Very Rough Ride!!

[Burla]

Rough Country lift, yeah they weren't kidding.

As long as I have had 4x4's, mostly Fords and a Heep, there is one word only on front springs, trust the old man in all of those clubs I previously belonged to. The real issue is 1500's are not really designed to be lifted, those tiny suspension pieces are not designed to carry the loads and tires of a lifted truck. Gotta make due.

ARB Old Man Emu's​

 

[hodge-xj]

Was hoping you would chime in Hodge, as I know you're particular about your suspension setup(s).

Was out of town this weekend, but will snap some pics this evening after work. I don't think it's related to any improperly spec'd components, or anything overly obvious with the setup but stranger things have happened I guess. The part #on the rear Icons is 216524.

During that 500 mile road trip I played with the tire psi some more, lowered the fronts to 28 which was as low as I was comfortable doing. Didn't make any difference really so will be bumping them back up around 33-35. The truck rode ok on smooth pavement, no vibrations or wander or anything like that. Steering felt nice and tight. Some rough spots in the road felt ok and others not so much. The worst being driving slow over any washboard type gravel road and on the beach. The wheel will jerk side to side and there's an audible clunk. I've read a lot about this clunk, but I've already addressed the upper and lower intermediate shafts. There is no play there. Unless my rack and pinion is going out? Even though no leaks and pump isn't whining.

Probably unrelated but I've also noticed a squeaking/creaking from the rear during tight right turns at very low speed, sounds like coil spring sort of thing. And I'm getting a humming at low speeds that I've got to troubleshoot further to figure if it's the tires. It sounded like front wheel bearings to me at first but I've replaced those now as they were starting to grind. I know Duratracs aren't the quietest but it sounded like a plane taking off at times on the highway lol.

Apologize for the delay in reply. I'm not getting notified when replies are being posted. I'm gonna do my best to keep my reply organized!

First off, those icons are for a 1-3" rear lift. I'd bet the farm they're riding darn near fully extended. The rear will for sure contribute to a terrible ride if you don't have ample down travel. I'd unbolt them at ride height and see how far they extend past the lower mounts.

Up front, the only thing thag catches my eye is you're running limited up travel on the 6112s. It's hard to tell from the pics, but I can say there's not an awful lot of shock shaft showing before you get into the bump stops. Measure from tire or hub center to edge of fender, then Jack the truck up by the center cross member so they can fully droop and measure again. I believe I was at 2.5-3" droop on my 6112s at 2.3" lift.

Also looks like the upper part of the rear track bar mount on the axle may be hitting your exhaust. Mine did similar while articulated so I cut the top of the bracket off.

Check your CVs for any excessive play at the dif side. I will make the assumption you live in the rust belt judging by your undercarriage coatings and I'd bet your CVs might be getting worn internally on the circlip/splines.

As for the growl up front, keep my posted as I'm starting to chase the same issue and I have a feeling it might be dif related. Mines more of a hum, sounds like tires but I don't think it is. I'm waiting on BJs so I can rebuild my front end.

I'm really leaning towards your rear shocks being too short and those 6112s being too compressed. You're essentially topping out the rear and bottoming out the front, at least that's what my internet get is telling me.

 

[hodge-xj]

Rough Country lift, yeah they weren't kidding.

As long as I have had 4x4's, mostly Fords and a Heep, there is one word only on front springs, trust the old man in all of those clubs I previously belonged to. The real issue is 1500's are not really designed to be lifted, those tiny suspension pieces are not designed to carry the loads and tires of a lifted truck. Gotta make due.

ARB Old Man Emu's​

Arb just released stuff for our trucks and unfortunately they don't offer anything to help with a 4" lift. And since rams aren't their big market niche they don't offer alot of info or help. Nick from got exhaust and myself have personally dealt with them and i don't have anything good to say on the customer service. That being said I run their stuff in my jeep and it's AWESOME. Wish they did do more for us.

 

[Burla]

Any soft spring should do, you can see his springs are monsters.

 

[smoothee]

Don't know if it's pic angles but it seems the bushings on those SPmaxx links are getting crushed. Doubt it has anything to do with your issue though, just a thought those bushings may not last very long that way. they're not rubber like the factory they don't need that much compression. back off the nuts.
I don't see your sway bar angle, how does it look currently ?

As it was said, remove the sway bar and see how she rides.

Yeah I definitely tightened them down too much. I have new ones on the way so I just tightened them a few more turns for ***** and giggles. My sway bar is sitting pretty much level. I just removed it and took the truck for a spin and it's worse if anything.

Rough Country lift, yeah they weren't kidding.

