[TurboDiesel]

For the next generation Nissan Titan I'm hoping it will come with a multi-link coil setup, sort of like what the 2015 Nissan Navara comes with. A setup that should help keep it up to par with the RAM 1500.

 

[Becky]

The RAM is very car like... The problem with that is though is that the cummins a POWERFUL engine, the suspension and frame needs to be able to hold up its end of the bargin or else the capability of the engine is wasted IMO...

 

[TurboDiesel]

Yeah that's a downside to it but overall I think it's a great truck, even better with the air suspension setup, IMO.

 

[brulaz]

The 2014 RAM 2500 now has a rear coil suspension as well.

And by all accounts it rides very well with over 3000# payload in the gasser version. Or you can get it with the big I6 Cummins if you want but with less payload.

So a rear coil suspension doesn't necessarily mean a low capacity truck.

 

[Forge]

The air suspension is a really cool feature. I would be happy to have that in the Nissan Titan. Why don't more trucks have this feature, companies must have been capable of providing it for quite some time.

 

[brulaz]

The air suspension is a really cool feature. I would be happy to have that in the Nissan Titan. Why don't more trucks have this feature, companies must have been capable of providing it for quite some time.

It is nice. The RAM 1500 has a self-leveling 4-corner air suspension. The heavier 2500/3500 has it only for the rear axle. That with the coils in the 2500, makes for a nice ride.

 

[NavyCuda]

I think GM was smart for using torsion bar for the front axle.

I have to admit that I'm partial to leaf springs in a pickup though. One example is the f350 going to coil springs from leaf. Sure you get a better turning radius but you then need big heavy trackbars. Also, the higher steering angle hammers out bushings, balljoints and the tires get scrubbed.

Airbags are a great technology but also have their own issues. Air bags are very bouncy. Nothing quite as uncomfortable as driving a partially loaded water truck with airride.

All things being equal, torsion makes the most sense for IFS. In the back, leafs please!

 

[TurboDiesel]

Nice ride and easier to hook on a trailer to a hitch

 

[brulaz]

...
Airbags are a great technology but also have their own issues. Air bags are very bouncy. Nothing quite as uncomfortable as driving a partially loaded water truck with airride.
...

I believe that RAM's are adjustable and can be set to self-adjust.

This one of the reasons they are so nice, especially when your payload can vary from 0 to 3000#.

Doesn't sound like your water truck had adjustable bags?

 

[NavyCuda]

Water truck is a tridem axle Kenworth T-800. Fully loaded the truck carries 31,500L of water, which is somewhere around 72,000lbs. Way overloaded but perfect for the job it did. When the tank was partially full the sloshing of the water in the tank is not something leveling valves can handle. Fully loaded the bags were inflated to around 100psi, it rode fantastic like that. Wouldn't stop though.

Otherwise air-ride is fantastic and would make a good system for a pickup. Air ride done right improves offroad traction. Was really interesting watching the axles of the watertruck articulate seperatly according to the terrain. Reliable, long lasting, cost effective to repair. Would add a compressed air system to the pickup which would be a useful feature all in its own. Perhaps airbag is a better choice. Lots of proven solid axle airbag designs in the industrial market.

 

[brulaz]

...
When the tank was partially full the sloshing of the water in the tank is not something leveling valves can handle.
...

Once talked to a guy who drove a milk truck without baffles. Said if it was not fully loaded, and if he wasn't careful, it would push him right through a stop sign. Guess it would take some ridiculously large brakes to stop a truck full of sloshing milk (or water).:surprise:

 

[TurboDiesel]

Of course it does, that's some heavy stuff to be hauling around in mass quantities

 

[TurboDiesel]

A bit more information on the beefed up suspension

BEEFIER SUSPENSION

To improve handling and ride comfort, we designed a new heavy-duty suspension for the 2016 TITAN XD. The double wishbone front suspension was reinforced and tuned, and the back end got a lot more rigid thanks to bigger leaf springs and overhauled leaf bushings.