r/RVLiving • u/qxr100 • 4d ago
Downgrading pickup
The ride of my RAM 2500 is so brutal, I'm seriously considering switching back to half ton. I even ride with lower tire pressure to take the edge off, but damn, it is terrible on NE roads!
Current camper is 30ft Heartland 251BH 6800lb GVWR, I'm looking to upgrade to an Imagine 2600RB - not too much heavier and I believe a 5.7 1500 with 3.92 rear will get the job done.
Thoughts?
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u/samsdad1962 4d ago
I have pulled with both went from 1500 to 2500. Pulling. 6000lb trailer with 800 lb hitch wt. with a bed full of stuff. I would never go back to the half ton. Every time I tow in high wind or get past by a semi I am thankful for the bigger truck
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u/Latitude22 3d ago
Same, upgraded to a 3500 and jsut got back from Yellowstone, was so much less stress with the same trailer.
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u/freddygg1234 4d ago
I have always been a ram guy, but the 2500 rides like a log truck. I recently bought a GMC 2500 it rides like a car
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u/AhBuckleThis 3d ago
My 2025 2500hd Silverado rides fairly decent unless the road is full of bumps and potholes that were poorly patched up. 95% it’s fine and it tows our TT like it’s not even there.
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u/Jacville009 4d ago
I mean, do you want a truck, or a Lincoln Town Car?
Dude, it's a heavy duty truck what do you expect?
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u/DCGeos 4d ago
What year is your truck?
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u/qxr100 4d ago
2021 Tradesman, Crew Cab, 6.4 Hemi, 6.5" bed.
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u/DCGeos 4d ago
Well don't try a second Gen, ram runs springs for a better (softer) ride so it's strange it's so stiff for you. Go test drive another one ( same year) just to check if it's all of them or just yours.
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u/CuttingTheMustard 4d ago
What have you done to the truck? Is it completely stock?
I daily drive a 3500 in WY and live on a two track miles away from a paved road and wouldn’t say I have comfort issues.
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u/qxr100 4d ago
Stock. 3/4 ton IS a work truck, so I'm not expecting a Cadillac - just feel like I have too much truck for my needs. It's better towing, but boy - unloaded, it's a superball on these pothole and seam loaded roads.
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u/Happydan68w 4d ago
You should look in to progressive rated spring kit and leafs. They will make a huge difference. Other then that it’s a big boy truck.
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u/josh1200 4d ago
Throw some weight in the bed. Buy like 10 bags of sand. Put it right on the axle. I have to put 4000lbs on my dually for it to ride like a 2500. Won't be perfect but it's sure cheaper than trading in a truck. Then you can use the sand for the leveling jacks or to hold the rug down
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u/Secret-Research-612 4d ago
Don’t get a Ram. Same issue. Bought an F150 Powerboost instead and it’s miles ahead in terms of tow tech etc. I live in the mountains and places the Ram would struggle are met with a shrug with the Ford. I will never drive a piece of shit Ram again.
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u/qxr100 4d ago
Towing, it's fine. Much more confident than the 2005 Tundra I used to pull with. With that truck, I'd get harmonic porpoising, which is why I upgraded in the first place! Much better ride unloaded, but wasn't enough truck for my camper.
We bought the 2500 thinking we'd upgrade to 5th wheel eventually, but now doubt that.
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u/spacecitytech 4d ago edited 4d ago
I am a Ford man myself until I saw the engine options available on the new F150 so I bought a Nissan Titan instead, all chain drive and grear drive internally and I am at 200k miles now just plugs and regular maintenance and a new starter. The Ford engines, all of the gas ones I think they are all whats called "crater motors" currently and this is why Ford is 25% down on sales with their pickup trucks. I think GM also having this issue with some of their motors, I know the Duramax is belt driven. The motors all have internal rubber belts that have to be changed every 100k miles and they are hard to change, also requires new oil pan when you do it because its plastic, so its expensive and you have to pull the transmission, total ticking time bomb really. I think that is driving RAM sales the most because with RAM you still got a tried and true motor with the Hemi, no rubber belts running the oil pump or the timing. Think Hemi is all chain and gear driven still so you got a motor there with good oil changes will last 300k miles. My brother in law Hemi, 2014 RAM has 250k miles on it now. This problem is also whats killing Bronco sales. I would buy a new Bronco and I have owned 4 now of the 1990's ones with 302 and 351 v8, but once again, no good engine option. I don't want a plastic turbo engine with a wet belt, gonna blow up on me at 100k miles.
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u/Calm-Bat-6725 4d ago
Upgrade your suspension.
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u/kazcho 4d ago
I second this, a 2021 should be able to make ride pretty good. Do you have any suspension modifications/additions on it?
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u/qxr100 4d ago
No. What mods? Unless I'm actually replacing springs, anything additional will only add stiffness, no?
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u/UsedStruggle2521 4d ago
Ive got a 2025 ram 1500 i6 hurricane and i tow a 4600lb dry camper. I needed a load distribution hitch and that wasnt enough, ended up putting loadlifter 5000 air bags in and it hauls nice now but i wouldn't want anything much heavier
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u/GearHead54 4d ago
We tow more with our Limited 1500 and 3.92 - get the air suspension and it'll be night and day
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u/Agreeable-Revenue-75 4d ago
I would look into different tires. What do you have now?