As long as I have had 4x4's, mostly Fords and a Heep, there is one word only on front springs, trust the old man in all of those clubs I previously belonged to. The real issue is 1500's are not really designed to be lifted, those tiny suspension pieces are not designed to carry the loads and tires of a lifted truck. Gotta make due.

ARB Old Man Emu's​

Lol yeah no doubt, they hit the nail on the head with the name. If I could do it over I would've just went with a level or BDS kit but live and learn. But I do know how the truck is capable of handling so I can't blame it entirely on the lift. With the right setups these things can drive better than stock.

Apologize for the delay in reply. I'm not getting notified when replies are being posted. I'm gonna do my best to keep my reply organized!

First off, those icons are for a 1-3" rear lift. I'd bet the farm they're riding darn near fully extended. The rear will for sure contribute to a terrible ride if you don't have ample down travel. I'd unbolt them at ride height and see how far they extend past the lower mounts.

Up front, the only thing thag catches my eye is you're running limited up travel on the 6112s. It's hard to tell from the pics, but I can say there's not an awful lot of shock shaft showing before you get into the bump stops. Measure from tire or hub center to edge of fender, then Jack the truck up by the center cross member so they can fully droop and measure again. I believe I was at 2.5-3" droop on my 6112s at 2.3" lift.

Also looks like the upper part of the rear track bar mount on the axle may be hitting your exhaust. Mine did similar while articulated so I cut the top of the bracket off.

Check your CVs for any excessive play at the dif side. I will make the assumption you live in the rust belt judging by your undercarriage coatings and I'd bet your CVs might be getting worn internally on the circlip/splines.

As for the growl up front, keep my posted as I'm starting to chase the same issue and I have a feeling it might be dif related. Mines more of a hum, sounds like tires but I don't think it is. I'm waiting on BJs so I can rebuild my front end.

I'm really leaning towards your rear shocks being too short and those 6112s being too compressed. You're essentially topping out the rear and bottoming out the front, at least that's what my internet get is telling me.

All good man. I appreciate ya taking the time. For the Icons I do remember having a hell of a time getting them pushed up into the lower mounts laying on my back. And the thing is the Fox I had before and Bilsteins were the ones from the BDS/Zone and Superlift kits so I can't see them all being near extended length. But I will get some measurements.

I took some measurements from top of tire to fender with suspension fully dropped, looks like nearly 3.5" of droop. I can't remember which setting I have the 6112's at, I think just over 1 inch so I'm sitting at about 5" lift up front total.

Good eye on the track bar bracket, I'll see if it is in fact hitting my exhaust.

I am indeed smack dab center of the rust belt! Nothing is safe so I wouldn't be surprised that my CV's are getting worn. I don't have any excessive play though compared to other trucks I've seen and no noises. I was going to order up a new set for the hell of it anyway, but I don't really like just throwing parts at it. But I suppose it's not bad preventive maintenance.

The growling/grinding up front I was getting was the bearings. But the humming/whoosing now sounds like the rear. Can really only hear it from a roll with the radio/AC off then road noise takes over.

Arb just released stuff for our trucks and unfortunately they don't offer anything to help with a 4" lift. And since rams aren't their big market niche they don't offer alot of info or help. Nick from got exhaust and myself have personally dealt with them and i don't have anything good to say on the customer service. That being said I run their stuff in my jeep and it's AWESOME. Wish they did do more for us.

Hmmm maybe I'll hit them up then and see if they may have anything in the works

Part of me is really thinking it's steering related. How much play is supposed to be in the steering rack? I can grab the lower intermediate shaft and see the play where it enters the rack and create that clunk I'm hearing.

 

[Eric99223]

I HATE lifting spacers on warn suspension components! Went through a rough ride issue on a Nissan titan. Got new front springs and a little longer shock and it fixed it. It wa a 4 inch lift as well.

Keep us posted!

 

[smoothee]

I HATE lifting spacers on warn suspension components! Went through a rough ride issue on a Nissan titan. Got new front springs and a little longer shock and it fixed it. It wa a 4 inch lift as well.

Keep us posted!

That's the thing though, the 6112's up front are pretty much new and included new springs.

 

[hodge-xj]

Yeah I definitely tightened them down too much. I have new ones on the way so I just tightened them a few more turns for ***** and giggles. My sway bar is sitting pretty much level. I just removed it and took the truck for a spin and it's worse if anything.


Lol yeah no doubt, they hit the nail on the head with the name. If I could do it over I would've just went with a level or BDS kit but live and learn. But I do know how the truck is capable of handling so I can't blame it entirely on the lift. With the right setups these things can drive better than stock.

