced all the shocks and problem went away. Just saying . I actually have a complete story post on the journey in another thread.

 

[powerwagondoncare]

‘19 PDub with 23k and stock. I’m at 65 psi on stock wheels and tires. Except for the rough bit of highway it’s not been rough. But I carry my tools in the box and it adds maybe 200 lbs. I did carry a literal ton of bricks on pallets in it a few 10-12 times but suspension is still fine.

 

[62Blazer]

I'll add a little more on my thoughts. My previous truck was an '03 Chevy 2500HD running the same series of Bilstein shocks (that I installed aftermarket) and 285/75R16 D-rated tires with 50 psi front/40 psi rear, and had the factory towing package and snowplow prep package. Thought it rode pretty good for a 3/4 ton pickup. When I got my '16 PW that was all factory including the tires, which were inflated to the factory specs, I didn't think it rode as good as the Chevy on the highway. Shortly after I got the PW I installed 35x12.50 E-rated tires on it. After adjusting the pressure down to 50 psi front and 40 psi rear I think the highway ride is very similar and comfortable. However on the slower speed rough side roads, both paved and gravel, the PW rides really good for a 3/4 ton truck. I also think my PW rides a lot better on rough back roads and gravel roads as compared to a friend's '19 Chevy 1500 (even my wife made the same comment). He is running the 20" factory option tires and wheels that probably doesn't help as compared to the 17's and 35's on the PW.

 

[Matt ott]

I have a 16 PW and the ride for a heavy duty truck is great compared to my 04 2500 TD. I would not change your stock set-up , but do check your tire balance and get under your rig and look for broken or loose parts, check everything. Your going to spend a lot of money on after market stuff and maybe not be happy. A bad out of round tire can cause your problem also, check on new tires, if needed.

 

[MoPowered]

Yeah Man, I’ll tell you my ride on my 12 with the Patagonia 37 x12.50x17’s ride great. my My Brother’s is a coil rear and it’s great also.With mine the rear end doesn’t seem to flex as much as My Brother’s rig it’s li,e mine is planted to just an up and down flow and his is like it kinda dances, you feel the front right then the rear left, front left then rear right compensating for the road changes. I think I prefer my leaf spring better overall.

 

[Gamedog]

Quick update - - - -

I finally got around to rotating and rebalancing the wheels & tires this weekend and I will say it made a HUGE difference.

Definitely a lot more comfortable and have the tires set to 55 psi at all corners.

Thanks everyone for all the feedback!

 

[Anthony Kalos]

Check out the rear shocks !!!
Possible that they are defective ( one or both!)