Lifted RAM TRX vs Stock TRX: Should You Modify or Keep It Factory?

Performance Dodge · RAM TRX

Lifted RAM TRX vs Stock TRX: Should You Modify or Keep It Factory?

The TRX already leaves the factory with long-travel suspension and 35-inch tires, so here’s what a lift really adds, what it costs you, and when we’d leave it alone.

Key Takeaways

Should You Lift a RAM TRX at All?

Lifting a regular half-ton makes sense to a lot of people. The TRX is a different animal. RAM engineered it from the frame up to run fast over rough ground, and the ride height, shocks, tire size and track width were all chosen to work together. So the real question isn’t “can I lift it?” Anything can be lifted. It’s whether the truck ends up better or just different.

Our short answer: for almost every owner in South Jersey, the stock TRX is the better truck. A small leveling kit and a set of 37s can work if you go in with realistic expectations. Anything bigger starts trading away the things you paid for, and New Jersey has rules on lifted trucks that most owners never hear about.

Is the RAM TRX Still Being Made?

Yes, again. The original TRX ran from the 2021 through 2024 model years with a 702-hp supercharged 6.2L V8, and production wrapped up in early 2024. There was no 2026 TRX. RAM brought the name back as the 2027 RAM 1500 TRX SRT, and it’s more powerful than before: a supercharged 6.2L HEMI V8 rated at 777 horsepower and 680 lb-ft of torque, an eight-speed automatic, full-time four-wheel drive and a claimed 0 to 60 mph time of 3.5 seconds.

RAM opened orders in June 2026 with a starting MSRP of $99,995 for the 2027 model year, plus a $2,795 destination charge, and trucks began reaching dealers over the summer. The optional Bloodshot Night Edition package adds $9,995. Pricing can change and incentives vary, so check our current RAM 1500 inventory for what’s actually available. If you’re shopping a 2021 to 2024 TRX instead, most of what follows applies to those trucks too, and our used inventory is the place to look.

What Does a Stock TRX Already Have?

Quite a lot. The heart of it is the Bilstein Black Hawk e2 adaptive shock system, which adjusts damping continuously based on what the truck is doing. RAM quotes 11.8 inches of ground clearance and up to 13 inches of front and 14 inches of rear axle travel. It rolls on 35-inch Goodyear Wrangler all-terrain tires mounted on 18-inch wheels. Out back sits a five-link coil rear suspension with a Dana 60 axle and an electronic locking differential.

The track is roughly six inches wider than a standard RAM 1500, which is a big part of why the truck feels planted at speed, and reviewers have called the highway ride surprisingly cushy. That matters, because a TRX spends far more time on Route 55 and the Atlantic City Expressway than in a sand wash.

Why the Factory Height Isn’t an Accident

On most pickups, ride height is a compromise between towing, fuel economy and looks. On the TRX, it’s tied to how the suspension moves. The control arm angles, shock tuning, CV axle angles and the way the truck squats under power were all developed around the stock stance. Raise one end, and you move every one of those components away from where the engineers put them.

What Does “Lifting” a TRX Usually Mean?

Very few TRX owners bolt on a six-inch lift. The common path is much milder: a front leveling kit in the 1.5 to 2.5 inch range, usually paired with 37-inch tires. Full aftermarket suspension packages with longer springs, upgraded arms and bigger shocks exist, but they cost serious money and are mostly aimed at desert racers, not commuters.

Leveling Kits

Most TRX leveling kits are spring preload collars that sit under the front coil and raise the nose without changing the shock itself. For the 2027 truck, at least one kit maker includes adjustable ride height sensor links on anything above 1.5 inches, because the new TRX reads suspension position electronically. Even a “simple” leveling kit touches the truck’s electronics.

37-Inch Tires

A 37 is only about two inches taller than the factory 35, and owners on TRX forums report fitting 37×12.5 tires with little or no rubbing on the stock suspension, depending on wheel offset and model year. Wider 37×13.5 tires are a different story. They tend to rub at full lock, and some tire shops won’t mount them without fender liner trimming or suspension changes. Tire width and offset matter as much as diameter here.

What Changes When You Lift a TRX?

Here’s the honest list. None of these is a reason to panic, but every one of them is real, and they stack as the lift gets bigger.

• Suspension geometry and CV angles. Raising the front steepens the CV axle angles and changes camber and caster. TRX owners who’ve run 2.7 to 3 inches of lift with 37s report faster CV wear, and an alignment is mandatory after any change.
• Ride quality. Preloading the front coils can stiffen the initial ride, and heavier tires add unsprung weight the adaptive shocks were never calibrated for. You’ll feel it most over expansion joints and broken pavement.
• Braking. A 37-inch tire and wheel package is heavier and taller than stock, and the brakes have to stop that extra rotating mass on a truck that already weighs well over 6,000 pounds. Expect longer pedal travel and more heat on long stops.
• Speedometer and odometer. Going from 35s to 37s is roughly a 6 to 7 percent increase in diameter. At an indicated 60 mph you’ll really be doing around 63 or 64, so the tire size needs to be reprogrammed.
• Fuel economy. The 2027 TRX is rated at 10 mpg city, 14 highway and 12 combined as it sits. Taller, heavier tires and a less aerodynamic stance only push those numbers lower.
• Driver assistance calibration. The 2027 TRX comes standard with Hands-Free Active Drive Assist, which relies on cameras and radar aimed at a known height. SEMA has noted that a two-inch lift can knock a radar sensor off by about half a degree, so plan on a calibration check after any height or tire change.