All good man. I appreciate ya taking the time. For the Icons I do remember having a hell of a time getting them pushed up into the lower mounts laying on my back. And the thing is the Fox I had before and Bilsteins were the ones from the BDS/Zone and Superlift kits so I can't see them all being near extended length. But I will get some measurements.

I took some measurements from top of tire to fender with suspension fully dropped, looks like nearly 3.5" of droop. I can't remember which setting I have the 6112's at, I think just over 1 inch so I'm sitting at about 5" lift up front total.

Good eye on the track bar bracket, I'll see if it is in fact hitting my exhaust.

I am indeed smack dab center of the rust belt! Nothing is safe so I wouldn't be surprised that my CV's are getting worn. I don't have any excessive play though compared to other trucks I've seen and no noises. I was going to order up a new set for the hell of it anyway, but I don't really like just throwing parts at it. But I suppose it's not bad preventive maintenance.

The growling/grinding up front I was getting was the bearings. But the humming/whoosing now sounds like the rear. Can really only hear it from a roll with the radio/AC off then road noise takes over.

Hmmm maybe I'll hit them up then and see if they may have anything in the works

Part of me is really thinking it's steering related. How much play is supposed to be in the steering rack? I can grab the lower intermediate shaft and see the play where it enters the rack and create that clunk I'm hearing.

I know the rear shocks aren't fully extended, and likely have a bit of extension left, but you want at least 3" of droop travel minimum. Ideally I like to look at shock specs, and keep it around 50/50 split on bump and droop. I have the BDS fox 2.0s and the 28" extended length with 2" lift gets me pretty close and they're collapsed is the same as stock. Hard to say till you pull them off but it may be a bit short for those 3" coils. Obviously that's not your entire issue, but will contribute none the less. My old 5100s rode like ****, and I know the rear icons are notorious for being stiff, so if they're short and valved hard, you're not gonna have much in the way of ride quality .

The 6112s having that much droop has me curious. You're def only set to about 1" above stock on the clips and I really wonder if you're just not getting enough bump travel. If you'd like I have a set of 1.5" level spacers you can have. If you pull the larger top spacer, set the 6112s to 2.75 and add the smaller top spacer you could rule out the front suspension. I know it sucks having to adjust everything, but it's free + shipping and an option to try.

CVs is just something to keep an eye on. If you see alot of Rust Dust around the dif side, tear into it before it wipes your dif shafts out. You'll know if they're bad, but again just a thing I preach after all my issues it cause.

Take a picture of the rack and I'll go check mine. It's an electric rack so I'm gonna assume there should be no play anywhere, but I've not messed with mine at all. Did the lift kit drop the rack as well?

 

[Burla]

That's the thing though, the 6112's up front are pretty much new and included new springs.

generally there are three types of springs, light, medium, and heavy. Do you know the springs that came with it? You need smooth ride springs. They look pretty beefy, thinner ones are gonna smooth it out for smoothee, research it. You can have thick ones that can be soft ride, but usually they are farther spaced apart.

 

[smoothee]

I know the rear shocks aren't fully extended, and likely have a bit of extension left, but you want at least 3" of droop travel minimum. Ideally I like to look at shock specs, and keep it around 50/50 split on bump and droop. I have the BDS fox 2.0s and the 28" extended length with 2" lift gets me pretty close and they're collapsed is the same as stock. Hard to say till you pull them off but it may be a bit short for those 3" coils. Obviously that's not your entire issue, but will contribute none the less. My old 5100s rode like ****, and I know the rear icons are notorious for being stiff, so if they're short and valved hard, you're not gonna have much in the way of ride quality .

The 6112s having that much droop has me curious. You're def only set to about 1" above stock on the clips and I really wonder if you're just not getting enough bump travel. If you'd like I have a set of 1.5" level spacers you can have. If you pull the larger top spacer, set the 6112s to 2.75 and add the smaller top spacer you could rule out the front suspension. I know it sucks having to adjust everything, but it's free + shipping and an option to try.

CVs is just something to keep an eye on. If you see alot of Rust Dust around the dif side, tear into it before it wipes your dif shafts out. You'll know if they're bad, but again just a thing I preach after all my issues it cause.

Take a picture of the rack and I'll go check mine. It's an electric rack so I'm gonna assume there should be no play anywhere, but I've not messed with mine at all. Did the lift kit drop the rack as well?

You could definitely be onto something there man with the shocks, I'll get some measurements in the AM.

That's really generous of you and I appreciate it! With me being in Canada though the shipping would probably suck. I actually think I might have an old set of 2" spacers kicking around.

