3″ DualSport XP Suspension System for 2013-2018 Ram 2500 & 3500 HD
3″ DualSport XP Suspension for 2013-18 Ram HD
$4,729.00 – $5,147.00
Engineered for the real world…and beyond.
There is certainly no shortage of niche truck suspensions in the aftermarket these days, each one designed for a certain type of customer. There are suspensions that can make your truck look like the ultimate desert racer. There are show truck suspensions that provide massive amounts of lift and eye-catching components. There are even truck suspensions that are designed purely for rock crawling. However, what about a well-engineered, properly tuned suspension system that is designed for the people who rely on their truck every day in the real world? What about all the people who want to install larger tires on their truck without sacrificing payload, ride quality or handling?
This was the inspiration behind our original DualSport SC Suspension System, to offer customers the ultimate “real world” suspension – one that allows greater performance off-road, while also improving driver comfort and vehicle handling characteristics on the road and maintaining the factory load carrying capacity.
The AEV 3-inch DualSport XP Suspension Lift Kit for 2013-2018 Ram 2500 & 3500 HD takes that same concept and elevates it to the next level by giving customers an even broader spectrum of dampening performance for better performance, more control and improved consistency at higher speeds and over rough terrain. This is the perfect suspension for HD Ram owners who take adventure travel seriously!
As with all of AEV’s expedition-ready suspension systems, the DualSport Suspension for the Ram HD is FMVSS No. 126 Compliant. FMVSS No. 126 is a rigorous standard set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that tests new electronic stability control (ESC) systems by subjecting it to various maneuvers designed to evaluate its effectiveness in preventing loss of control and skidding, including evasive lane-changing maneuvers at highways speeds.
The DualSport XP Formula
AEV’s 3-inch DualSport XP Suspension Lift Kit for 2013-2018 Ram 2500 & 3500 HD focuses on optimizing geometry and custom shock tuning to deliver the best on and off-road performance. This starts in the front end, where Rams come standard with dozens of different spring rates on HD trucks, depending on powertrain, wheelbase, and more, so offering a generic “gas” or “diesel” spring would have been a huge compromise in ride quality and/or load carrying capacity. AEV retains the factory front coil springs mated to 3” cast aluminum coil spring relocation spacers to achieve the additional lift height. This takes advantage of the full range of factory spring rates and frequencies while still providing the necessary front end lift.
AEV/Bilstein XP8100 Reservoir Shocks are included with the DualSport XP Suspension System. These 66mm (2.6″) reservoir shocks are constructed from aerospace quality billet components and tuned by AEV to work in perfect harmony with your outfitted HD Ram. When we tune shocks, we use the same target weight as our Prospector/Prospector XL turn-key conversions to ensure that you get the absolute best possible ride quality and handling, without the degradation in performance, commonly associated with the added weight of bumpers, winch, full size spare, tent, etc.
Steering geometry is corrected by way of AEV’s High Steer Kit, which includes a custom no-drill AEV drag link, AEV track bar and raised track bar tower. This 3-inch suspension lift kit provides significant improvements to steering precision and handling by correcting the roll center height of the front suspension. Bringing the steering geometry back into factory alignment reduces body roll, bump steer, and roll steer, all major contributors to the loose or sloppy steering and driver fatigue commonly associated with many lift kits.
For many of the same reasons that we chose to retain the factory front coil springs, 2” rear coil spring spacers are included with Ram 2500 suspension systems to provide the necessary lift height without sacrificing ride quality or load carrying capacity. AEV also includes a set of bump stop spacers, rear track bar relocation bracket, sway bar end links and a new power hop bracket (if applicable). The OE leaf springs are retained and new cast iron blocks are installed to provide 2” of lift in the rear on Ram 3500 trucks. New u-bolts and bump stops are also included.
