2018 Ram 2500

[pcaffrey]

At present am towing a 31foot 5TH with a 20016 Chevy 2500 HD 6.0, 6sp, 4.10 gears. Was looking at a new Ran 2500 6.4L and noticed that the truck has coil springs on the rear. What are the advantage/disadvantage to this set up. Please don't want a 3500 due to registration costs.

[mtofell1]

LOVE the coils in my 2014 Ram 2500. Towing the same trailer back to back with my 2006 Dmax leaf spring and my Hemi and the difference was night and day. As the years tick by it's tough to remember the ride with leafs but I definitely remember the first few tows and how great a feeling it was. The leafs are more jarring and bouncy. The coils are just solid and smooth. Still plenty stiff but more controlled with the coils. The truck squatting was not a problem at all but I did get a set of airbags to help stiffen up over bumps due to towing a 5th wheel that puts me right at my max weight. I had the same bags on leaf spring Chevy for the same reasons.

[IndyCamp]

I have a 2014 2500 with the 6.4 and love it. Payload on the door sticker is 2,992. Great ride for an HD truck. I regularly put a rick of firewood in the bed and hitch up the 7,500 pound travel trailer and the RAM handles the weight fine.

Love my truck.

For the record, I came from a Silverado 1500, which I also loved.

[Camper_G]

no payload issue with my 2017 2500/6.4, it's over 3100 lbs, the lower payload limits are usually 6.7/Cummins powered due to the extra weight of the diesel.

I'm sure the 6.0 chevy has good power, the 6.4 ram has a lot of juice. good luck.

[GordonThree]

Another question about buttons if everyone doesn't mind?

Why can I leave 4wd on (electronic transfer case) or leave traction control off, as in the preference survives a key off

But tow haul is reset every time you turn the key off?

[goducks10]

GordonThree wrote:

GWolfe wrote:
My friends have an 07 or 08 Ram 2500 Cummins that has a "light load" button that allows them to run lowers pressure in their tires with out the computer nagging them. Are the newer ones not like this?

Never heard of that. Maybe an upfitter or aftermarket option?

My 12 CTD 2500 has a 'light/heavy' load button. When airing up to tow (70 psi) I have to hit the button for the heavier load. When airing down (rears 45 psi) I hit the button again. Takes a few miles and stop starts to switch over. I know for my year at least the 3500 doesn't have the TPSM option.

[spoon059]

GordonThree wrote:

GWolfe wrote:
My friends have an 07 or 08 Ram 2500 Cummins that has a "light load" button that allows them to run lowers pressure in their tires with out the computer nagging them. Are the newer ones not like this?

Never heard of that. Maybe an upfitter or aftermarket option?

No, it was a factory option. Not entirely certain why they got rid of it, but I'm sure it has to do with liability. I'm sure some idiot was running the light load setting while hauling weight and had a tire failure and sued.

Its odd that Ram demands such a high PSI for the rear tires, with such an artificially low payload rating. My truck wants 80 PSI on the rear tires. With factory 18" tires, that's a combined 7280 lbs of load carrying capacity... more than the factory coils are rated to carry and much more than the artificial 10,000 lbs GVWR will allow.

[GordonThree]

IdaD wrote:
From the factory the coils are rated to carry 500 lbs less than the 3500's leafs. Not really a big deal. They do ride and handle very nicely for a heavy duty truck. The lower payload numbers on the bulk of the 2500s has everything to do with the class 2 max GVWR, except on a few of the base 5.7 trucks equipped with 17" wheels and tires.

GWolfe, there is no light load button anymore. I don't see the TPMS as much of a negative. I run at 65/80 during towing season and 65/65 during the offseason. I guess a quarter inch indicator light on the display bugs some more than it bugs me.

Mine chimes and blinks the light now and then, to get your attention until you make it happy. It's more obnoxious than just the light by itself.

