People want to increase the towing capacity of their RAM 1500 trucks so they can pull more weight. It is possible to improve their hauling capacity by upgrading the components that bear the weight of the towed vehicle.
How to Increase Towing Capacity of Ram 1500 Truck? You can increase the towing capacity of RAM 1500 truck by changing tires, adding brake controls and transmission radiators, changing the braking system, installing a weight distribution hitch and airbag suspension. Moreover, you can also add heavy-duty axles, big radiators, exhausting systems, and install power programmers.
You can only tow the heavier trailer with your truck by increasing its weight-pulling capacity; otherwise, it can damage the braking system and affect steering control.
Change tires
The chances of tire wear out increase when you haul heavy vehicles with your pickup than their specific ranges. In addition, friction between the roads and wheels increases when you haul heavy trailers with them.
Heavy hauling can also damage the tread surface and wheel speed sensors. Therefore, replacing the tires and upgrading them with better ones is suitable to improve the towing capacity.
You can add high-quality, larger tires that hold more weight and provide better stability and control. In addition, it is also better to inspect their tread surface regularly and check the air pressure in them during driving.
Add brake controller
Your truck’s braking system is not enough to support the heavy loads of the towed vehicle, and it can increase the chances of accidents by decreasing braking distance.
You can add the brake controller system to your RAM 1500 to control the trailers. These electric devices control the trailer brakes on the driver’s side.
These apply the brakes on the trailers and stop them quickly without stressing its braking system. In addition, you can adjust the electric brake controller from your vehicle to control the trailer better.
Moreover, after installing the electronic brake controller, I feel a more stable ride with better control. In addition, it reduces the wear and tear in the braking system of my towing vehicle.
Transmission radiator
You can mount the transmission radiator or heat exchanger adjacent to your radiator. These are helpful to keep the transmission components cool for better gear shifting.
Sometimes heavy hauling cause overheating of the transmission components and leads to a burning plastic smell.
The gears can get stuck because of high temperatures, and you cannot change the speed of your pickup. However, it becomes easy for you to shift gears according to the driving conditions.
It also keeps the engine cool by preventing heat transfers. The transmission system is located underneath your engine, and heat from these systems directly moves to the engine.
Change braking system
Heavy hauling significantly affects the braking system when you press the brakes to stop at a certain point. The heavy weight of the towed vehicle reduces the braking distance and increases the risk of collisions and accidents on the road.
In addition, the heavyweight also stresses the brake rotors and pads and increases the chances of their wear out. It increases the friction between these parts when you apply brakes with heavy hauling.
You can upgrade the braking system to increase your truck’s towing capacity and improve driving conditions.
Add high-performing aftermarket rotors and pads that can bear more load when you apply brakes. I always prefer the hydraulic braking system in heavy-duty pickups because these are better than electric systems.
Upgrade weight distribution hitch
Upgrade the hitch to make the towing experience better with your truck. I always use the weight distribution hitch for more stable driving on the road.
These are the most suitable options for heavy-weight trailers and campers. Weight distribution hitch balances the weight of the towed vehicle equally to the front and rear ends.
The driving experience becomes more stable at turning points because of better control. In addition, it prevents the rear end of the RAM 1500 from sagging.
In addition, you cannot face swaying issues because of unequal weight distribution on either side.
Install airbag suspension
Most RAM 1500 trucks contain a spring-type suspension system to absorb the impacts from the road.
These suspension systems have springs and struts to provide a smooth ride. However, these can bend easily when you haul heavy weights with your pickup and cannot provide better stability and control.
You can improve the towing capacity by updating the shock and absorbers suspension system with the airbag ones.
The airbag suspension is more suitable for heavy weights because of its smooth ride and durability.
These contain plastic bags that inflate and deflate according to road conditions to absorb the impact of the bumps.
Heavy duty axles
Axles have a rod-like appearance connected to the front and rear wheels. The primary function of these rod-like parts is to propel the wheel movement.
These are also helpful in maintaining and distributing the vehicle’s weight for better steering wheel handling. These transfer the power from the engines to the wheels for spinning at different speeds.
Axles can break and bend easily when you haul heavy weights in your trucks. However, you can improve the towing capacity and prevent the axles from bending by upgrading them.
You can replace the old axles with heavy-duty ones that can bear more weight and cannot bend easily.
Moreover, I added high-quality and heavy-duty front and rear axles in my RAM 1500 to haul heavy vehicles with them and maintain road stability.
Add big radiator
The radiator is the cooling system in the trucks, which is located under the hood to keep the engine parts cool for their smooth functioning.
The heat in the hood increases when you haul heavy vehicles with your pickup. However, updating the radiator system can decrease the risk of heating during heavy hauling.
Add the large radiators to quickly dissipate the heat from overworking the engine.
The larger radiator system contains more coolant that flows between the fluid lines to keep the hood components cool and prevent them from overheating.
Engines immediately shut off after detecting high temperature and heat in the compartment. You can prevent sudden shut-off and stalling conditions by adding large radiators for more cooling.
It is also necessary to replace the motor oil frequently for smooth movement of engine parts. In addition, low levels of motor oil and contamination increase the friction between the parts, reducing engine performance and overheating problems.
Add a new exhausting system
Exhaust systems and tailpipes remove toxic and harmful gases from the engine compartments, increasing their performance.
You should update the exhaust system. The engine releases more gasses when you haul heavy vehicles with your pickup.
Removing these toxic gasses quickly is necessary to prevent the engine from overheating and stalling. In addition, you can install high-quality air filters to remove toxic gasses.
The high-quality filters remove the contaminants from the outside air and increase the torque and engine horsepower.
Large pipes allow quick removal of toxic gasses from the exhaust system. You can also make the towing better by installing a dual exhaust system.
Install power programmer
These small devices are aftermarket additions, and you can install them in your pickup to reprogram the control module.
In addition, these are also beneficial to increasing the truck’s performance and improving the towing experience. You can install a small chip under the dash to adjust a different system according to your hauling requirement.
These are installed under the dashboard to alter the ongoing setting of the computerized onboard system for a better driving experience.
These are also known as performance chips and are readily available in markets. You can improve horsepower, torque, air-fuel ratio, and fuel efficiency.
These provide more power for heavy hauling and cannot affect any components of your RAM 1500.
The basic purpose of these chips is to increase horsepower and torque by changing the transmission components and increasing air-fuel mixture efficiency.
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