Front Axle Relocation Kit
The factory radius arms are repositioned for optimal geometry, moving the axle forward 1.0”, which was engineered to use a 37″ tire. This provides a more neutral impact response, while also allowing more clearance for larger tires. A billet aluminum front driveshaft spacer is included to accommodate the new front axle positioning. We also offer a 1.6″ Axle Forward Kit, which was engineered to use a 40″ tire.
– Some trucks, primarily 2019+, have been found to have incomplete factory welds on the front axle shock mounts. AEV suggests inspecting these mounts for complete weld coverage around the perimeter of the brackets attaching them to the axle tube. If mounts are found to not be welded completely, the welds should be completed by a qualified welder to reduce chances of bracket failure due to the increased forces from the 8100 dampers and mounting.
– If running smaller than 20” wheels, 6” or less of backspacing is required. Factory 18” wheels will not clear top-mount draglink.
– Installation of this suspension system on a 2014-18 Ram Power Wagon truck will require the purchase of new front and rear coil springs, Mopar PN: 68172091AA (front) and 68091216AA (rear).
– To use the ProCal, 2018 and newer models requires our ProCal Bypass Wiring Harness (#30406052AA) to use the ProCal Module
– Carrier Bearing Kit (#NRM43400AA) is required for trucks with a two-piece drive shaft: 2500/3500 Crew Cab Long Bed, 3500 Mega Cab Short Bed, 2500/3500 Single Cab.
Product Video
Tech Specs:
- Kit Contents:
- AEV/Bilstein XP8100 Front Reservoir Shocks, AEV/Bilstein XP8100 Rear Reservoir Shocks, Aluminum Front Driveshaft Spacer, Carrier Bearing Shim Kit (if applicable), Cast Aluminum Front Coil Spring Pad Relocation Mounts, Cast Aluminum Rear Coil Spring Spacers (2500), Front Axle Relocation Kit, Front Bump Stop Spacers, Front Track Bar Brackets, Hardware Pack, Heavy Duty Front Track Bar, No-Drill Forged Drag Link, OEM Passenger Knuckle Machined with Tapered Insert, Power Hop Bracket (if applicable), Radius Arm Relocation Brackets, Rear Bump Stop Spacers, Rear Lift Blocks (3500), Rear Sway Bar End Links (2500), Rear Track Bar Relocation Bracket (2500), Rear U-Bolts (3500)
Installation:
- Difficulty Level:
- Advanced
- Estimated Install Time:
- 8-10 Hours
- Required Tools:
-
- Common Hand Tools
- Torque Wrench
- Bright Colored Paint Marker
- Abrasive Cutoff Wheel or Metal Saw
- Drill with 3/8" Drill Bit
Installation Guides:
AEV 3" DualSport Front Suspension Installation Guide for 2013-2018 Ram HD
AEV 3" DualSport Rear Suspension Installation Guide for Ram 2500
AEV 3" DualSport Rear Suspension Installation Guide for Ram 3500
AEV XP8100 Reservoir Shocks Installation Guide
Product FAQs
- What do you mean by "Engineered for the Real World"? Aren't all suspension lifts engineered for the real world?
Not exactly - Today’s marketplace offers dozens of solutions for anyone looking to modify their truck’s suspension, from mild to wild and everywhere in between. There are suspensions designed for going fast, suspensions with flashy components designed for looking good standing still and even suspensions designed for rock crawling that maximize axle articulation and wheel travel.
- AEV refers to this as a DualSport Suspension System, so what does DualSport mean?
When we use the term “DualSport”, it refers to the fact that AEV suspensions are engineered to enhance the vehicle’s performance and your driving experience, both on and off-road.
- What are the advantages of the DualSport XP Suspension System over the DualSport SC Suspension System?
Thanks to the AEV-tuned Bilstein XP8100 shocks we include in this kit, the bigger advantage of the DualSport XP Suspension System is how the suspension performs off-road, especially when traveling at higher speeds over rough terrain. These shocks are designed with the adventure traveler in mind and are perfect for heavier builds. You will also notice an improvement in ride quality on the road over the DualSport SC Suspension, most notably on heavier vehicles. Aside from the XP8100 shocks, the rest of the components are the same as our DualSport RT Suspension.
