Actually in 2009 the new Ram 2500/3500's are IFS as well. Or as they call it "twin wishbone independent suspension." Chevy has been doing it for a few years on their heavy duty stuff. Ford is currently the only one with a SFA or monobeam axel and in 2010 they will be going to IFS as well. The new IFS for the heavy duty stuff is trying to make the heavy duty stuff drive like a cadillac. The new IFS systems are a little bit stonger than they used to be. Overall they are practical because how many people that are towing 5th wheel are going to be running 37'' + sized tires. I see both sides of the coin though. Another interesting subject is the fact that in 2011 the Ford SD's will only come in automatic. There won't even be an option for manual. lol And with all the emissions crap they are slowly destroying the almighty power and effiency of the diesels.

 

And the amount of rubber in the wheel well is a personal opinion. There are many that would say that an 8'' lift with 35's is a good size, but personally I would be slapping 38x14.5x17's on that much lift. There are many that like to see some wheel well and there are redneck's like me that want that thing stuffed! I saw a 07 ram 2500 4x4 that was running 37x12.5 goodyear MT/R's on the stock 17'' rims on a stock set up. There is no lift at all. The truck looks stuffed and awesome in my opinion, but it is just that. My opinion. To each his own.

 

yeah we all like different wheel/tire & lift (or dropped) combos and there's extremes in all directions. I know in northern california it's very trendy to lift a truck way up and keep the wheel/tires setups "low & flat" like the dodge below. looks to me like about an 8 or 9" lift on 33x13s with with 20" rims.



I actually like that look quite a bit, and it suits my purpose for street driving while still sitting up high and maintaining a more aggressive look. driving something like that around here in socal would turn alot of heads for sure, but who cares? fat rubber, skinny rubber, big rims, small rims, slammed, or jacked to the sky. it's just about what you like personally. me, i like a lifted truck with some wheel well showing, but not as extreme as a 10" lift on 33s wrapped around 20x12s (shown below)



personally i think this would be a waste of a 4x4, but if you never really go off-road, then it doesnt matter too much anyhow. And even though its too extreme for my blood, it doesnt mean i cant appreciate their passion.

 

go get some sweet 31x10.5 and put em with your 9" lift... that'd be sweeeet. umm... NOT! man those are some fugly trucks in those pics, tires are WAY to small IMO (again, to each his own). I think 35's with 9" of lift would be ok, but certainly the smallest you should go. Personally, I'd be going with 37s with that much lift, but being the 2wd and 4.7, you'll DEF need to re-gear to 4.56 (a $1000 job if you're not very experienced with gears)

 

i'd have to agree with weightlifter on this one....im much more a fan of seein the wheel-well stuffed with big *** tires instead of having a huge lift like that and then little tiny tires.....bigger the lift then the bigger the tire......and as for the IFS, if using it for your daily driver then i wouldn't go any bigger then 35....go bigger then that then you'll run into front end problems faily quick

 

yea ive pretty much decided to go with 35s on 18" or 20" beadlock-style rims like the pic below. that truck seems so clean & simple and definately not overdone but it really catches me for some reason. seems to be kinda rare to see a ram on 35s with an 8" or 9" lift, i've only seen two so far and they don't look much different than the standard 6" lifts. so i'll start with my 5" and get the wheels and tires on and decide from there if i wanna add the BL. I definately dont like the "stuffed" look, and a 10" lift on 33s is just too extreme in the other direction (i bet his wheel wells are easy to clean though ). i guess i'm somewhere in the middle. my problem is that i love all custom vehicles, anything with a motor and a bit of personality.

 

actually after looking at the pic i just posted, those could be 33s with 18s and just a level kit. really kinda hard to tell...

 

yeah that pic is either 35's with 20's and a 6" or 33's with 18's and leveling kit

 

wish there were more lifted rams in my town so i could compare in person. most ram drivers around here drop theirs and lift their fords

 

just confirmed: they're 18in Helo Max 8s. So I'm guessing he's just running 33 A/Ts with spacers in the front to level it out