OT: Lift problems on Dodge Ram

I know this is off topic, but I like / trust the people here is in this forum more that the other truck forums. I just installed the 2002-05 RAM

1500 4WD 6? PERFORMANCE SYSTEM made by Fabtech and put 35x12.5 BFG MTs and 17x9 MT classic II rims (see pic here:
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and
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). and I have 3 major problems:

1). I had the truck aligned before installing the lift (according to lift instructions) and all was fine. I installed the fabtech lift and the truck is now pulling hard to the right. I had the Dodge dealer align the front end and it is still pulling to the right. I returned it to the dealer and had them verify and it is within (factory) specs. Did the fabtech lift change the specs on the camber, caster, and/or toe? I will contact Fabtech directly about this, but I doubt they will admit to it. I think they would have included this in the instructions if the specs changed, right? If they can't supply the new specs - how do I correct the problem? Can I get a shop other that the dealer to align the truck without using factory specs - or - is there no place to start then?

2). I have a vibration at 40-60MPH that is not very nice. (no changes were made to the rear drive shaft, etc....)What components could cause this? I had the tires balanced and they used the stick on lead weights inside the rim. Are tires this big able to be balanced like that? I thought there was something that goes inside the big tires that balances them.

3). I had the dodge dealer recalibrate the computer / speedometer to compensate for larger tires. Now the cruise control only works up to

45MPH (I can only turn on cruise below 40 MPH and then using the buttons on the steering wheel accelerate up to 45MPH before it shuts off). Again, I returned it to the dealer and they says it's not the computer recalibration. They have never heard of the problem. I know it has something to do with the big tires and the computer recalibration, because the cruise worked fine just before the recalibration.

Any help or advice would be appreciated.

Reply to
HomeBrewer
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Not a single comment? If any of you lurk in the dodge.trucks area you will notice that a feller named snoman has answered all of my questions there, the problem is everyone else there seems to hate him. He seems to be very knowledgable, but I'm not sure if he's full of himself or what. He sure has a lot of nay-sayers after him.

Reply to
HomeBrewer

When I had a Dodge truck, there used to be a guy in dodge.trucks named Sandman. He was fairly excitable, but he doesn't appear to be the same as your SnoMan. I like his comment, "you do not understand any of the physics here only your ego." Your SnoMan is just as good at making friends, as some of the folks here. That's for sure!

I don't know what is going on with your steering, but I suggest taking it to an alignment shop with a good reputation and some experience with lifted trucks. Ask around locally. Hopefully you can find someone who can make it not pull to the right.

What we find with the Jeeps is that lifts tend to cause driveline vibrations, but that is mostly with the short wheelbase vehicles. The one sure way to avoid this, is not to install a lift! After the fact workarounds include transfer case drops, aftermarket CV driveshafts, and rotating the rear axle to correct the pinion angle. Then sometimes you have to point the front pinion down to compensate for the transfer case drop. Longer wheelbase vehicles are (usually) free of these problems.

The cruise problem is just bizarre. Is the speedometer calibration at least accurate now? You can find this out by timing a measured mile, GPS, or following a buddy with a known good speedometer. If you have the dealer put the calibration back to what it was, does the cruise control go back to working?

Comment: Don't install a lift kit, just for posing. (Not saying you did, just my comment!)

Earle

Reply to
Earle Horton

I'm looking, small towns are not the best places to find speciality shops like this.

I know_exactly_ what you are saying here - I've dealt with all of these problems, as you can imagine by looking at my jeep:

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Speedometer is dead on using a GPS. Haven't tried setting it back yet...trying to stay away from the dealer, they just seem to mess things up if the computer can't tell them exactly what is wrong and how to fix it.

I'll admit I like the looks, and the problems so far and minor and correctable. I'll not 4 wheel this thing too hard - at least not for 2-3 more years.

Reply to
HomeBrewer

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