This post will discuss the top brand options for track bar upgrades for your Dodge Ram pickup. Take full control of your suspension and make sure you’re upgrading your pickup with only the best the industry has to offer.
The Importance Of A Dodge Ram Track Bar
If you’re tired of feeling every bump and sway in your Dodge Ram or dealing with that dreaded “death wobble,” you’re not alone. A high-quality track bar upgrade is the key to transforming your truck’s handling and performance. In this post, we’ll dive into why upgrading your track bar is crucial, and which top brands can give your Ram the edge it needs for both on and off-road adventures. Get ready to take command of your suspension and keep your truck running smoothly no matter where the road—or trail—takes you.
What is a Track Bar on the Dodge Ram?
The track bar on a Dodge Ram is an essential part of the vehicle’s suspension system. It is specifically designed to maintain the left-to-right alignment of the axle under the frame rails, ensuring the truck remains stable and handles properly. The track bar is bolted to the driver’s side frame rail and the passenger side axle.
When you lift or lower the truck, the geometry of the suspension system changes. Due to simple triangulation, lifting the truck causes the axle to shift towards the driver’s side. This shift can affect the vehicle’s alignment and handling. An adjustable track bar can help in this scenario by allowing you to re-center the axle under the truck, counteracting the effects of lifting or lowering. This adjustment is vital for maintaining proper alignment and ensuring that your truck handles well and drives smoothly.
Benefits Of Track Bars For Dodge Ram Trucks
The track bar controls lateral axle movement, maintains stability, and helps prevent “death wobble,” the severe shaking that can occur at certain speeds or over bumps we often hear about. Limiting side-to-side movement helps keep the axle aligned with the vehicle’s frame, ensuring proper tire alignment, reducing uneven tire wear, and enhancing overall handling. This is especially important for off-road driving or carrying heavy loads, as it helps maintain control and stability.
After a few years, your truck may have worn out the track bar and its bushings. While you could easily outfit it with a cheap parts store unit, it won’t be long until you’re doing it again and paying for another alignment. For any truck, especially trucks with larger tires, lifted suspension, or something that is used to haul heavy loads, an upgraded track bar is a must.
These are more durable, they come with upgraded components, and in most cases, they are fully adjustable to work with virtually any setup to make sure you’re tracking dead straight. There are numerous advantages to upgrading the track bar on your Dodge Ram.
Enhanced Stability And Handling
A superior track bar provides better side-to-side stability minimizing axle movement. When the camper or trailer is on the back, movement in the front suspension is not only unsafe, but it will deteriorate other front-end components. Inspections aren’t for the mechanic at the shop to have something to do, it is to truly verify these vehicles are roadworthy. Making sure your front-end parts are in working condition and safe is merely maintenance as a Ram owner.
Increased Control
High-quality track bars, such as those from Carli Suspension, BD Diesel, Synergy Manufacturing, etc. feature robust construction and superior materials that help in the delivery of a more controlled response at the wheel. Weak materials will have flex causing slack in the steering offering a sloppy experience. With more rigid constructions, upgraded Ram track bars allow you to have precise handling. When you move the steering wheel, the truck is promptly following.
Mitigating Death Wobble
If you have never experienced death wobble, look it up. Although a video will not be anything like what it is in real life, viewers can see a glimpse of terror that is death wobble. At just the right speed with a slight interruption in the pavement, these trucks can go into a severe shaking that will quite literally take over the truck.
As if it were possessed, the truck shakes so violently that the dash is shaking within the cabin’s walls. Nearly impossible to hold on to the steering wheel, you’re along for the ride until the truck slows down enough or stops. Now, imagine that with the family camper on the back or with the equipment on the trailer en route to a job.
Maintain axle alignment, prevent this from happening, and take a look at upgraded Dodge Ram track bars.
What To Look For In A Dodge Track Bar
When choosing the best track bar for your Dodge Ram, prioritize materials and build quality. High-strength options like chromoly or 1045 solid tubing ensure durability and can handle significant heavy-duty work. Adjustability is essential too for vehicles with lift kits or modified suspensions, allowing precise axle alignment.
For instance, Synergy Manufacturing’s adjustable track bar offers easy length adjustments without removing the track bar mounting bolt. Compatibility with your vehicle’s lift height is crucial; the Carli track bar suits trucks with 0-3 inches of front-end lift, and with an additional drop bracket, it accommodates up to 6 inches of lift.
Performance features such as heim joints, heavy-duty bushings, and abrasion-resistant finishes enhance longevity and effectiveness. For example, BD Diesel’s adjustable track bar includes durable poly bushings and a zinc-plated bar for added durability. Lastly, opt for track bars with bolt-on components for straightforward installation using basic hand tools.
Exploring Top Ram Track Bar Brands
There are many different options available when it comes to Dodge Ram track bars. Here at Diesel Power Products, this is a big mover. Our big brands in this segment are Carli Suspension, Synergy Manufacturing, BD Diesel, Rock Krawler, ICON, ReadyLift, and BDS.
Carli Track Bar
Carli Suspension’s track bar is ideal for trucks with no lift or up to 3” of lift with an additional drop bracket that can handle up to 6” worth of lift. As one of our best sellers, it is important to remind you that any of these upgraded track bars are great for even a stock truck. This one in particular features a heim joint and a heavy-duty CUB bearing and is constructed from 1.50” diameter and 0.375” wall chromoly for strength.
BDS Suspension Track Bar
BDS’ adjustable track bar is constructed from rigid 1 3/8″ DOM seamless heavy wall 0.313″ tubing, featuring formed and precision-welded collars with durable, heavy-duty poly bushings. Unlike the OEM ball joint design that requires frequent maintenance to prevent side-to-side axle movement and issues like wear, hammering, wandering, and “Death Wobble,” BDS’ track bar ensures superior steering stability. It’s an excellent complement to BDS’ dual steering stabilizer kit and is adjustable to accommodate 3″-4″ lifts. The kit includes a zinc-plated bar, poly bushing kit, and grease nipples and is backed by a limited lifetime warranty.
ReadyLift Track Bar
ReadyLIFT offers a replacement track bar designed to eliminate the issues associated with the factory track bar, too! Featuring adjustability at the rod end, it fits stock-height trucks and those with up to a six-inch lift. Constructed from 1-3/8″ solid steel, compared to the factory bar’s 1-1/4″ diameter, it provides enhanced durability. The adjustable rod end is 7/8-14, while the other end features an OEM-type Clevite rubber bushing pressed into a welded steel fitting to help absorb road vibrations.
ICON Vehicle Dynamics Track Bar
ICON Vehicle Dynamics offers a front adjustable track bar designed to address the death wobble, as well. This bar is suitable for both stock trucks and those with a 1″ to 4.5″ lift, ensuring the front axle remains centered. Constructed from 1/4″ wall 1.5″ DOM tubing and CNC bent for a precise fit. It eliminates the weak OEM rubber bushing, the driver’s side features a 1″ captured uniball bearing, minimizing deflection, while the passenger side uses a PTFE-lined rod end, reducing deflection and allowing for easy adjustments for perfect alignment.
Rock Krawler Track Bar
Like other brands, Rock Krawler offers a super nice heavy-duty adjustable track bar that fixes the common issues we’ve discussed. The Rock Krawler heavy-duty track bar, made from 1.5-inch solid chromoly steel with heavy-duty joints, offers a significant upgrade, providing a tighter steering feel and reducing wander on the road or trail. Competitively priced, the Rock Krawler Dodge Ram track bar option is one to peek at.
BD Diesel Track Bar
BD Diesel’s adjustable track bar features high-strength, heat-treated forged components with a durable black Cerakote finish. Not only does this perform Death Wobble prevention like the others but it comes with a coating that is built to last ensuring a long life. This is adjustable for trucks with up to a 4” lift or more with a drop bracket that is included in most lift kits.
Designed for both gas and diesel, this will come with serviceable bushings and is backed with a 12-month, 24,000-mile warranty.
Synergy Track Bar
Synergy Manufacturing’s heavy-duty track bar is also adjustable and is designed to clear most aftermarket differential covers while retaining the factory track bar mounting bolts and hardware. These are made from 1-⅜’ 1045 solid tubing, ensuring maximum strength and durability. It also features an abrasive-resistant powder coat which offers an appealing look on the suspension.
Other features include an upgraded bearing, a heat-treated ⅞” chromoly rod end on the axle side, and a double adjustable sleeve with a pinch bolt assembly that allows for easy, on-the-fly adjustment when aligning. This is completely bolt-on and ensures an easy installation.
