Ride quality

I moved from a ram limited with air suspension to a tundra 1794 with the regular suspension and frankly the ride is awful. It's floaty at high speeds and you feel every pothole at low speeds It's even much worse than my older non-air ride RAM. Has anybody explored a better quality shock absorber that is a direct swap?

 

your 1794 has the AVS?

 

1794 with regular suspension here as well. Can confirm the low speed handling feels like a boat and feel every bump on the road. High speed is fine for me.

If you throw some weight in the back the ride quality will improve and will be less bumpy...

I will definitely be upgrading the shocks and rear springs once I get my Are DCU Max heavy camper shell.

For shocks, you can probably buy slightly used Trd shocks and it'll improve handling, not sure about the ride quality...

 

I'm curious the cost for quality air suspension in a new Tundra?

Right now the Ram Limited build I want is around $12k more than my Tundra Limited order en route. Between wrapping the "mustache," installing a side and bed step, and now suspension, I'm curious if I'm closer to halfway covering the cost difference of upgrading to a Ram.

 

What does price has to do with this? Get the truck that you want. Ram Laramie is probably same price as Tundra limited that you ordered.

Ram will also have issues with camshaft and lifters failing as an added benefit

 

Price has everything to with it.

I want a TRX but 11mpg and $100k isn't wise.

I want a Ram Limited but at $84k out the door, I'd rather get a Tundra for $69k out the door.

If I can split the difference and have money saved for trips to Disneyland, flights overseas, or be able to invest more into my side business, then I'd say price has a lot to do with everything decision making.

 

Got out of a ‘19 Ram Limited w/air suspension. Ride was better than the Tundra. Be cautious, several folks on the Ram forum living in colder climates complaining of failures due to cold. Also, be prepared for the infamous exhaust manifold crack and Hemi tick. Oh, and also check the rear window for leaks. Lots of problems with the pano roof also. Visit the Ram forum.

 

Yeah, I've got an account on several Ram forums.

I've been researching trucks since January (my tundra build has been waiting on allocation since April, but it'll be here mid January). I've test driven every 1500 manufacturer save Nissan (ugly front end). I love the Ram ride and interior right out the gate. There's no other truck like it, even the Denali imo. But if Toyota stays reliable then there's things I can do to make it just as quiet and smooth.

 

But you're comparing Tundra limited - mid range trim to Ram Limited - top trim. I suggested that Ram Laramie will be same price as Tundra, and Laramie will give you most of the options that limited has.

So you already looked through the ram forums. What do you think? I just sold my ram 1500 2013 which I had for 9 years...

 

Fair point. I completely glossed over the Laramie part because to me it's just not even on the radar. The limited headlights are just too cool in person. I didn't think they'd be that big of a difference but after comparing them, the limit is just way more aggressive. For your right, it's not fair for me to compare the limited tundra to the capstone level RAM.

As someone who just sold their 2015 Challenger, I have to say that Dodge is definitely gone up in quality since the Fiat purchase. Interior even on the Challenger back then is nicer than the 2021 Silverado I'm currently driving.

If you haven't taken an air suspension RAM limited for a spin lately, I highly recommend it. Drives very nice, and is noticeably quieter than even the tundra platinum hybrids I've test driven.

 

My priority is reliability, that's why I won't go back to ram.

 

I moved from a 2022 RAM 1500 Limited with 22's on air suspension to a 2023 Tundra Limited with 20's on coil suspension. The RAM handled better in the corners and was more composed at higher speeds. The 22's didn't do it any favors, as it transferred a lot of bumps and road imperfections to the cabin. The Tundra just feels more "truck-like," but I certainly wouldn't say it's floaty or harsh. The seats in the RAM were a bit more comfortable than the firmer seats in the Tundra, which I know helped.

In fact, this Tundra reminds me of a 2022 RAM 1500 Laramie with 20's on coil suspension I also recently drove. Regardless, I'll still give RAM the win overall. But we're not talking about a major difference. The current F-150 and GM trucks with comparable trims and tires still rode much worse, very jittery.

Also, don't forget to check tire pressure to make sure they're at the correct cold PSI.

