I have tested both with wife driving. Both the wife and I noticed the air ride was way more comfortable. We took same path from the dealership and hit same pot holes. The air ride was worth every penny. My wife had 5 neck surgeries so comfort is a must for us.

 

Self levelling if you haul anything! Every penny and then some.

Better ride, better fuel econ and much better for towing. Possibly better for off-roading but no exp.

Entry exit mode-lowers truck to load up the back or let short people in.
Aero mode- lowers .5"@65mph for mpg
Off road 1
Off road 2 for 2"of extra clearance when needed.
Auto level for towing or smoothing out body roll
Nitrogen sealed system= no water traps to empty or pump to worry about building condensation that freezes in winter.
Outstanding Ride quality(I've owned both static and now air)

I have the Ram 1500 LIMITED with AIR suspension and I love it just like everyone else mentioned. It is worth every penny and then some, never went offloading with it but it does lift, but i don't use my truck a lot for off roading but more for the drives and towing the weekend warrior to the track. Self Leveling is sweet, I have driven both suspension equipped models and by far the air is super smooth and softer to ride in and feels very comfortable, i have had a neck injury so after riding in the air truck it was a no brainer for me. The first ram 1500 ED i drove was just regular shock and springs and it too was good but after you get in a air ride Ram you can definitely tell.

And it doesn't feel like a boat floating either, if you know what i mean. It is still responsive and stiff but takes road blemishes with ease. But its not like the old Lincoln Town cars that float lol

and the cool Raising and lowering factor is a huge bonus effect for just showing it off and playing with your truck! =D

 

Self levelling if you haul anything! Every penny and then some.

 

Better ride, better fuel econ and much better for towing. Possibly better for off-roading but no exp.

 

I personally though the ride quality was very close.... negligible difference for me...
However the Air ride is worth every penny and i would have loved to have had it ... I just couldn't afford it and and a sunroof and other crap that they piled on... $120 more per month... Nope...
Air Ride> Stock suspension

But also not a deal breaker with out..

 

Have it and it's great, get it you will be very happy.

 

Entry exit mode-lowers truck to load up the back or let short people in.
Aero mode- lowers .5"@65mph for mpg
Off road 1
Off road 2 for 2"of extra clearance when needed.
Auto level for towing or smoothing out body roll
Nitrogen sealed system= no water traps to empty or pump to worry about building condensation that freezes in winter.
Outstanding Ride quality(I've owned both static and now air)

 

i have the air suspension. love it of course.

my dad has a '15 4x4 Extended Cab 4x2 EcoD, no air suspension. i was pretty impressed with the ride in all honesty. i guess it depends on what you are looking for and what your budget is. if you tow a lot, or haul a lot, the air suspension is really worth considering. it does have a better ride quality, but in all honesty the standard suspension is pretty comfortable.

so, you asked a very very very specific question - is it worth it just for ride quality... no. if you had absolutely no need for the other reasons (all of which are super damn nice) and you ONLY care about ride quality, the standard suspension has a very comfortable ride.

 

I had both at the same Time, even 2 EDs W/WO air, when you jump form 1 to the other you know it. I had 1 hemi and ED also with Air. Just like others have posted, if you can afford the Air get it.

 

As I have said on these forums more than once, I purchased my Ram (Limited) because of the availability of the engine and the economy it delivers. I'll KEEP my truck because of the engine (which delivers as advertised), the WONDERFUL transmissions which in my mind is PERFECTLY programmed for the diesel, and the air suspension. These 3 "features" hugely differentiate the Ram from any competitors, IMO.

 

I'd have to agree, the three features together make a sweet half ton... looked hard at the new ford before getting an eco-diesel. The ford rode like a truck (in a bad empty one ton way) where the RAM rides great either air or coils. The air suspension is icing on the cake, gives you options from park to off road. Add self leveling with a load and the ability to get in the truck (instead of climbing in) and I was sold.