The Importance of Track Bar and Drag Link Alignment
To ensure solid handling and stability of your Dodge Ram, your track bar must run parallel to the drag link. The drag link is another key component of the steering system that connects the steering box to the steering knuckle, allowing for proper steering response and control.
Why Parallel Alignment Matters
When the track bar and drag link are not parallel, it can result in bump steer. Bump steer occurs when the suspension moves up and down, causing the wheels to turn left or right without any input from the steering wheel. This can lead to unpredictable handling and a lack of control, especially when driving over bumps or rough terrain. Parallel alignment helps to maintain consistent steering geometry, reducing the risk of bump steer and improving overall driving stability.
Using Track Bar Drop Brackets
Track bar drop brackets are used to correct the alignment of the track bar and drag link, ensuring they remain parallel once a suspension has been modified. These brackets lower the mounting point of the track bar, bringing it into proper alignment with the drag link. This adjustment is particularly important for lifted trucks, where the suspension geometry has been altered.
By ensuring that your track bar is parallel to the drag link and using track bar drop brackets when necessary, you can significantly improve the performance and drivability of your Dodge Ram. This alignment correction is a key step in optimizing your truck’s suspension system and maintaining control over various driving conditions.
3rd Gen Track Bar Retro Fit
If you’re a Dodge Ram enthusiast, you might have heard about the benefits of upgrading your 2nd Gen truck with a 3rd Gen track bar. But why consider this retrofit? Here’s why making the switch can be a game-changer for your ride:
Upgrading from a 2nd Gen track bar to a 3rd Gen track bar requires an adapter (available from Synergy, BD Diesel, etc), but the advantages are well worth it. This retrofit allows your 1994-2002 Ram to gain the performance benefits of the newer 2003-2013 models.
Most 3rd Gen track bars are designed with newer technology and more durable materials. The included retrofit bracket relocates the upper mounting point, correcting the steering geometry. These advancements help outfit the old trucks with new tech and ensure the track bar is parallel to the drag link, preventing issues like bump steer that can significantly impact handling and stability.
2014+ Ram 2500 Trucks’ Rear Track Bar
Those of you with a 2014 and newer Ram 2500 truck probably already know this, but for those who are brushing up on pickup truck knowledge, these trucks have a rear track bar, as well. Because of their suspension design, which utilizes either rear coil springs or a full rear air ride (no leaf springs!), they too have a wear item in a track bar. Like the front, these too need attention once they are worn and when you’re modifying the height of a truck, these need adjustment, too.
Why the Rear Track Bar Matters
The rear track bar is essential for keeping the rear axle properly aligned with the truck’s frame. This alignment is key for several reasons:
- Stability: A well-functioning rear track bar prevents unwanted lateral movement of the rear axle, which is vital for maintaining a steady ride, especially when towing or carrying heavy loads.
- Handling: An upgraded rear track bar enhances overall vehicle handling by reducing sway and improving control, making for a more confident driving experience both on and off the road.
- Durability: Newer Rams equipped with rear coil springs or air ride systems benefit from a high-quality rear track bar that can withstand the demands of heavy-duty use, unlike the softer factory parts.
For instance, BDS Suspension’s rear track bar offers a significant upgrade over the factory part. It replaces the soft, stock rubber bushings with high-strength polyurethane at the frame and a forged COM bearing joint at the axle. This not only improves durability but also allows for adjustments to accommodate different lift heights, ensuring that the rear suspension remains as effective as possible.
Choosing The Best Dodge Ram Track Bar
Upgrading the track bar on your Dodge Ram can make a huge difference in how your truck handles and performs. If your track bar is worn out or if you’re adding a lift or heavy loads, a better track bar can and will keep your truck steady and easier to control. With the help of companies like Carli Suspension, BD Diesel, Synergy Manufacturing, etc., you can find the right track bar that fits your needs.
Choosing the right track bar means matching it to your truck’s setup and how you use it. Whether upgrading an old track bar or doing a retrofit, investing in a good-quality, adjustable track bar can keep your Ram running smoothly and handle better, giving you more confidence on the road and off. Check out our full selection of available Dodge Ram track bars right here at Diesel Power Products.