The best floor mats for a Ram 1500 in a Manitoba winter are the ones cut for your exact cab and front row, held down by the truck's floor mat fasteners, and deep enough to keep melted slush off the carpet. For a truck that lives in salt and slush from November to April, a deep lipped all weather liner is usually the safer choice over a flat mat. All-weather floor mats are generally in stock at our parts counter, so ask for your model when you call or visit the Dunn Ram Trucks parts department.
Around Portage la Prairie this question arrives with the first wet snow. One trip across a slushy parking lot, one stop at the rink or the post office, and the driver's footwell has a grey puddle in it with a white ring starting at the edge. Below is how to choose by what actually matters: the shape of the mat, the cab it has to fit, the fasteners that keep it away from the pedals, and what salt water does when the carpet is left to take it.
Key Takeaways
- Liner or flat mat: a deep lipped liner holds melt water and salt in a tray; a flat rubber mat is easier to shake out but can spill a full puddle over its edge onto the carpet.
- Fit by cab and front row: Ram Canada lists the 1500 as a Quad Cab and a Crew Cab, and the front row can be a bench or bucket seats with a console, so the set has to match your truck.
- Never stack mats: Ram's owner's manual for the 2022 Ram 2500 and 3500 says to take out the existing mat before installing another and never to put a second mat on top of it.
- Salt works slowly: salt water that soaks through carpet can keep the padding and the floor underneath damp long after the snow is gone.
- Ask for your model: our parts counter generally has all weather mats on hand, and the right fit starts with your year, cab and front row.
Deep Liner or Flat Mat: Which Is Best for a Ram 1500 Winter?
The right answer depends on how much you carry in on your boots. Here is how the three common types compare in a prairie winter.
Deep lipped liner: raised walls follow the footwell up the sides and toward the door sill, so melt water and grit stay in a tray. It protects the carpet best on a heavy slush day. The catch is the puddle itself: lift the liner out level and dump it outside, or it ends up on the carpet anyway.
Flat rubber mat: ribs and channels trap some water, and it is quick to pull out and shake off in the yard. On a day when you are in and out of the truck a dozen times, a full boot of slush can run over its low edge onto the carpet beside it.
Carpet mat: fine for summer. In winter it soaks up slush, stays wet, and does little to keep salt off the carpet underneath. Take it out in the fall and store it for spring.
Who should still buy the flat mat? A farm or work truck that gets hosed out often, a driver who empties the mats every few days, or someone who simply prefers how a flat mat lies. If your truck sees gravel roads, rinks and job sites all winter, the liner earns its keep.
Crew Cab, Quad Cab and the Centre Console
Ram Canada lists the Ram 1500 in two cab styles, the Quad Cab and the Crew Cab, and the Crew Cab has noticeably more rear legroom. That longer rear floor changes the shape of the rear mat, and Mopar lists separate all weather mat sets for the Ram 1500 Crew Cab and Quad Cab. A set made for one cab is not made for the other. If you are still deciding between the two, our Ram 1500 crew cab vs quad cab comparison covers the cab itself.
The front row matters too. Ram Canada lists the Tradesman with a bench seat, while trims such as the Sport come with bucket seats and a full length floor console. With a bench, the centre of the floor is open and a middle passenger's boots land there. With a console, the console covers that space. Front mats can be cut differently for each layout, so know which front row your truck has before you buy.
The model year counts as well. Mopar lists its mat fitments by year range, so give the year along with the cab. If you are shopping for a new truck instead, browse our new Ram 1500 inventory and ask which floor covering a given truck comes with.
The Fasteners That Keep a Mat Off the Pedals
The most important part of a winter mat is the part you never look at: the fastener, often called a retention hook, that holds it in place. A mat that creeps forward can bunch up under the brake or the accelerator pedal, and a wet rubber mat on wet carpet slides more easily than you might expect.
The warning below is paraphrased from the floor mat safety section of Ram's owner's manual for the 2022 Ram 2500 and 3500 (U.S. edition). That manual warns that a floor mat that is improperly attached, damaged, folded or stacked may interfere with the accelerator, brake or clutch pedals and cause a loss of vehicle control. It tells owners to always remove the existing floor mat before installing any other floor mat, and never to install or stack an additional floor mat on top of an existing one.
The same section adds a few habits worth keeping:
- Use mats designed for your vehicle and attach them with the floor mat fasteners.
- Put nothing under the mat, since an object underneath can shift its position.
