Ordered a 2022 Ram 2500

[bdhsfz6]

Re-reading a few posts in this thread has made me wonder if I'm making a mistake by trading my Sierra 2500HD 4WD for a Sierra 1500 4WD. I've never owned a 1/2 ton pickup before or one without 4WD. All six of my previous trucks were 3/4 ton.

I figure since I no longer plow snow or haul a 12K trailer, I have no further need for a 3/4 ton truck. I still haul an 8K trailer and need 4WD for the hills on my land but most of the time, I use the truck for hauling light loads on long distance trips.

I was lucky to get 14 mpg with the 2500 and the ride was quite harsh. I'm hoping the 1500 will get slightly better mileage with a considerably smoother ride.

An I missing something? Any thoughts?

 

[dodge man]

I own a 2017 F150, 5.0 v8. I’ve checked the mpg meter a couple of times, it’s within 0.5 mpg. It’s showing 19 mpg now. It’s gone as low a 17 mpg and as high as 24 mpg depending on circumstances. I probably average about 18.

The most I’ve towed is about 5000 pounds, it does fine with that. I have a little over 1900 pounds of payload, which is more than some older 3/4 ton trucks. Unless you are towing big, you’ll be happy with a 1/2 ton, just don’t get one with low payload numbers.

 

[BigBlue1]

Re-reading a few posts in this thread has made me wonder if I'm making a mistake by trading my Sierra 2500HD 4WD for a Sierra 1500 4WD. I've never owned a 1/2 ton pickup before or one without 4WD. All six of my previous trucks were 3/4 ton.

I figure since I no longer plow snow or haul a 12K trailer, I have no further need for a 3/4 ton truck. I still haul an 8K trailer and need 4WD for the hills on my land but most of the time, I use the truck for hauling light loads on long distance trips.

I was lucky to get 14 mpg with the 2500 and the ride was quite harsh. I'm hoping the 1500 will get slightly better mileage with a considerably smoother ride.

An I missing something? Any thoughts?

For sure you'll have a smoother ride with a 1/2 ton. I know moving from my Ram 1500 to 2500 was a harsher ride.

 

[deserteagle71]

Re-reading a few posts in this thread has made me wonder if I'm making a mistake by trading my Sierra 2500HD 4WD for a Sierra 1500 4WD. I've never owned a 1/2 ton pickup before or one without 4WD. All six of my previous trucks were 3/4 ton.

I figure since I no longer plow snow or haul a 12K trailer, I have no further need for a 3/4 ton truck. I still haul an 8K trailer and need 4WD for the hills on my land but most of the time, I use the truck for hauling light loads on long distance trips.

I was lucky to get 14 mpg with the 2500 and the ride was quite harsh. I'm hoping the 1500 will get slightly better mileage with a considerably smoother ride.

An I missing something? Any thoughts?

As stated above, make sure whatever you buy has the payload capacity you need. There should be a door sticker stating the capacity that you can look at. The sticker on my F150 says 1937 lbs or nearly a ton, and to me the truck rides really nice. But some of the really nice riding pickups ride on coil springs or air and the payload sticker on those is often less than 1000 lbs.

 

[Bearsixty7]

How smooth a ride do you need in a pickup??
Our 2019 F350 CC rides so much smoother than my 2006 F350 CC did and it rode so much better than my 2002 F250 SC did and that was night and day better than my old 97 F250 SC! All were Powerstroke longbed 4x4's.
I would think all 3/4 and 1 tons today ride as good as 1/2 tons from 15-20 years ago and modern day 1/2 tons' ride like Cadillac's or hovercrafts!
Honestly, our 2019 F350 almost rides too soft, since usually when we drive/use it, its pulling a trailer or hauling something and it squats in the rear much more than my '06 did. Airbags are on my wish list for it someday.

 

[BigBlue1]

How smooth a ride do you need in a pickup??
Our 2019 F350 CC rides so much smoother than my 2006 F350 CC did and it rode so much better than my 2002 F250 SC did and that was night and day better than my old 97 F250 SC! All were Powerstroke longbed 4x4's.
I would think all 3/4 and 1 tons today ride as good as 1/2 tons from 15-20 years ago and modern day 1/2 tons' ride like Cadillac's or hovercrafts!
Honestly, our 2019 F350 almost rides too soft, since usually when we drive/use it, its pulling a trailer or hauling something and it squats in the rear much more than my '06 did. Airbags are on my wish list for it someday.

