im pretty ignorant when it comes to different lifts and lift kits. i bought this 82 from the previous owner lifted as is. however, the suspension is really stiff and bouncy. ive got friends with lifted trucks; none of which ride as harsh, rough or bouncy as mine. i would like to know why. what kind of lift do i most likely have? i would love to bring the truck down to its regular height and fix this bouncy, rough ride?. is this a possibility or a pain in the neck?
its pretty ridiculous when i have to slow down to less than 5 miles per hour over speed bumps because i dont want bounce my fat ass out of the cab.
all/any advice is welcome
thanks,
manuk

 

get some softer more flexy springs, the stiff springs cause that bouceyness, but to soft and it will bounce to much, there is a sweet spot in the middle

and it isnt that hard to switch it is just the leaf springs

 

Do your friends have Soild Front Axles? Mine rides like really rough and it has stock springs.

 

what kind of shocks?? or do you have shocks?

 

weston: no my friends trucks are ifs. is this just a straight axle thing?

boggers: i do have shocks but only in the front, and honestly i dont think theyre doing a damn thing!

so my question then; would i have to go around and change all the leafs to either smoothen the ride and/or bring it back down to stock height? like i said im pretty ignorant when it comes to suspension and lifts. (note: by "pretty ignorant" i mean ABSOLUTLY CLUELESS).

 

It is most likely just the SFA. There is a world of differance. I thought something was wrong with mine when I first got it. I took it in and the shop said everything was fine and thet they just rode like a tank. Springs could help. As would some rear shocks.

 

Spend some time checking out how your suspension works and if anything is binding up. Rear shocks will help, maybe the front shocks are too short or too long or worn out or not damping well:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/Ramp.shtml
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/4R_suspension.shtml#PhaseII

 

shocks = word of difference.

You wonder why it's bouncy.

Shocks will fix this. Do you really want it lower or just not ride like ?

 

well boggers, i would like to do both (lower and smooth out the ride) but to be honest ill probably end up doing whatevers more cost efficient. im just under the impression that my lift is the reason for the rough ride. also if i did replace the shocks how would i know what kind of shocks to buy?

 

For the shocks, check yours for proper length (i.e. do they limit up or down travel). If OK, get something that same size, or adjust the length as needed. As far as ride, see if your current shocks are too stiff or too soft. Either can lead to a bouncy ride. To stiff a shock can make the ride harsh over bumps as the shock won't compress easily. Too soft a shock may not damp out the bounciness of the stiff springs. In eitehr case, maybe try a shock with more of a middle range of stiffness. I run Rancho 9000 adjustable shocks and can dial in the shock damping as needed.

 

When the stock ride height is increased with lift springs, it roughens the ride alot. Stock springs ride better, or custom spring packs setup properly for ride quality will help. Lots of toy owners modify the rear for using longer chevy springs---longer leaves means better travel and ride quality. Some also swear by moving the rear springs up front for better ride. haven't done it myself though. Rancho makes the RS9000 adjustable shock, soemthing you might want to look at. Another suggestion would be check out www.gearinstalls.com --bottom corner of the page theres a link where they add coils onto tired old leaves, and claim huge improvements in ride quality. really only works on tires old flat leaves i think. Are your leaves flat? It could be a cheap fix.

 

Cheapest way to get a better ride? check your tire pressure. If its pretty high say 35-40psi drop it down a few psi. I remember one day out with my buddy in his 91 Toyota we were on gravel roads for a few hours and I was wondering why it rode so stiff so I checked his tire pressure, had 40+ psi, dropped it to 32 and it made a HUGE difference in ride quality. Another cheap way to help get it riding smoother is to pull the suspension apart and grease all the bushings, its not too hard of a job and you will feel a difference. All that and a new set of shocks will make a huge difference.

My Truck rides pretty rough aswell, its the cheap lift springs and shocks, But I swapped my stock tires back on after driving on my 33" Bias ply Swampers (had them at 25psi) for the past month and a bit and it rides way nicer.

More expensive things to do would be aftermarket leaf springs and a high quality set of shocks(Bilstein, Rancho etc..)

 

Forgot about the tire pressure. First thing to check for ride. You could problably get away with as low as 25 psi front and 20 rear with no wieght in the truck. They are so light you can get away with lower pressure, and it does make a huge difference in ride. Way cheaper to try this before doing anything else.

 

wow, i had no idea i can go that low in tire pressure. alright guys appreciate the help. ill see how much of a difference that makes.

 

Like some have already mentioned, its probably lack of rear shocks. I put new longer shackles on my 4 runner and drove it around the block without the rear shocks and it was the bounciest ride i've ever felt. Either way you need some shocks out back so I would take care of that first.