2009-2023 Dodge Ram 1500 4×4 & Ram 1500 Classic 4×4 – 0.5″ Front & 1.25″ Rear Lift Kit #604018

Description

This kit fits all cab configurations and box lengths of the 2006-2023 Ram 1500 & 1500 Classic 4×4’s

OK, so this is the kit to use when you add some Bilstein 5100’s or some other brand of spring preload adjustable shocks to your Ram1500 Classic.

We made this kit when we blew the 5100 shocks out of our own shop truck…we had our Bilstein’s cranked up to full preload and ran our rear 604016 spacer in it and well….it rode like crap on washboard and our shocks let go after about 13,000k so we wanted to find a solution where we could keep the nice ride a Bilstein 5100 can offer but get more lift with it…we were still closer to our 35’s than we liked.

This is not our first rodeo at using Bilstein’s and our kits, we have done it with many trucks but the Dodge posed some different issue’s than say a Toyota Tundra or a Ford F150…not bad, just different. The upper control arm doesn’t like a full load on the ball joint ( it can pop out under load/heavy angles) and the front CV axle design has some particular requirements…we wanted all the power of the Hemi to still shine down that muddy road, the sound of the 5.7 singing that sweet song and well…not bouncing our head off the roof at the same time is always a good idea…remember what my Grandpa always said, “a happy wife is a happy off road life” :-}

The lift height you get by using a Bilstein 5100 is achieved by increasing spring preload – by increasing preload you keep the spring tighter which makes the at rest position of the shock taller – it doesn’t collapse as far under tit’s own weight with a tight ( more preload) spring…this is how the 5100 achieves the “lift” on your Ram when you install it in the optional spring clips…the other thing that happens is that you “loose” some ability to absorb small bumps, you also loose the “sag” or “droop” that is needed for something called “up travel”…

Still with me, hope I didn’t put you to sleep…anyways, the Ram front spring is a little light and some preload on them is a good thing, “my” thinking is that at max preload it is too much, even with the increased capability of the 5100’s there is still a better option ( in my opinion…that and $6 will buy you a latte) and that is to increase the preload and to increase the overall length of the shock with a cap/reinforcement plate for the strut cap.

There is lots of math in suspension, it is all about angles, spring rates, load variations and torque…and then there is the “stock” limits built in by the factory ( this is your daily driver, so this is all a good thing…)

We found by using the second from the top of the spring options on the Bilstein and using a top plate to reinforce the strut cap ( stock strut caps have been know to flex and bend) and adding a 1.25″ rear lift we got all the room we need for the 35’s, the suspension still worked and well…the truck looked and drove way better than it did when we left the dealer’s lot.

Kit includes 2 front strut cap plate spacers and 2 rear spring spacers  – don’t forget, all of our parts are made in house by us, not imported from offshore or made at Uncle Binky’s Welding Saloon in Guatemala ( nothing wrong with Guatemala, or Uncle Binky…just saying, we make all of our parts) we make all of our parts…and we actually test fit them :-}