Ram 3500 SRW daily driver?

[camp-n-family]

Anybody using a Ram 3500 diesel that can shed some light on driving it as a daily driver? I have a 2500 hemi now that drives comfortably enough. As far as I know the only difference is the extra overload springs. They won't engage unless loaded so I'm assuming the unloaded ride should be similar as my current truck?

The dealers have been calling with trade offers which I usually ignore but the latest is an offer I'd be stupid to refuse. I was planning on another Ram 2500 as I don't need a 1 ton truck but when I price out the same truck in a 3500 series it is only $400 more. Seems crazy. What am I missing?

[mowin]

Me Again wrote:

mowin wrote:
I've been driving a 3500 SRW for 3 yrs now, so I'm used to the ride.

Last week I was at a dealer looking to trade up. The truck I was interested in was at there storage lot 3 miles away. I drove one of there 2500's to the lot. It was a very noticeable difference in the ride. The 2500 was smoother, and more comfortable.

Didn't stop me from buying another 3500 though.

Again, until you know tire pressure, comparisons are not very valid. Every test drive I took in a RAM had 75-80 lbs on air in the rear tires.

Chris

Tire pressure in the 2500. F 76-78, R were both 79. My 3500. 65 all 4.

So in theory, my 3500 should have been smoother? Lol

[2012Coleman]

So take one for a test ride and see what you think....

[Me_Again]

mowin wrote:
I've been driving a 3500 SRW for 3 yrs now, so I'm used to the ride.

Last week I was at a dealer looking to trade up. The truck I was interested in was at there storage lot 3 miles away. I drove one of there 2500's to the lot. It was a very noticeable difference in the ride. The 2500 was smoother, and more comfortable.

Didn't stop me from buying another 3500 though.

Again, until you know tire pressure, comparisons are not very valid. Every test drive I took in a RAM had 75-80 lbs on air in the rear tires.

Chris

[mowin]

I've been driving a 3500 SRW for 3 yrs now, so I'm used to the ride.

Last week I was at a dealer looking to trade up. The truck I was interested in was at there storage lot 3 miles away. I drove one of there 2500's to the lot. It was a very noticeable difference in the ride. The 2500 was smoother, and more comfortable.

Didn't stop me from buying another 3500 though.

[transferred]

Some people on here sound like they'd be better off with a Cadillac than a diesel pickup.

I've daily driven a SRW 3500 for more than 10 years. My 05 rides just fine and my family are plenty happy in it. The new 3500s ride a fair amount smoother and are much more refined.

Unless you're very sensitive or have health issues I can't see any reason why you'd find issue with a 3500 SRW as a daily driver. The ride difference between one and a new 2500 is very small.

[mowermech]

I used a '94 Dodge Ram 3500 dually as a daily driver for several years. Due to multiple CB and Ham antennas, I avoided parking garages, and I very seldom utilize drive-throughs, so I had no problems there.
The '99 dodge 2500 that I currently have gets used as a DD quite frequently. Again, the antennas mitigate against parking garages, but I can get to the drive-up ATM at my bank no problem, and the bank even has a drive-up teller where the vacuum tube terminal is built for tall trucks! That is great.

[otrfun]

We drove several '16 Ram 2500 and 3500 SRW Cummins before purchasing our '16 3500 SRW last year. We felt the 2500's coil suspension was noticeably less jarring when driving over very rough RR tracks. Most of the time our 3500 SRW drives just fine; however, under certain road conditions the 3500 SRW's leaf suspension can definitely get your attention. We needed the extra payload the 3500 SRW provided; otherwise, we would have purchased the 2500.

We run our 3500 SRW's rear tires at 45 PSI when empty. It does help, but it's not a magic pill.

[Grit_dog]

Big thing is tire pressure and with the new trucks, imo, a 3500 is preferable because you don't get the tire nanny blinking at you when you put the appropriate tire pressure in your tires for empty no load conditions.
3500 leafs are stiffer than 2500 coils but both are stiff empty and both are worse with 70-80 psi in the rear tires. Drop the rear tires to 35-40psi and watch the harshness of a 3500 be greatly reduced.

[Greene728]

camp-n-family wrote:

ib516 wrote:
I had a 2014 2500 Hemi, good friend has a 2014 3500 SRW Cummins. Same trucks (4x4, crew cab, short bed), even had the same tires. The ride quality was very different. His was way more harsh.

Thanks. That's kind of what I was expecting/ fearing. Planning a test drive tomorrow if I can find one.

Do not let this quote scare you away. The ride is not harsher at all with equal tire pressure from truck to truck. Most people can't really tell any difference. Yes, some roads that are rough to begin with you may notice slightly more stiffness, but normal roads and conditions it's very close to a wash. But remember, it is a trade off for more carrying capacity. It's a 1 ton truck and gonna ride like one sometimes.

[kohldad]

The 3500 SRW does not have helper springs. Only the 3500 DRW has the helper springs. This was the only surprise when I took delivery of my custom ordered 3500 in Jan 2015.

Another big change between the two is the 2500 has a Tire Pressure Warning System while the 3500 only has a Tire Pressure Monitoring System. The TPMS does not provide a warning when the pressure goes below a certain point which makes it much nicer.

My 3500 SRW w/6.4 Hemi is my daily driver. Only thing I find is that I drop the pressure down to 45psi in the rear tires when I don't have my camper on board or carrying heavy loads. Makes the ride much nicer.

[DakotaDad]

I went from a '14 2500 with the 6.4L Hemi to a '16 3500 Cummins when we upgraded trailers. Pretty direct comparison.

I thought the 2500 with the coil springs rode really well, so I was somewhat resigned to a harsher ride moving back to a 3500 (had an older 3500 years ago). But it turned out to be pretty anti-climactic. Yes, the 2500 still rides better than the 3500. But the difference is pretty small on normal roads. Throw some railroad tracks or major potholes in the mix, and the difference becomes greater. But I seldom encounter those on my common routes. So I'm content with the 3500's ride. Just put 1300 highway miles on this weekend, and even my wife never complained.

If you're testing, break it out into two parts... normal streets, and some rougher stuff, like railroad tracks. That'll help see where the differences lie.

[camp-n-family]

Wild Card wrote:
Get it with the factory air ride.

My 15 Dually is my DD

Won't be getting the factory air ride option. Too many issues/problems in the colder climates.

[camp-n-family]

ib516 wrote:
I had a 2014 2500 Hemi, good friend has a 2014 3500 SRW Cummins. Same trucks (4x4, crew cab, short bed), even had the same tires. The ride quality was very different. His was way more harsh.

Thanks. That's kind of what I was expecting/ fearing. Planning a test drive tomorrow if I can find one.

[Bionic_Man]

Me Again wrote:

ib516 wrote:

Bionic Man wrote:
You won't notice any difference from your 2500.

With all due respect, there's a big difference now after 2014 when the 2500 got the coil spring rear....like night and day difference between the two. The small bumps are way sharper/harsher in the 3500.

With similar air pressure in the rear tires?????

I am surprised there would be that much difference. Especially if the 3500 has the air. But I was thinking more about maneuverability between the two than the actual ride quality.

[Me_Again]

ib516 wrote:

Bionic Man wrote:
You won't notice any difference from your 2500.

With all due respect, there's a big difference now after 2014 when the 2500 got the coil spring rear....like night and day difference between the two. The small bumps are way sharper/harsher in the 3500.

With similar air pressure in the rear tires?????