What is the softest shocks they make

[blackk5350]

i went camping last weekend, and about had my teeth fall out because it felt like i was riding a dump truck down the trail. I was on a very very mild trail for about 2 miles with little ruts and gravel. I was prob going about 10mph and was being thrown out of my seat. SOOO i beleive the first step is to replace my shocks with some softer ones.(due anyways)
dont know what lift springs(no name)soon to be EZ rides

im taking off my sway bar soon and cutting my fenders but the ride was just terrible so im replacing the shocks first what do you guys recomend for the softest ride shocks for a 6" lift?

 

[NorCal_Chris]

softer shocks arent neccesarily going to make your ride any softer. Its most likely your springs that are really stuff.

What is your price range for shocks?

Bilstein 5100's to 4" Triple Bypass shocks lol

 

[90'K5]

Shocks do not affect ride firmness, they only help with dampening bouncy springs. The leaf springs control how firm/soft your ride is. Also, did you air down your tires any? A tire with too much air will make any suspension feel like a dump truck.

 

[eagle mark]

I think these guys are right. Springs are usually the culprit to a stiff ride. That said the bushings are another culprit. If the spring can't move well it's stiff. Using poly bushing instead of rubber move more and greasable are even better. Removing the front sway bar makes and incredable softer ride off road.

I have used a lot of shocks and Skyjacker soft rides really are while still handleing great. And they are cheap considering some options.

 

[Stomis]

Whats your shackle angle like?

 

[miniwally]

Shocks do not affect ride firmness, they only help with dampening bouncy springs. The leaf springs control how firm/soft your ride is. Also, did you air down your tires any? A tire with too much air will make any suspension feel like a dump truck.

Not 100% true.

Vehicle ride quality is a touchy thing. Everyone has their own idea as what is acceptable. Also as you get more into suspension design and how things work you get different ride qualities with changes in speed.

There is no way that you can take a "dump truck" and make it ride like a Cadillac, However you can take a Cadillac and make it ride a lot like a dump truck, with just shocks.

I recomend going to a high quality re buildable/tunable shock, I like King shocks myself. But Bilstien and swayaway also make a nice tunable shock.

You can make any of these shocks as soft or hard as you want, just take them apart and change the valving. There are a few guys on here that have taken the time to put a good shock, mounted correctly on their vehicle and have been really happy with the results. Mrk5 comes to mind off the top of my head.

This is an area where money and time spent will show. Cheap shocks will net a cheap ride. Money spent on quality shocks and tuning will result in a quality ride.

 

[ryoken]

i went camping last weekend, and about had my teeth fall out because it felt like i was riding a dump truck down the trail. I was on a very very mild trail for about 2 miles with little ruts and gravel. I was prob going about 10mph and was being thrown out of my seat. SOOO i beleive the first step is to replace my shocks with some softer ones.(due anyways)
dont know what lift springs(no name)soon to be EZ rides

im taking off my sway bar soon and cutting my fenders but the ride was just terrible so im replacing the shocks first what do you guys recomend for the softest ride shocks for a 6" lift?

change your springs first... ya probably got some RC's or Superlift's in there with a 4 million pound springrate....

 

[blackk5350]

another thing if i get on the ball hitch and bounce up and down(190lbs of pure muscle) the truck barely moves up and down.

 

[Stomis]

I wouldnt replace your springs until you fix your shackle angle. Most every truck has a terrible shackle angle stock and the lift springs just make it worse.

 

[badmix]

I have some rough country 2" springs, Bilstein 5150 shocks, ORD HD shackles and their greaseable shackle bolts. My truck rides very nice. not harsh at all, I can sail over speedbumps. It might be a tad too soft for serious off roading as Ive stuffed the rear tires pretty easy into the wheel well.

 

[shovelbill80]

pull out a leaf and see if it makes a difference......many years ago i had some Rancho horrible leaves and it road like a stage coach. took some trial and error, but i finally got them rebuilt with help from a local spring shop and it road pretty good. between that Blazer, my tow truck and rigid Harleys i've had sciatica in both legs since '86. i think i'd rather have 4" springs and a 2" block than 6" springs out back......one of these shackle flip setups would be better yet.............fwiw