Question About Ride Quality

Hey guys. Long time lurker on the forum. Been getting a ton of useful info from you guys here about the Gen 3s. I want to preface this by saying my ideal build is a Limited trim Crewmax TRD OR with 6.5 ft bed.

So I went on a back to back test drive of a new 22 Ram 1500 Laramie and a pre owned 22 Tundra SR DC with 8 ft bed that had 4k miles. I narrowed it down to these 2 trucks and both have coil springs in the rear. I know they are not comparable but there are no Tundra's around and this was the only one available to drive. I test drove both on the exact same route and the Tundra was significantly more rough and jittery compared to the Ram. I looked on Toyota's website to see if the SR trim had a different suspension setup but seems to be the same as any non TRD OF/TRD model. My only guess would be the extra length overall and wheelbase that would contribute to the worse ride. I had thought the longer the wheelbase the better the ride. Do all Tundras ride like this? Is the Ram just superior in terms of ride quality? Does the SR with 8 ft bed just have a really bad ride?

Also Tundras interior just seems very poorly put together. Almost every panel I pushed would creak. The Ram was much better put together. Again, I know the SR trim is not comparable to a Laramie but still quite disappointed. I'm not a Ram fanboy in any sense, my first choice is a Tundra but after the test drive I'm not so sure anymore.

Update: I test drove a brand new 2023 Tundra SR5 TRD Sport and was much more happy with it compared to the 2022 SR DCLB. Rides a lot nicer and the interior was much more well put together. I pushed all the panels and didn't get any creaking. No wind noise on the freeway or anything rattling on some bumpy city streets either. I think this solidified my choice for getting the Tundra. Btw thanks for all your inputs too. Love this community.

 

I don’t guess you’ll find a bunch of people on here that have test driven both. Most that think they want a Toyota base that on reliability, and Ram hasn’t got that reputation, so these trucks attract different buyers. That said, the redesigned ‘22 Tundra is getting bashed pretty badly for trim quality, rattles and what not; it will probably take a year or two to square away problems. So if you need to buy now instead of waiting a couple of years, and if you plan to keep the suspension stock, sounds like you prefer the comfort of the Ram.

 

The ram is the best riding truck out there hands down.

i tested a platinum tundra and turning it comfort mode and. It was was pretty nice as far as a empty ride

 

I’m not an expert on suspensions, but the testing I have read indicates the the shocks on the TRD Off Road package make a difference in the ride. I find the coil springs a marked improvement over my 2012 with leaf springs and load range E tires. However it also shows the same problem I had with the 2012 with the sections in concrete highways creating a reinforcing harmonic in the rear end at the published speed limit. The 2022 doesn’t rattle near as much but is still very noticeable with the only solution to slow down.

 

I just listen to what others have said. What I have heard so far is it rides good.

 

I have the trim that you are looking for: Limited Crewmax 6.5’ Bed and TRD Package. I have to say that the ride is stiffer than expected coming from a Ridgeline. We did find a bit of relief when towing our trailer with about 800 lbs of payload on the truck. The key to this might be that Toyota increased the towing capacity for the Gen 3 models. Also, the red TRD shocks are probably a bit stiffer than typical. I think the TRD Pro would be the smoothest with the Fox suspension but probably no chance of trying one.

Our last trip with the trailer was a bit smoother but ours has only 1,600 kms on it now (about 1,000 miles) so it is still pretty fresh.

The Tundra is very stable with the trailer and well planted. This was one of the reasons that we got the Tundra.

It may be that the tires are a stiff as well. We are going to change those soon so hopefully see a bit more flex in the setup.

I have driven Ram’s and Ford’s with different configurations over the last decade and none of them have been as stiff as this Tundra. However, the Tundra feels more stable and confident.

 

Or speed up.

 

I was keen on the Tundra given the fact that both trucks have rear coil springs and people seem to love the new gen, but after this test drive I'm taken aback by the lack of refinement overall. I think I will have to test drive a limited to make sure it's not just the SR DCLB that is like this. Given the quite major reliability issues people have been voicing I'm not sure the new gen is living up to Toyota's reputation anymore.

 

I think so. The ride in the Ram compared to the Tundra SR DCLB was like Escalade to Corolla.

