Notices
1999 - 2016 Super Duty 1999 to 2016 Ford F250, F350, F450 and F550 Super Duty with diesel V8 and gas V8 and V10 engines
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by: Real Truck

Rough ride

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Apr 12, 2019 | 03:21 PM
  #1  
Bigbadbronc's Avatar
Bigbadbronc
Thread Starter
|
Freshman User
Joined: Mar 2019
Posts: 46
Likes: 0
Rough ride

Hey guys, was wondering about the shocks that come on a 2016 CC FX4, the ranchos.Mine have 154,000 miles on them. First time I have ever owned a 250, the thing rides pretty stiff. I know shocks control rebound, and was wondering what everybody else has experienced with these shocks. Worn out? Will new shocks help the ride?
 
Reply
Old Apr 12, 2019 | 03:38 PM
  #2  
jav_eee's Avatar
jav_eee
Laughing Gas
5 Year Member
Photogenic
Liked
Loved
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 969
Likes: 30
If you're not loaded to capacity the first thing you can do to soften the ride is lower your air pressure.
 
Reply
Old Apr 12, 2019 | 07:59 PM
  #3  
dirthawg's Avatar
dirthawg
Posting Guru
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,902
Likes: 26
From: BA, OK
I agree with Jav_eee. There is a huge difference in ride quality between 65psi in the rear versus 55psi.

For example I had my truck loaded down with over a ton of mulch bags and the sidewalls looked a little flat, aired the tires up to 65 and all was good. Unloaded all that mulch and hooked up my trailer with 950 lbs of tongue weight and the ride was unbearable on expansion joints. Lowered the tire pressure back to 55 and the harshness calmed down. I always run 55 psi in the front. I have the 20" Toyo open country at2's. I also ditched the stock shocks at 10,000 miles and installed rancho 9000xl, didn't make much of a noticable difference IMO.
 
Reply
Old Apr 12, 2019 | 10:12 PM
  #4  
Bigbadbronc's Avatar
Bigbadbronc
Thread Starter
|
Freshman User
Joined: Mar 2019
Posts: 46
Likes: 0
Yes, have been playing with pressure, first at 75, then 70, now at 65. Will lower to 50-55 and see. Truck is a ‘16 gasser, crew cab FX4. Has 154,000 miles on it and have owned it for three weeks. Getting it ready for a trip from bham al to west palm beach, hook up our sons car, and tow it to New York. I have added a Retrax bed cover. It also came with a Hammerhead front bumper. Just trying to make it as comfortable as possible. The tires are Firestone Transforce A+2 on stock 17,s. The chatter after the initial bump is what is bugging me, mostly at low speeds. Wasn’t sure if a shock change to Bilsteins would help.
 
Reply
Old Apr 13, 2019 | 01:38 AM
  #5  
screamineagle31's Avatar
screamineagle31
Freshman User
Joined: Nov 2018
Posts: 40
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by Bigbadbronc
Yes, have been playing with pressure, first at 75, then 70, now at 65. Will lower to 50-55 and see. Truck is a ‘16 gasser, crew cab FX4. Has 154,000 miles on it and have owned it for three weeks. Getting it ready for a trip from bham al to west palm beach, hook up our sons car, and tow it to New York. I have added a Retrax bed cover. It also came with a Hammerhead front bumper. Just trying to make it as comfortable as possible. The tires are Firestone Transforce A+2 on stock 17,s. The chatter after the initial bump is what is bugging me, mostly at low speeds. Wasn’t sure if a shock change to Bilsteins would help.
I installed Billsteins on my 11 f250 gasser and it made little "if any" difference. Like mentioned above, lowering tire pressure makes a big difference.
 