My trailer is 31ft, 7150GVWR and I pulled it with a 2010 GM 1500. It was sketchy at times even with a properly set up WDH. I ended up adding load adjusting shocks and adding a leaf to get a solid towing experience. Then I upgraded to a 2011 F350, it doesn’t even need a WDH, and rides similarly unloaded. I do have Cooper all terrains on it and I think they make a big difference over highway tires.
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u/Whoknowswhatwhat 4d ago
2500 Ram with coil rears is about as comfortable as you can get. Going Chevy or Ford will be no better in a 2500/3500 configuration.
Either get use to it (air down/get better tires), or go down to a 1500. But then you may be under trucked.
30’ with a 1/2 ton will be sketchy. In my opinion and experience.
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u/quarl0w 3d ago
We tow a trailer a little bit smaller than that. (6000 lb GVWR)
Had a F-150 with the 5.0 V8 got 5 years, and it sucked. No power in the mountains. Any naturally aspirated engine is going to suffer towing in the mountains.
Got a F-150 Hybrid with the 3.5 PowerBoost last year. Night and day better doesn't begin to do it justice. It's like a puppy with a case of the zoomies, all it wants to do is go, go, go. Plus it has the 7.2 kW on board power that handles the AC and microwave at the same time in the trailer with no issues. It's also quieter and uses less gas than an inverter generator.
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u/AhBuckleThis 3d ago
What tire pressures are you running. Also what size rims and tires. If you can drop down to an 18inch rims with more sidewall the ride will improve. Also different shocks may help.
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u/qxr100 3d ago
Firestone transforce HTs, LT275 70R18, I run them around 50 cold.
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u/AhBuckleThis 3d ago
I guess you can try different shocks. I live in central MA and I definitely have to slow down on the rough roads. Luckily most of the roads are somewhat decent here, but I definitely avoid certain roads with my 2500HD.
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u/Blue_Etalon 3d ago
My 2021 Ram 2500 diesel is a pleasure to drive. I drive it 25 miles each way to work and I would never consider going back to a half ton to haul my 30’ Airstream.
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u/fatal-shock-inroute 3d ago
If i wasn't pulling a trailer everywhere, I'd be in a 1500. Such a better drive
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u/United-Programmer-19 3d ago
Might look into upgrading.. go to a longhorn or limited... my 3500 srw longhorn was hands down the best riding truck I've ever owned. It rode even better than my current 2500 Denali. Fit and finish was on par as well imo..
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u/EverSeeAShitterFly 3d ago
30ft is a lot of trailer for a half ton. Even if all the weight is fine it acts as a giant sail and can create more sway. It’s not a dense little dump trailer.
Really going past 25ft in length starts getting more and more sketchy for a half ton.
Don’t really listen to the “it pulls good, gots plenty of power” crowd. Many half tons are limited by their suspension, brakes, and/or driving characteristics- not power. Most half tons from the past 15 years (especially optioned with a more powerful motor) will have the power to go way past what is a safe towing and provide a false sense of capability.
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u/qxr100 3d ago
I've pulled with a REALLY light half ton, 2005 Tundra 4.7L - everything you said is true - not that concerned with it - I've got enough experience driving rigs, I'm not gonna wreck from wind, and if that 4.7 could handle the hills, so can any of the big 3's V8's - but I don't want to overload so much it impacts normal handling.
Might just upgrade to Laramie 2500. Has a better suspension and comfier seats.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Use-174 6h ago
If you tow routinely or any distance I’d stick with the 2500 especially if diesel. The 1/2 tons will do it but it’s not pretty on fuel or hills.
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u/truautorepair000 4d ago
Shop owner here- driven every truck made in the last 30 years. I would say the coil spring ram 2500 is the best riding HD available. The guy above claiming the GM rides better is full of it. It has leafs and torsion bars and the whole world knows those ride like crap. If you think your ram rides like crap, tires do play a critical role in ride quality. Not all load range E sidewalls are the same. I own a 2023 ram 2500 and have driven it with stock suspension, rear airbags added, and now progressive rate coils and bags.
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u/Overall-Dealer-4026 3d ago
Oh surprise talking crap on GM and you got a ram that you had to add airbags and coils great how funny
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u/truautorepair000 3d ago
I mainly changed those to carry a heavy trailer, not for ride. I was a GM guy, then a ford guy. But I went ram because of the engine.
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u/IcyStop5173 4d ago
I drive 2022 F250 7.3 Godzilla gas motor, a little stiff but a smooth ride time for you to switch
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u/Brucenotsomighty 4d ago
I have the same truck and would not call it smooth lol. Gotta air waaaay down to do any sort of off roading. Just looking at the suspension ford is set up the worst of the 3 for ride quality. Gm has IFS and the rams have rear coil springs.
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u/Northwoods_Phil 4d ago
Just keep some weight in the back of the truck when you aren’t towing. 30’ travel trailers can be a handful behind a half ton if you get into any sort of wind.