RoadActive Suspension Kit | 3614-HD | 1973-2002 Ram 2500/3500 Pickup

Features

• Improved load carrying
• Improved ride comfort
• Greater stability in cross winds
• Less sway and body roll
• Improved road handling
• Eliminate axle wrap and wheel hop
• Improved braking
• More enjoyable driving with less driver fatigue over long hauls

Ease of Installation
The RAS kit comes fully assembled right out of the box. Every kit includes easy-to-follow fitting instructions with detailed photos. Most kits can be installed 45 minutes or less with no special tools or equipment required. Once installed RAS never requires maintenance or adjustments, unlike systems like air bags.

Load Carrying
When carrying a load with the RAS system installed leaf springs lose their ability to support the load as they fatten out from the weight of the load. This causes the rear of the vehicle to sag and even bottom out. Even if the leaf springs are not overly flattened from a particular load, when vehicle weight shift occurs under normal driving conditions, such as cornering, braking, wind gusts, emergency maneuvers and the like, the load comprised leaf springs react poorly from the additional load. In either case this can cause damage to the under-body components and result in increased wear on the tires, shocks, leaf springs, and bushings.

With RAS installed the leaf springs are now well-supported in the optimum bowed position and can absorb the additional load forces from driving conditions. RAS prevents bottoming out and allows the vehicle to carry load with less sagging and much greater contact of all four tires to the road at all times.

Road Handling
The improvement in road handling will be felt immediately. Both rear leaf springs are now being supported with powerful, variably rated coil springs. When going around a corner or making a sudden maneuver the vehicle will no longer sway or lean. RAS will prevent the rear wheel that is taking the load from "tucking" under the wheel arch, resulting in a great improvement in handling. Again, all four tires maintain better contact with the road surface at all times.

Ride Comfort
Instead of a hard uncomfortable ride, or sloppy ride, commonly associated with pickups and vans the RAS installed vehicles overcome these problems by converting the leaf springs from a passive suspension to mechanically active suspension. Leaf springs will now be transformed from a load resisting system into a load absorbing one. One that responds instantly to anything the road has to offer. This transformation from passive to active achieves a better balance of function conquering the traditional three-way "load vs handling vs comfort" conflict associated with leaf spring suspension.

Wheel Hop and Axle Wrap
With pickup manufactures now providing vehicles with considerable more horsepower and torque wheel hop and axle wrap have become a real problem. This happens when excessive torque causes the axle-housing to twist or rotate. This rotational force then causes the leaf springs to bend into an s-shape. When the axle-housing rotates far enough the resulting forces cause the tires to lose traction and jump or "hop". Once traction is lost the leaf springs snap back into their original position. This occurence will continue until power is reduced.

Installing RAS will eliminate this problem. Leaf springs will now be supported with powerful RAS coil springs which absorb the torque forces and prevent the leaf springs from bending into an s-shape.

Stability in Cross Winds
This is the ideal solution to greatly improve the problem of cross winds when towing an RV or trailer. Without RAS installed cross winds will cause the tow vehicle to become unstable as the RV or trailer in tow typically have a large surface area for the wind to affect. Like a sail this will cause the RV or trailer to sway and push on the hitch, greatly effecting the handling and safety of the tow vehicle.

RAS vastly improves this problem due to the powerful coil springs that absorb the push and pull and the tow vehicle becomes considerably more stable. With the leaf springs now supported the tow vehicle is prevented from leaning and wondering uncontrollably all over the road.

Improved Braking
In emergency braking situations - should the vehicle have to make a quick maneuver while braking hard sudden loss of control is common due to vehicle leaning at that instant. One side has reduced bow due to flattening from vehicle weight shift while the other side has s-shaped bending from the torque of braking. Clearly this is a recipe for disaster and the cause of many accidents.

Fuel Savings and Extended Tire Life
With RAS installed the leaf springs are now held in in their optimum bowed position and well supported. The unique horizontally mounted coil springs expand (absorb) and contract (dissipate) under the load forces instantly and constantly, controlling the rate of deflection of the leaf springs. The load forces never reach the tires and the result is a consistently smaller tire to road footprint and vastly reduced roll resistance, the key to a minimum of 5% in fuel savings. The heavier the load, the greater the savings.