I have the 600 4X4 shortbed, I was wondering if your ride quality increase by putting a bed canopy , did the increase of the weight of the top better your ride on concrete hiways. I dont think I care for the method Hoss use by pouring concrete in the bed

 

I was looking into velvet-ride shackles. They're only $160. Anybody use them?

GT

 

Have them on my 96 for about 4 years they work very well. Definitly would use them again .

 

Not sure if you've seen this thread, but its about bouncing in granolaland:

https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...threadid=42561

Don't forget that these are trucks and designed to haul some weight. The downside is that they can be stiff riding when unloaded. You may not want to pour concrete in, but adding some weight helps.

I know Lexus' has a nice ride, but it couldn't pull my boat for beans....

 

That's right it's a TRUCK not a car

 

You need to set your tire pressure according to the load that you are carrying. If you are running empty then set the front tire pressure to 50-55 PSI and the rear to 40-50 psi. Theis wil help the ride alot. You can also add about 2 bags of traction sand to the bed to help with the ride also

 

You obviously have never driven on these Cali concrete freeways in a 3/4 or 1-ton 3rd gen. The bouncing is so severe in certain places and certain speeds that it will hurt your kidneys after a while. Why put yourself thru the torture? I say Dodge dropped the ball on the ride quality in this respect. That is one of the only complaints I have about this truck.

GT

 

The ride difference between 2wd and 4wd is huge. I had a '03 4x4 automatic for a few days last week and could not believe how rough it was compared to mine. Same load of tools and materials. Friend that borrowed mine (he needed my trailer) also commented that my truck was smoother. Both have Michelin tires, the 4x4 has about 52k on it.

 

The cupped or curled concrete highways in California is a tough one to beat. All trucks in general have an uphill battle. The joint spacing is real close to the length of the truck's wheelbase causing both wheel to go into compression at the same time...ie jumping. The concrete has curled due to drying/thermal shrinkage on top vs. bottom. The stiffer the truck, the more amplified this effect will be.