I just got back from a 1,000 mile road trip to SoCal for the holidays in my new truck. Truck ran great, no problems or complaints except for the ride quality. I didn't have any problems in AZ where all the roads are smooth asphalt, but when I got to SoCal and the patchy concrete freeways, all hell broke loose. From Palm Springs to LA it felt like I was in a Jeep with 44's. Very choppy and bouncy I don't know if it was because of too much shock or not enough. I have an 8inch superlift with the "superlift" made in mexico shocks it came with(1 per corner). Does anyone know which shocks work best with these springs?
thanks
also posted pics of the finished(for now) ride

 

lots of guys are swearing by bilstein 5100s and eldelbrock ias shocks..... they say the monotube design is better then the twin tube design.... so if you have the cash, you might want to try that.

also, a MUCH less expensive fix is to weight down the bed.... throw a couple hundred pounds on sand bags at the back of the bed and watch your ride get MUCH MUCH better.

 

Steve, what about tire inflation? I know my tires call for 80 PSI max, but 60 PSI when unloaded will give a much nicer ride. Tires with more air make a rougher ride, but less air will also decrease fuel economy....as will a couple hundred pounds of sand bags in the back. Just gotta decide for yourself on deals like that, I guess.........

 

SuperSteve,
I am VERY familiar with the I-10 b/t Palm Springs and L.A. I am a Palm Springs native then lived in L.A. for 27 years, so I did LOTS of back-and-forth to visit family, etc.

And no, it's not your truck. The freeways have been surfaced and re-surfaced, patched and replaced (earthquakes, HUGE amounts of daily traffic, etc) so many times that the road has an infinite number of ridges and ruts in it. No escaping it. It is NOT your truck. The ride quality of (my) stock truck is good, as noticed by my fiancee and her daughter. However, when we just did the L.A. to Palm Springs trip for Xmas, they even noticed the ride sucked. Then, when we got back into rural CA where we live now, it was back to the nice quiet, smooth ride. Your Mud-T/A's and 8" lift probably don't help the ride you're suffering through while on L.A. roads, but hey, how often are you on L.A. roads???

So, you probably don't need to rush out and buy new shocks. Your ride quality is fine in AZ, right? Plus, even going with the best shock absorbers available will not cure the L.A. freeway "vibrato" factor. Save your money.

I hear ya and feel for ya tho regarding the lousy freeways in SoCal. No sooner do they resurface one when another needs re-doing. It's a no-win situation for CalTrans and CA is so in debt there's no money for roadwork!


Best,

 

SuperSteve,

I know exactly how u feel. I've made that trip a few times. Even when my truck was stock my truck felt like it was gettin torn apart on that part of the road. I had to go out there for a funeral a couple years ago and one of my passengers (great aunt) was not a happy camper. Of course everybody had to ask her how was the trip out there. I was very anxious to make the same trip out there over xmas w/ my new lift and 38" PJ's. It was bouncy, but I definately did not have that push and pulling effect I was having while stock. The lift (springs and shocks) seemed to cushion the road a lot better. IMHO, the ride was noticeably better than stock over these type of roads. I would think a good shock that controls both rebound and compression would help out tremendously. I don't know if the shocks you have on there now do that like some bilsteins.

 

I work for Caltrans. No win is a great description of what we're contending with as an organization.

Super Steve,

Nice looking rig. Very similar set-up to what I'd want but I think it'll have to be black although the red is beginning to grow on me.

 

Well you sure have job security with cal trans. There will never be enough roads in california, that is one of the reasons I moved out.

The spacing of the concrete joints on I-10 is just perfect to rock a long bed crew cab back and forth.

 

DS59, I'm a brother in green all the way.

 

I live in Highland, which is right in the middle of that stretch. My truck stock was way bumpier than it is now with my 4.5" lift and 35" BFG with the bilsteins and is much smoother now.