I never had an older 3/4 or 1-ton but I have heard that modern HD pickups do ride much smoother than back then. Coming from a 2010 Ram 1500 which rode like a car my 2017 Ram 2500 is bumpier though. I've found though that if I add just a couple hundred pounds of stuff in the bed it smooths it out very nicely. Way less jouncy that way.

 

[bdhsfz6]

My 2012 GMC Sierra 2500HD had a harsher ride than my 2003 Chevy Silverado 2500HD. Both had the front suspension set up for plowing. I was pleasantly surprised with the difference on the 2012. GM did indeed make suspension improvements in later years.

I suppose I don't need and certainly don't expect a cushy ride in a pickup. I log many 5 to 6 hour runs in a year, a lot of it on back roads, and it would be nice to do so with a little more comfort.

I also liked the brakes on the GM 2500HD trucks. They handle heavy loads with ease and I hardly notice I'm towing a heavy trailer. My company pickup was a 1993 Chevy Silverado half ton and the brakes were awful. The fade and surge were always present and the company mechanic said all the GM half ton pickups were like that. I've heard others complain about the brakes on GM light duty trucks over the years as well. Others will likely disagree and I don't want to start a war over this. It could be just my personal experience and not the norm.

The dealer also admitted there was a brake problem on some earlier year GM half tons but insists it's since been fixed. Rather than take a chance, I ordered the branded brake upgrade on the new Sierra 1500. It was a $3K option and likely overkill but I figure it's a form of insurance.

 

[ning]

I never had an older 3/4 or 1-ton but I have heard that modern HD pickups do ride much smoother than back then. Coming from a 2010 Ram 1500 which rode like a car my 2017 Ram 2500 is bumpier though. I've found though that if I add just a couple hundred pounds of stuff in the bed it smooths it out very nicely. Way less jouncy that way.

My '97 F350 barely squatted down in the back with a pallet of concrete in it. The truck definitely has never had what you'd call a "smooth ride", but it's sure capable and when empty handles surprisingly well without wallowing in turns... also provides a good isometric core workout on bumpy roads.

 

[Monster5601]

if I'm making a mistake by trading my Sierra 2500HD 4WD for a Sierra 1500 4WD.

I was lucky to get 14 mpg with the 2500 and the ride was quite harsh. I'm hoping the 1500 will get slightly better mileage with a considerably smoother ride.

An I missing something? Any thoughts?

The smoothness of the ride, I think, is based on the quality of the roads traveled and your own subjective view on what constitutes a smooth ride. If you are looking for more of a "floating" feeling then look for a truck that has coils on all four corners. I run two pickups, one is a smooth-riding 1/2 ton with a 1,400-pound payload and an 8,000-pound tow ability, the other is a 1 ton with 4,000 pounds of payload and 18,000 pounds of tow capacity.

The 1/2 ton is four corner coils, the 1 ton is solid axles. The 1/2 ton has a more car-like ride and the 1 ton doesn't. Driving on paved well maintained roads, both trucks provide comfortable ride quality. That changes drastically on dirt roads and poorly maintained paved roads.

It would be worth your time to test drive the various brands comparing their ride qualities, there is a noticeable difference. It has already been said but, keep an eye on the vehicle's payload and tow capacities.

Both of my pickups are diesel-powered. The 1-ton averages 23 MPG unloaded, the 1/2 ton averages 31 MPG unloaded. For comparison, my 2013 1/2 ton gasser averaged 17 MPG unloaded winter fuel and 20 MPG unloaded summer fuel.

 

[Rock Crawler]

I'm in the process of buying this 2010 F-150 XLT 5.4L with 47k miles for my 16 year old son, $15,995 plus all the bullshit for around $16,700 out the door. I think I'm getting a decent truck. View attachment 734944View attachment 734945View attachment 734946View attachment 734947View attachment 734949

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