09 f-150 3200 miles. Seems the truck picks up every bump in the road even on highway, and large bumps I really feel.Being my first full size truck is this normal? I am coming from an 07 civic and a nissan truck I drove for 10 years.
I remember seeing a video on a test track with mike rowe with a video inside cab of all three big trucks and ford was the smoothest. Can't iman-gine the other trucks having a more stiffer ride.

 

In my opinion my 09 XLT is the smoothest ride I've ever had. As the old saying goes "rides like a Cadillac".

 

i just may be used to the cvic ............

 

I think it would depend on how your truck was built-my truck was built to haul/tow, hence it is a rougher ride then my son's truck which has all the fancy stuff on it. But trucks are a bit rougher ride then a car.

 

Here's a common problem: The tires are inflated to the max when the truck is empty. No need.

 

doug - what tires and wheels do you have on your truck? I've had a number of F150's and the '09 my wife bought recently has the same problem, finds every bump as you mentioned. She has the Scorpions on it and they were WAY out of balance when we bought it. Ford just fixed the balance issue and it runs more smooth now but still bumpy compared to my previous F150's. As soon as I get a chance to get out of these Scorpions, I will and see if that makes a difference. We'll see...

Best of luck,
BB

 

Those tires are known to be of poor quality and to even develop flat spots when sitting for a decent periods of time. Also with the 20 inch rims your tires have less of a sidewall than those on the trucks with smaller rims causing you to feel more bumps on the road.

 

the stock dynapro hankook, 17 inch. They actually have a good review on tirerack.com I'll try something else when they wear out, but dont know what,

 

That Mike Rowe video definitely shows some pretty severe road conditions, but it really is aimed at showing off the rigidity of the frame and the suspension's ability to absorb the bumps without compromising the vehicle's handling.

If you are unhappy with the ride quality, my first & foremost suggestion would be to check, and possibly lower, the tire pressure. Dealerships (and many shops) like to set them at the maximum pressure posted on the inside of the driver's door. However, this pressure rating is aimed at towing/hauling at peak levels....not running around as a daily driver. Lowering the pressure by 5 - 10 PSI can drastically improve the road mannerisms of an empty (or lightly loaded) truck. On a side note, lowering the tire pressure could also improve tread wear & tire life.

 

I thought low pressure would cause pre mature tire ware. It really not that bad just some parts of I-75 seem to be a tad rough. Actually when I picked up the truck, pressure was at 30 psi and I bumped it up to 38 for mpg. think max is 44 psifor my tires......Like the truck more then I ever did the civic, nothing wrong with the civic, but its just another econo car.

 

Yes, low tire pressure can cause premature wear, but so too can high tire pressure. Many folks have found that the tire pressure listed inside the door to be a bit too high for running around empty.

There are two popular methods for finding "optimal" tire pressure...

1.) Get a piece of the thick chalk--like kid's sidewalk chalk. Rub it across the full width of the tire tread in a section about 2 - 4 inches wide. Make sure that you transfer enough chalk onto the tire tread to leave a clear imprint on the ground. Roll the car/truck forward/backward enough for the chalked section of the tire to leave its imprint on the ground. Smudging & deformation of the outer tread blocks & light imprint on the inner blocks indicates that the tire pressure is too low. Light imprinting of the outer tread blocks and smudging & deformity of the inner tread indicates a high tire pressure. Keep adjusting tire pressure up or down a couple of pounds of pressure and repeating this until you get a clean imprint across the entire width of the tire. If you want, you can keep raising/lowering the tire pressure until you get to an opposite tire impression from where you started. You can then split the difference between those high & low pressures to find your optimal tire pressure. Oh, perform separate tests on the front & rear tires, as unloaded trucks are usually much heavier in front end.

2.) Get your truck to a certified weigh station, and get your front & rear axle weights. Download a load chart from the tire manufacturer's web site or get a copy from a tire shop. These charts will show a tire pressure along one axis and the acceptable load rating along the other axis. The line within the chart will help you determine the proper tire inflation for a given axle weight. NOTE: Depending on the load chart, you may need to cut the axle weight in half, as the graph may show load per tire.


The first method is time consuming, but easily done. The second method requires a load chart which may be nigh impossible to find, as some tire manufacturers keep that document securely locked away with their engineers.

If you carry a given load frequently--for example, a travel trailer, your quad(s), food, etc. each weekend of the summer--you can determine what your best tire pressures are for that load. If you write them into a notebook or something that you keep in the truck, it can be a pretty quick & easy way to inflate/deflate to accommodate your frequent driving requirements.

 

I JUST BOUGHT A NEW 2009 F150 XLT SUPPERCAB AND I TOO NOTICE IT RIDES ROUGHER THEN MY 2005 I HAD . i ALSO TRIED ADJUSTING MY TIRE PRESURES BUT DIDN,T HELP IT FEELS LIKE I CAN FEEL EVERY CRACK IN THE ROAD . IS THIS NORMAL ?THANKS SKIDOOS

 

thats the what I feel..i understand in city driving, but not on the highway.

 

Can anything be done about it . I've been to the dealer twice and they say they don't feel anything wrong . Does anyone else feel the same ? I am very happy with the truck I just wish it would ride smoother on the highway .

 

Delux05 gave an excelent explanation. It boils down down to the combination of tire/shock/suspension design & road condition. The Ford suspension & shocks/struts are excellent- really. from a suspension aspect, the only thing you could do is to install softer shocks/struts BUt this will reduce handling and general ride characteristics that have been well designed- when the primary issue is...
1. Road condition
2. Tire Design

If you are running a softer tires on the street (such as BFG that are a mix of steel & nylon belted or tires with profiles not shorter than 50 series), these provide the extra give to absorb greater road imperfections while maintaiing both comfort & stability. However, tires such as Bridgstone are 100% steel belts, very stiff construction and transfer 100% of road imperfections to the suspension. If you're running KYB's gas-a-just for example, this will shake your teeth out of your head but if you're running Bilstein's, they have greater shock aborsbion rate and will neget the impact. Of course the opposite is also true if you have poor road conditions, soft shocks & nylon betled tires- it will feel like a buick roadmaster floating everywhere.

IMHO, if you adjust your tire PSI to the correct levels for the load each tire is carrying, you will be happy. If it is still a little stiff, try dropping 2 additional psi- while this will very slightly affect the tire wear pattern, your tires ability to absorb more will increase- ie you will be happy.