3.0″ King Remote Reservoir Shocks pair with the included Full Progressive Leaf Pack to deliver a soft, yet controlled on-road ride quality with substantially more bottom out capability than the Pintop 2.5. The Dominator System was blueprinted and built with the avid off-roader in mind.
| Front Lift |
Rear Lift |
Front Travel |
Rear Travel |
Shock Diameter |
Tire Fitment |
| 3.0″ |
1″ - 2″ |
10″ |
12″ |
3.0″ |
37″ x 12.5″ |
Carli Dominator: The ultimate no compromise, utilitarian suspension system. Carli King 3.0” shocks, custom-tuned and ready for any obstacles. This system can handle the toughest of terrain while still getting you around town in comfort.
This is the true, Jack of all trades suspension system offering the most on-road comfort of any short-arm system in the Carli lineup. The Dominator rides better than any other system on the road while boasting off-road manners that make the truck feel half its size. This is the end of our “all-around” Suspension Systems; anything above the 3.0” King will sacrifice on-road ride for off-road capability. For the customer looking for the best balance of on and off-road capability, without leaning too far in either direction, wanting to maintain the factory short arms (ability to return to stock), this system is the perfect candidate.
Carli Dominator 3.0 Leveling/Lift, Base, 3” Lift, 03-09 Ram 2500/3500, Diesel, 4x4
- The Carli Dominator system utilizes Carli-tuned King 3.0 shocks that provide fantastic on-road ride and superior off road performance
- System Includes front and rear shock package, multi rate coil springs, fabricated shock towers, rear crossmember gusset and adjustable track bar.
- Included rear crossmember gusset requires welding.
- Allows for 10" of front suspension travel and 12" rear.
- Base Kit requires but does not include rear lift option and sway bar option.
Base Kit Includes:
| Part Number |
Description |
| AS-DD30SPKG-03-D |
03-12 RAM 2500/3500 4X4 DIESEL CARLI TUNED KING 3.0" RR 3" LIFT FRONT & REAR SHOCK PKG |
| CS-D30GUSSET |
03-12 RAM 2500/3500 4X4 DOMINATOR REAR CROSSMEMBER GUSSET KIT - WELD IN |
| CS-DATB-03 |
03-12 RAM 2500/3500 ADJUSTABLE TRACK BAR 0-3" LIFT |
| CS-DFST475 |
94-12 RAM 2500/3500 FABRICATED SHOCK TOWER - 4.75" TALL (STOCK SHOCK TOWER HEIGHT) |
| CS-DLSK315 |
03-12 RAM 2500/3500 4X4 15" LIMIT STRAP KIT |
| CS-DMRC-03-D |
03-09 RAM 2500/3500 4X4 DIESEL 2.75" LIFT FRONT MULTI-RATE COIL SPRINGS |
| CS-HOLESAWKIT-4.5 |
4" HOLE SAW AND ARBOR |
| CS-SRM-25 |
UNIVERSAL SHORT RESERVOIR MOUNTS 2.5" |
Sway Bar Options
*ONE REQUIRED* - With the lift provided by the coils and the extended travel of the shocks, it's imperative the front sway bar be addressed. For this, we offer two options. The Carli Sway Bar End links provide a longer link (utilizing the factory upper pillow bushing) allowing for reuse of the factory sway bar. This System has been optimized for use with the Torsion Sway Bar; this sway bar upgrade is a HUGE ride quality upgrade. Maintaining the factory sway bar through use of the Sway Bar Links is only recommended for customers requiring the stiff rate of the factory sway bar - i.e.: those with snow-plows, in-bed campers or who are constantly hauling to the capacity of the truck.
Rear Leaf Options
*ONE REQUIRED* - The Dominator System has been optimized for use with the Full Progressive Leaf Springs. This system is also compatible with the Progressive Add-a-Packs but there will be a notable ride quality difference on and off-road. Selecting "NO Rear Leaf Spring Selection" will result in an unknown ride quality and height result as all Carli Systems are optimized to either the Add-a-Pack or Progressive Leaf Springs. *The HD Options is ONLY for those running a CONSTANT 1,000lbs in the bed at all times.*
Leaf Spring Shackle
Much of the jarring ride of the leaf-spring rear can be attributed to the factory vulcanized bushings in the leaf spring pack and shackle. The factory shackle is very strong BUT the design is not conducive to a smooth ride. The Carli shackle is constructed of 1/4″ American cold-rolled steel. The mid-length gusset ensures no deflection while the serviceable bushings offer a far superior ride to the bind of the factory bushings.
Long Travel Airbag Option
*OPTIONAL* - Restores Factory capacity to reduced rate Carli Leaf Springs. Provides the best of both ends of the spectrum - ride on Carli's soft-rate leaf springs when unloaded then air the bags up to level the chassis and support your load!
Add Control Arms
*OPTIONAL* - We offer two sets of control arms, the standard extended control arms will ensure your axle is pushed forward to the new centered position in the wheel-well following the lift. These allow for up to a 35" tire. The Billet Control Arms do the same to center the wheel while the high-clearance profile allows for fitment of a 37" x 13.5" tire on a 9" wide wheel with a +18mm offset.
Add Steering Stabilizer
*OPTIONAL* - when adding oversized tires, it's always recommended to upgrade one's stabilizers. We recommend the low-mount for those running 35s and an opposing setup for those with 37s.
Dominator System
The Details: The Dominator is the best of our short-arm, utilitarian style offerings boasting front Carli Signature tuned, King 3.0” remote reservoir shocks so large, we needed bore the factory spring buckets for them to cycle properly. As the old adage goes, there’s no replacement for displacement. In an effort to provide customers with the best product, we do not sell off-the-shelf King 3.0s. 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 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. 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” thanks to the included Full Progressive Leaf Pack. The Full Progressive Leaf 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.
When pairing added down-travel with the taller ride height, the position of the factory, front sway bar will need to be altered as well. For this, we offer two options (unless 1994-2002, then there’s only one); extended, Sway Bar End Links or the replacement Torsion Sway Bar. The End links are 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 points. Factory pillow-bushings are re-used to assemble the sway bar to the lengthened link. Carli’s optional Torsion sway bar removes the entire factory sway bar assembly replacing it with a torsion bar supported by fabricated drop brackets and delrin bushings. Fabricated sway bar arms and dual 5/8” FK heim end links round off the package. This is the single best bang for the buck, ride-quality upgrade offered by Carli Suspension (in close competition with the full progressive leaf spring upgrade).
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”. This system includes an Adjustable Track Bar to push the axle back toward the passenger side and provide a stronger link with less deflection for the lifted application. We also recommend the purchase of a set of extended control arms to shift the axle forward to its new center of travel.
Wheel and Tire: This system will fit up to a 37” tire with our High Clearance Control Arms and Full Progressive Leaf Springs on wheels no more than 9” wide with 5.75” of backspacing. If running factory control arms or wheels; we recommend an All Terrain 35” tire. 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:
