I have a 98 ram reg cab long bed 4x4 1500,

Can leaf springs from a 99 2500 reg cab 8ft bed go on mine to increase the rate upon which my 1500 can handle...?

 

No they are 3in wide whereas your 1500 springs are 2.5

 

A simple add-a-leaf in the rear might help. I put one on mine to help my weak springs, and I gained 2" in height (goes along nicely with my skyjacker 2" taller coils up front).

 

I noticed you have some parts added on your truck. would my 98 5.2 manully setup allow for those upgrades to get some better performance out of the 5.2/318. I have 170k on the truck but I completely rebuilt the engine 23k mile ago, just stock rebuild and overhaul, so Im assuming that I am still @ stock power and tq.

 

What kind of weight do you want to haul?

 

I put a dump of mulch in the bed and the damn thin seemed like i had no suspension.... I installed rachero shocks they are the all white ones 5000 series red boots, about 1.5 years old no real wear and tear on them, no 4x4, and plowing no massive hauling but the spings do have 171k miles on them.

 

Might try and find a set of the Light Duty 3/4 ton springs, those *should* be 2.5 inch wide.

 

The tuner may have helped a little. The throttle body maybe. The muffler was because my old one needed to be replaced. The 5.2 isn't that big (it's just a small block, and the smaller of their two offerings) and it's built more for work and longevity than lots of power; plus it's trying to push around a full-size half ton truck (and mine's a 4x4). I consider the engine adequate at best. And I'm not complaining - it does what I need it to do (like tow my flatty while loaded with camping gear and tools). What is it they say - "It is what it is". I'm not going to try and make it into something it's not.

This September a buddy and I are going to load it up with camping gear and tools (minus the ******) and take it up through Alaska and Canada. It rides nice - that counts for something, and it'll pretty much go anywhere I want to take it.

With 2" taller springs up front and an add-a-leaf in the rear lifting it two inches allows plenty of room for 285/75/16" tires without having to deal with a longer front track bar. The add-a-leaf I used was a Trail Master R1530 - very please with how it worked out. It rides nice with the add-a-leaf; not too stiff. The factory rear springs were needing some help; with just a little bit of load in the bed it would start to sag.

Changing the gears from 3.55 to 4.10 when I went to 33" tires helped. If I were to try and increase the engine's power, the next thing I would try are the Harland Sharp 1.7 non-adjustable rockers.