When it comes to hauling a heavy load or towing a heavy trailer, your truck must have a suspension that is up to the task. Until 2014, the rear suspension in all heavy-duty pickups was comprised of parallel leaf springs. However, in 2014, Ram flipped the pickup truck world on its ear when they started to deliver their 2500 trucks with rear coil springs.
I’m not here to start a debate about whether leaf springs or coil springs are a better option. What I am here to discuss is a great upgrade I found for the OE coil springs for Project WorkHorse. While the OE coil springs are technically fine, upgraded springs from SuperSprings International (SSI) have proven to be a better option and I’ll explain why later.
The SSI front springs (left image) are designed to raise the front of the truck 2-1/2 inches, and the rears (right image) keep the stock height.
Pros And Cons Of Coil Springs
There are many benefits to the coil spring and multi-link rear suspension as found in the Ram. For starters, the link bars center the axle while the springs support the load. With a leaf spring truck, the leaves perform double duty by centering the rear and supporting the load. Since a link bar and coil spring suspension splits the duties of locating the axle and holding up the truck, the link bars allow the axle to move up and down and articulate freely while preventing axle wrap during acceleration. With the OE spring rate Ram chose, the coil-spring-equipped trucks offer a smoother ride quality than earlier leaf-sprung trucks. The move seems logical, but there are a few concerns expressed by Ram 2500 owners.
When you start talking about towing, some drawbacks to the system start to emerge. I have heard from a few Ram 2500 owners who have expressed that when carrying a top-heavy load, the truck feels a little less stable than previous generations. The consensus is this is attributed in part to the coil springs being more inboard than leaf springs.
To get the front springs out, the sway bar link needs to be disconnected, the lower shock bolt removed, and the front suspension allowed to hang loose. With the suspension hanging loose, I still needed to use a small bottle jack between the frame and the axle to push down on the axle housing to get the spring out.
While leaf springs are mounted outside the frame rails, Ram installed the coils on the inside of the frame, giving the springs a narrower stance. When pulling light to moderate loads, the Ram 2500 is plenty capable,…
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