BDS New Product Announcement #222: RAM 1500 Air Ride Kits

NEW PRODUCT ANnouncement

November 19, 2015

PR.222: 4″ Air Ride Lift Kits

PART#

#1623H

PRODUCT

4″ Air-Ride RAM 1500 Lift Kit

APPLICATION

2013-2016 Dodge RAM 1500 4wd

*Gas and EcoDiesel

*Air ride equipped only

MSRP

$2193.95 (5500-shocks)

SUPPORT FILES & LINKS

View Ram 1500 Air Kits online

4" lift kit
4″ RAM 1500 Air Suspension Kit
View hi-res kit images:
Kit-A, Kit-B, Kit-C, Kit-D

2014 Dodge Ram 1500
2014 Dodge Ram 1500 w/ Air
4″ Lift Kit | 35×12.50 | 20×9
View hi–res truck images:
RAM-A, RAM-B, RAM-C

2014 Dodge Ram 1500
2014 Dodge Ram 1500
4″ Lift Kit | 35×12.50 | 20×9
View hi–res detail images: 
RAM-A, RAM-B, RAM-F

BDS 4″ Lift Kits for AIr Suspension RAM 1500 Trucks

BDS Suspension has expanded fitment of its 4″ Lift Kits for Air Ride equipped RAM 1500 4WD trucks to now include 2013-2016 models. This 4″ suspension system is designed to retain full use of the air suspension and its adjustability, this new lift system integrates seamlessly while allowing fitment of 35″ tires. As with all BDS lift kits this new 4″ system is backed by Factory Protection Plus offering a No Fine Print Lifetime Warranty, FMVSS No.126 ESC system compliance, and a 5-year 100,000-mile drivetrain warranty at no additional cost. Improve the stance and capability of your air ride equipped RAM 1500 with BDS Suspension.

For more information on the kit see below, head online to BDS Suspension or call (517) 279-2135.

BDS SUSPENSION SYSTEMS ARE PROTECTED BY THE FACTORY PROTECTION PLUS PROGRAM

Factory Protection Plus
  • 5-year, 100,000 mile drivetrain warranty
  • FMVSS No.126 ESC System compliance
  • BDS’s exclusive No Fine Print Warranty

4″ Air Ride Lift Kits: These new 4″ lift kits for the 2013-2016 RAM 1500 trucks with air ride are engineered to the highest standard to maximize the truck’s potential. These kits have undergone more than a year of development and testing to ensure they are up to the use and abuse truck owners expect from BDS. Up front this 4″ system include a pair of high clearance lasercut crossmembers, 3-point differential relocation system and differential skid plate creating a stout subframe for the suspension components to be installed. New ductile iron CNC machined steering knuckles are supplied along with heavy duty tie rod ends to keep the steering compatible with OE operating standards. Top mounted strut spacers are supplied to allow the use of the air-ride front air bag struts along with all the necessary air line fittings. A billet aluminum driveshaft spacers is supplied to lengthen the factory front driveline along with extended stainless steel braided brake lines, sway bar link extensions and all the necessary hardware to complete the install.

The rear of the air-ride equipped RAM 1500 mimics the standard RAM 1500 with the exception of adjustable height rear air bags. BDS supplies rear upper control arm relocation brackets to correct the geometry, a track bar correction bracket to recenter the axle and new extended sway bar links to improve stability on and off-road, brake line correction, and bump stop extensions. The new height comes from a pair of top mounted air bag spacers are used to maintain proper positioning and functionality of the factory air bags. Finishing offer the 4″ air-ride kits are a pair shocks, BDS offers both the 5500-series hydraulic or Fox 2.0 series gas shocks specifically tuned to maximize your trucks performance in any terrain. This new 4″ lift kit corrects the suspension geometry and allow for full use of the ride height adjustability when aired up to around 6″ and down to roughly 2″ of lift allowing clearance for 35″ tires. Get more out of your air suspension equipped RAM 1500 with BDS!

Important Kit Notes:
1) Rack and pinion steering system is extremely sensitive to any out of round or out of balance wheel/tire combinations
2) Fits factory air ride equipped trucks only
3) The factory air ride is a closed loop system. Opening the system more times than recommended in the lift instructions or factory service manual will require the system to be recharged. This can be done at any Ram dealer service department.
4) Stock 20” wheel can be reinstalled with factory sized tire only. Stock 17” and 18” wheels will not fit

Max Tire/Wheel Recommendations:
35×12.50 Tires w/ 17×9 (4.5″ BS), 18×9 (5″ BS), 20×9 (5″ BS)

© BDS Suspension, 491 W. Garfield Ave. Coldwater, MI 49036
(517) 279-2135 | bds-suspension.com | sales-bds@sporttruckusainc.com

 

60 comments

I want to put your 4″ lift for the 4 corner air suspension on my 2015 Ram Laramie Limited and use the stock wheels with taller (Not wider) tires, but your press release says I can’t do this, I am wondering why this won’t work?