 

Awesome thanks for that feedback. Honestly that was the biggest heartburn I've had since switching from a RAM limited to the Tundra. I really love the Rams interior cabin ride.

I just don't think I loved it to spend an extra $13,000 on it.

I figure as long as the Tundra with the TRD suspension is better than my current ride (2021 Silverado, which surprisingly is very smooth, still truck like), then it's an upgrade to me.

 

There is a Panoroof thread here now too.

I think the logic choice is that you just shouldnt get a pano roof from any brand unless you don't mind the risk of it leaking. The Fords are the same too.

The F150's have the worst shock tuning possible. Its really astonishing how bad they can make it. A set of Bilsteins makes a world of difference and brings em up close to par with a coil Ram(which I have had about 8-9 of as rentals for 4-5 days at a time).

 

I have owned nothing but Toyota trucks for 18 years now and two of them Tundras. My 13 I felt drove and handled better then other truck on the market back in those days. Now I have a 17 platinum and I have rented on work trips a new F150 and Ram 1500. I will say out of the three trucks the tundra definitely has the harshest/roughest ride. The Ram was a limited trim and it was a killer truck. I get all the reliability talk with tundras but I will say this our trucks are FAMOUS for steering shakes, imbalanced tire sensitivity and poor rides. I have had multiple shops tell me we hate working on tundras because they have terrible steering issues that customers make us try and chase them down. One shop I took my truck too when I had bump steer said it drives better than most Toyotas we’ve dealt with literally said “bump steer and high speed shakes is the Toyota way”. We don’t have huge issues with our trucks no hence the reliability part and that’s definitely worth something. I will say I am a perfectionist when it comes to nagging stuff like high speed shakes, rattles and bumpy rides and I would say this truck has fail me in those categories. The Ram to me was a awesome everyday truck for comfort purposes. I have been eyeing a GMC 2500HD as my next move years from now. For now I just bite my nails everytime I talk it to get the tires rotated that the shakes stay away lol.

 

I’ve never really found issue with making the 2nd gens drive fine unless they’re lifted. I’ve been working at the dealer for 8 year and a tundra with complaints on how it drives isn’t too common (unless it’s a long bed crew max gen 3)


That being said; the 2nd gen tundras DO drive more like a truck than domestic brand equivalents these days. Which is a rougher ride than a lot of people want these days

 

There is only so much you can do with leaf springs. The coils in the Ram and Tundra should ride better all else being equal which kinda makes me surprised that the new Tundra's ride relatively crappy.

All the Rams I have driven were coils and rode and handled very well, with the exception of a 2019 Rebel I had in San Antonio. The Rebel comes with LT E-range Duratracs from the factory and they are set to 55 psi and you could feel it. Every dumb bump felt like it was 10x the size.

Honestly, the Ram's are impressive trucks all around. I really like them. The transmission is fantastic and it always keeps the Hemi in its happy place. The only reason I wouldnt really consider one is that its an NA V8, and my trucks main purpose is towing a travel trailer at high elevation. I had a Ram 1500 Laramie with the GT package(3.92 gears and Mopar intake/exhaust) that I took to Banff National Park in Alberta this fall, and got up to some elevations similar to my house(6500'). The Hemi did ok unloaded but with a 5500 lb brick behind it I think it would have been working pretty hard. From a performance standpoint the 3.5 Ecoboost, iForce, and 3.0 Duramax are just better options for me. I am excited to see the 3.0 inline 6 Ram is supposed to be getting, that will really be a complete package for me.

 

My 2023 Limited rides great!
Sounds like you are just a Ram guy

 

Agreed, my 22 tundra is less then a month old. The power/tranny combo is great, but everything else about the truck falls short to my Laramie ram ecodiesel, that Laramie trim is literally like a platinum equipped tundra. When that hurricane straight 6 twin turbo comes out, imma be very curious and may trade the gen3 in for it.

Also my gen3 felt like it's on leaf springs still vs the rams real coilover rear suspension - feels like a car. Going over speedbumps (I got like 10sets at work) the ram just flows through them - good cushioning. The tundra bounces over them (no load in bed) and literally feels like it's on leaf springs.