I'm really kicking myself for not inspecting the CV's when I was doing the lower ball joints. I just figured it wouldn't come apart too easily and would be opening a can of worms, without having the parts on hand in case. At least with my '11 it isn't such a hassle if I do have to swap the intermediates as well. Crazy thing is only 65k miles on the truck, but the rust doesn't care.

I'll get a pic of the rack in the daylight tomorrow. I think I mentioned in the op, but the last time I remember the truck riding good was when I replaced the lower intermediate shaft. And no, the lift didn't touch the rack.

generally there are three types of springs, light, medium, and heavy. Do you know the springs that came with it? You need smooth ride springs. They look pretty beefy, thinner ones are gonna smooth it out for smoothee, research it. You can have thick ones that can be soft ride, but usually they are farther spaced apart.

I can't find any mention on the spring type with these. Just a lot of guys running these talk about a smooth ride.

 

[hodge-xj]

You could definitely be onto something there man with the shocks, I'll get some measurements in the AM.

That's really generous of you and I appreciate it! With me being in Canada though the shipping would probably suck. I actually think I might have an old set of 2" spacers kicking around.

I'm really kicking myself for not inspecting the CV's when I was doing the lower ball joints. I just figured it wouldn't come apart too easily and would be opening a can of worms, without having the parts on hand in case. At least with my '11 it isn't such a hassle if I do have to swap the intermediates as well. Crazy thing is only 65k miles on the truck, but the rust doesn't care.

I'll get a pic of the rack in the daylight tomorrow. I think I mentioned in the op, but the last time I remember the truck riding good was when I replaced the lower intermediate shaft. And no, the lift didn't touch the rack.

I can't find any mention on the spring type with these. Just a lot of guys running these talk about a smooth ride.

I cant think of many reasons why you'd have such a rough ride, especially since it's a basic lift kit, which is why I'm suspect of the shocks first. The rear is deceiving with how much it really contributes to ride quality. I hope it's as simple as that, not exactly cheap, but not a huge undertaking to fix. I'll do some digging myself as its been a bit since I really nerded out on ram stuff.

If you have a set or can find a cheap set of spacers it's an easy enough swap to try. Time consuming but easy enough. Run the 6112s to one notch below the max height for your setup, I noticed that with my spacer and 6112 combo it sat a little higher than it should have by about 1/2" which isn't alot, but it's safer to be a touch low in the front vs way high.

The CVs/intermediates are about the same as the 2011, except out drivers side is the replaceable intermediate shaft now not the passenger side. I can easily get you part numbers as well, I literally have all the boxes sitting in my back room from partsgeek. I think both CVs and the shaft would be like $200. But again, no reason to fix something that ain't broke, but seeing as they're not sealed from weather, and OEM didn't grease the splines or anything, it's worth at least taking apart before winter. I also have a thread on the repair if it is bad on the passenger side, it's easy as well. Again, just thinking ahead since you see winter weather which does us no favors.

As for the rack, it's interesting and I have heard of these electric racks doing weird stuff. I would have to assume it would be something steering related you would feel vs ride quality, but stranger things have happened and I wouldn't rule it out as crazy. We're on the right track, just need to pinpoint each issue.

With the amount of preload you're running up front, those 6112s should be very smooth, and since you have a single cab I can't see you blowing through the shock ******. After messing with the spacers and realizing it's all a geometry thing in relation where the shock sits in its ****** vs where the suspension sits etc I gladly decided spacers weren't for me. It's 2021 we need to stop with the 80s idealogoly. Spacers and blocks have their place and it's not on IFS stuff. I've tried things, and they simply just don't perform as intended. What you're experiencing is exactly this and it's no fault of yours, millions are sold a year, but now we have to fix it. I say this cuz if you didn't have additional preload into the 6112s you would almost be sitting on the bump stops at ride height, it's weird and makes no sense considering the math on the 6112s is the same as stock, but the combo is causing something weird. Why now is anyone's guess. Did I mention I have quite the disdain for spacers and the companies that use them will blame the end user all day long.......rant over! You'll be sorted in short order, that I can say with confidence.

 

[hodge-xj]

generally there are three types of springs, light, medium, and heavy. Do you know the springs that came with it? You need smooth ride springs. They look pretty beefy, thinner ones are gonna smooth it out for smoothee, research it. You can have thick ones that can be soft ride, but usually they are farther spaced apart.

6112s come with one spring option for the rams and they have a chart depending on cab/motor configuration and the associated lift with each clip in each configuration. The coils are supposedly 600lbs IIRC, though I'd have to dig and reconfirm that. Bilstein doesn't offer anything in the way of extra info for us like they do other applications and we just get a standard spring for all applications. There's supposedly a heavier option of +50lb rate springs, but I've yet to see this be used even though I needed this myself prior to getting rid of mine.

