There’s a wide range of shocks, struts, and coilovers available in the aftermarket, which can help the 2009-2019 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup trucks max out their suspensions’ performance, so that they could take on any terrain or task with greater ease.
Introduction
The last two generations of the Dodge Ram 1500, dating to 2009 and 2019 model years, have more than proven themselves as reliable work rigs, which could also be used for off-roading, 4x4ing, rock crawling, and various other activities. These pickup trucks became a prized possession for their owners, who would use them for both business and leisure, while engaging in any and every thing beginning with ranch cattle delivery and ending with snow plowing. However, there are plenty of performance enthusiasts, who wanted to push their Ram 1500s to the max, while modding their suspensions with aftermarket shock absorbers. Such vehicle owners would then turn their rigs into real testbeds for a wide range of different shocks, struts, and coilovers, which would then make the vehicles grind into the ground beneath, while mastering just about any road or terrain.
Shock Absorber Products for Everyday Commuting
There are plenty of daily tasks that each and every Dodge Ram 1500 owner can engage in, beginning with driving kids to school and ending with delivering paint cans to construction sites. Shock absorbers used for everyday commuting are designed for being driven over paved surfacing on streets, roads, and highways, with the owner seldom venturing off the beaten path.
Bilstein 4600 Types
These products are widely recognized as being the standard of shock absorbers by which many others can be tested. Bilstein 4600s were specifically designed to improve your pickup truck’s handling and driving controls, while at the same time ensuring the necessary comfort, especially when compared to other O.E. components. The units come with greater durability and increased service life, while offering limited off-roading and towing capabilities. 4600s are engineered to lessen both frontal diving and body roll, all while ensuring plenty of advantages over original, factory-installed shock absorbers. The components are nearly-identical to the ones installed on TRD vehicles, while offering reliability and responsiveness line no other. However, the units are offered on the present-day market at relatively high prices.
KYB Strut Plus Series
These products are designed as replacements for your pickup truck’s automaker-installed components. KYB Strut Plus Series shock absorbers will help you restore and renew your vehicle’s driving qualities, like the day they were when it was driven off the showroom floor. The components are manufactured as exacting replicas of O.E. shocks, being offered fully assembled. KYB Strut Plus products are fairly simple to mount on your Dodge Ram 1500, without the need to use a special spring compressor. These components offer excellent fitment and tuning options. However, one must keep in mind that KYB Strut Plus Series offer fairly limited use, especially when it comes to off-roading or 4x4ing use and won’t improve your pickup truck’s performance beyond stock specifications.
Rancho RS7000MT Series
The components offered by Rancho feature monotube constructions, which are filled with highly-pressurized Nitrogen gas. RS7000MTs come with durable 14-mm rods, which are manufactured from hard steel, with bushings made from different grades of plastic or rubber. The components offer an excellent road and terrain driving, especially when compared to original-equipment twin-tube products. Rancho RS7000MTs are engineered with single chambers, featuring sizeable pistons, all while offering consistent handling and precise control both on and off road. These components have lasting zinc plating for additional protection against poor-weather elements. RS7000MTs will provide superior responses, especially if your Dodge Ram 1500 has a larger-size wheel-and-tire combo.
Shock Absorbers for 4x4ing and Off-roading
Regardless of whether you may try and take on desert canyons or muddy passages in your Dodge Ram 1500, your rig needs to have the necessary suspension setup to drive through any and all road irregularities. The products described in this article section will help you accomplish just that, while keeping your pickup truck glued to the terrain surface.
FOX 2.5 Factory Race Types
If you are going to upgrade your vehicle to the Fox 2.5 Factory Race types, you will ensure it considerable improvements in both driving control and comfort. These shock absorbers are named so because of their 2.5-in. size, being able to retain lots of oil, thus ensuring lesser working pressures and temps, while allowing for driving over almost any terrain at high speeds. Fox 2.5 Factory Race Series will help maintain plenty of control of your Dodge Ram 1500 because of their race-grade tuning options. These products ensure plenty of adjustability for any driver, featuring substantial reservoirs. Fox 2.5s can be serviced and rebuilt, while offering custom tuning. However, one should always keep in mind that in order to maintain optimal performance, these components need to be serviced every 30,000-50,000 miles.