Stock vs Leveled vs Lifted TRX: How Do They Compare?

This is a general comparison based on typical setups. Your exact results depend on the kit, the wheel and tire combination, and the shop doing the work.

Will a Lift Void My TRX Warranty?

Not automatically, and anyone who tells you otherwise is oversimplifying. Under the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, a manufacturer can’t deny a warranty claim just because aftermarket parts are on the truck. The Federal Trade Commission’s guidance is that the manufacturer or dealer has to show the aftermarket part caused the need for the repair before it can deny coverage.

The flip side is just as real. If a leveling kit or bigger tires cause a failure, say a torn CV boot traced to the altered angles, that repair isn’t covered. Mopar’s own warranty language says it plainly: adding performance parts doesn’t by itself void the vehicle warranty, but those parts aren’t covered, and neither is any failure they cause. Keep receipts and get an alignment printout after the work.

What About Insurance?

Tell your insurer about the modifications before you ever need to file a claim. Aftermarket wheels, tires and suspension parts may need added coverage to be replaced at full value.

What Does New Jersey Law Say About Lifted Trucks?

This is the part most TRX owners don’t know about. New Jersey regulates raised vehicles under N.J.A.C. 13:20-37, the elevated vehicle rules. As written, a vehicle whose original height has been raised by changing the suspension, body, chassis, rims or tire size needs an elevated vehicle approval certificate from the Motor Vehicle Commission. The one clear exemption is a height increase that comes only from a larger tire, up to four inches more in diameter than the manufacturer’s specification.

For a TRX, that has a practical meaning. Swapping 35s for 37s on the stock suspension is a two-inch diameter change, which stays inside the tire-only exemption. Add a leveling kit or lift, and as we read the rule, the truck falls under the elevated vehicle requirements. The inspection has to happen within 30 days of the modification, and the MVC says lifted vehicles must pass a high-rise stability test every two years at its specialty facility in Winslow Township, plus the usual emissions test.

The regulation also sets a maximum tire diameter of 38 inches (or six inches over the largest factory tire, whichever is less) for vehicles at or under 10,000 pounds GVWR, keeps headlight centers between 22 and 54 inches off the ground, and fails any lift that alters critical geometry in a way likely to cause component failure. We’re a dealership, not a law office, so confirm the current requirements with the MVC and use an installer who knows New Jersey inspections before you buy parts.

Does Lifting a TRX Hurt Resale Value?

It can. The TRX already appeals to a specific buyer, and many of those buyers want the truck exactly as RAM built it. A modified truck narrows that group further. Some shoppers love a tasteful setup on 37s. Others will walk past it or knock the price down to cover putting it back to stock.

If you do modify, keep the original wheels, tires and suspension parts in the garage. A truck that can go back to factory spec is an easier sell, and having the receipts and alignment records helps any appraiser. When it’s time to move on, you can start with our trade-in value tool and we’ll look at the truck in person.

Is There a Mopar or Factory Middle Ground?

Mopar does sell a two-inch suspension lift kit for the RAM 1500, but it’s cataloged for certain crew cab trucks with the 5.7L HEMI and specifically excludes the Rebel and trucks with air suspension. We couldn’t find a Mopar lift kit listed for the TRX, which tells you something about how RAM views the TRX’s factory height.

What Mopar has offered is a range of TRX-specific accessories that personalize the truck without changing how it sits. For the earlier TRX, that included rock rails, off-road LED lights, bed rails with a sliding toolbox, and a bed-mounted spare tire carrier rated to hold up to a 37-inch tire. Fitment for the 2027 truck can differ, so ask our parts and accessories team what’s currently cataloged for your VIN. It’s the route we’d point most owners toward first.

Our Verdict: Modify the TRX or Keep It Factory?

Keep it factory. That’s our recommendation for the large majority of TRX owners in South Jersey. You’re paying for a suspension package that’s already tuned, already tall and already wide, and most of what a lift adds is looks. Around here, a TRX sees the Turnpike, Route 42 traffic, a boat launch on the Delaware and the occasional sand trail far more often than it sees anything that demands more clearance.

If you really want a bigger look, the least painful option is a set of 37×12.5 tires on the stock suspension with the right wheel offset. It stays inside New Jersey’s tire-only exemption, keeps the Bilstein setup working as designed, and is easy to reverse. Have the tire size reprogrammed and the cameras and radar checked. A mild leveling kit on top is workable, but it brings the elevated vehicle inspection into play and adds CV wear. Bigger lifts are for owners who race or run serious desert trails.

Whatever you decide, our Mopar-certified technicians in the service department can inspect the front end, check alignment and look over CV boots after any change, and we’ll give you a quote before any work starts.

Helping TRX Owners Across South Jersey

We work with RAM owners from Woodbury, Cherry Hill, Camden, Deptford, Pennsauken and all over Gloucester County. If you’re weighing a new TRX against a lower-cost RAM 1500 you’d build up yourself, our RAM model lineup is a good place to compare trims before you visit.

Ready to Drive a TRX the Way RAM Built It?

Check our current RAM 1500 inventory, or book a service visit so our team can look over your TRX before or after any modification. We’ll talk through tires, alignment and calibration with you in plain terms.

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