Reply
Old Apr 13, 2019 | 01:00 PM
  #6  
jav_eee's Avatar
jav_eee
Laughing Gas
5 Year Member
Photogenic
Liked
Loved
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 969
Likes: 30
Originally Posted by screamineagle31
I installed Billsteins on my 11 f250 gasser and it made little "if any" difference. Like mentioned above, lowering tire pressure makes a big difference.
The problem with shocks like bilstein or fox is that they are gas-charged. For a softer ride, a set of regular hydraulic shocks will also help. In my last vehicle, a 2014 f150, I went with some zone off-road hydraulic shocks in the rear to mitigate that high-frequency bounce that would happen after driving over rough spots in the road. It had Fox 2.0 and air bags in the rear. After switching to the $35 zone hydraulic shocks it was almost completely gone. I feel like the airbags were contributing to the last bit of bounce that I could (barely) feel. I also live on a dirt road and did not experience any kind of wheel hop as I don't drive like I'm in a Baja race. If I was driving like that then I would definitely entertain the idea of bilsteins or similar gas-charged shocks.
 
Reply
Old Apr 13, 2019 | 03:39 PM
  #7  
Bigbadbronc's Avatar
Bigbadbronc
Thread Starter
|
Freshman User
Joined: Mar 2019
Posts: 46
Likes: 0
Great info, are the ranchos it came with gas or hydraulic?
 
Reply
Old Apr 13, 2019 | 07:08 PM
  #8  
'01V10's Avatar
'01V10
Tuned
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 267
Likes: 31
I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that the factory FX4 shocks are basically just rancho branded cheapos and I know I've read that a lot of people have had issues with them. Even if they were good quality shocks you'd be well past needing to replace them at 150K. It may not fix your rough ride, but I'd definitely put some replacements on your list of things to do.
 
Reply
FTE Stories

Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts

story-0

Top 10 Fords at 2026 Carlisle Ford Nationals

 Joe Kucinski
story-1

3 Best / 3 Worst Parts of Modern Ford Ownership

 Brett Foote
story-2

10 Amazing Upgrades That Solve Common Ford Truck Owner Headaches

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-3

Every 2026 Ford Engine Explained

 Brett Foote
story-4

10 Ugly Ford Trucks That We Still Kinda Love

 Joe Kucinski
story-5

10 Things Every Truck Owner NEEDS (2026 Edition)

 Michael S. Palmer
story-6

Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer

 Joe Kucinski
story-8

2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)

 Brett Foote
story-9

Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies

 Joe Kucinski
Old Apr 13, 2019 | 08:14 PM
  #9  
dirthawg's Avatar
dirthawg
Posting Guru
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,902
Likes: 26
From: BA, OK
Originally Posted by '01V10
I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that the factory FX4 shocks are basically just rancho branded cheapos and I know I've read that a lot of people have had issues with them. Even if they were good quality shocks you'd be well past needing to replace them at 150K. It may not fix your rough ride, but I'd definitely put some replacements on your list of things to do.
The factory FX4 shocks are not even Racho shocks they have FOMOCO stamped on them if I remember correctly. Only thing Rancho about them is the sticker on the side.
 
Reply
Old Apr 13, 2019 | 08:46 PM
  #10  
Bigbadbronc's Avatar
Bigbadbronc
Thread Starter
|
Freshman User
Joined: Mar 2019
Posts: 46
Likes: 0
This is great, I will be replacing them with some hydros, skyjackers May By?
 
Reply
Old Apr 14, 2019 | 03:46 AM
  #11  
RockDodger's Avatar
RockDodger
Freshman User
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 33
Likes: 0
From: Northeast Illinois
Originally Posted by Bigbadbronc
Hey guys, was wondering about the shocks that come on a 2016 CC FX4, the ranchos.Mine have 154,000 miles on them. First time I have ever owned a 250, the thing rides pretty stiff. I know shocks control rebound, and was wondering what everybody else has experienced with these shocks. Worn out? Will new shocks help the ride?
My 2016 F250 XL came with 17' wheels and the thing rides like a covered wagon on steroids. I have to keep no less than 70 lb of pressure in the tires or the stupid idiot low tire pressure light comes on in the dash. The only way to fix that would be to take the sensors out of the wheels, which I feel is more trouble than it's worth. If I have a load of as little as 200 lb, it's a vastly different ride. Likewise when I hook up my travel trailer, the ride is smooth. But empty, I can't talk for fear of biting my tongue off. Yeah, the ride is that rough! The combination of HD springs and the small wheels and tires make for the roughest ride. I am going to put 20" wheels on as soon as I get some moolah.
 