Thanks for your time.

Hey Rick,
Are you running factory 17s, 18s or 20s? Stock 17s and 18s have a clearance issue between the wheel and the steering mount on our replacement steering knuckles. The positioning of the steering mount is crucial in keeping the steering geometry correct for ESC System compliance. Factory 20s can be reinstalled, but due to the large backspacing of stock wheels a wider tire cannot be used due to limited clearance between the tire and upper ball joint. For more on the topic feel free to contact BDS tech support at (517) 279-2135

Hey Jarod, while many customers have successfully installed the #1623H air ride kit on new RAM Rebels, there are a few differences with these trucks (mostly electronic) that typically require a trip to the RAM dealer to reflash the truck once the lift is installed. We’ve been working on a specific set of instructions for the RAM Rebel trucks, so until those steps have been finalized we won’t have the Rebels listed as compatible. For more on the topic you can contact the BDS tech support team at (517) 279-2135.

I would like to be able to run a 35 x 12.50 tire on the factory 20″ wheels with this kit. Would this be possible if I use wheel spacers? If so, what width spacers would I need to use in order to obtain sufficient clearance? Thanks

Buddy,
while stock 20” wheels can be reinstalled there is a clearance issue with wider tires and the suspension due to the backspacing of the wheels. We recommend a 9” wide wheel with 5” backspacing when running 35×12.50×20 tires. Your factory 20s likely have around 6-6.5” backspacing, you can measure it by removing the wheel and placing it face down on the ground. Measure from the wheel mount surface up to see how far it is to the edge of the rim, that’s your backspacing. From there you can order your wheel spacers accordingly. If you have other questions contact BDS sales/tech support at (517) 279-2135

Hi when are you going to have a lift Kit for the 2500 2014-2016 with factory air bags in the back? I can’t wait Thank you

Joseph

Hey Joseph, currently we don’t offer any kits for the late model RAM 2500s with factory rear air bags. There are plans to offer kits in the future, but due to company policy we can’t discuss details, cost, development timeline etc until kits are on the shelf available for sale

Carter,
I read a post that one guy (Jimmy) had a problem with his air-suspension after installing this lift, slow raising to offroad 1, and would not reach offload 2. Do you know if this was resolved and what the problem was, this is my only hesitation installing this lift, I want it to function properly.
Also do you have any feedback from actual customers?

Thanks Rick
2015 Ram Laramie Limited Hemi with short box (5.7)

Rick, unfortunately I personally don’t know what the resolution was with Jimmy’s RAM. I’m in the marketing department and directed him over to our tech support team who is better equipped to assist our customers with technical questions. You are welcome to reach out to them as well, (517) 279-2135 or tech-bds@sporttruckusainc.com

After leaving my truck for 2 days, I just picked up my Ram 2015 EcoDiesel 4×4 Laramie edition from the Off-road performance shop who installed the 4″ air suspension compatible kit. I paid to have the upgraded Fox shocks for the rear. I went with 18″ Fuel wheels with 35″ x 12.50 Nitto Mud Grappler MT tires. While I was driving my truck home from the shop, I noticed that I no longer have the “Aero” mode on my truck while driving on the freeway. I also noticed that my Miles Per Gallon went from an average of 25.4 to 17.1. That is a significant loss of gas mileage. I wonder if this significant loss in MPG is due to losing the “Aero” mode in my air suspension system. I also noticed that when I got home and hooked up my boat to my truck, I also lost my self leveling feature on my truck. I put a call into the owner of the shop and I am waiting for a call back. I went to a shop that was reffered to me by the BDS customer service rep and I also read reviews about this shop and people seemed to be very happy with this shops work. I am wondering what needs to be done so I can get my factory air suspension settings back. I was told by everyone that my truck air suspension system would function exactly the way it did when I dropped my truck off before I had the lift installed. Please help!!!!

Jesse, I’m sorry hear you’re having some issues with your truck. The BDS tech support team is available to assist you with resolving the the loss of Aero mode and self leveling features of your RAM. They are much better versed in the specifics of the electronics on those trucks than I am so I’d recommend contacting them directly at (517) 279-2135 or tech-bds@sporttruckusainc.com as well as discussing it with the installation shop.

Jesse sorry for the issues your having, I am having this kit installed in 3 weeks and would like to know the fix for your air ride. Good Luck!

