As an automotive installer, pickup truck and automotive enthusiast and Youtuber (@anthonyj350) with a significant following, Anthony has been around the block and possesses as much experience as most. He’ll be the first to tell you he was a bit skeptical when first purchasing a RoadActive Suspension kit for his Chevy 1500, but let him explain the unique benefits and how the kit has stood the test of time for him!

Q. How did you find out about RoadActive Suspension?

A. When I was a kid, my dad would just put me in front of the TV on Saturday mornings and we’d watch those car shows. I can’t remember the name of the show, but I remember the design and I just thought it looked cool!

Q. Have you had any experience with pickup trucks and towing before using RAS?

A. This is actually my first pickup that I’ve used daily and I’ve owned it for over 10 years. I bought it way back, I think I was 22 when I bought it. The reason I bought this pickup is I grew up driving rear wheel drive cars that were full size. At the time I wanted to change up and decided a 2wd truck would fit the bill, I really wanted something that was a V8 rear wheel drive, body on frame. I couldn’t find anything and I didn’t really want to drive the current cars on the market. That’s why I ended up with this truck. I also have a project Chevy C1500 that I’ve been building for a few years now as well.

Q. What do you typically tow or haul?

A. Typically what we use the truck for is getting raw materials from Home Depot for jobs, grabbing 4X8 sheets of plywood and MDF. A lot of times we’ll work on trailers, so what I’ll do is actually use the truck as a test tool to test all the lights and use the truck to move the trailers around. If my friends in construction trucks’ are out for service, we’ll use my truck to drive the trailers to job sites.

Q. Describe your towing experience

Whenever I’m towing the dump trailer…..we’re realistically between 5-6k lbs. What I like most is it’s just really stable. Especially when you’re on an on ramp or going over ruts in the highway. It just feels really stable on the road.

Q. When did you realize you needed a suspension upgrade?

A. We were all just hanging out(on the back of my truck). Seven people sat on the back of my truck and it was the factory two leaf with the (bottom) overload spring and the truck was just sacked down. I just looked at my truck and said we need to do something about this!

Q. Did you do the installation yourself?

A. I did do the installation myself and I have the older version of the RAS(which requires removal of u bolts). I would consider myself a little bit above average for being mechanically inclined, my specialty is wiring but I do enjoy working on my vehicle on weekends. I found it’s pretty straight forward, you definitely want to read the instructions when you’re setting up the RAS with the gauges and setting the tension. I would say any weekend warrior that likes to wrench, this should be no issue for you to install. Especially with the newer ones, I did one recently and you don’t even need to take apart the rear suspension. It’s much easier to install the newer version.

Q. What’s been your experience with RAS? What’s impressed you the most?

A. I’ve had this on my truck for over 8 years and I’ve logged over 110,000km. What’s impressed me the most is how durable it is. I was skeptical at first, I called them and told them when I first purchased it and told them what I was purchasing it for and where I live. I live in Canada, we don’t get a ton of snow but they do salt a lot, that’s what really kills cars. When you look at my RAS, there’s no rust. I do paint and shoot lubricant on it yearly as preventative maintenance. What’s really impressive was when I had to take it apart to install new leaf springs, it came apart easy. I was so surprised because we’ve all dealt with suspension components being on a vehicle for a long time and they just get seized.

Q. In your experience, the biggest difference between RAS and other suspension upgrades?

A. I don’t have a ton of experience with upgrade leaf spring suspensions, but from my experience driving other modified or stock trucks it’s just its ability to drive nice…..it’s the ability to keep the truck’s weight where it needs to be. It inspires a lot of confidence, this (truck) is not desired for handling but as far as pickups go it actually does handle really well.