Unless the Ram community starts bugging manufacturers like the Jeep and Yota guys do, the demand for options and info will never be enough for them to bother with options. Hell they still won't admit the ecodiesel requires a totally different spring from the hemi and proclaim they "weigh the same" even though it's not the case. But I digress, it's what were stuck with as the end users.

 

[smoothee]

I cant think of many reasons why you'd have such a rough ride, especially since it's a basic lift kit, which is why I'm suspect of the shocks first. The rear is deceiving with how much it really contributes to ride quality. I hope it's as simple as that, not exactly cheap, but not a huge undertaking to fix. I'll do some digging myself as its been a bit since I really nerded out on ram stuff.

If you have a set or can find a cheap set of spacers it's an easy enough swap to try. Time consuming but easy enough. Run the 6112s to one notch below the max height for your setup, I noticed that with my spacer and 6112 combo it sat a little higher than it should have by about 1/2" which isn't alot, but it's safer to be a touch low in the front vs way high.

The CVs/intermediates are about the same as the 2011, except out drivers side is the replaceable intermediate shaft now not the passenger side. I can easily get you part numbers as well, I literally have all the boxes sitting in my back room from partsgeek. I think both CVs and the shaft would be like $200. But again, no reason to fix something that ain't broke, but seeing as they're not sealed from weather, and OEM didn't grease the splines or anything, it's worth at least taking apart before winter. I also have a thread on the repair if it is bad on the passenger side, it's easy as well. Again, just thinking ahead since you see winter weather which does us no favors.

As for the rack, it's interesting and I have heard of these electric racks doing weird stuff. I would have to assume it would be something steering related you would feel vs ride quality, but stranger things have happened and I wouldn't rule it out as crazy. We're on the right track, just need to pinpoint each issue.

With the amount of preload you're running up front, those 6112s should be very smooth, and since you have a single cab I can't see you blowing through the shock ******. After messing with the spacers and realizing it's all a geometry thing in relation where the shock sits in its ****** vs where the suspension sits etc I gladly decided spacers weren't for me. It's 2021 we need to stop with the 80s idealogoly. Spacers and blocks have their place and it's not on IFS stuff. I've tried things, and they simply just don't perform as intended. What you're experiencing is exactly this and it's no fault of yours, millions are sold a year, but now we have to fix it. I say this cuz if you didn't have additional preload into the 6112s you would almost be sitting on the bump stops at ride height, it's weird and makes no sense considering the math on the 6112s is the same as stock, but the combo is causing something weird. Why now is anyone's guess. Did I mention I have quite the disdain for spacers and the companies that use them will blame the end user all day long.......rant over! You'll be sorted in short order, that I can say with confidence.

It's been a snowball of things over the past few years I think, as soon as I would fix one thing it seemed like something else would need replacing so it's been like I've been chasing my tail (rear control arms, rear shocks, steering shaft, lower ball joints, tie rod ends, busted 5100 (washer failed), bent rim (new), etc., etc.). Right now it feels like root of the issue is in the front end and the rest of the truck struggles to compensate. I will say however, right now the truck doesn't ride near as rough as it has certain times in the past. So I do feel like I'm close to a solution here.

I still have my last set of Fox rear shocks that were good when I changed them for the Icons and have a brand new set of BDS shocks that I could try out easily enough. I had read on here that the Icons should pair well with the 6112's which is why I went with them. I don't really mind a stiffer ride.

I had planned on pulling everything apart before winter and freshening up with rust converter and paint before my next coating of Krown so that would be a good time to inspect/replace the CV's I guess. I did have the Cardone HD's in my cart a little while back but other stuff came up so I didn't pull the trigger.

I still have the hydraulic steering, think they switched to electric in '13 or later? I took a video but guess I can't post it on here.

And I'm with you on the spacers, really wish I had gone with CO's from the get go! Would've saved money in the long run!

 

[hodge-xj]

It's been a snowball of things over the past few years I think, as soon as I would fix one thing it seemed like something else would need replacing so it's been like I've been chasing my tail (rear control arms, rear shocks, steering shaft, lower ball joints, tie rod ends, busted 5100 (washer failed), bent rim (new), etc., etc.). Right now it feels like root of the issue is in the front end and the rest of the truck struggles to compensate. I will say however, right now the truck doesn't ride near as rough as it has certain times in the past. So I do feel like I'm close to a solution here.

I still have my last set of Fox rear shocks that were good when I changed them for the Icons and have a brand new set of BDS shocks that I could try out easily enough. I had read on here that the Icons should pair well with the 6112's which is why I went with them. I don't really mind a stiffer ride.

