AEV Ram 3500 HD Diesel 3" DualSport Suspension XP8100 2013-2018

AEV Ram 3500 HD Diesel 3" DualSport Suspension XP8100 2013-2018

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!

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 AEV's 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.

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 Guides:

AEV 3" DualSport Rear Suspension Installation Guide for Ram 3500

AEV XP8100 Reservoir Shocks Installation Guide

AEV 3" DualSport Front Suspension Installation Guide for 2013-2018 Ram HD

Ram ProCal Module User Guide