My 97 F250 HD, 351, E40D, extended cab 4x4 with front leaf springs rides like a tank. I know, I know- it does what it's supposed to, but when I go over uneven road, slight breaks in the pavement, the truck absorbs the uneveness like it was picked up and dropped from a hieght so to speak. Sooo I'm wondering is this how it should be- and if it is that's fine, I just don't want to spend some years driving it like this and then replace shocks or something else and say wow why didn't I do that two years earlier. I'm going to take another look, but it could be that the original shocks are still on it. It this the way it's going to be or can I improve my ride. Thanks, keystonepaul

 

It rides like a tank!!
Whats the problem??

It sounds like you need new shocks!

 

Yeah the HD trucks of this vintage do ride like pretty rough, everything that contributes to it's weight carrying capacity also takes away from ride quality, from the springs and shocks to the tires themselves. You could potentially see an inprovement in ride quality by simply shifting to load range C tires from E range, and by trying some different shocks, Ranchos for example are known to be stiff while some of the Monroes are much smoother.

 

my 1997 f250hd rode the same way even after shocks were put on it

 

Assuming you still have 10 ply tires try dropping the air pressure to around 40psi to 50psi. That might help a bit.

 

8 ply D range tires instead of 10 ply E, drop the pressure down 5-10 psi, replace your shocks with good ones (i prefer adjustable ranchos).

 

Thanks folks for the replies. I'll look at tires when it time to replace.

Conanski, any suggestions on the monroes- sensi trac, reflex or the gas magnums....

Thanks all, Keystonepaul

 

Is your front end sitting a little low? The springs sag quite a bit with age and you end up with very little 'up travel' before you hit the bump stops. My truck was like that and it actually rode better with add-a-leaves in the front. My wife's V10 Excursion had 3/4" clearance before the bump stops, so I replaced them with diesel springs...rides much better now. Probably time to get some new springs, or you can do a coil conversion like I ended up doing on mine