[GordonThree]

GWolfe wrote:
My friends have an 07 or 08 Ram 2500 Cummins that has a "light load" button that allows them to run lowers pressure in their tires with out the computer nagging them. Are the newer ones not like this?

Never heard of that. Maybe an upfitter or aftermarket option?

[IdaD]

From the factory the coils are rated to carry 500 lbs less than the 3500's leafs. Not really a big deal. They do ride and handle very nicely for a heavy duty truck. The lower payload numbers on the bulk of the 2500s has everything to do with the class 2 max GVWR, except on a few of the base 5.7 trucks equipped with 17" wheels and tires.

GWolfe, there is no light load button anymore. I don't see the TPMS as much of a negative. I run at 65/80 during towing season and 65/65 during the offseason. I guess a quarter inch indicator light on the display bugs some more than it bugs me.

[BenK]

Coil springs vs leaf springs...

Really no difference in function...they both hold up weight and manage the up/down movement

Leaf springs do serve other duties that coils can NOT...they locate the axle for/aft and left/right. Where as coils can NOT and needs other components to manage that...'links' are a common one

Coil springs 'twist' just like 'torsion' spring bars. The why that their pitch varies on some designs to provide varying weight ratings during it's travel. Lead springs do that with leaf lengths, thicknesses, widths, tapers, etc.

While in college, the company working for part time, won a a contract to install the UPS system for NORAD's center (think War Games, the movie)

The whole center was on a platform mounted on huge coil springs. IIRC, about 8 feet in dia and over one story tall. Each battery cell weighed in around 350 lbs making up 480 Volts DC and the inverter chopped it to AC

Meaning that coils can hold up many, many tons if designed for it

[kirkl]

Id keep your 6.0. That 6.4 hemi will be no advantage over the 6.0. I traded my 6.4 hemi in for a cummins.

[GWolfe]

My friends have an 07 or 08 Ram 2500 Cummins that has a "light load" button that allows them to run lowers pressure in their tires with out the computer nagging them. Are the newer ones not like this?

[kzspree320]

I have a 2016 Ram 2500 with 6.4 Hemi and 4.10 rear. It does a good job towing for a gas truck. Previously had a 2008 Ram 2500 with Cummins TD and leaf springs. I really don't see any real world difference in the rear springs towing the same 12.5 K fifth wheel. Both do a fine job.

[camp-n-family]

spoon059 wrote:

Second Chance wrote:
The new Ram 2500s can have as little as 2,2010 lbs. payload rating depending on configuration according to the Ram web site. I would guess that coil springs have something to do with that. The 3/4 offerings from "the other two" usually have around 3,000 lbs. payload.

The very low payload 2500's are either 5.7 engine with an 8800 lbs GVWR (not even sure if they are offered in 2018) or the Power Wagon models which are designed as off-road vehicles, not tow vehicles and have a softer and taller suspension. Unless you get the smaller motor or the Power Wagon, a 6.4 Hemi Crew Cab should have about 3300 lbs payload before options. That puts it right in line with GM and Ford.

The coils are surprisingly compliant and I don't see any real downfall to them. They keep the rear end planted across highway joints, where my older leaf spring pickup would get a little jittery. They are rated for 6500 lbs, just a little shy of the 3500's leaf springs.

I had a '14 Ram 2500 Laramie with the 5.7l and it only had 2200lbs of payload. The same model with the 6.4l was about 800lbs higher. Nobody could explain the difference. I now have a '17 Ram 2500 Laramie with the 6.7L diesel and it only has 2240lbs of payload. So yes, they do have low payloads but sure rides nice 😉 even with the 80psi I have to keep in the tires to keep the TPMS happy.

[GordonThree]

Grit dog wrote:


The 2 downsides I see with a 2500 ram is the above issue (for me, with a TC) and the stupid tpms thresholds which are now infinitely more difficult to adjust.

Glad to hear that I'm not imagining how fussy the computer is about tire pressure.

Want to run 80 all around, nope computer will nag.

Overshoot 80 by a few psi on the rear, computer will nag.