Utilizing Carli SPEC 2.0″ Diameter, Remote Reservoir shocks, we’ve developed a tune that delivers all around comfort and ride quality designed for on-road, in town, highway, towing/hauling as well as slow to mid speed off road use. The remote reservoir Carli SPEC 2.0 boasts 6063 Aluminum construction, anodized body for corrosion resistance, 5/8″ hardened steel chrome plated shaft, full serviceability & rebuildability and are built with 1-peice bushings in the 6061 billet rod-ends. These shocks are spec’d with a premium 5WT oil to balance lubricity, consistent damping and the widest available range in temperature variation. We back these with a 1-year warranty, serviced by Carli. More details on these shocks can be found HERE.

 

The Backcountry System is designed for people seeking the best ride on and off-road quality on a budget; basically, the Commuter for those that want to have a little dirt-road fun in their 8,500lb truck without losing the on-road ride quality or usability for which the truck was designed. You’re no longer limited to the highway while gravel roads become uninteresting as you can drive them at speed with one hand on the wheel.

 

The Details: Your truck will sit 3”-3.5” higher in the front (cab configuration dependent) with 50% more suspension travel than the factory platform thanks to the taller, lighter rate coil springs. We offer two base kits separated ONLY by the rear coil springs with which they’re spec’d:

 

Option 1, R1 coils:

0.5″-1″ lift, reduced capacity soft-ride coils – Max 1,500lb. bed load. Below, you’ll find pictures of the springs Unloaded, +500lbs, +1,000lbs, and +1,500lbs where we consider these springs maxed:

 

Option 2, R2 coils:

2”-3” lift. These coils maintain the factory payload. The 2” lift below is shown on the heaviest Ram configuration – a Limited, Diesel Mega-Cab. If you have a shorter cab length or less optioned truck they’ll sit taller than pictured. Through our testing (up to 2,500lbs), we spec them as a factory capacity spring capable of 800lbs. constant payload (or more on lighter trucks) to level to 3.25″ front lift. Below, you’ll find pictures of the springs Unloaded, +500lbs, +1,000lbs, and +1,500lbs, +2,000lbs, +2,500lbs where topped the payload of the average Ram 2500 without having maxed the coils:

 

When pairing added down-travel with the taller ride height, the position of the factory, front sway bar will need to be altered as well. For this, we offer two options; Billet Sway Bar Drop Brackets or the replacement Torsion Sway Bar. The Billet Drop Blocks shift the sway bar down and forward to ensure the factory end links cycle properly throughout the entire extended travel range. Carli’s optional Torsion sway bar removes the entire factory sway bar assembly replacing it with a torsion bar supported by fabricated drop brackets and delrin bushings. Fabricated sway bar arms and dual 5/8” FK heim end links round off the package. This is the single best bang for the buck, ride-quality upgrade offered by Carli Suspension.

When lifting the front end of a straight axle truck, the front axle is pulled off-center unless the proper linkages are addressed. Three inches of front lift equates to an axle shifted toward the driver’s side ¾” and, in the radius arm equipped Rams, lightened caster and slight rearward axle shift. This system includes an Adjustable Track Bar to push the axle back toward the passenger side and provide a stronger link with less deflection for the lifted application. We also include Radius Arm Drop Brackets to recenter your caster adjustment and shift the axle forward to its new center of travel.

Everything is included to support flawless operation of all components. We include bump stop drops to ensure the shocks are cycling in their designed travel range as well as our rear track bar drop bracket to minimize the rear yaw as much as is possible with the short factory track bar or our Carli Extended Rear Track Bar. The Extended Rear Track Bar offers a massive increase in length, and reduction in angle, to effectively eliminate this yaw, resulting in far more composed and predictable handling to minimizing the rear end “wag” associated with opposing track bar suspension design.

Wheel and Tire: This system will fit up to a 37” tire when utilizing wheels that are no more than 9” wide with 5.75-6” of backspacing. A 12.5” wide should fit with no rubbing on the factory radius arm and only minor trimming required, while a 13.5” will require more trimming and slightly more offset to fit properly. 35” tires will fit with VERY minimal, if any trimming. We Recommend running an 18” diameter wheel for optimal ride quality (more rubber = better small bump compliance) on a 35”-37” E-rated tire running 45psi front, 40psi rear when unloaded. For more details, see our article on wheel and tire selection and tire pressures.