I had planned on pulling everything apart before winter and freshening up with rust converter and paint before my next coating of Krown so that would be a good time to inspect/replace the CV's I guess. I did have the Cardone HD's in my cart a little while back but other stuff came up so I didn't pull the trigger.

I still have the hydraulic steering, think they switched to electric in '13 or later? I took a video but guess I can't post it on here.

And I'm with you on the spacers, really wish I had gone with CO's from the get go! Would've saved money in the long run!

I'm right there with ya on chasing my tail! It's one thing after another, which is why I backed off on really doing much to the truck and started playing with my jeep instead. My truck is parked and waiting on parts so don't feel too bad.

If you get a chance see if you can get the part numbers or measurements on those rear shocks you have. The icons are great shocks, but, they just might be a little short is all. Again, I'm just speculating right now, and it may be a non factor.

I'd think so long as you check the CVs before winter you'll be good. Again it's another lesser issue that's either bad or not, so I think you're likely alright.

I will do a bit of reading on the hydraulic rack, didn't realize you still had a fluid rack. I wonder if there's a worm gear in them similar to a normal power steering box you can adjust to take some slop out if that it the case? No matter what there should be zero to minimal tolerance play in parts like that.

And we all live and learn with these things. If I'd have done the same and bought coilovers right in the beginning id have spent 1/2 of what I did, just to be sitting at the equivalent of a 2" level. Lol. At least your truck looks great. Mines got the grandpa stance with wheels on it. Granted it performs phenomenal but it sure don't look like it.

 

[Burla]

You could definitely be onto something there man with the shocks, I'll get some measurements in the AM.

That's really generous of you and I appreciate it! With me being in Canada though the shipping would probably suck. I actually think I might have an old set of 2" spacers kicking around.

I'm really kicking myself for not inspecting the CV's when I was doing the lower ball joints. I just figured it wouldn't come apart too easily and would be opening a can of worms, without having the parts on hand in case. At least with my '11 it isn't such a hassle if I do have to swap the intermediates as well. Crazy thing is only 65k miles on the truck, but the rust doesn't care.

I'll get a pic of the rack in the daylight tomorrow. I think I mentioned in the op, but the last time I remember the truck riding good was when I replaced the lower intermediate shaft. And no, the lift didn't touch the rack.

I can't find any mention on the spring type with these. Just a lot of guys running these talk about a smooth ride.

The only reason I posted because it didn't appear to "look' like soft ride springs, of course I could be dead wrong. Some guys even chop springs and put small smaller springs to get early spring rates. But, I don't think yours are long enough for that. Others use springs that have short springs and wider springs on the same spring. Maybe there is a lack of options like other guy was saying, I don't know for rams but I know it sucks how many stuff they have for the f150 but don't have for the rams 1500, been there done that 100 times. If I were you, I'd pop into a 4wd store if you have one local, for this one thing that is my go to shop. They probably have all of the info on cross products that will work on rams but not spec'd for them. good luck

 

[Copwad]

I apologize in advance for the length of this but I'm at my witts end here and don't even enjoy driving my truck anymore. This has been a long ongoing issue, that I will say started years after I installed my 4" lift so I can't blame it directly on that although it may have contributed.

The main thing I'm finding right now is the truck hits bumps very hard, almost feels like the front end is bottoming out and the steering wheel wants to come out on my hands. And at highway speeds when I hit a bridge joint it feels like the front tires nearly leave the pavement. I've had an alignment and wheel balancing done yesterday and the truck drives straight with no vibrations or anything otherwise. Steering feels nice and tight.

I used to be feel it more in the rear too, but not as bad since upgrading everything to Core and Hellwig sway bar and BDS relocation brackets. I did blow through a couple of sets of Fox and Bilstein rear shocks which I couldn't explain, truck only has 65k miles. There's still some shimmy there though.

I've checked everything over myself (and do my own work) and I've had the truck to several shops and none of them could find anything out of the originary. Several alignments and wheel balancing. I've played around with tire pressure, right now sitting at 30psi on my D rated Duratracs. This was happening before with my Toyo's as well though so I can't confidently blame it on the tires.

I swapped my bilstein 5100's for 6112's, added SuspensionMaxx sway bar links, replaced wheel bearings, lower and upper ball joints, tie rod ends, lower steering intermediate shaft, etc. I don't have any noises or clunks anywhere.

The weirdest thing to me is when I replace a failed part the issue goes away for a very short time until the new part is broken in. Eg. I just replaced the upper control arms last week and the issue pretty much disappeared for a few days. I could drive over washboards and hardly feel anything at all. Same thing happened when I replaced my LCA's, and steering shaft (which was shot). It rode beautifully for about a month. It's almost like there's still an underlying issue here that the new parts just seem to mask for a short time. I don't get it.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm ready to light a match lol. I don't expect it to ride like a Caddy especially being a single cab, but I know what it has rode like in the past. Also does this look like a quality alignment job?