 

Yes same. I've read enough articles and watched enough videos to also hear people mention the TRD OR suspension rides better on road than the standard setup. I guess I will have to test drive one to know if it's true or not

 

Hey if it works for you then it works for you

 

Yeah trucks tend to ride a lot nicer with load, especially leaf spring trucks. I did also drive a 23 GMC Sierra 1500 and that was by far more jittery than the Ram or Tundra. Tundra felt much better than the Sierra but compared to the Ram was night and day. I do plan on getting a lift (TRD 3" hopefully) and hoping that will improve the ride if I do ever end up getting the Tundra

 

I hear that, we are also concerned about the poorer quality of this generation. Ours was built almost a year into the launch and so far it has been good with zero issues.

We have started the upgrade path too. With a DB cover and skid plates. And looking at some wheels and tires.

I hope we have this truck for many years.

 

ram has the best ride , second isn’t close.

I owned one before and my busniess partner has a 21 Laramie nightshade , rides better than most cars

if ride quality is top priority, buy a ram, easy decision

 

Sunnier,

I tried speeding up and within reason above the speed limit, it didn’t help. I think the problem was the suspension didn’t reach a stable state between seams. It’s probably the same thing that happens on a washboarded road. Faster just means less control.

Tom

 

Ram does have a good ride, and quiet interior. It also has a hemi that has very common issues with lifters seizing and grinding through the camshaft, as well as the manifold bolts breaking. Go ahead and check ram forum. I had ram 1500 for 9 years before my Tundra.

Tundra isn't perfect, especially this new 22/23. It will be less quiet, suspension won't be as soft as ram but since you're looking to get a lift then it won't matter for you.

Tundra has more technology than ram, lane centering driver assist which ram doesn't, big rear window that opens up, modern engine with better mpg than hemi. Yes we don't have reliability history for this new engine, but hemi reliability has been proven terrible, you're going to likely be replacing camshaft and lifters at 100k miles. By the way, Chrysler didn't fix these major issues for more than 15 years, so that should tell you something about their business approach. Toyota doesn't have such long recurring issues.

So whatever you do, don't buy ram until you do your due diligence reading through hundreds of camshaft, lifters, manifold bolt posts on the ram forum. Then go ahead and read all of the posts regarding terrible issues with the new Tundra weatherstripping, wind noise and interior quality.

Have you heard of a common "hemi tick" engine sound? That's your hemi engine isn't working smoothly, dealer will tell you it's just fine, but you know that this tick sound will change to a knock sound one day, then you'll be spending $7k replacing camshaft and lifters, which may or may not successfully fix your engine issues. Plenty of guys on ram forum still have issues after replacing cam and lifters...

I wanted to keep my truck for a long time, but my ram fell apart on me after 9 years 120k miles, and I was forced to buy a new Tundra. Otherwise I'd be driving my ram for the next 10 years.

If you don't mind changing your trucks every 5 years, then ram should be fine for you.

 

I gotchu. I was joking anyway. It’s happened seldom, but I have experienced the Tundra bed bounce, always in very specific roadway conditions, so I know it’s a “thing”. Lucky me, I don’t have much of that roadway condition where I drive regularly.

 

Tire pressure can affect the ride. I have a 23 Limited 4x4 and it is smooth as butter.

 

I’ve experienced the smooth as butter, but I just need to stay away from concrete roads with seams and load range E tires @ 60psi.

 

You can’t really compare RAM Laramie ride quality to Tundra SR, especially the super long wheelbase. The TRD OR rides the best out of Tundras but RAM is slightly better. Personally, I like the direct feeling of the Tundra suspension. It’s more of a pleasure to drive up and down mountain roads but the trade off is supple ride quality.

 

Funny you say this I just spent a few hours on the Ram forums. Like all die hard fans they share the same sentiment as Tundra loyalists and swear by their brand. One guy had over a dozen problems but still says Ram are the best trucks. One guy also mentioned the new Tundra and trashed on it and got the Ram instead lol. My first choice was always Tundra but just this test drive has been messing with me. I can live with a slightly worse ride in the Tundra but it was far from it. At least in the SR DCLB which I hope to be the culprit. Going to try and find a crewmax with TRD OR pkg somewhere I can test just to be certain about my choice.

 

That's a great point. I did not check what pressures it was running

 

I have no problem with being slightly worse but my experience was a lot worse. From the research that I did other than being that much longer the suspension hardware seems to be the same as any other standard Tundra. I think the only way to find out for certain is to drive a limited TRD OR. Hopefully one pops up around my area soon

 

Yes, I've spend lots of time on ram forums and familiar with it all.