- Keep the driver's mat on the driver's side and the passenger mat on the passenger side.
- Check the pedals with the engine off after installing a mat: with the truck parked, press the accelerator and the brake all the way down and make sure the mat touches neither. If your truck has adjustable pedals, check with the pedals set where you drive, and on a 2019 or 2020 Ram 1500 with adjustable pedals, ask our service team to confirm the driver's all weather mat is the right one for your truck before you rely on it.
- After cleaning a mat with mild soap and water, check that it is secured again.
The classic winter mistake is dropping a rubber mat on top of the factory carpet mat. That is stacking, and it is exactly what the manual warns against. Mopar publishes the 2027 Ram 1500 owner's manual in a US and Canada edition on its owner site, so look up floor mat safety in the manual for your own truck as well.
What a Winter of Salt Water Does to Carpet and the Floor
Salt water that gets past a mat soaks into the carpet and the padding underneath. Carpet dries from the top, so the surface can feel dry while the padding below stays damp against the floor. When it finally dries, the salt stays behind as white rings that reappear whenever the carpet gets wet again.
A wet floor also puts moisture into the cabin air, which can show up as fogged glass on a cold morning. And damp padding sitting against the floor through a long winter is not something you can see without pulling up the carpet.
A truck that ran on bare carpet for five Manitoba winters can show it plainly: salt rings that will not shampoo out, fibres worn through under the driver's heel, and a musty smell when the heater runs. A buyer looking at that truck notices. If you are thinking about trading, our trade in value tool gives you a number to start with.
Salt works on the underside of a truck too, which our post on rusted brake lines in Manitoba gets into. Inside, the fix is simple: empty the liners on mild days, vacuum out grit, and dry the carpet if it ever gets soaked.
Jeep and Dodge Durango Owners
The same rules apply to a Jeep or a Durango: a mat made for that vehicle, held by its fasteners, never stacked. Floors differ by model, so a Ram mat is not made for a Grand Cherokee and a Wrangler mat is not made for a Durango. Ask our parts team for your model and year.
Getting the Right Set Before the First Slush
Before you call or walk in, have three things ready:
- Model year, since fitments are listed by year range.
- Cab, Quad Cab or Crew Cab.
- Front row, bench or bucket seats with a console.
Then decide between a liner and a flat mat based on how your winter goes. If you are already booking a winter tire changeover with our service team, that visit is a good time to sort the mats as well. We are also a participating retailer in the MPI Winter Tire Program, so ask our team how Manitoba Public Insurance runs it. Our checklist on how to winterize your truck covers the rest of the fall jobs.
FAQs
What are the best floor mats for a Ram 1500 in winter?
For a Manitoba winter, a deep lipped all weather liner cut for your cab and front row and held by the truck's floor mat fasteners. A flat rubber mat works if you empty it often. Ask our parts team for your model.
Can I put a rubber mat on top of the carpet mat?
No. Ram's owner's manual for the 2022 Ram 2500 and 3500 says to remove the existing mat before installing another and never to stack one on top, because a stacked mat may interfere with the pedals. Check the floor mat section of your own manual too.
Do Crew Cab and Quad Cab Ram 1500 mats interchange?
No. Mopar lists separate all weather mat sets for the Ram 1500 Crew Cab and Quad Cab, and the Crew Cab's longer rear floor needs a different rear mat. Give our parts counter your cab and model year.
Does Dunn Ram Trucks have all weather floor mats in stock?
Generally, yes. Our parts counter generally keeps all weather floor mats in stock, with no guarantee for a given model, so ask for your model when you call.
What does salt water do to truck carpet?
It soaks into the carpet and the padding, leaves white salt rings as it dries, and can keep the floor underneath damp for a long time after the snow is gone.
Can I get floor mats for a Jeep or a Dodge Durango?
Mats are made for each model, so ask our parts team for your Jeep or Durango by model and year.
The Bottom Line
Slush season on the prairies is long, and the floor of your truck takes it all. Pick a mat for your exact year, cab and front row, lean toward a deep lipped liner if you are in and out of the truck all winter, hook it onto the fasteners, and never lay it on top of another mat. Then call or stop by the Ram parts counter in Portage la Prairie and ask for your model before the first November slush. Shopping for a truck to go with them? Check what your current vehicle is worth, and when you are ready, apply for financing online.
Tyler Dunn, Dunn Ram Trucks, Portage la Prairie
