DRC8

Quick question. Are the differences between the 2500 and 3500 SRW significant ? In other words, would it be worth paying the extra for the 3500 ?

TexasCTD

My vote is yes....to get the 3500. Not so much for the actual differences, but for peace of mind. The weight rating is about 900lbs more if you get into some sort of legal situation regarding weight...pin weight, tongue weight etc.

The SRW 3500 will always be worth a little more too. So, imo, it is like having 4wd. You may never need it....but it always makes the truck worth that much more...even used. So why not get it?


If my comments above are not important to you, then don't worry about it. Get the 2500 if you can save a few dollars. You can always add air bags, and make up for any "actual" weight carrying differences. The limiting factor is still the tires...regardless.

The 2500, SRW 3500, and Dually trucks all share the same axles, frame, spring packs (minus the overloads on 2500) and are rated to "PULL" the same amount of total weight based on gear ratio. 3.73s gears....21,000 total gross. 4.10s....23,000 total gross. AND they will all pull much more than that without any problem.

..

John Halter

I vote yes to , not a big difference in price and it may come in handy down the road . I can think of no down side for going a little heavier , maybe ride , but it would so little I do not think you could tell . I would never run from a 2500 either you can always beef up the rear and have even more load capacity then a 3500 if you wanted . There is just not that much difference in the trucks unless your worried about getting stopped for being over what your truck says it can haul , that is when the extra on the sticker becomes more important .

D45

I thought the real only difference is, of course, the badging, front coils, and the rear overload spring on the leaf pack......

SolarYellow05

I researched this before I bought mine. I did not find out anything about the front coils. There was a $500 difference in base price and the only difference was the overloads in the rear. I opted to go 2500 and put air bags on the rear. I don't tow much, but when I do it's a much better ride and more load specific.

DRC8

What are the thoughts on the ride quality of both ? Is there a noticeable difference ?

soulezoo

NONE! As mentioned above they are essentially the same except for the overload springs in the rear. The overload springs don't even come into play until you have about 800lbs in the back and then the 3500 will ride and handle better as a result. Empty, there is no difference.

CD in NM

When I bought my truck I test drove them both, really not much difference in the 'feel' of the ride. I chose the 3500 SRW for all the reasons already stated. I tow heavy and could have gotten by with the 2500 and the front spring change and adding both the mini packs and air bags, that cost was much greater than just buying this stuff stock. I actually added heavier springs up front with the KORE leveling kit and also added the air bags later on. The greater stock payload of 1/2 ton still is the better choice if you get down to it.

CD

DRC8

As long as I'm getting educated on 3rd Gens, I might as well pose some more questions...

1. Is the shifting in the '03s pretty smooth ?
2. How is the sound deadening and ride quality of '03s vs. the 2nd generation Dodges ?