CS-DPT25-94 | Carli Suspension Carli Tuned King 2.5" Remote Reservoir Shocks 2.75" Lift Pintop System For Dodge Ram 2500/3500 4WD | 1994-2002 | Diesel

Our most popular system, the Pintop kit boasts 2.5″, Remote Reservoir King Shocks. Designed and tuned in house for the customer looking for substantial on-road and off-road performance improvement. Customers can expect a softer ride with more control and bottom-out resistance than the Backcountry.

Front Lift: 3.0″ / Rear Lift: 1″-2" / Front Travel: 10″ / Rear Travel: 10.6″ / Shock Diameter: 2.5″ / Tire Fitment: 35″ x 12.5″

A “Base Kit” SKU must be accompanied by the SKU of a Sway Bar and Leaf Spring option to form a complete system.

The Pintop is the Performance 2.0 on steroids, take the description for the Performance 2.0 and throw an exponent on it. This system is our most popular, all around suspension system. It was tuned and rides best with the Full Progressive Leaf Springs. The Pintop is a Jack-of-all-trades system from which every Ram owner would benefit. Raising the Ram platform then adding the 2.5” diameter shocks will support the argument that these trucks should come equipped with 2.5” shocks from the factory. The higher end systems will get you more off-road capability, yes, and even a bit more on-road. The premium paid for these systems, however, doesn’t compare to the on and off-road ride quality per dollar spent on the Pintop. For these reasons, it will likely remain our best seller for years to come.

The Details: 

This system boasts Carli specific, blueprinted, King 2.5” shocks on all four corners. In an effort to provide customers with the best product, we designed a custom piston to determine proper base flow rates to ensure the shock works well in the heavy duty truck platform; we then tuned the shocks around the custom pistons based on the only thing that matters to us, seat-of-the-pants feel. We round off ALL our King shocks with shafts machined and polished from a solid piece of 17-4 Stainless. Unlike King’s standard shafts, there is no coating to wear off, weather is far less likely to hurt them and if there is a small chip, you can round the edges with emery cloth to ensure the seal housing isn’t damaged as they’re not brittle like the stock, hardened shafts. The shocks are finished with King oil good to -55* F. Note that all King shocks are built with a plated steel body. If subjected to inclement weather for extended periods, we recommend wrapping your shocks in 3M to provide a moisture barrier that’s replaceable.

Your truck will sit 2.5”-3” higher in the front (year/cab configuration dependent) with 50% more suspension travel than the factory platform thanks to the taller, lighter rate coil springs. The rear is lifted 1”-2” via the customer’s choice of a Progressive Add-A-Pack or Full Progressive Leaf Pack. The Progressive Add-A-Pack replaces the factory overload with a 5-Leaf, progressive pack that changes the final rate of the spring pack keeping the rear planted while increasing traction and predictability. The optional Full Progressive Leaf Pack is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED as it’s with what this system was tuned. This spring pack replaces the entire factory leaf spring assembly increasing travel and drastically increasing comfort throughout the entire usable travel stroke at the cost of a 15% payload reduction from a standard 2500. This payload reduction can be supplemented back to factory 3500 SRW capacity with the addition of the Long Travel Airbags for the best of both worlds; ride quality and payload capacity/load control.

NOTE: 2.5” Rear Piggyback Reservoir shocks should be drained of nitrogen and cycled to their collapsed dimension to ensure the reservoirs clear all under-bed crossmembers. These shocks Mount body down, shaft up, reservoirs point AWAY From the axle. The passenger’s side will require a 3”x 1.5” Section to be removed to clear the shocks. Once confirmed, put installed rear shocks to full extension and charge to 225psi of Nitrogen.

When pairing added down-travel with the taller ride height, the position of the factory sway bar will need to be altered as well. For this, we offer extended Sway Bar End Links equipped with ½” FK Rod-Ends and in-house machined 17-4 stainless bodies that are extended over stock to reset the sway bar engagement point. Factory pillow-bushings are re-used to assemble the sway bar to the lengthened link.

When lifting the front end of a straight axle truck, the front axle is pulled off-center unless the proper linkages are addressed. Three inches of front lift equates to an axle shifted toward the driver’s side ¾” and back toward the cab ½”. Although this is perfectly operable, we recommend the purchase of an adjustable track bar to shift the axle back toward the passenger side and provide a stronger link with less deflection for the lifted application, and a set of extended control arms to shift the axle forward to its new center of travel. Unfortunately, we do not offer an adjustable track bar for the 1994-2002 platform at this time.