ICON Stage 1 Coilovers
These products will offer your Dodge Ram 1500 improved comfort, while making its handling more controllable as you are engaging in off-roading activities. ICON Stage 1 Coilovers are widely reputed for their digressive valving, which ensures much better suspension performance characteristics, while offering considerable ride comfort as you are pursuing greater performance. These units are designed and manufactured for driving at moderate and high speeds, while offering upgrade options at higher stages. Stage 1s can be both serviced and rebuilt on a regular basis, which is especially important for those in need of optimal performance. However, one should remember that these components are produced for off-roading and may be a tad too harsh for everyday use.
Bilstein 6112 Types w/ 60-mm Pistons
The components are a relatively new addition to the company’s lineup of products, being engineered with hefty 60-mm active pistons, encased in durable 2.6-in. bodies. They are specifically created to provide superior handling and driving specifications off roads. Bilstein 6112 Series are designed for those Dodge Ram 1500 owners, who engage aplenty in rock crawling, overlanding, 4x4ing, and so on, thus seeing plenty of mud, but still willing to retain some everyday-driving creature comforts. The components come with leveling height adjustments, being an excellent upgrade, while offering superior driving control. However, any Dodge Ram 1500 owner should remember that the Bilstein 6112 types are not offered pre-assembled from the manufacturer, thus requiring a special compressor to be installed properly.
Shock Absorbers for Towing and Hauling
Having a powerful pickup truck means engaging in towing such things as trailers, 5th wheels, recreational vehicles, and so on. The following article section explores a variety of different shock absorbers, which will allow for your Dodge Ram 1500 to tow just about anything that can be hooked up onto its rear hitch.
Rancho RS9000XL Series
The components offer excellent adjustability, being available for decades on end on the modern-day market. Rancho RS9000XLs are versatile products, which can be used on your pickup truck for controlling compression from soft to hard. The components are engineered with thick bodies, which can contain considerable oil volumes, all in order to improve dampening and lower temperatures. RS9000XLs are among some of the most popular shock absorbers in the suspension-modding community, while ensuring superior dampening, especially while towing and hauling. The products are regarded as being superb for their price, with Rancho offering a comprehensive 90-day guarantee. Although, it must be noted, that the components may have problems with adjustment knob breakages.
Bilstein 5100 w/ 46-mm Pistons
The shock absorbers are widely known on the SUV and pickup truck market, while offering characteristics suitable for both daily commuting and towing / hauling. In general, Bilstein 5100 with 46-mm pistons will behave slightly more firm than their 4600 counterparts or any other O.E. stock shock absorbers. The components are designed to ensure excellent handing and faster responses, especially if your Dodge Ram 1500 has been raised and sports a bigger-size wheel-and-tire combo. Bilstein 5100s can be used for leveling purposes, while being both lasting and durable. These shock absorbers will provide improved handling both on and off road, while allowing you to engage in towing or hauling. However, it must be noted that these components can ride somewhat harder than stock parts with which your pickup truck came outfitted from the factory.
Rancho RS7000MT Types
These products are engineered as monotube components, offering a slightly altered terrain and road feel in comparison to double-tube articles. Being designed with single chambers and considerably larger pistons, the RS7000MTs offer much more restrained and reliable handling, especially as you are engaging in towing and hauling. Among the main pros of such shock absorbers is durable zinc plating, which adds an extra layer of protection against weather elements like rain, snow, sleet, etc. The RS7000MT types ensure much more responsive driving for Dodge Ram 1500s outfitted with bigger-size wheels and tires, or the ones that have raised suspensions. The components come with a 90-day comprehensive guarantee, as offered by Rancho to its valuable customers. However, it should be noted that these units have limited applications.
