My 01 4X4 extended cab 1500 Ram also rides rough. Nothing like the 91 Ford 4X4 extended cab I had prior to it. Have had the truck since new and it has always ridden rough. I then added coil over shocks at all 4 corners to provide more carrying capacity when I pull my 7800 pound fifth wheel. When empty the truck bounces even more than before I put the shocks on.

That being said, I spent some time with my local tire man and got an education on tire pressures. My tires state 65 pounds pressure at 3500 pounds. He stated that I should only inflate my tires to that pressure when hauling a load. In my case he advise I run 45 pounds pressure since the empty weight of my truck is far less than the maximum the tires can handle. This greatly helped my highway ride.

I would advise talking to your local tire man and ask him to help you in calculating what tire pressure settings you should use during normal driving conditions for the tires you have on your truck. The below information is an example of what I mean.

if you find that it is something else let the rest of us know.



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good thought i'll try it

 

My tires also say 65 psi, when you say he advised you to put in only 45 psi, that was purely for unloaded handling of the rear? Was this under any inclement weather or normal? Isn't it bad to run underinflated tires? Plus I've read like for ever 10 psi its under inflated its a certain % off of mpg (numbers aren't that important, just the fact its a decrease).

 

these trucks just ride rough.. because of the solid front axle and coil setup.. get softer shocks.. lets out some air pressure so it obsorbs some bumps.. but thats about all you can do

 

By running the 65 PSI without the full load for that pressure you are actually driving overinflated tires. They will bounce like a basketball as you drive down the road as the sidewalls cannot flex at all. As you put on miles, your tires will also exhibit more tread wear in the very center of the tire tread instead of the correct wear pattern of the entire tread wearing evenly. As I drew in my previous photo, without the full weight that 65 pounds of air pressure is required for you are only riding on the center treads of the tire. Reducing the air pressure allows the entire tire tread to contact the road. The bottom picture is what will occur if you carry the full load on the reduced pressure tires.

Reducethe tire pressure in all four tires for your day to day driving, by this I mean all driving without having a full load in the back of the truck. This reduced pressure will allow the entire tread to fully contact the road andthe sidewalls to flex just enough to improve the ride of the truck. When you haul a heavy load you will have to air up the tires to the amount necessary to carry it.

As 20dodgeram01 stated, these trucks do ride rough. Of all the 1/2 trucks on the market these are the heaviest in weight.Dodgebuilt the suspension and drivetrain to handle that weight and that is why they ride so rough.

Other options you have are to purchase lower load range tires than you currently have. LT265/75R-16 tires come in Load Range C, D, and E with E being the highest load carrying. E also is sturdier andgives a rougher ride, while "C" does not carry as much weight but will improve the ride.

Something else you can do is to purchase a quality set set of P265/75R-16all-seasonradials for winter driving and have your heavier set for summer driving when you are more likely to haul heavier loads. I do this as I was able to find a great deal on a set of 4 slightly used Michelinsmounted on the same exact rims as I already had on my truck. It extends the life of my expensive "E" range tires while still giving me good traction all winter long.I would not recommend this as a year round solution because all truck owners push the limit of what their truck can haul, but if you NEVER haul more than 500 to 800 pounds you could do this and you wouldhave a much better ride.

 

the psi rating on the side of the tire is MAX. I run mine 65 when loaded and 35 when unloaded. better ride, better steering, better traction. at 65 psi, my front end wants to dart all over the road.

mine also rides rough on concrete slab highway. something about the joints and varying heights of the slabs. theres one particular place where i have to drive with one hand and hold my neck with the other. (and thats with new shocks).

you might try adding some weight (firewood works good). mine rides much better with a light to medium load.

 

Good information. Where does it say the different load ranges, right on the tire itself? If you do run the tires at a lower psi, doesn't that hurt fuel mileage? I might try this out see the difference.

 

The tire load range can be found right on the tire. It is possible you may see a slight decrease in MPG running lower pressures, but I would say that should be less than 1 MPG. There is gonna have to be some trade-off between smoothness of ride, suspension system, tires, and MPG. I guess I am somebody that would rather lose 1/2 t o1 MPG than have to have back or neck surgery due to the rough ride of the truck.

 

your driving a truck not a dman caddy, get used to it [8D]

 

I feel ya man...I'm in Sacramento and the concrete freeways are like riding a jack hammer at 60+ mph. There isn't much you can do about it, exept get a passenger car. But you and I both know the roads here aren't gonna get better any time sooner.

And besides, the bounce is kinda nice to watch when my lady is riding shotgun

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