YMMV

 

15 ED with air in my driveway now. Had it for 2 days. The prior 3 days I had a new loaner sans air suspension. Very happy I did the air ride.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

Air ride is the way to go.

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

 

If I had to buy another truck today, I would keep the air suspension.

 

Just for ride quality, it's hard to justify. The regular coil suspension rides very well. However, if you put some weight in the bed, tow a trailer, or anything else, then the merits justify it.

I'm short. I like the entry/exit mode.
I drive a LOT of highway miles. I like the small MPG bump from Aero mode.
I occasionally tow a trailer. It is a 1 man job with no heavy cranking because I drop to entry/exit mode and back under the coupler, raise to OR2 and never have to jack a trailer with any weight on the jack.
Put some weight in the bed and it levels itself out. Never get flashed because your headlights are pointing up instead of down.

Again, just for ride quality, I can't say it rides $1700 better than the coils. However, it is that much better than coils for anything involving a load in the bed or any tongue weight.

 

Much prefer the air ride and the Ram Boxes. May as well.

 

My wife too had neck surgery and we both could tell the difference. If your able, get it, if not, love the fuel economy you get with ED.

 

Love my Air Suspension and haul about 5400 lbs 80 % most of the time.

 

I drove both and I didn't think it was worth it.
1) Unloaded I didn't notice enough of a difference in the ride quality (the normal suspension is pretty nice)
2) I'm a younger, taller guy and didn't have a need for the entry/exit feature to help get in or out of my truck.
3) I like to play with my vehicles; I'll probably be getting a lift kit and bigger tires and I thought that the air suspension would limit my options (apart from the factory presets)
4) cost, both the initial purchase cost and any repair costs.

Although, I can understand why others with different priorities would get it.

 

Air ride is fantastic. But I wish it was as tall on "normal" as a non-air Ram1500.

 

In normal, my truck sits as high as my father's '14 hemi 1500 with the coils...

 

again i love it only wish the ride height modes would stay at those ride height modes and not adjust back to normal ride height when going over the required speed limit.

 

Hello Ramvia, Reapur,

You can change your height to stay in offroad 2 at any speed. All you have to do is put your front links on the back and the back links on the front. This is truly a 5 minute job and only requires a screwdriver. The links pop off with a screwdriver and pop back on with just your fingers. This is how I did it. Put truck in offroad 2 then thru the screen went into suspension setup and selected tire jack mode as this shuts off the air suspension. You can see the link on the front as you kneel beside the tire. Use the screwdriver to pop off the front link, then repeat for the back link and swap them. Now go and do the other side. Got in and started the truck, turned off the tire jack mode, push the down button for suspension and went for a drive. The suspension now has a free two inch lift. You can now go down to entry exit mode but cannot go up to offroad 1 or offroad 2 as your already the same height as offroad 2. Enjoy your 2 inch lift. I would suggest if your going to leave the truck raised 2 inches all the time that you get an alignment as it will help with tire wear.

Mike

 

same ... i've measured the front & rear height on my dad's '15 4x2 EcoD and it is identical to my 4x4 with air suspension in normal height.

that said, 100% agree that it would be nice if the 'normal' stance wasn't so low up front.

 

yep, it sure will.

 

Will areo still function?

 

This is interesting. I always just assumed it was simply a height adjustment.

So, the ride is noticeably better than the standard suspension? Is this correct?

 

Air ride has a better ride than non. I would give it about 25% better ride over the non.

My wife gives it a 50%.

 

After swapping the front and rear links entry/exit works but lowers you to the old regular ride height. Aero works and kicks in around 60mph or so. The truck stays in off road II height but thinks its in regular ride height. The only down side is you can use off road 1 or off road 2 as your already at the max stock height of off road 2. I tried pushing the button to go into off road 1 but the pump can't make the bags go any higher as your already as high as the truck wants to go. Truck rides great and its a free 2 inch lift. Been 2 weeks and I love my lift. Just need to look into bigger winter tires now.....

 

I bought a 16 limited with air love it so far only 700 miles. looking at wheels and tires now