Levels with coils - Bilstein 2.3, Thuren 2.0 or Carli 2.0

[cummins88]

Hey guys,

I’ve been doing a ton of research to makesure I buy the right leveling kit for my application.

Truck is a 2018 Ram 2500 SRW SB, stock wheels and tires for now. Will install295/65r20. (35” tall)

My main goal is to improve ride quality, I don’ttow heavier than 8k maybe once a year and I don’t do any offroading, at all. I wanta smoother ride on the road.

I’ve been looking mainly at these 3options:

https://www.bilsteinlifts.com/shop/ram/2500-ram/2014-2017/bilstein-5112-2-3-front-lift-kit-2014-2017-ram-2500-4wd/
Bilstein – 2.3” of lift – (front springs, front shocks) the kit looks good,the reviews seem positive, but the kit doesn’t come with or recommend a certaintrack bar.. once you add a track bar from Rough Country for example, the pricegoes from 481 to 641 usd but you end up with a track bar that doesn’t comepre-adjusted.

https://www.thurenfabrication.com/products/dodge-ram/2014-18-2500-2013-18-3500/suspension-systems/overland-shock-systems/2014-2500-2013-3500-overland-front.html
Thuren Overland – 2.0” of lift – the kitreviews are solid and you can purchase the track bar with the shocks andsprings, the track bar comes pre-adjusted. Total cost – 790 usd.

https://carlisuspension.com/product-category/dodge/dodge-ram-2500-3500/ram-suspension-systems/2-5-inch/14-18-2500-d-2-5/
Carli 2.5 – 2.5” of lift – (front springs,front and rear shocks) – the reviews are amazing but that reflects the price,kit can come with their track bar for an extra 400$, total cost 1400$

Has anyone had experience with more thanone of these kits and can compare them?
Is it a bad idea to go with Bilstein overThuren since Thuren has a track bar pre-set? The bilstein shocks are apparentlyreally good in this affordable kit.

Thanks,
Mike

 0 Comment(s)

[RamIt]

Carli, hands down. Had a commuter 3.25” on my 4th gen, I ran that thing off road at 70mph without issue.

Carli massively over engineers their components and they truly are the top of the industry for these trucks.

Thuren is an option too, but the common complaint is that the ride is too soft.

Also, Bilstein blows majorly. My experience with them is in the 1500 market. Horrible shocks.

 0 Comment(s)

[cummins88]

Carli, hands down. Had a commuter 3.25” on my 4th gen, I ran that thing off road at 70mph without issue.

Carli massively over engineers their components and they truly are the top of the industry for these trucks.

Thuren is an option too, but the common complaint is that the ride is too soft.

Also, Bilstein blows majorly. My experience with them is in the 1500 market. Horrible shocks.

Oh so Thuren will be softer?

 0 Comment(s)

[RamIt]

Oh so Thuren will be softer?

More cloud like. Carli isn't stiff by any means, lets just put that out there. But Thurens have been known to be very pillow-y...which may or may not be your thing. I like a little more of a rigid spring set up personally, its a confidence thing if I have to snap the wheel for any reason. I don't want the truck to roll super hard. (The right choice of shock also matters here).

My advice would be to find a shop in your area that specializes in these trucks & have a sit down. If you're anywhere near Phoenix, AZ, Strapt Performance is the place to go for parts & labor. However, they can ship a kit to you as well if you want to call and have a chat with Craig. He did my 4th gen, the man knows his stuff.

 0 Comment(s)

[PilotDude]

I run the Thuren suspension with their front and rear track bar, and have no complaints with his system and absolutely love it. While I strictly offroad and hunt with my truck I do find it to be the perfect setup for me. I do drive about 40000 miles a year and it works fine on the highway also. Prior to the Thruren kit I ran the Icon springs and shocks on the front . It was just fine but not as compliant offroad , otherwise highway driving was the same. I think you'd be just fine with the Bilstein kit and don't worry about the track bar being preset as any good alignment shop can get it set correctly for you. If you think you might want to upgrade and add more down the road consider the Carli or Thuren , if not save the money and add the bilstein kit and call it a day. I've run bilsteins in past on a F250 and did have a shock leak but they quickly replaced it under warranty with no hassles.

 0 Comment(s)

[TexNeck]

Hey guys,

I’ve been doing a ton of research to makesure I buy the right leveling kit for my application.

Truck is a 2018 Ram 2500 SRW SB, stock wheels and tires for now. Will install295/65r20. (35” tall)

My main goal is to improve ride quality, I don’ttow heavier than 8k maybe once a year and I don’t do any offroading, at all. I wanta smoother ride on the road.

I’ve been looking mainly at these 3options:

https://www.bilsteinlifts.com/shop/ram/2500-ram/2014-2017/bilstein-5112-2-3-front-lift-kit-2014-2017-ram-2500-4wd/
Bilstein – 2.3” of lift – (front springs, front shocks) the kit looks good,the reviews seem positive, but the kit doesn’t come with or recommend a certaintrack bar.. once you add a track bar from Rough Country for example, the pricegoes from 481 to 641 usd but you end up with a track bar that doesn’t comepre-adjusted.

https://www.thurenfabrication.com/products/dodge-ram/2014-18-2500-2013-18-3500/suspension-systems/overland-shock-systems/2014-2500-2013-3500-overland-front.html
Thuren Overland – 2.0” of lift – the kitreviews are solid and you can purchase the track bar with the shocks andsprings, the track bar comes pre-adjusted. Total cost – 790 usd.

https://carlisuspension.com/product-category/dodge/dodge-ram-2500-3500/ram-suspension-systems/2-5-inch/14-18-2500-d-2-5/
Carli 2.5 – 2.5” of lift – (front springs,front and rear shocks) – the reviews are amazing but that reflects the price,kit can come with their track bar for an extra 400$, total cost 1400$

Has anyone had experience with more thanone of these kits and can compare them?
Is it a bad idea to go with Bilstein overThuren since Thuren has a track bar pre-set? The bilstein shocks are apparentlyreally good in this affordable kit.

Thanks,
Mike

Ive only run a spacer with Bilstein 5100 shocks on my truck and havent had issues. The Bilsteins are popular for the 2500 applications, I ran them on my 3rd gen and run them on my current truck.

Hit up Clayton with Dudes Diesel Performance who is a vendor on here. He has great knowledge on these kinds of kits and would be able to get what you are wanting/needing. He is who I purchased my shocks from

 0 Comment(s)

[Jaxx]

I have been doing all the same research and it really seems like you get what you pay for in a leveling kit.

Spacers are cheap but lower ride quality. Coils are always the way to go if you can afford.

Then you have lots that relocate your stock shocks or give you new shocks. Stock shock relocation is out of the question if you want to improve your ride quality. In my research everyone changing from any brand shock to Fox shocks has always been and upgrade.

So the conclusion of my research is Carli for great coil springs and not only fox shocks but custom tuned Fox shocks.

 0 Comment(s)

[cummins88]

I have been doing all the same research and it really seems like you get what you pay for in a leveling kit.

Spacers are cheap but lower ride quality. Coils are always the way to go if you can afford.

Then you have lots that relocate your stock shocks or give you new shocks. Stock shock relocation is out of the question if you want to improve your ride quality. In my research everyone changing from any brand shock to Fox shocks has always been and upgrade.

So the conclusion of my research is Carli for great coil springs and not only fox shocks but custom tuned Fox shocks.

The more I read the more im seeing that Thuren rides better for someone like me that only sees pavement.

 0 Comment(s)

[TH-64]

I did Thuren track bar, sway bar, and springs along with Carli tuned Fox shocks... very happy with the results. The Dude hooked me up.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 0 Comment(s)

[DDP]

Thank you so much for the recommendation! You most definitely get what you pay for when it comes to suspension. We highly recommend thuren as they are the best bang for your buck. The quality and support is 100% there. You will be impressed as soon as you take your first drive! We are a stocking dealer for most of their products and will be more then happy to help ya out.

 0 Comment(s)