First the generation, then the brakes
For years the RAM 1500 was built in two series in parallel: the DS ran until model year 2018 and was then sold on as the RAM 1500 Classic, and from 2019 the new DT was added. The two share the nameplate, but not the brake system – one has five wheel studs, the other six. Anyone ordering by model year therefore regularly gets it wrong.
Count the wheel studs
Five on the front axle means: RAM 1500 up to model year 2018 or RAM 1500 Classic, front disc 335.9 mm. Six means: the DT built from 2019. If your RAM is from 2019, the model year alone tells you nothing – that is exactly what the vehicle identification number is for. From it we read the plant and therefore the series.
Ceramic or semi-metallic?
Ceramic pads are quieter and put much less brake dust on the wheels. Semi-metallic pads dissipate heat better and bite harder under trailer load, but produce more dust. If you tow or carry heavy loads, metallic is the better choice; if you use the RAM as an everyday vehicle, ceramic. Installation hardware and clips come with our brake pad sets.
Discs and pads together?
New discs with worn-in pads bed in unevenly and tend to judder. If the disc has to come off anyway, the pads are the smaller half of the bill. On the RAM up to 2018 and on the Classic, the parking brake sits as a drum inside the hat of the rear disc – take a look at it during the swap, it is easy to reach then. The DT from 2019 has an electric parking brake.
More for the RAM 1500
Suspension: Shock absorbers for the RAM 1500. Exterior: Add-on parts and accessories. Everything for the vehicle: RAM 1500 spare parts. Which other models we cover is shown in the vehicle overview. Not sure which series you have? Request parts by VIN – we check it before you buy.
