Have gone through many threads and was searching for any way to make the F-250 go a little easier on my organs when unloaded. I love it, but just want to know if I can do anything for the ride. Certain shocks? Tire pressure? Thanks for any help.

 

From personal experience, tire pressure is an easy fix as long as you remember to air them back up before hauling or towing. I also believe in aftermarket shocks, Bilstien or Rancho. I have read that the Velvet ride shackles help a lot also.

 

I'm no expert on suspension, so with that said, you might want to try airbags w/rancho 9000 shocks here it works great with people that commute and tow and want the best of both worlds. I have tried the Edelbrock IAS shocks and they are the best shocks i've tried for what they claim, but unless you want to feel every little bump in the road, these are not for you. Hope this helps.:-)

 

Thanks much. I'll try the tire pressure first.

 

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 14-Sep-01 AT 11:27 AM (EST)[/font][p]Tire pressure makes a big difference in ride quality. If you inflate to the pressures listed on the door post while driving around with no weight in the bed, you will have a harsh ride.

Here’s the proper way to determine what pressure to run in your tires. Weigh your truck, getting individual weights for each wheel (or at a minimum each axle). Then consult the tire inflation chart for your brand/model of tire. You can view a chart at www.trucktires.com . The chart will tell you what pressure to run based on your weight. If you got individual wheel weights, use the heaviest wheel on an axle to determine what pressure to run on all tires on that axle. If you weigh your truck unloaded you’ll need to do this again with your normal load. If your load fluctuates all the time, it’s probably easier to just keep the tires inflated to handle the highest load you anticipate.

In my case, I carry a 4000 lb slide-in camper occasionally. I keep the truck tires inflated for unloaded driving most of the time. Then before I load the camper, I pump them up for the extra weight. That way the truck rides smoothly with good traction and even tread wear while unloaded. If I was loading and unloading the camper daily or even weekly, I’d probably just keep the tires pumped up. Changing tire pressure daily on a dually would get old real quick.

It's a good idea to read the footnotes and fine print in tire inflation manuals also. For instance, in the Firestone manual it says that if you are driving for long periods at 65 to 74 mph while at the rated max load for the tire, you should increase the tire pressure 10 psi (provided the wheels are rated to handle the pressure). In the case of the Firestone Steeltex 265/75-16 tire that would be 90 psi. This means that the 80 psi listed on the sidewall is not the max pressure. If you want to drive 75 to 84 mph , you still need those extra 10 psi, but you also need to reduce you max weight capacity by 10%.

You can view a tire inflation table for LT235/85-16 tires at www.trucktires.com .
Here’s the inflation table for the LT265/75R16 Firestone Steeltex tire

Weight Pressure
1910 35
2100 40
2280 45
2470 50
2625 55
2790 60
3000 65
3105 70
3260 75
3415 80

65-74mph add 10psi
75-84mph add 10psi & decrease load 10%



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2000 F350 CC DRW Lariat 4x4 LWB 4R100 V10 4.30ls with Torklift tie-downs/Superhitch and Rancho RS9000 and Ride-Rite air springs.
1998 Alpenlite Pendelton 11'10" Slide-in camper with all options.

 

Good God man! Thanks. Not sure the bathroom scale can handle the weight (wife not that big) No, really, I'm not sure where to get them weighed I guess, but will ask around. However, not sure how much to actually have on empty to lessen the empty rough ride times...these charts are recommendations for load pressures, yes? I'll check out the site, and man, thanks for the great explaination and response.

Sincerely,
ScottBx

 

 

The inflation table applies in all cases, whether unloaded or overloaded. To check your weights go to a truck stop, garbage transfer station, moving company or check highway truck scales when they are closed (they often leave the scales on and you can see the weight by peeking through the window).

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2000 F350 CC DRW Lariat 4x4 LWB 4R100 V10 4.30ls with Torklift tie-downs/Superhitch and Rancho RS9000 and Ride-Rite air springs.
1998 Alpenlite Pendelton 11'10" Slide-in camper with all options.

 

Great, thanks. I'll give it a go.