2020 Ram Power Wagon Update - Fox 2.0 Shocks & Carli Suspension Commuter Kit

The Power Wagon got some new legs. The Carli Suspension Commuter kit was installed and taken immediately to the dirt. Fox shocks are one of the main components to this kit which establishes superior handling on a heavy duty vehicle like this. Immediate differences were noticed both in every day driver comfort, along with off-road performance on some of our favorite trails.

Carli’s kits are known for their amazing capability, starting with their unique spring rates that match up to specifically tuned Fox and King shocks to match. Suspension capability improves as the shock systems advance; the standard Fox 2.0 dampers evolve into the addition of reservoirs, and then stepping up to the major leagues with King’s 2.5 reservoir shocks, custom tuned for both high speed performance and incredible road comfort.

Review of The First 500 Miles on the Commuter System (Fox 2.0)

• Reduced body roll, even with a higher center of gravity, compared to stock height on the firmest RS9000XL setting.
• The Fox 46mm piston has significantly better rebound damping compared to the Rancho's 31mm piston, which creates less slop coming out of larger bumps / holes.
• The small irregularities in the highway, and speed bumps, potholes; not much has changed.
• Handling on the bigger actions has improved a lot; such as going up driveways, driving over curbs, highway joints with large vehicle action.
• Similar to the reduction in body roll above, the rebound valving in the Fox 2.0 reduces that front end bucking after compression.
• Moderate off-road terrain handling has improved drastically; handling bigger actions from rocks, washouts, big terrain changes suddenly at 15-25mph get handled and absorb like a champ by the new system. Previously there would be huge body roll and bottom out bucking in the front or rear, most of that is eliminated.
• High speed use is now FUN, even during bottom out actions of hitting something too hard, it doesn’t unsettle the vehicle, it still maintains its path without being thrown unpredictably.

The biggest benefit that comes from the commuter system over a factory-setup are the new softer springs, matched with the Fox 2.0 shocks. This creates a much softer road feel compared to the stock Bilstein dampers. The feel is closer to the Rancho RS9000XL that we ran in terms of compression give, feels very typical of a ‘digressive vs linear’ shock comparison.

This kit is aimed at improving daily driving comfort primarily, and offroad performance secondary. Drivers at this stage aren’t really worrying about shock fade in offroad environments for the most part, they’re looking for some added performance though through better bump compliance when picking up the pace on rocky trails and easy desert terrain...

We're be moving on to Carli's Backcountry Fox 2.0 Reservoir kit immediately after this, and bringing you that review shortly. Then its onto the big-dog King 2.5 Pin-top kit, what Carli has become known for around the Heavy Duty truck community.