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K5 Road Handling

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PaulZ

1/2 ton status
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I use my Blazer to get to my cabin, 20 miles of paved road and 4wd to get to the cabin. Also to pick up materials. Drive it several time a week. I'm retired so I'm not in a hurry, but I'm no slowpoke either, Frequently these days, the way new cars handle and perform, I often have someone running up my tailpipe. I can go faster than feels comfortable but it's really not well, comfortable, plus I frequently have something rattling around the back, or a dog.

So I'm wondering, do you feel K5s (or 10s or 20s for that matter) are compatible with modern road traffic? Can be made better? Mine is stock suspension and height, with admittedly old 33x12.5 BFGs (with still good tread) on stock rims. I did remove one leaf from the rear springs since I don't use a top. Fairly new shocks. Yeah, it's a solid axle 4x4 but I also have a '97 Dodge 1 ton 4x4 dually with a dump bed and it actually feels better on the road. Is it the short wheelbase? Leaf springs front and rear?
 
Since I went to the Softopper mine handles great. I have some pretty curvy hills going to and from work and I'm passing traffic around the curves. I'm on 35s now but no sway bars of any kind.
I have to admit though that when I think about turning it over going around a curve I have images of Steve Prefontaine flashing through my head.
 
I think well maintained they are.

I know my steering sucks. Steering box is the main culprit in my case. Doesn't really make it fun to drive on the highway due to it driving like a boat.

If the steering is good, and the front suspension isn't bottoming out, it should ride fine. I know my BFG AT KO's rode fairly stiff FWIW. Not much experience on the highway with the KO2's yet. Offroad, no question, airing them way down makes a huge difference. Easily rides as good as an IFS rig.
 
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I think you may want to inspect the front axle components, bj tie rods drag link, frame at steering box. Caster setting. If it feeling squirrelly at high speeds. Bfg have 3 belt sidewalls are a little firmer than others.
I bet with a little more caster it will feel more stable.
 
You don't have the tires filled to the pressure on the sidewall do you? How far are your bumpstops from the springs when it's parked? Are you complaining of a rough ride or squishy handling?
 
I feel like my k5 is decent. Good brakes, good manors etc but then I get in my 15 dmax and think “I have a lot of work todo on the blazer”.
 
They aren't the same as a modern truck. But with maintenance kept up and no worn out parts, good shocks they can run with the new stuff.
 
Crossover steering helped mine too, I have box braces, new box, xj shaft, basically everything to improve/tighten the steering, it drives great.

Dad's suburban is different, it's worn, but not terrible, but can tell it would benefit from the same treatment as the Jimmy
 
Wes Harden said:
Caster setting. If it feeling squirrelly at high speeds.
Click to expand...

^^^This^^^

I totally reworked the front axle (ball joints, all tie rods and drag links, conversion to free wheel kit) on my '07 Dodge ram 3500 dually after death wobble showed up one day...

I also put a leveling kit on it about two years prior.

After all the work was complete, the truck steered worse than before all the work was done.. The only thing I could figure was the caster was thrown off by the leveling kit.
I had the front end aligned, and they told me yes the caster was way out. After that it drove great.
The truck would wander all over at highway speeds, and the steering was very twitchy at center, constantly drifting from side to side in the lane, leading to constant correction input.
 
It's the other drivers in newer cars fault your being tailgated--not your trucks...in my opinion..

I get the same BS everywhere I go,even if I go 5-10 mph over the speed limit in my '82 K2500...people are just jerks,impatient a-holes,in their new yuppie mobiles that feel like they aren't even moving at 40+ mph on side streets...

My truck's front springs are sagged ,they are only 2 leaf stock ones,and the bump stops nearly touch with no weight or the plow on the truck now..

I am betting the caster is way negative as a result,but it still steers and handles decent for a truck that age..

I need to do something about the springs--the drivers side bump stop bracket has lost some meat due to rust,and its started to get bent upward from the spring bottoming out on it on rough roads..

I am probably going to have to gusset up the bracket or fab up a new one from some 1/4" steel angle iron..
 
Same here driving the dually.... impatient fawkers can't stand to be riding behind my fat assed truck while I row through the six speed at every light. You should see what these a-holes do just to get around me while in traffic...it's not like anyone is going anywhere faster than the rest of us sitting in traffic...:dunno:
 
When driving the burb, not towing, I could give a rats @$$ about peps behind me. I am always going faster than speed limit and never hang out in the Hammer lane.
 