- Is the AEV DualSport Suspension System just an overpriced spacer lift?
Absolutely not and there is a distinct reason why we chose to design our suspension system around the OE coil springs – there are literally DOZENS of different factory coil spring combinations. Our suspensions are engineered for the real world and if we simply manufactured one generic coil spring intended for all gas or all diesel trucks, there is no way that everyone would be able to achieve the same great ride quality and weight handling capacity that they are used to.
- What is the intended use for this suspension system?
This is truly a suspension designed for overland travel and to do so, it had to be just at home on the highway as it is on the trail. With the addition of the AEV-tuned Bilstein 8100 shocks, the DualSport XP offers the broadest spectrum of performance out of all our suspension options.
- Will this suspension affect my towing capacity?
The actual suspension system will have little effect on your towing capacity but you do need to be aware of the size tires you are putting on your truck. Larger tires may have a lower load rating than the OE tire or axle load weight rating (especially on 3500), so that may have an adverse effect on towing if you are not careful when selecting the right tire
- Is this suspension system compatible with air spring / air assist rear suspensions?
Yes, AEV has a suspension system available for both 2500 Air Ride and 3500 Air Assist.
- Will this suspension system level my truck out?
Not quite – The vast majority of our customers bought their truck to use it like a truck, so our suspension will still retain a slight (approx. 1”+/-) front end rake to better compensate for heavy loads.
- What are the benefits of having a low center of gravity? Don’t I lose ground clearance?
Having a lower center of gravity greatly affects the dynamics of a vehicle. A lower center of gravity will improve vehicle handling on the street and will also provide increased stability in off-camber situations off-road.
- What are the benefits of a high steer kit on a street-driven truck?
AEV's High Steer Kit provides significant improvements to steering precision and handling by correcting the roll center height of the front suspension. Optimizing the steering geometry reduces body roll, bump steer, and roll steer -all major contributors to the loose or sloppy steering and driver fatigue commonly associated with many lift kits.
- Why does AEV move the front axle forward?
Moving the front axle forward restores/center’s the axle’s position relative to the wheel well opening, maximizing tire clearance near the body.
- What do you do with the driveshaft since you move the axle forward?
We include a CNC-aluminum spacer to match the distance the front axle is moved forward, depending on what size tires you are going install with our suspension.
- What does the ProCal Module do?
The ProCal is a simple, electronic recalibration module that plugs into your vehicle’s OBDII diagnostic port. It uses a series of DIP switches to input the numerical values for your new tire size- saving you time and money by not having to make a trip to the dealership for speedometer recalibration. The ProCal SNAP also has the ability to adjust TPMS and recalibrate for axle gear ratio.
- Are the shocks between the kits tuned differently for the different models (Gas vs. Diesel)?
Yes, the front shocks are tuned specifically for either gas or diesel applications.
- Is this Suspension System compatible with Ram 3500 Dual Rear Wheel trucks?
Most of it actually is compatible, you would just have to source your own rear block and u-bolt kit.
- How do I adjust my TPMS to work with 37" or 40" tires with a lower PSI?
The included ProCal Module will be able to help take care of that!
- What is the recommended tire size with this suspension?
AEV recommends a 37” tire with AEV wheels and factory fender flares, up to a 41” tire with AEV wheels and AEV HighMark Fender Flares.
- What is the proper wheel back spacing required to use a 37” tire?
For the best fitment, AEV recommends using a 37x12.50R17 tire with a 17x8.5 wheel w/ less than 6" of back spacing.
- What is the warranty?
The AEV components in the DualSport XP Suspension System carry AEV’s Lifetime Warranty. The Bilstein XP8100 shocks carry Bilstein's 2-year warranty.
