***DO NOT TAKE THIS POST SERIOUSLY, THIS IS AN APRIL FOOL'S JOKE****

It is tradition around magazines and blogs to come up with April Fool's stories to out do eachother on that special day. FW is no exception. Remember the Cadillac Escalade road test? How about the blog about FW dropping trucks and going to ATVs only? This was just another story in the name of having a little fun with some of our OEM friends.

***THIS IS AN APRIL FOOL'S JOKE***

It was a valiant attempt to be different, we’ll give them that, but it appears as if Dodge’s foray in to coil sprung Rams has come to an end.

With increasing external, as well as internal, pressures, Dodge has apparently decided to vacate the road less traveled and return its apparently too-revolutionary coil sprung rear axle to a more conventional design. As soon as we received the tip, we contacted a few of our sources within the company to corroborate the to story.

When asked if the rumors were true, one of our well-placed sources inside Chrysler told us off the record, “I knew we’d be back to leaf springs, coils were a **** idea.” While not all Chrysler insiders we spoke with felt the same way, one loved the design and blamed the current economy and the Obama administration’s meddling in the cost-cutting as the cause for “killing the best idea this freakin’ company has had since the minivan.”

“And that was a long time ago,” he added.

Citing a competitive half-ton segment with ¾-ton-like capability and the increased cost of a multi-link suspension design, the decision makers at Dodge have decided to simplify their half-ton entry. This running design change, which will become standard on Rams built after February 15th, 2010 and will give the Ram an immediate 225-pound increase in payload, while elevating the tow rating to “well over” the magical 10,000-pound threshold. As part of the tip, we recieved two CAD drawings depicting the 2009 and 2010 Ram rear suspension differences.

We considered the ’09 Ram to be the best riding half-ton truck we have ever tested and are disappointed that the multi-link rear suspension will be replaced. The coil-sprung rear axle is a major advantage in the type of terrain where we test and expect our rigs to perform. All the more reason to get down to your local dealer and buy a ’09 Ram, although some might argue that this change makes an already great truck even better.

***THE RAM WILL CARRY ON WITH COIL SPRINGS, WHICH WE HAVE BEEN VERY IMPRESSED WITH IN TESTING. WE'LL HAVE THE FIRST LONG TERM REPORT FROM OUR 2009 RAM FX4 IN THE  OCTOBER ISSUE.***

--Sean P. Holman
Tech Editor – Four Wheeler magazine