Hey Rick, our recommendation to run a 5” backspacing wheel is just that, a recommendation based on what we have tested and fit. That said other wheel/tire specs may work as well with little to no trimming, but they have not been tested by our engineers. The smaller the backspacing measurement the more your tires will stick out. This causes the range of motion of the tire/wheel assembly to increase inside of the wheel well when turning from lock to lock, aka more likely to rub.

Hey Rick, there’s a yes and a no answer to that question. All BDS kits come with Factory Protection Plus (FPP), a comprehensive protection plan that includes 3 parts, BDS no fine print warranty, FMVSS No.126 ESC System compliance, and a 5-year/60-100K mile drivetrain warranty to match the OEM warranty. If a BDS part fails and a warranty claim is made, the removal/installation labor is not included as part of the No Fine Print Warranty. On the 5/60 drivetrain warranty if an OEM component fails and the dealership denies the warranty claim, than FPP will cover the replacement parts and labor at a pre-determined install rate. For more on the FPP head to http://560plus.com/terms.html

Due to company policy we won’t have any updates during the development process with kit info, pricing, or release date. Once kits are on the shelf available for sale we’ll release information

Carter,
Do you know if y’all are going to put out a 6″ Air Ride kit for the 1500 RAM’s in the future.
Thanks in advance.

Tim

Hey Tim, the crossmembers and steering knuckles used on our RAM 1500 kits (air and non-air) are designed to function properly between 4’’ and 6’’ of lift. The kit is designed as a base 4’’ to keep the suspension functioning within its designed parameters even while aired up to around 6’’ of lift. If taller air bag spacers were used the suspension would be able to be aired up too tall causing premature wear of certain components like upper ball joints, CV axles, etc. We found that 4’’ was the ideal height to function properly, ride well on road, and offer full adjustability of the air ride system. The are no plans for a base 6” kit for the air ride RAM 1500 trucks.

Hi!

New ram rebel and I’d like to keep factory 17′ wheel.

I already have hubcentric 1.5″ wheel Spacer

Do you know if it will fit ?

It wasn’t an issue with our kit as much as it is inconstancies between the air ride equipped trucks. We put together a video that outlines common issues and the BDS tech support team is available to answer any questions at (517) 279-2135. You can watch the video at https://youtu.be/bT8p0Yn25gg

i see the rebel is a 50/50 deal on whether this 4″ kit will work, without a dealer visit. my question is in regards to tire size. the rec size for this kit is 35×12.50 on 17′ aftermarket rims, with 4.5 backspace. if i bumper to a wheel that is 17×10 with 5.5 backspace would a 35×14.50 tire fit without rubbing? by calcs it should, but i was curious to your shops experience and advice

Hey JR, our kits work on the air ride equipped RAM Rebel trucks, but due to inconstancies from the factory additional modification may be needed to the sensors an possibly a trip to the dealer to have them reprogrammed. On the wheel/tire size, our recommended specs are based on the wheel/tire setups we have tested. While other sizes may fit on there with limited to no trimming needed, we can’t definitively say they will fit. Our wheel measurements are based on maximizing tire clearance. A wider wheel with small backspacing and wider tire will increase the range of motion when turning getting them closer to the fenders/bumper/valance.

i see the rebel is a 50/50 deal on whether this 4″ kit will work, without a dealer visit. my question is in regards to tire size. the rec size for this kit is 35×12.50 on 17′ aftermarket rims, with 4.5 backspace. if i bumper to a wheel that is 17×10 with 5.5 backspace would a 35×14.50 tire fit without rubbing? by calcs it should, but i was curious to your shops experience and advice. 2016 ram rebel, 5.7 4×4

So, I contacted my closest BDS dealer today and they told me that they had installed one of these suspension kits before and that they wouldn’t do it again. The guy I spoke to said that airbag replacements are $500 a piece. I’m assuming they had some trouble doing the install and it cost them some money. The next closest dealer is 300 miles away. Just sharing my experience. Is there anyway that the average joe like me can get there hands on install videos from begining to end?

Hey Nick,
Its not a simple install by any means due to the design of the factory air ride system and if not installed correctly can damage the factory air bags. We don’t recommend the “average joe” attempt the install by themselves, but rather have an experienced 4wd/drivetrain shop handle the labor. If your local BDS dealer doesn’t want to do the install give us a call and we’ll let you know of other potential shops in your area that may be able to help.

