arms, a track bar and a stabilizer bar to keep the front axle assembly
located fore and aft and side to side, and the rear suspension is a conventional
leaf spring/live axle setup to carry the loads. We found that at this weight
rating in a 4x4 the suspension was choppy with no load, and the heavy duty
nature of the suspension places the body so high off the ground that shorter
passengers had trouble climbing in and out, even with a grab bar on the
A-pillar. No problem for a tall, macho guy, but certainly for kids, pets
and significant others.
The one thing we didn't like about the Ram's dynamics was the steering,
which was light enough and quick enough, but had a dead space on center,
and seemed to require constant adjustments during straight ahead travel.
It's not a problem in town, but freeway wander is a small but persistent
trait at higher speeds.
The disc/drum brakes, on the other hand, were exemplary in their power
and straight-stop behavior.
Over frost heaves, potholes, snowdrifts and ice the Ram was remarkably
and utterly free of squeaks, rattles and shudders, a tribute to an excellent
chassis design as one of the reasons it has been getting such high quality
marks from J.D. Power, Strategic Vision and other survey companies. Next Page