Lots of Ram owners know about the flawed hemi engine: cam, lifters, manifold bolts, keep repairing it till the end and then trade it in for another new Ram.

I don't understand it... If the Hemi engine has such big issues, why get another truck which has exactly the same Hemi engine... But that's what ram fans do. I got to admit that I'm myself still attracted to Ram trucks but I just wasn't able to get myself to buy another ram and then beat myself up for being so stupid if I were to have constant truck issues once again. So no matter what, I wasn't going with Ram. F150 didn't seem existing to me, too common, and I was also wary of the Ford reliability. So Toyota is what I went with.

 

I had a Ram the first year of the new design; I don't recall if that was 18..19? Nevertheless, being a first year re-do, it had some issues but nothing like the Tundra. As far as ride and fit / finish of the interior, I don't think Tundra even compares. The Ram was much smoother and felt like a luxury vehicle on the interior. Just about every piece creaks and has inconsistent gaps on the Tundra.

 

Had a 2015 Ram 1500. Have a 9/22 made Limited Crewmax. My experience has been Toyota has the quality. No rattles, no air noise, no issues. The Ram was showing signs of eminent engine and transmission failure at 90,000 miles and I took good care of it and it drove a lot like my boat…loose, and soft. I disliked so many things about the Ram. Whenever I went to adjust the heater, I would crank that nutso transmission shift knob. Hope to never do that again. Some things arse stole it for the cats and the only parts of value that I could see. Only 3,500 miles on the Tundra though… and loving it.

 

I haven’t seen this asked or missed it but was this a crew cab Ram against a longbed DC Tundra? Not a fair comparison of ride and quality due to weight distribution issues. Crew Cabs do well because more weight is distributed out back compressing the suspension back there and there is less empty bed floating over the top of that stiff load bearing rear suspension. An 8 foot bed truck will have a stiffer ride because there’s less weight over that rear axle.

The ride quality of a longbed DC is probably not going to be representative of other configurations in any make. If you tried an 8 foot bed ex cab “I think Quad Cab?” Ram 1500 (IF AVAILABLE) it may ride a bit better than a comparable Tundra but probably rougher than a short bed full crew cab.

Don’t rule out the Tundra until you can actually test at least a crew cab if not a
CC 6.5 foot bed. You’ll probably be surprised at how much smoother it feels. The Ram will probably still have an advantage but not as much of one.

And this comes from someone who picked a slightly stiffer riding F150 this time for other reasons so it’s not a Toyota fan boy speaking out of bias. I left the Toyota family when I traded my 09 Crewmax this year but ride quality was not a factor in me doing it and I’m trying to help you make sure you give it a fair shake in an apples to apples match because it may be right for you.

 

I have driven both when in market in October. Former Ram owner and current Tundra owner. The ride in my SR5 TRD Sport is quite good and I don't feel like I gave up anything. The Gen 5 Laramie interior is much cheaper than my Gen 4. Yes seats are still leather but it is cheaper and stiffer with strips of vinyl and fake suede. The dash plastic is rougher texture and knobs are cheap to the touch. You have to spend $2k for the big screen to avoid a lot of cheap plastic and knobs. Felt like a lot of cost cutting to justify the extra $s for the Limited. So at the Laramie interior level Tundra is not as big a drop as some think that have been reading Limited reviews.

Why did I go Tundra? The current gen Ram styling is generic too me and the appearance packages do little to help. Chrysler dealers are trash for both sales and service; worked with 6 on old one and trying to buy another one and hated all. The aforementioned cheapening of the Laramie. 2 of 3 Rams I test drive had serious drive train vibrations (eTorque models both with vibration). I think the Tundra looks more like a truck truck inside and out and less of a car truck than the Ram. Finally you will see yourself at every traffic light in the 5 colors Ram still produces.

 

Going by forums is not always a definitive source. All the truck brands have periods of engine issues and some such as GM tranny issues. The big 3 all sell 500k to 1m of the big trucks a year, and even if a few percent have issues it looks like 100% as they flame their problems on every forum like it is their job for a decade.

 

I think the Ram is a 120k mileage truck. If that fits your use case then you will be OK. If you you are the drive it 250k until it falls apart maybe not