A few resources for you to check out involving the installation:
Step-by-Step Install Instructions: http://bds-suspension.com/instructions/022403.pdf
FAQ Install Video Steps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT8p0Yn25gg
Diesel Power Product Install Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDgB4_juqFE

Hey Cole, we don’t offer a RAM Rebel specific lift kit and due to inconsistencies we’ve found on some Rebels from the factory we don’t plan to list the Rebel to lead people on that its a direct bolt-on. That said our 4″ lift kit for the air ride RAM 1500 can be used on the Rebels, however additional modification may be needed to allow full functionality of the air ride system. It may also require a trip to the dealer to have them reset the system. For more on the topic you can contact BDS sales/tech support at (517) 279-2135 or sales-bds@sporttruckusainc.com

Hey James, by design our lift kit retains full function of the air ride system and won’t effect the truck’s tow capacity for the better or worse. The lift corrects the suspension, steering, and driveline geometry or 4″ lift lift above factory ride height and the air bags are retained. Installing larger tires can effect tow capacity slightly for the worse being that its a larger mass is harder to rotate with the stock gearing. That said its not effected much and its common to tow/haul with a lifted truck on larger tires.

How soon will there be a lift kit for the 2019 dodge 1500 limited w/ four corner air suspension.

Hey Gabriel, we have a number of kits in development for the 2019 RAM 1500 and RAM 1500 airride equipped trucks. That said company policy dictates we can’t discuss new product development topics such as what kits are in the works, specific kit details, price point or expected release dates. Once parts are on the shelf ready to ship we’ll be sending out announcements, adding them to our website and promoting through various media outlets so keep an eye out for upcoming releases.

I get company policy, but can you give an estimation on what quarter kits will be released? I was told in November that kits for 2019 Ram Rebels (WITHOUT Air Ride) would hopefully be ready by the end of the year. Then by the end of the first quarter… You guys are the best and I refuse to go with anyone else, I was just hoping for a time frame I could count on.

Hey Billy, unfortunately its not as simple as us choosing to keep the public in the dark about launches. Oftentimes delays happen that are out of our control effecting launches, things like supplier lead times on product samples, access to test vehicles, design revisions and scheduling track time FMVSS 126 compliance testing. Our R&D dept controls the process and by design most of the company is given only limited info prior to the launch as details can change. That said I did get work the non-air ride 2019 ram 1500 4wd 6″ kits are in the final stage and will be released within the week. I don’t have dates on the airride compatible kits at this time.

Hey Billy, should be any day now, we had some packaging issues that needed to be resolved (more to the reason we don’t discuss announcements until parts are on the shelf ready to ship). As soon as I get the word they’re available I’ll be sending out the announcement.

Do you have a rough timeline on when the 4” lift kit will be approved for the 2021 Rams with Air ride? I purchased a limited with air ride and only want BDS. Curious if there is anything coming soon?

Hey Alex,
At this point we haven’t texted our kits on the 2021 RAM 1500 w/ Air Ride, but plan to bring a truck in soon to confirm compatibility so we can officially release. While we don’t expect any differences between 2020 and 2021 models, we always test before releasing. Keep an eye out for future announcement and on the BDS website for info

I am in the same situation. If you need a test dummy, my truck is available! 2021 Limited Night Edition. LOL. Please hurry as I am driving a low-rider right now! uggg. Dodge just sits too low and it is a necessity for them to be lifted. Seriously, if you have a vendor in DFW, I would be willing to have my truck tested.

We’ll be releasing the Air Ride compatible 2020-2021 RAM 1500 4″ Lift Kits next week, keep an eye out for the announcement

Hey Troy,
At this point the standard (non-AirRide) 2021 RAM 1500 kits have been test fit and approved for use. We have a 2021 RAM 1500 Air Ride lined up to bring in to confirm compatibility with 19-20 models. While we don’t expect any changes, its our policy to test fit products before officially listing them. As soon as we are ready to go we’ll be updating our website and sending out an announcement

At this point we’re still in need of a 2021 RAM 1500 Air Ride for testing up in Michigan to confirm fitment. Once kits have been confirmed compatible (or updates made to allow compatibility) we’ll be updating our website and send out announcement.

Any update on the 2021 Ram 1500 Air ride 4” lift kit? After reading all the threads since December… I’m curious if there is anything coming soon.?

Hey John,
At this point we’re still in need of a 2021 RAM 1500 Air Ride for testing up in Michigan to confirm fitment. Once kits have been confirmed compatible (or updates made to allow compatibility) we’ll be updating our website and send out announcement.

Hey Brandi,
Kits will be out very soon. We just had a truck in the shop for final fitment so look for those kits coming available soon.

Hey Scott,
21 Ram 1500 Air Ride kits will be available very soon. There are some minor updates from the 2020 models that are being addressed so we can get the kits out soon

Thanks for your patience Robbie. While we were under the assumption these kits would be a carryover from the 2020 models, once we had our hands on the air ride trucks our engineering team did find a few updates were needed before releasing the 2021-compatible air ride kits. Updates are in production and kits should be shipping in October.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *