Fabtech Motorsports' Off-Road-Ready Ram 2500
Fullsize trucks usually don’t take center stage when it comes to off-road. Typically, the big trucks are relegated to towing duties — a mere tool to get the job done. They pull the trailer that has the show rig, race car or off-road beast to the event and then sit in waiting until it is needed again. It doesn’t have to be that way, however.
The Ram truck line heritage stretches back to the beginning of big trucks as a whole. The addition of the Cummins diesel powerplants provided the serious grunt that helped them secure an even stronger hold of the fullsize truck market. That, plus being one of the first companies to use coil springs in the front suspension of a 4x4 fullsize truck, the Ram trucks have proven to make a great all-around platform for power, ride and style. Now, Fabtech Motorsports is pushing them even further.
Fabtech has been building performance suspensions since the late 1980s. When its attention was focused on the late-model Ram 2500s, the game was on to build a high-performance package that would turn a high-end glorified work truck into a smooth riding beast that had plenty of ground clearance, no loss in towing capacity and could go play in the dirt with ease.
We got a chance to ogle the company's latest build, which you can see in the video above and learn more about in the feature breakdown below.
Fabtech’s 2014 Ram 2500 4x4 is the culmination of all those efforts. To elevate the truck, Fabtech developed a four-link suspension system that utilizes its 4-inch-diameter Dirt Logic Coilovers, which gives the truck a seven-inch lift over stock. The Dirt Logic Coilovers are built from Stainless Steel and have a built-in remote billet reservoir.
The 4 Link System is built using heavy-duty 2-inch O.D. control arms with massive 5-ton-rated link ends. New bracketry was designed to convert the suspension from the stock radius arm. Each arm was meticulously built to provide ample clearance and more travel.
Ram started putting coils into the rear of their fullsize trucks in 2009 with the 1500 Ram. Coils were then included in the 2014 2500 trucks, and it was proof that big trucks did not need leaf springs. To step up the performance, Fabtech swapped out the rear coils for Dirt Logic 4.0 coilovers to match the front. Both front and rear differentials were left stock except for the rear diff cover, which was upgraded to a high-capacity aFe Power unit. An aFe Power 4-inch exhaust system helps the otherwise stock 6.7L Cummins Turbo Diesel relieve pressure and gain a few power points.
The rear Dirt Logic coilovers are set up with two stages. The main stage is the lower; this heavy-duty coil handles the stress of towing, heavy loads and everyday driving. The upper stage is a substantially lighter rate that is only utilized when the rear suspension is near complete droop and softens the initial impact when compression starts again. The remote mounted reservoir features a handy compression adjuster to dial in the ride for the specific truck, terrain and load.
The Fabtech Ram 2500 is outfitted with 38x13.50R22 Nitto Trail Grapplers mounted on 22-inch BMF Wheels. The aggressive tread pattern of the Trail Grappler provides the necessary off-road grip while retaining excellent road manners we've come to expect with a modern mud-terrain radial.
Fabtech’s Ram 2500 is no show queen. The truck is, of course, used in shows, but form and function went hand-in-hand in the development. A Fab Fours front bumper leads the charge with a Warn winch hidden behind it, and a Fab Fours rear bumper is used out back.
The late-model Ram's are already a well-rounded truck, but Fabtech did a great job of turning this one into something that excels on-road and off.