NOTE: the 1994-02 Ram 2500/3500 trucks are notorious for a driver’s side lean up to 1.5″ (lower on the driver’s side than the passenger’s side). Carli Coil Springs and Leaf Springs for the 1994-02 are designed side-specific to lift the Driver’s side more than the Passenger’s side to lessen/eliminate this common lean. However, we’ve had trucks require the taller spring be installed on the passenger’s side to achieve a level stance and trucks that require the same height springs be installed on both sides to achieve a leveled stance. These trucks are not an exact science and were designed long before CAD programs and design standardization. For this reason, we cannot guarantee the truck will sit level side to side nor is the corrective action a “warranty”. Our choice was either discontinue the product line OR present the customer with the design oddities so they know what they’re getting into. As there are not many performance options for the 2nd gen trucks, we elected to keep the product line as the side to side correction can be alleviated with the use of small spring spacers with NO performance degradation.

Wheel and Tire:

This system will fit up to a 35” tire with Extended Control Arms – We recommend wheels with 5.75-6” of backspacing. The more rubber, the better the small bump compliance will be at proper inflation pressures. The ride will firm up as you go larger in wheel diameter. For more details, see our article on wheel and tire selection and tire pressures:

Tires and Wheels: How Do They Affect My Ride?

Customization Information

Sway Bar Options

*REQUIRED*

94-98 RAM 2500/3500 4X4 EXTENDED SWAY BAR END LINKS

SKU: CS-DEL-94
- Machined out of 17-4 Stainless Steel
- FK Bearing, Chromoly Rod-End
- Used on 1994-1998 trucks ("Cobra" style), 0-3" lift

98.5-09 RAM 2500/3500 4X4 EXTENDED SWAY BAR END LINKS

SKU: CS-DEL-985
- In-house machined 17-4 Stainless Steel
- 1/2" FK Chromoly Rod-End
- For trucks with 0-3" of front lift - 1998.5-2009

Rear Leaf Options

*REQUIRED*

RAM 2500/3500 4X4 PROGRESSIVE ADD-A-PACK, 1" LIFT

SKU: CS-DPAP-94
- Replaces lower overload spring
- More predictability and Spring Progression Keeps Tires Planted
- 1" lift matches to our 3" front systems
- Includes U-Bolts and Center Pins
- Fitment: 1994-02 Ram 2500/3500 4x4, Diesel

RAM 2500/3500 4X4 DIESEL FULL PROGRESSIVE LEAF SPRING KIT - 1" LIFT

SKU: CS-DFSP-94
- 2" rear lift maintains slight rear-hight stance with Carli 3" Systems
- Softens initial spring rate at ride height
- Eliminates Factory Block; Minimizes Axle Wrap/Wheel Hop
- Reduces payload to "light" 3/4-ton capacity
- Capable of 15" of suspension travel with factory shackle
- REQUIRES BUT DOES NOT INCLUDE - 5" Bump Stop Drop Bracket (Or Timbren PN: DR1525H4)

Control Arm Option

 *OPTIONAL*

94-98 RAM 2500/3500 4X4 RAM EXTENDED CONTROL ARMS

SKU: CS-CA-MS14-94
- Includes 4 Arms Pictured, 2 Upper, 2 Lower
- Re-centers front axle on 3" Suspension Systems
- Box 0.120" wall mild steel construction
- Arm centers welded off-center for tire clearance
- 35" Tire Fitment (9" Wide Wheel, 5.75" BS)
- Fits 12mm upper/14mm lower hardware - Factory bolt shank diameter
- MUST measure control arm bolts on truck to ensure correction selection

98.5-02 RAM 2500/3500 4X4 RAM EXTENDED CONTROL ARMS

SKU: CS-CA-MS16-94
- Includes 4 Arms Pictured, 2 Upper, 2 Lower
- Re-centers front axle on 3" Suspension Systems
- Box 0.120" wall mild steel construction
- Arm centers welded off-center for tire clearance
- 35" Tire Fitment (9" Wide Wheel, 5.75" BS)
- Fits 14mm upper/16mm lower hardware - Factory bolt shank diameter
- MUST measure control arm bolts on truck to ensure correction selection