Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Trucks/Pickups, Dodge
2009 Dodge Ram ditching leaf springs for coils
In a move that only serves to prove how competitive the full-size truck market is in the U.S., Dodge will reportedly be swapping out traditional leaf springs in the rear suspension of its redesigned 2009 Dodge Ram in favor of a new coil sprung rear axle. The move may seem counter intuitive, as leaf springs have long been the go-to gear for rear suspensions in pickups due to their heavy duty nature that allows for greater towing and payload capacity. Dodge, however, appears least interested among its competitors in going after best-in-class towing and payload ratings. The current Ram 1500 tops out with an 8,750 lb. maximum tow rating, far below the 10,000 lb.+ ratings of its cross-town rivals and the Toyota Tundra. Allpar.com, which broke the news, reports that payload capacity for the new coil sprung truck will remain the same, so we'd expect the Ram not to give an inch on towing either. Dodge seems to be betting that heavy haulers who are really interested in towing will opt up for a heavy duty version of the Ram. Those sticking with the half-ton and its coil-sprung rear suspension will be rewarded with better ride and handling and virtually no wheel hop, a regrettable side effect of leaf springs. What say you about Dodge's alleged decision to ditch leaf springs? Does it only serve to soften the Ram as the pickup wars intensify, or will the benefits of a smoother ride with little to no sacrifice in capability make the trunk even more appealing?
BTW, Allpar.com also reports that the 2009 Dodge Ram will get a pair of storage boxes on either side of its bed that are waterproof and accessible from the outside. Each box will be able to hold 8 cubic feet of stuff, which when combined offers additional storage space that rivals the trunk volume of some sedans.
[Source: Allpar.com via Pickuptruck.com]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Jake 1:37PM (11/28/2007)
Anyone else read this and realize these two things (Coil-sprung rear suspension and locking trunk) were done by Honda years ago when the Ridgeline came out? Interesting, isn't it?
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Mr. Oak 1:42PM (11/28/2007)
The Ridgeline is not a work TRUCK. It does not belong in this conversation.
Ridgeline = Pilot with a open bed.
Mike Levine 1:43PM (11/28/2007)
Honda did a coil over suspension in the Ridgeline. This is different. It's coil sprung, so the shocks are not mounted inside the spring. Ridgeline is also independent, not live axle.
Jeff R 3:23PM (11/28/2007)
Actually, the late 60's and early 70's Chevy trucks had coil springs in the rear, 30 years before Honda.
Jake 3:35PM (11/28/2007)
I stand corrected, then.
But I do think it's interesting that Honda knew exactly what market they were going after (i.e. light load carrying capacity and better unloaded handling), and tailored the truck to fit. Now maybe it's because they don't know how to do it any different, but I digress. This isn't about a Honda.
Like many people have said, this isn't a heavy-duty truck. If someone wants insane load capacity, they go one step up in the hierarchy, be it a 2500 or F250 or what have you. I think it may work out well for them to have a truck that caters better to the average user, and a more specialized vehicle for the demanding user.
Mike Levine 3:47PM (11/28/2007)
I agree. This certainly sounds like Chrysler knows how they want to position their LD pickup with buyers - and it's not as a quasi-HD.
Mike 4:17PM (11/28/2007)
@ Jake,
Honda's premise was sound but the execution wasn't so good. You can't price a quasi-half ton at the same price as a real half ton and expect it to sell (at least a few years ago) when the fuel economy isn't better.
Tack on that they left the engine transversly mounted, didn't give it real 4X4 and you're left with a truck that's only saving grace is the trunk in the bed. It's not enough.
Dodge may or may not have been smart with this move, since the rest of the truck's specs are still unpublished we don't know yet. Maybe they didn't want to make the Toyota mistake of engineering a flimsy truck then marketing it as tough and having their customers find all the problems. Maybe they didn't think they could keep up with Ford and GM regarding the structure and decided to take the truck a bit down market. I guess we'll see.
I can tell you that I don't think that any of the truck buyers want a watered down half ton that gets piss poor fuel economy. If they were willing to settle for less, they probably expect it to not hit the wallet as hard as the tougher ones out there.
Let's see what the rest of the truck ends up to be.
tekdemon 6:08PM (11/28/2007)
The Ridgeline was done in more by it's questionable styling (and cost compared to a similarly sized american pickup) than what the rear suspension was.
If it had looked good and been available at a competitive price it probably would have done quite well among people who just want an open bed to haul goods and don't care about some tow-rating numbers war. Most of the light duty pickups I see end up carrying something like 10 planks of wood, some tools and a ladder-nothing that would actually require a hardcore suspension.
So this move by dodge might actually make sense, since to be honest the vast majority of light duty truck owners do not actually push their suspensions to the limit at all.
Snark 8:22AM (11/29/2007)
The Ram isn't a damn work truck either - at least, not for most legitimate commercial users.
caddydave 5:08PM (12/01/2007)
Snark, your so right. I have a 95 2500. Dodge isn't a work truck at all. I hung a plow on it, towed bobcats, boats, campers, and car haulers, 1500 pounds of work tools and what do you know but the truck just simply fell apart after 310K. Now I have to replace the map sensor. At this rate this non-work truck won't make 500K. What was Dodge thinking when they said this was a work truck. I've spent a small fortune on repairs, at least $800 other than the usual stuff like brakes, tune up, tires etc. I made my wife a promise that I would wait to buy a Silverado when my Dodge wore out. That was five years ago. Boy, what was Dodge thinking when they called this a work truck.
sw 1:38PM (11/28/2007)
People may cry and complain about it, but the truth is out of all the pickups I've personally seen people own, only two of them actually pull something heavy, and they're both heavy duty diesels.
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MemphisNET 1:46PM (11/28/2007)
well thats just it. very few 1/2 ton users pull/haul anything. they're family transportation and image setters. not that they can't, but people who need to haul are going to opt up to a 2500 or higher.
Noah 1:41PM (11/28/2007)
Wow, quite a move for Dodge! I think it will be fine for most people though. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.
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Pete 1:55PM (11/28/2007)
Yeah, and if you had anything in the bed of a honda ridgeline and got a flat tire you were SOL!
http://trucks.about.com/library/photo/bl_06_ridgeline2_j.htm
Jerk Face 2:19PM (11/28/2007)
@ Pete
LOL, Nice!
DAMurphy 11:48AM (11/29/2007)
Re:
http://trucks.about.com/library/photo/bl_06_ridgeline2_j.htm
What? Trucks don't have donuts...
nissanfreak87 1:51PM (11/28/2007)
so the Dodge ram will have a more modern rear suspension than the Corvette Z06?
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Pete 1:59PM (11/28/2007)
So I suppose Mr. 1987 can explain to us all how the Corvette's suspension system is not 'modern'
Don't take everything you watch on top gear as the word of automotive god.
jg 2:01PM (11/28/2007)
No. just because a Vette uses leaf springs doesn't mean its old fashioned.
nissanfreak87 2:32PM (11/28/2007)
I'm just saying a coil-over suspension is a more advanced suspension than a leafspring, and that if installed on the Z06, it would be a world class car, even more so than it is now. I'd call a suspension that's basically an improvement of what was on stage coaches old, and a newer technology new, so yeah, a coil-over suspension is more modern than a leafspring.