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03+ 1500 Front End

3K views 12 replies 5 participants last post by  RamTech 
#1 · (Edited)
Does the 2003+ Ram 1500 4x4 suffer from the dreaded Death Wobble that the 2500 and 3500 has? I think its an anomaly of the solid front end with coil springs so hopefully the 1500 with IFS does not suffer from this.

I am debating about getting a new truck as my 2500 is starting to get some issues and definitely suffers from the death wobble issue. It's bad enough that I will not buy another 2500. Too bad as Dodge has the best powertrain (IMO).
 
#2 ·
Hey there. I have a 2003 quad 2wheel and i dont have any issues on the front end at all. What does it seem to do?
 
#3 · (Edited)
Sorry, I should have added 4x4. The 2500 4x4 has a known issue where the front end gets a harmonic bounce going on when you hit a bump at highway speeds. Mine has been doing it since 2006. Do a search on Death Wobble and you will find days worth of reading on the subject. I think its only in the solid axle front end trucks with coil springs not the IFS equipped trucks.

This sucks as I love my truck other than that. I hate to take it on long trips
 
G
#4 ·
In your reading did you see any solutions to the problem?

Track bars, steering stabilizers and similar parts seem to take care of the problem with the front IFS trucks.

Also, in some of my reading I noted that, unless it was a high mileage truck, many of the individuals having the problem were lifted.

But I'm curious as to what you found.
 
#5 ·
:doh:Sorry i dint realize it was in regards to 4x4. The best of luck and hopefully someone here has had that problem and rectified it.
 
#8 ·
Ha, nope, all that crap about stabilizers helping the issue is bunk. I put a dual tube stabilizer on 2 years ago and it still happens. I also replaced upper and lower ball joints and front shocks.

The issue is a poor design. Stiffening the parts in the front end is masking the design problem. It will happen again. The best way I have found to keep the wobble away is very frequent balancing of the tires. When I drive the truck regularly, I could keep it happy with balancing every 3000 miles. Now, I ride my motorcycle and the truck may sit for a month or two without being driven. The death wobble happened very bad after getting it back on the road.

I am running the 315-70-17 BFG ATs with no lift. I have been running these since mid 2003 on my Ram. I have experienced the wobble on 3 different sets of these tires. These tires work just fine for on the Hummer H2.
 
#10 ·
Your running the same tires I am , other than I have a Daystar 2" leveling kit on the front . I have experienced it and it's scary when it starts . Almost impossible to stop . Gets worse when hitting the brakes . Gotta let it slow down on it's own . There's a steering box support you can install . Thought about the dual stabilizer setup but from what your saying , doesn't help .
 
#12 ·
Well sir, I'll bet its a different "death wobble". I experienced something that was similar but not the same on a 1990 K2500 Chevy with a 7" Skyjacker + 3" body lift sitting on 40" Mickeys. But that was due to alignment. It would dance across the road when I hit 40 mph even on smooth pavement. Once it was aligned, it was fine. I have also had a little shimmy on a K5 Blazer sitting on 36" Dick Cepek Fun Countrys. Both of these are a different issues than the 2500 Dodges problem.

The Dodge gets into a harmonic ripple that rapidly builds amplitude. It occurs when traveling at highway speed 70-80 mph (yeah we have fast speed limits in the desert), and I hit a bump like a bridge overpass where the road changes from asphalt to cement. I have also hit potholes at speed and had it happen. I get on the brakes immediately and it goes away when I get to 55 mph or so. Then I can speed back up and its fine until the next time. I have to watch for overpasses and slow down to 60 mph or so and it is usually ok. Much faster and it does the highway boogy.

It beats the snot out of the other components in the front end when it happens. It's a design problem. If it were as simple as a steering stabilizer, the aftermarket companies would have capitalized on this and made a fortune.
 
#13 ·
Oh, but they have capitalized. For a time we were installing Ranchos under factory warranty. Strange that I haven't seen any cases like yours with our customers that run 305's and 315's. If you figure it out, let me know because I'm curious as to the cause. You say it's a design problem but bear in mind the truck wasn't designed for 315's. When you say it's a known issue are you referring to people that run bigger rubber or to Chrysler Corp?
 
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