PaulZ said:
I use my Blazer to get to my cabin, 20 miles of paved road and 4wd to get to the cabin. Also to pick up materials. Drive it several time a week. I'm retired so I'm not in a hurry, but I'm no slowpoke either, Frequently these days, the way new cars handle and perform, I often have someone running up my tailpipe. I can go faster than feels comfortable but it's really not well, comfortable, plus I frequently have something rattling around the back, or a dog.

So I'm wondering, do you feel K5s (or 10s or 20s for that matter) are compatible with modern road traffic? Can be made better? Mine is stock suspension and height, with admittedly old 33x12.5 BFGs (with still good tread) on stock rims. I did remove one leaf from the rear springs since I don't use a top. Fairly new shocks. Yeah, it's a solid axle 4x4 but I also have a '97 Dodge 1 ton 4x4 dually with a dump bed and it actually feels better on the road. Is it the short wheelbase? Leaf springs front and rear?
Click to expand...

Worn components (bushings, steering ends, etc) and the softer springs. For the closest modern vehicle comparison watch the 4 door Jeeps.

Biggest issue for me is top speed. The k5 is happy at 65mph with it's 3.08 gears/33"s/th400 but the crew cab is maxed at 60mph with 4.10's/32"s/th400. I'm just gear bound.
 
You should see the people behind me when I am driving my 1952 Dodge Coronet with a 110hp inline 6 and semi-automatic transmission. It does 0-60 in 23 seconds. No joke. But I'm not afraid to drive it 75mph
 
You'd probably beat my 6.2 powered '82 K2500's 0 to 60 times-- that weighs 3 tons,it takes it's sweet time accelerating up to 65 mph on a highway--especially if the on ramp has an uphill grade to it..

You take your life in your hands taking it on the interstates,merging on the highway from an on ramp gets my knuckles ghostly white--more often than not a semi comes flying up behind me and just about pushes me!......once it gets up to speed though,it'll cruise at 65+ mph,but anything over 65 mph gets pretty scary...especially if some jerk ahead of you decides to make a sudden panic stop ,they have 4 wheel disc brakes,my truck's brakes are in OK condition but suck at stopping it from speeds that high..
 
My 89 is only moderately built. Skyjacker 2 1/2" soft ride, Bilsteins, 3.73, bfg at 33's on stock rallys, ez inch rear, box brace (got it when they first came out), all front end parts are tight, urethane bushings.

I have no problem at 75mph on highway. I get where I'm going to, but stay out of the way for the most part. Truckers are at work. I mostly travel country roads and gravel roads to go anywhere. I regularly travel "Scenic Hwy 7" to Hot Springs which is 60 miles of 2 lane no passing zone. Lots of bikes, fast cars, etc. My square hangs like a hair in a biscuit, albeit at a moderate pace. If someone insists on riding my ass because I'm not as zippy, I can always slow down. If they don't like this speed, they're gonna hate the next one.
 
Thanks for all the replies. My tires are K0s at 30psi, about right? Again they are old, old, slight cracking in between the tread. But they still have probably a years worth of meat left on them and I hate to ditch them. I did the ball joints, tie rods etc. not that long ago, it doesn't have any bad manners, will go down the highway straight at any speed and no bottoming out. I guess what makes me not want to go faster is the harsh ride. New tires would probably help..
 
K5Jimmy said:
If someone insists on riding my ass because I'm not as zippy, I can always slow down. If they don't like this speed, they're gonna hate the next one.
Click to expand...

I know it probably isn't the best idea, but I love doing this. Especially if I'm in the right lane. I shouldn't enjoy it as much as I do, but damn it's fun.
 
PaulZ said:
Thanks for all the replies. My tires are K0s at 30psi, about right? Again they are old, old, slight cracking in between the tread. But they still have probably a years worth of meat left on them and I hate to ditch them. I did the ball joints, tie rods etc. not that long ago, it doesn't have any bad manners, will go down the highway straight at any speed and no bottoming out. I guess what makes me not want to go faster is the harsh ride. New tires would probably help..
Click to expand...

Yea short wheelbase rigs and stiffer leaf springs make for a rough ride haha. There's a railroad crossing near my place that in the k5 going 20-25mph is a bucking bronco, stock springs in good shape. The same crossing in the crew cab was bottoming out the front with the worn springs. Now that it has a set of 56" rear springs up front, smooth ride, and the truck doesn't even have shocks hahaha.
 
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