I appreciate it!

Do you have larger wheels and tires on your truck or factory?

 

[smoothee]

I'm right there with ya on chasing my tail! It's one thing after another, which is why I backed off on really doing much to the truck and started playing with my jeep instead. My truck is parked and waiting on parts so don't feel too bad.

If you get a chance see if you can get the part numbers or measurements on those rear shocks you have. The icons are great shocks, but, they just might be a little short is all. Again, I'm just speculating right now, and it may be a non factor.

I'd think so long as you check the CVs before winter you'll be good. Again it's another lesser issue that's either bad or not, so I think you're likely alright.

I will do a bit of reading on the hydraulic rack, didn't realize you still had a fluid rack. I wonder if there's a worm gear in them similar to a normal power steering box you can adjust to take some slop out if that it the case? No matter what there should be zero to minimal tolerance play in parts like that.

And we all live and learn with these things. If I'd have done the same and bought coilovers right in the beginning id have spent 1/2 of what I did, just to be sitting at the equivalent of a 2" level. Lol. At least your truck looks great. Mines got the grandpa stance with wheels on it. Granted it performs phenomenal but it sure don't look like it.

Seems like par for the course then for fellas like us who can't leave stuff alone, lol. Just wish I had another vehicle, makes the windows for doing stuff much smaller when it's my daily driver. I may look into getting a ****** at some point, but a lot of others things I want/need before then.

The Fox are part # 98224758 and the BDS 85758. Both options when selecting the 4" lift on their website with either 2" or 3" rear lift. I'm heading offshore tomorrow for work so won't get a chance to grab the Icon measurements until I get back in a week or two, but it looks like they are all 28" extended.

The only thing with the rack is you'd think I would feel the play at all times. I'm just grasping at straws here. Steering feels nice and firm until I hit a bump. It feels similar to tires being over pressured. But I had the Duratracs as low as 28psi, with 50 being the max.

Haha your truck looks good man, I like that stuffed look too. And at this point I'd take performance over looks all day long!

The only reason I posted because it didn't appear to "look' like soft ride springs, of course I could be dead wrong. Some guys even chop springs and put small smaller springs to get early spring rates. But, I don't think yours are long enough for that. Others use springs that have short springs and wider springs on the same spring. Maybe there is a lack of options like other guy was saying, I don't know for rams but I know it sucks how many stuff they have for the f150 but don't have for the rams 1500, been there done that 100 times. If I were you, I'd pop into a 4wd store if you have one local, for this one thing that is my go to shop. They probably have all of the info on cross products that will work on rams but not spec'd for them. good luck

Yeah it's ****** the limited options for the Rams out there. What I don't get is I would imagine there are plenty of guys running a similar setup as me (not necessarily Rough Country, but angles/specs shouldn't be that much different with other brand lifts) with the Bilstein 5100's or 6112's with the 4" strut spacers and say it rides like a dream. Thanks Burla.

Do you have larger wheels and tires on your truck or factory?

Currently running 17's with 315/70R17 Duratracs. Have had similar issues with 18's and 35" Toyo's before. I may try to track down a stock set to try, but I've had this current setup balanced at a few different places since I've been running them and they all said they had no issues balancing. I rotate them regularly and they are wearing evenly. No vibration at certain speeds or anything like that either.

 

[hodge-xj]

Seems like par for the course then for fellas like us who can't leave stuff alone, lol. Just wish I had another vehicle, makes the windows for doing stuff much smaller when it's my daily driver. I may look into getting a ****** at some point, but a lot of others things I want/need before then.

The Fox are part # 98224758 and the BDS 85758. Both options when selecting the 4" lift on their website with either 2" or 3" rear lift. I'm heading offshore tomorrow for work so won't get a chance to grab the Icon measurements until I get back in a week or two, but it looks like they are all 28" extended.

The only thing with the rack is you'd think I would feel the play at all times. I'm just grasping at straws here. Steering feels nice and firm until I hit a bump. It feels similar to tires being over pressured. But I had the Duratracs as low as 28psi, with 50 being the max.

Haha your truck looks good man, I like that stuffed look too. And at this point I'd take performance over looks all day long!

Yeah it's ****** the limited options for the Rams out there. What I don't get is I would imagine there are plenty of guys running a similar setup as me (not necessarily Rough Country, but angles/specs shouldn't be that much different with other brand lifts) with the Bilstein 5100's or 6112's with the 4" strut spacers and say it rides like a dream. Thanks Burla.

