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scfreeman66

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
My only complaint since owning my truck for 3yrs is the ride. It's rough.
I am currently running 275/70/18 BFGoodrich AT K02' s but honestly it doesn't affect it much as I have a set of stock wheels and tires that I swap over frequently.
I have driven many other F150s and mine has the most harsh ride.
I added Bilstein rear shocks last fall with little to no improvement. I have been thinking about doing the fronts just to try to mellow it out a little bit.
Is there anything besides that to try?

It's bad, any little bump or divit in the road has the whole interior rattling and the truck violently shaking for a second. My previous truck was a 2nd gen Ram 2500, straight front axle and it ride very similar to the F150 just for comparison.

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#3 ·
IMO....you need to put Bilsteins on the front as well.
I have stock 275/65/18 E Geolanders on `14 4x4 OffRoad & Payload Package truck with Bilsteins all around....my ride is firm and smooth.
Not at all uncomfortable.
I also run 45psi cold all the time.
Rides great.
Replace your front shocks to equalize and distribute the trucks weight.

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#4 ·
I have all stock suspension and LT275/70-18 E rated 48 psi and my ride is fine. A tad more harsh than P275/65-18 with 35 psi, but I think not bad because the 70 series are taller and that helps the ride.
 
#5 ·
I'm running 35" Geolandar X-AT's on 17" fuel wheels with a 3" spacer lift on the stock struts and my ride is not that much worse than when I was running stock with no lift. Sounds like you might have something broken. Might as well replace the fronts like you planned.
 
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#6 ·
scfreeman66 said:
My only complaint since owning my truck for 3yrs is the ride. It's rough.
I am currently running 275/70/18 BFGoodrich AT K02' s but honestly it doesn't affect it much as I have a set of stock wheels and tires that I swap over frequently.
I have driven many other F150s and mine has the most harsh ride.
I added Bilstein rear shocks last fall with little to no improvement. I have been thinking about doing the fronts just to try to mellow it out a little bit.
Is there anything besides that to try?

It's bad, any little bump or divit in the road has the whole interior rattling and the truck violently shaking for a second. My previous truck was a 2nd gen Ram 2500, straight front axle and it ride very similar to the F150 just for comparison.

Sent from my moto g(7) optimo maxx(XT1955DL) using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
I have a 2013 FX4 with 60k. Bilstein 5100 in the front only which level the truck. 295/70/18 Falken Wildpeak A/T tires. My truck shakes violently also lol. Usually just when i hit bumps at high speed. Smooth ride otherwise. Ive never tuned for my tires but im only getting 12.5 mpg also. Love the truck but.....not much else to compare it to so Im not sure if other trucks ride smoother.....

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#9 ·
Mine can be adjusted from moderately soft to rather firm. But the entire range of damping adjustment still falls within the description of "composed". Nothing harsh about it. Albeit, pretty expensive bits.

Her truck is the less expensive example, Bilstein 5100 front and rear, and it too rides firmer than oem, considerably, but again very composed. Probably the biggest difference I experience when jumping from mine to hers is a vagueness to the feedback, comparatively. But the value equation on the Bilsteins is fantastic. That's an amazing transformation for the dollar$ spent.

OEM shocks on an empty truck, especially the rear, don't do a very good job of composing the truck. (in my opinion) Brand new, they do OK at the front. But they seem to get a little sloppy before the bumper to bumper coverage is up.

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#11 ·
Any E rated tire on these light trucks will transfer bumps and vibes straight into the cabin.

It's you're tires brother. I promise. It's not the shocks.

I have 33" Nitto Ridge Grapplers, load range E, on my truck. Purchased them after owning a set of 315/70/R17 K02s, load range C (raptor tires). The Nittos were recommended by a friend. That friend drives a 2017 F250.

I also have KING shocks all the way around. With the load range C, K02s it rode like a damn cadillac. Even off road. It was impressive actually. Ever since the switch to the Nittos I believe I have converted into a mexican jumping bean. LOL Seriously, they're very hard tires. The cabin shakes over every little bump. Annoying. Very annoying. I also run my Nittos at a pretty low pressure. Gas mileage suffers due to this. Run em at 35psi in the front and 30 in the rear. I dont tow though... Like ever...

To make things worse, the Nittos are marketed as MT/AT hybrid tires, so you'd assume they would perform better than a straight AT tire (K02) offroad... Nope... They definitely do not... My K02s had better traction in almost every single condition.

The Ridge Grapplers I see being good for like F250s and other larger, straight axle trucks for rock crawling or somethin. They aren't HORRIBLE but they certainly aren't comfortable for such a light truck.

Once these tires are done, I will never purchase load range E tires for this LT ever again! Back to the ol K02s for me.

Also, options are very limited for load range C tires in the 17" wheel size. Found that out the hard way too... lol
 
#13 ·
Your tolerance for a rough ride is probably higher than mine. That kind of pressure on load range E's on these trucks would rattle every panel loose in a matter of months. lol

My Ridge Grapplers came pumped up to 42psi when I had them delivered. I ran them like that for all of 2 days before I started adjusting them.
 
#17 ·
Load E
KO2's

Rides awesome. On and Off road. Empty, At about 38-40lbs cold. Not Buick smooth. But very nice for a truck.
Image


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#20 · (Edited)
snakebitten said:
Load E
KO2's

Rides awesome. On and Off road. Empty, At about 38-40lbs cold. Not Buick smooth. But very nice for a truck.
Image


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Click to expand...

But see its that whole, "rides nice, for a truck." Part that always gets me. It's always open to each persons personal opinion on what they percieve as ride quality.

I guarantee you my truck with the King shocks and the 315/70/R17 load range C K02s would make your truck feel like it was riding on solid wagon wheels compared to my setup.

Load Range E tires will ALWAYS take a toll on ride quality with these trucks. Even the E1 K02s that you have. Though they are a bit softer than E2s. But not by much.

Another thing to note with load range E tires. They will work your shocks more than stock tires or load range C tires. If you are running load range E tires, expect your shocks to wear out quicker.

Many people don't realize that the first component in your suspension system is actually your tires. Your tires are also dampeners. Softer tires, like load range C and P, offer the best ride quality because the sidewalls are softer and provide more dampening ability. With load range D, E1, E2 and up the stiffer sidewalls don't provide much for dampening. They are stiffer for a reason.

This inherently reduces ride quality unfortunately.
 
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