I just bought a new F350 and am trying to make the ride a little better, so I have a couple questions. I live in Louisiana, so the roads are rough. I have noticed the truck likes to hop quite a bit. I'm running stock suspension and 20" tires, for now.

What tire pressures do y'all recommend for highway driving without a load?

What shocks do you recommend for the truck? I'm not a Rancho fan. I ran Bilstein 5100's on my f150 and loved them.....

 

I would suggest what is on the door cert for unloaded driving.


You could put a few hundred pounds in the bed as well to help.


these trucks will ride stiff unloaded but when loaded they handle really well.


Lots of folks like he Bilsteins.


Personnally if your shocks are in good shape then that is a waste of money.

 

When running empty with my 2014 XL Reg Cab, I recently went down 10 lbs per wheel 65 front, 70 rear in my 17" wheels. I feel the ride is much improved when unladen and will add the 10 psi when I get loaded.


The tire pressure monitor did not trip either.

 

The SD runs stiff, but you also have 2 negatives to add to that ride. The first is the Rancho FX4 shocks. They are pretty much junk new!! The second issue is the 20" wheels. Less rubber between the truck and the road.

IMHO...run the front tires with the recommended psi. However, the rear can drop 5 or 10 psi unloaded.

I recommend replacing the stock OEM shocks at your earliest convenience. The 5100 series is a GREAT replacement.


biz

 

I basically have the same truck, same 17" wheels, and I run the same pressures.


I have the A/S grapplers. The door sais 65 front, 80 rear. So I won't go any lower than 65 on any tire, but I have my rear at 70, which is noticeably different from 80. In the snow this year, I may drop the rears down to 65 too, but never below that.


When I brought it in for service, the guys inflated the rear tires back up to 80psi, and then I had to go home to deflate and gauge em' again.. Hate agitating the tire valve more than I have to. They are so delicate. Next time, I hope I rem to tell them to leave it.

 

chalk test it.

 

Thanks for the replies, I'm going to take a closer look at the tire pressures this weekend and drop the rear pressure to 70 psi and see if that helps the ride. If that doesn't help, I will chalk test the tires.

I added a bed cap to the truck, but it weighs only about 250lbs. I figured that may help the ride a little, but it didn't help much.

 

yes chalk test is the best way to determine proper pressure.

I run my 17" 2012 250 at 68psi all the way around unloaded.
BFG all terrains
I would go a little lower but 68 is good for not setting off the tire alarm during low temperatures.

You are ahead of most people understanding that more weight=more pressure

 

I have just learned to live with a little rougher ride. I just picked up a load of rock the other day, weighed 1800 pounds, and the truck smoothed out so much. It's a very comfortable ride loaded. I knew this would be the case before I bought it.

I have had around 700 pounds in block, and again, it smoothed the ride out nicely. I don't know what amount you need to start noticing it.

 

I run my new F350 at 65 psi on all four corners when unloaded and in daily driver mode. 80psi in rear empty is to much pressure.
the 80 psi door sticker is for max load.


Think about it, an empty truck has more tire load on the front tires and there only at 65psi


Run 65 on all and you will acutely get better tread life on the rears then at 80


with that being said if you haul any load put rears to 80

 

I spray the underside of my truck with tranny fluid/wd-40 mix for rust prevention. Added benefit is it lubes everything and my truck rides noticeably smoother after applying it. I think the leafs and bushings, etc are all installed dry on these trucks.

 

jds92570-
I am admittedly new to the truck world, but I have the 2015 F-350 Lariat Crew Cab with 20" wheels. You might check your front locking hubs. For some reason, when I got mine from the dealer, the front hubs were locked. I didn't notice this for the first 2500 miles, but when I set them to auto, the steering got smoother and the occasional grind/vibration in the front end that occurred during tight turns disappeared. I think the front diff was either slightly binding or causing the ABS to engage, causing that occasional effect. In any event, I drive the truck daily, unloaded, and with factory tire pressure settings (65/80 PSI if I recall). It wanders a bit more than my car, but hey... It's a 1-ton pickup.
-W

 

My 15 F250 came with nitrogen in the tires not air. I like that idea but most places don't have that. I wouldn't mix the two just because. The ride is stiff but I added airbags and it made the ride way better. The bags make a direct connection to the frame and axle. The bags do a nice job of cushioning the ride. When I load the truck it makes the ride even better. No more droopy butt.

 

The door tag on my F250 with 20 inch wheels calls for 65psi. I'm running 62. The slightly lower pressure helped with the hop. BTW air is almost 80% nitrogen.

 

My 2011 F250 6.7 Lariat crew cab with the stock 18 wheels calls for 60 in the front and 70 in the rear rides real nice, firm but plush, the wife calls it our "red neck Cadillac".
I made the point in finding one without the $3K optional 20 inch lower profile tires and wheels knowing that they have a harder ride and cost a lot more when it comes time to buy new tires.