Reply
Old Apr 14, 2019 | 04:02 AM
  #12  
screamineagle31's Avatar
screamineagle31
Freshman User
Joined: Nov 2018
Posts: 40
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by RockDodger
My 2016 F250 XL came with 17' wheels and the thing rides like a covered wagon on steroids. I have to keep no less than 70 lb of pressure in the tires or the stupid idiot low tire pressure light comes on in the dash. The only way to fix that would be to take the sensors out of the wheels, which I feel is more trouble than it's worth. If I have a load of as little as 200 lb, it's a vastly different ride. Likewise when I hook up my travel trailer, the ride is smooth. But empty, I can't talk for fear of biting my tongue off. Yeah, the ride is that rough! The combination of HD springs and the small wheels and tires make for the roughest ride. I am going to put 20" wheels on as soon as I get some moolah.
Hmmmm. I'm thinking larger rims combined with less sidewall will make it worse. Please educate me!
 
Reply
Old Apr 14, 2019 | 07:48 AM
  #13  
RockDodger's Avatar
RockDodger
Freshman User
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 33
Likes: 0
From: Northeast Illinois
Like maybe Hankook DynaPro 275/60 R20. A radial with plenty of sidewall for a better ride. Goodyear also has an ATA tire with these demensions. Also my speedometer is off by 3 mph consistantly. A larger diameter tire will correct that situation.
 
Reply
Old Apr 14, 2019 | 08:15 AM
  #14  
'01V10's Avatar
'01V10
Tuned
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 267
Likes: 31
Originally Posted by screamineagle31
Hmmmm. I'm thinking larger rims combined with less sidewall will make it worse. Please educate me!
Nothing to educate you on. You're right. A tire's sidewall is far more flexible than aluminum.
 
Reply
Old Apr 14, 2019 | 08:16 AM
  #15  
dirthawg's Avatar
dirthawg
Posting Guru
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,902
Likes: 26
From: BA, OK
Originally Posted by RockDodger
The only way to fix that would be to take the sensors out of the wheels, which I feel is more trouble than it's worth.
ForScan can be used to change the TPMS low warning light pressure.

My truck was set to 50psi from the factory so I don't get any TPMS lights.

From what other users have stated the super duty speedo's are 3mph fast, however the mph the computer records is correct.
 
Reply



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 11:01 PM.

story-0
Top 10 Fords at 2026 Carlisle Ford Nationals

Slideshow: Top 10 Fords at 2026 Ford Nationals

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-09 11:10:08


VIEW MORE
story-1
3 Best / 3 Worst Parts of Modern Ford Ownership

Based on years of owning multiple modern Ford products.

By Brett Foote | 2026-06-09 10:53:36


VIEW MORE
story-2
10 Amazing Upgrades That Solve Common Ford Truck Owner Headaches

SPONSORED: From muddy boots to rain-soaked cargo, these upgrades address some of the most common frustrations Ford truck owners face every day.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-06-08 18:50:34


VIEW MORE
story-3
Every 2026 Ford Engine Explained

Here's everything you need to know about every Ford engine available for the 2026 model year.

By Brett Foote | 2026-06-05 12:58:01


VIEW MORE
story-4
10 Ugly Ford Trucks That We Still Kinda Love

Slideshow: 10 ugly Ford trucks that we still kinda love.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-03 09:51:16


VIEW MORE
story-5
10 Things Every Truck Owner NEEDS (2026 Edition)

Slideshow: the best gifts for dads & grads

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-06-03 15:43:58


VIEW MORE
story-6
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath

Slideshow: Called the Fortress, the 850-horsepower pickup combines Raptor underpinnings with military-inspired features, survival equipment, and a starting price of $285,000.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-06-03 11:38:36


VIEW MORE
story-7
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer

Slideshow: 10 most expensive Ford trucks ever sold on Bring a Trailer.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-27 16:24:34


VIEW MORE
story-8
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)

Here's everything that has changed for the latest model year.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-27 16:17:28


VIEW MORE
story-9
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies

Slideshow: Top 10 Ford truck tragedies.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-18 19:34:33


VIEW MORE