Ram 2500 Diesel

wanderingaimlessly wrote:


With the concept of the truck being a 10k lbs gvwr the engineers designed the springs for that weight. the springs are the same for either the CTD or a 5.7 gas, only the payload cap changes, because that is the stated goal of building a 10k lbs gvwr truck. And engineers tend to build to suit the design need, not the backyard mechs dreams.

If you really want to go into the weeds you would need to examine the rest of the vehicle. Is the braking system the same? Or are the 3500 series brakes heavier? I honestly don't know, and don't care, because I have always assumed that the engineers designing something and a manufacturing a piece of equipment that are willing to put a warranty on it, have a better idea of what it can do than the average guy with a toolbox and a JCWhitney catalog.

I gave my opinion, and stated why I dont think it's a good idea for the op's stated idea, if you want to suggest otherwise, feel free.

Yes, the brakes on the diesel 2500 and diesel SRW 3500 are exactly the same. The frames have the same ratings. The front suspension and front axle are the same, The rear axles are the same. The only difference is the rear suspension which is why a 3500's rear axle GAWR is 500 lbs more at 7,000 lbs while my 2500 is 6,500 lbs. Ram's (and most manufacturers) GAWRs are ratings of the whole axle system which includes brakes, tires, axles and suspension.

So if Ram designed my 2500 suspension around a 10k GVWR rating, then why did they give it a front GAWR of 6,000 lbs and the rear 6,500 lbs which is 12,500 lbs total. The 3500 of the same year has a front GAWR of 6,000 lbs and the rear of 7,000 lbs which is 13,000 lbs total.