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Ride/Feel Improvement

dhcomp

dhcomp

1 ton status
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Joined
Mar 17, 2001
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Location
Truckee, CA
So,

My truck gets a ton a road miles put on it. I like it to ride firm, but am tired of getting coffee shaken out of my cup :haha:

So, i doubt these really rode THIS bad when new.

What's next to improve the ride? Shocks are good, tires are balanced, Ball Joints are good. Thinking either spring bushings, or body mounts.

Any input? Not looking to make it ride like a caddy, just want to smooth it out a bit, and get rid of some of the constant vibes.
 
Have you checked the motor/tranny mounts? Maybe they are squishy and causing your said grief. That being said I know poly bushings like motor/tranny/body/springs will transmit more vibes than factory rubber ones.
 
I haven't ever changed motor mounts. Trans mounts are ok, but replacing them all would probably help.

Never though of that.

How hard are the motor mounts to change with headers on there?
 
They suck no matter what. I like the headers though because I use them to pry up the motor cuz them mounts never ever never ever never line up for me personally.
 
What kind of "problem" are you experiencing?

If it's a jarring ride when hitting potholes, speed bumps, etc., check that the front leafs aren't hitting the bumpstops. If it's a jarring/solid feeling when you hit bumps, it may be. Very easy to check, see if the U-bolt plates are shiny right below the center bumpstops.

If the springs aren't hitting the bumpstops constantly, if you can air your tires down that may help too. Offroad the ride difference between 40 and 20 PSI is huge, onroad a 5-10PSI difference might be noticeable, if doable?

I fixed my front springs bottoming out, and the thing rides like a Cadillac on the freeway now, no change in shocks or tire pressure. The problem is really the springs themselves I'm sure, but I don't want to buy new springs quite yet, so just cut down some stock bmpstops I had.

I also removed the "pinion snubber" for the front diff, but the thing rode terribly even without it, so again, unless it's hitting under slight suspension compression, not likely to affect ride. I assume that if the spring bumpstops are hitting, the pinion snubber (if that's what it is) is likely hitting too.
 
Neither are hitting on mine.

I'd definitely consider new springs for mine, if i end up going the spring bushing route.

Its just a constant jarring. My center console shakes just going down a smooth road.
 
I think bottoming out front springs are my new criteria for worn/not worn. :)

Make sure all your spring and shock mounts are solid. I've seen more than a few egged-out suspension mounting bolts, and they then tend to slide and "slam" into the existing metal. Shot bushings will do this too, but I'm not certain worn (not so bad they aren't working at all) bushings would affect ride in a major way.

I've got poly body bushings on mine, while body bushings MIGHT affect ride quality, after my experience with lower pressure in the tires and non-bottoming out springs, I don't see how they could make much difference. Completely arbitray figures, but the leaf spring fix took away the teeth rattling problem, while the lower air pressure accounted for at LEAST a 50% better ride. It is hard to believe how much of a difference it makes on the same road, but I did it multiple times and the result was the same every time.

I've also noticed a MAJOR difference in the sidewall plys of tires. My BFG are 8 ply while still a load range of C, which seems quite high, while I've seen other heavier duty tires with less. I'm guessing everything else the same, higher ply sidewall would/could equal a stiffer ride, based on construction.
 
Shock bushings are in good shape.

I'm running 33x12.50 16.5 BFG AT's, Load Range D.

Front are about 30-35psi. Lots of miles get put on these, so i base pressure more off of tire wear than ride quality.
 
Maybe someone here will chime in on the sidewall ply vs. ride. I don't know if there is any concrete correlation.

You've got a 3/4 ton I see now, isn't 60PSI recommended for those things, or is 35 normal?

I don't put many miles on mine, so I run the tires at 40 freeway and 15-20 offroad. They'll dry rot before they wear out.
 
A nice set of shocks can make a big difference.

On my 91 3/4 4x burb I run 45 in 235/85-16, and it actually rides pretty nice.
 
Some bilstein 5100s would most likely be the best bang for your buck. You say shocks are good, but are they good shocks? Shady has the alcan springs on his burb and 5100s and said washboard dirt roads he used to have to creep down to not jar his teeth out, he can now cruise down like a nice road.... Yah $7X at all 4 corners is a bit pricey. But it will most likely be the best thing you can do. Not sure what your "make it ride better" price range is, but imo get the best shocks you can afford. If you can go a little more, the 5150s ($9X) are remote resi 5100s and will be even better.
 
dyeager535 said:
You've got a 3/4 ton I see now, isn't 60PSI recommended for those things, or is 35 normal?
Click to expand...


At max load, something like that is recommended. Know what these trucks ride like wiht tire PSI in teh 50-60 psi range? :eek1::haha:

I've got a decent shock on there. Rancho adjustable ones. I keep them set pretty firm to help with body roll, but even set soft, it is just a jarring ride.
 
From what I could tell when I was trying to influence my ride quality, shocks aren't working much in compression. I don't see how a jarring feeling is coming from anything OTHER than what is happening on compression/when the suspension stops.

You could certainly try cranking them as low as they will go, but I don't believe the adjustment alters the shocks operation in compression.

I assume you didn't get shocks that are bottoming out either...
 
Nope, shocks are the right length.

Overall, my suspension feels/works good. I guess im just trying to reduce the overall road vibrations, etc. that i'm getting.
 
do your tires need balanced? Your lack of description of the problem is making it difficult to understand.:dunno:
 
black dawg said:
do your tires need balanced? Your lack of description of the problem is making it difficult to understand.:dunno:
Click to expand...


Yep, tires are balanced, and brand new, as noted in original post.


Having a hard time describing the issue, it isn't related to the firm ride when bumps are hit, etc, i'm ok with that.

It is the general harshness of the ride, even on smooth surfaces.
 
Do you have something tp compare to? My blazer isnt a caddy,but i think it drives quite nicely down the road.. But im comparing that to other old trucks. Is it rough compared to leaf sprung rigs, ifs rig, a caddy, a Sherman Tank? :dunno::whistle:
 
speed have any effect, temperature, road surface?

I have noticed that all the burbs I have ever had get more noisy and feel more vibrations as the temp gets cooler during the winter. I have blamed this on all the old rubber mounts. (body, engine, trans) I am sure the spring bushings are probably stiffer when cold also.
 
I don't mean to be so vague on this item.

I don't have a lot of basis for this analysis, but overall, my rig rides/drives well.

Just trying to do what i can to remove some of the harshness. Anyone notice improvement from new body mount bushings, or motor mounts, or leaf spring bushings?

Just trying to get this thing back to how it rode rolling off the showroom floor.
 
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