WHy do older 2wd Rams have so much trouble with front suspension/ steering?

[dpuckett]

The fact of the matter is, Dodge trucks of the time were marginal at best, when you had a 650# V8 on it. Put on a 1000lb+ Turbo diesel engine on there, and it makes for a lot more stress on everything from bushings, to springs, shocks, control arms, frame, etc. Add less than religious maintenance/ greasing of front supsension parts, or shock/ tire balance getting out of spec, and it magnifies problems. I've seen some pretty bad front ends with not a lot of miles on them. The key is maintenance and grease those fittings often. When something goes bad or starts to fade, get it fixed, before it takes out 3 other things. This should be a rule of thumb for the entire vehicle, but it is especially critical on the front end.



Daniel

 

[1stgen4evr]

tire balance getting out of spec, and it magnifies problems

I can attest to the tire balance causing problem$$$$. Had a goodyear that got a bulge on it while on a long trip. I didn't get it fixed on the road but drove on home. Cost more than a tire would have to repair the damage done to the front end.



My miles are for the most part only road miles but there are places on the interstates that will beat anything up. Even a Sherman tank. If your application is rough service, watch the maintenance more carefully. Remember that the truck has to last as long as the Cummins and that is a really long time.



1stgen4evr

James

 

[JLEONARD]

Allow me to add 2 more cents on the front end /tire balance issue.

Stock steel rims get bent very easily. I have a 2 wd that is mostly highway driven... . I have had 3 bent rims... . a bent rim will act like a tire out of balance..... and a lot of the low paid tire changer/balancer guys don't normally look for bent rims.

Jay

 

[MHoge]

I don't mean to advertise for Michelin, but a few first generation owners have told me the only way to get the front end smooth is to pay the big bucks on Michelin tires. I tend to believe this because after a half dozen balance jobs on good balancers my Michelin made but less than top grade tires only mostly smoothed out after a balance job on a $15,000 "road force" balancer which is a type of balancer I totally recommend, especially for these trucks. It matches the out-of-roundness of the tire with the out-of-roundness of the wheel to give the most round unit possible. Next time I will buy the best Michelin they make!!!