Discussions

Hi, thinking of a truck that has air suspension. Was wondering if anyone knows if they have issues, especially in the winter?  
Thanks.

My experience it was not worth it. In places with much more mild winters it doesn’t pose a problem, Manitoba was much too harsh. Failed three times in one winter on a Ram Rebel, and good luck getting warranty to cooperate with you. Ended up trading it in the second winter when it once again failed.

PMed you.

From the handful of people I've spoken to if your looking at the factory option from ram stay away. Every owner has had some form of issue and some have had difficulties getting work done on them. If air suspension is on your mind I would research after market instead.  
 
I've never had personal experience with the factory ram option but have driven highway tractors with them enough. They are nice, problems do arise...air leaks, bags will blow under certain conditions etc. Things to be mindful of.

Hi. I agree with the other posters and would stay away from the Dodge Ram with the factory air suspension system. I have several friends who have trucks with it, and most have had problems with lines failing. Dodge has been terrible for repair of these with the warranty being void in most cases. I have read that there is a class action lawsuit in the US over the air suspension failures and lack of warranty.  
 
I have had several trucks with the aftermarket air suspension systems in them. I have had excellent luck with the Firestone bags, from Custom Truck and Auto. I have had both the manual system and the onboard compressor setup and have never run into a problem with either, although the onboard compressor is much more convenient. The bags have held up well and I have sold them after they have been pulled from a truck we were trading in. I have transferred the compressor from an old truck to a new truck and they continue to work.  
 
The key seems to be to use good quality lines and fittings, and stay away from the cheap stuff. It is a case of you get what you pay for. We have an old truck kicking around, a 1999, with airbags in it and it is still working fine although we have had to fix a couple of leaks over the years.  
 
For the way my trucks are used, I would not have one without the air suspension system in it. Some are always heavy and the bags stay charged all of the time, and others are used for hauling/towing and they are inflated and deflated regularly.  
 
Hope this helps. Good luck.

Thank you everyone for the feedback. Speaking about RAM trucks, how reliable are the 1500? I'm considering the Laramie or Limited.

I had one with it. Let’s of issues, until we run the air intake line to pull air from under the hood instead of the right rear tail light. We had no issues once we started drawing dry air.  
 
The truck I have no does not have air suspension. It’s a 2017 limited, if your interested pm me.  
 
Happy shopping

Our 1500 Ram Laramie with a hemi is bullet proof. 2005 with 300 000 km is the only truck we have ever owned and tows our cattle trailer regularly. I do all maintenance my self , engine oil 10k, transmission, axles and transfer oils 100k and spark plugs 100k. Rear drive shaft joints every 150k. Couldn’t be happier and will definitely have another one if this one ever lays down on me . A little rust around the arches now but it runs gravel all the time, I’ll have to rub that out and repaint when I get the chance . Go see woodworth at Kenton for a great caring dealership .

Do the rams not have a factory air dryer in the system?

I thought air dryers are for semi trucks?  
Is this a good time to trade in my 2yr old vehicle? Someone told me not to because dealers are not going to give me much due to this pandemic situation.

I'm not familiar with setups in pickups maybe they dont use them since there isnt a constant air demand. Would certainly reduce moisture in lines however.

As many people have said, RAM has virtually made air suspension the standard set up for the Rebel/Laramie/Longhorn/Limited series of 1/2 ton trucks. Unlike aftermarket air ride set ups, RAM chooses to put air bags at all 4 corners, not just at the rear for load leveling (which they DO for the 3/4 and 1 tons) As people have stated, the problem arises in cold weather when the compressor (way at the back) draws in cold damp air, causing condensation in tiny air lines which in turn freezes to ice, blocking air flow . The RAM air suspension system is nothing at all like the system deployed in highway tractors. It's a shame because it's a blight on an otherwise outstanding truck. My advice is to get a rider in your sales contract that the dealer will convert the system to coil over suspension in the event of cold weather issues (which I can almost guarantee you WILL experience) If the dealer is so confident that their trucks will stand up to Manitoba winters, then they shouldn't be swayed by that stipulation.

How's the RAM Rebel on the hwy with those off road tires? Are they noisy and slippery on dry pavement? I do drive on gravel roads and hwy a lot.

First Dodge and had it for 5 years, 15 Sport with 5.7 hemi. Fantastic truck without issues. Avoided the air suspension as it has the same issues on the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Stock suspension rides great. 3.92 gears and 8 speed is an excellent combo for towing and still decent hwy mpg. No gear hunting. Running bfg tko2 AT tires, slight mpg hit but great in mud, snow, ice, gravel. The new ram is quieter than mine so it shouldn’t be an issue.

no they do not. its a compressor behind the right rear tail light that supplies the air. it is not a conventional system like on a highway tractor. there is no dryer, no tanks, no draincock to get rid of water or no place to collect water for that matter. hence the issues.  
 
they work great in arizona and texas.

That was a really good post with great advice! Thanks for it! Gave me something to really consider on my next truck purchase.