Currently running 17's with 315/70R17 Duratracs. Have had similar issues with 18's and 35" Toyo's before. I may try to track down a stock set to try, but I've had this current setup balanced at a few different places since I've been running them and they all said they had no issues balancing. I rotate them regularly and they are wearing evenly. No vibration at certain speeds or anything like that either.

Yea, if I could leave things alone life would be much easier! But how boring is that nonsense! Once I got my jeep, it totally changed the necessity to get the truck slapped together and i find myself more patient in getting things done right. Only issue is, I'm now building the jeep too, so be careful lol.

I'd say the rear is good for now, as it should be since you've got all the right parts back there. The shocks is something to debate for another day lol.

I'm gonna hang my hat on the theory that you're somehow bottoming out the 6112s. Something is wonky with the combo for whatever reason. The way you describe it, it's the only logical thing at this point. The rack would give you issues with any steering inputs not just bumps, and if it feels like you're riding on wagon wheels, well, then you're running out of suspension. The ****** on the 6112s is somewhere around 6" give or take a bit. With you at 3.5 of droop you only have 2.5 of up travel, and considering those bump stops on the shaft are about 1-1.5" thick it's safe to say your running about 1" give or take of free shock ******. Our ifs is about a 1.5:1 ratio so you literally only have 2" of suspension compression before you hit the bump stops......no bueno for ride quality.

Easiest thing to try is a top spacer combined with adjusting them up to a higher clip. That could rule whether or not the suspension is the issue or if we need to avert the attention to something deeper.

 

[smoothee]

Yea, if I could leave things alone life would be much easier! But how boring is that nonsense! Once I got my jeep, it totally changed the necessity to get the truck slapped together and i find myself more patient in getting things done right. Only issue is, I'm now building the jeep too, so be careful lol.

I'd say the rear is good for now, as it should be since you've got all the right parts back there. The shocks is something to debate for another day lol.

I'm gonna hang my hat on the theory that you're somehow bottoming out the 6112s. Something is wonky with the combo for whatever reason. The way you describe it, it's the only logical thing at this point. The rack would give you issues with any steering inputs not just bumps, and if it feels like you're riding on wagon wheels, well, then you're running out of suspension. The ****** on the 6112s is somewhere around 6" give or take a bit. With you at 3.5 of droop you only have 2.5 of up travel, and considering those bump stops on the shaft are about 1-1.5" thick it's safe to say your running about 1" give or take of free shock ******. Our ifs is about a 1.5:1 ratio so you literally only have 2" of suspension compression before you hit the bump stops......no bueno for ride quality.

Easiest thing to try is a top spacer combined with adjusting them up to a higher clip. That could rule whether or not the suspension is the issue or if we need to avert the attention to something deeper.

Lol yeah true enough. It's a dangerous game. I'm wanting to cam this thing and do the 8 speed swap eventually so I will definitely need something else to drive.

I may still pick up a set of shocks for a 5" rear lift. Not a huge gamble to take, especially if it pays off.

Hmmm yeah that doesn't sound ideal at all. I'm trying to track down someone else with the same setup to see how theirs look. And I know it's pointless contacting Rough Country, they'll just tell me some ******** story. I will try the 2" spacer when I get back though. Like you said, not a big deal, just a bit of messing around again. Nothing should be seized this time around at least. I appreciate all the help man!

 

[hodge-xj]

Lol yeah true enough. It's a dangerous game. I'm wanting to cam this thing and do the 8 speed swap eventually so I will definitely need something else to drive.

I may still pick up a set of shocks for a 5" rear lift. Not a huge gamble to take, especially if it pays off.

Hmmm yeah that doesn't sound ideal at all. I'm trying to track down someone else with the same setup to see how theirs look. And I know it's pointless contacting Rough Country, they'll just tell me some ******** story. I will try the 2" spacer when I get back though. Like you said, not a big deal, just a bit of messing around again. Nothing should be seized this time around at least. I appreciate all the help man!

So you will surely have your work cut out for you! Though I see enough wrecked rams being parted out on FB market I don't think sourcing all the parts will be impossible.

I'll track down the thread and send you the link to a guy with an ecodiesel that was dealing with the same issues you are from his RC 4". It is interesting since things go from working perfect to ***** with no real reasoning behind it.

Once you try out and see if it is the struts giving you a fight, there's options to explore if it is in fact the issue. I believe ICON, Rough Country and Fox all make 4" extended struts.

Again no reason to overthink it till your back, and I have a feeling it's simply a funky combo somewhere with some witch-craft geometry acting funny. We're here to help, and spend your money while doing it!