since i have put my wheels on my navi the ride has been a lot rougher than stock... (i expected this)

however it is quite annoying and i would like to fix it...

does anyone know of a way to soften the ride..

i have a 50 series tire........

will the lightning bilstein shocks fit on the rear of the gator???

what else is possible to soften the ride...

 

bilstein is a great shock but will most likely make the ride stiffer. It did for me, but thats what i wanted.

 

im not sure what i want..

the ride is very rough for the rear and middle passengers..

what can i do to make for a smoother ride???

 

I have lowered springs as well as the 305/45/22's. I am OK with the ride, it is actually better under load & w/ passengers. After I recover from the ATI purchase I may try bags. This way I can vary the load leveling and also give a lowered look when i'm in the mood. I'm just worried about how to know what "normal" ride hight is. Not sure if I need to install sensors to keep it at a constant height or what.


But.... I have a while before i worry about that!

 

To improve your ride quality, you can go to a higher aspect ratio on your tire. Falken makes the ZX in a 275 x 55 x 20 that would work excellent. The lower the profile on the tire, the harsher the ride. You have less tire to absorb the bumps. This will give you a little more cushion with the tires. You can also crank your torsion bars up a little bit to give you a better ride. You might want to check your front and rear bump stops and see if they are hitting when loaded or going over bumps. If they are hitting on the frame, then this will add to the harshness of the ride also. If you haven't already done so, then trim your bumpstops.

 

Warn out squishy shocks!

 

Either one of those tires will work well.

I have Goodyear Eagle LS's on my SuperCrew and Expy, 275/55/20's, and IMHO, the trucks both ride BETTER, on 20's with a lower profile tire than stock.

Go figure..... My Expy, was extra-jiggly when I had those Goodyear Eagle GT-II's, 295/60/16's on it; The 275/55/20's made it ride better.

I don't understand it either. I expected a rougher ride- It didn't happen, and I'm glad!

Even though the 305 is a 50 series tire, it's sidewall height of 167mm is taller than the 55 series on the 275's at 151 mm.

That should cushion the rim and soften the ride.

Most people with 20's that I've seen either have 285/50/20's or some 45's, which are a bent rim., waiting to happen.

 

BigHersh

Actually, I think the 275 x 55 x 20 would be almost identical to the 305 x 50 x 20. I think your calculations are for a 305 x 55 x 20. I got this info off of the DML website that will calculate any tire size and compare the differences. The website is:

http://www.dakota-truck.net/TIRECALC/tirecalc

Great tool to have.

 

You're right, I did do the Calcs for a 55 aspect ratio, on both widths- Good call. Allow me to restate (Sounds familiar in corporate America now)

305/50/20 = 152.50mm
275/55/20 = 151.25mm

1 little bit thicker, but still better than a 285/50- which most folks have.

285/50/20= 142.50mm
285/45/20= 128.25mm
305/45/20= 137.25mm

In this case, thicker is better....

 

I totally agree with you BigHersh. The lower profile tires may look really cool, but you definitely pay a price for the ride and the possibility of bending a rim. I think a 55 series tire is an ideal compromise between ride and looks. Maybe some day I'll splurge and get some 20's with a set of 275 x 55 x 20's. I'm not that crazy for the 22's and 23's that are being used now. It makes the vehicle look to toy-like.

 

I just bought ice 20" rims with 285/50/R20 " tires and they feel about 20 Times better then my stock Contrictrac **** tires. IN fact, THe navigator handles 100 X 's better because the tires are wider, and the overall ride is MUCH smoother. At the same time, I realize that the vehicle is HUGE and weighs a ton so I did not expect to feel the ride of a Bmw or Lexus.

Maybe we expect to much from a 5500 lb Suv.... As for me, I'm not picky and I just feel lucky to be driving such a nice truck. Maybe those who ARE lucky enough to be driving nice trucks like this shouldn't be so worried about MINOR bumps and a SLIGHTLY rough ride, and just count their blessings that they can be driving such a nice vehicle at all.

 

I have some stock shocks with about 70,000 miles on them I'll sell you cheap. Doesn't get much softer than that. Switched them out to rancho 9000's. Sound like your problem is the low profile tires on a larger wheel. That is the price you pay when you go for looks over performance/function. I would look into a taller sidewalled tire like they recommended.

 

This issue is no different than any other modification we are doing. Its all about personal preference. "My cat back has a great sound, but no low end.", " Taller gears and crappy gas milage." "Chip needs premium fuel". We need to take the good with the bad, and to some, the bad is worth the benefits of the good.

I personally was more dissatisfied by the ride quality of the lowered springs (first mod) than by the tire / wheel combo as they are a drastic improvement. I wanted a tight ride and crisp handling and thats what I have. I am happy, but as my wife says, "NEVER SATISFIED"! I have had tires / wheels ranging from 44" swampers to 35 series rubber bands, and have never experienced in 20 years the "brittle big wheels" or the "pot hole destruction" that everyone talks about yet has probably never really experienced personally (and I think PA is the pothole capital of the USA!). 1/2 of an inch of sidewall height does NOT make a big difference in either ride OR rim safety when it comes to a 3 ton truck. Its responsible driving and respect for your equipment that keeps your ride at its best. (Unless of course, someone takes you out!)

This is not intended as a flame, but I think sometimes we let personal opinion and hearsay rather than real experience drive the decision making of other honest, inexperienced people who are looking to customize their rides. Only one person has to be happy with the results. Don't get me wrong, I do get a good laugh every now and then!

Thanks to everyone for sharing their valueable experiences with everyone. Express yourself, forget about the rest.

Oh... BTW, love the Ice Metal's!

 

Oh man, that line from "Not Another Teen Movie"- "Believe in the ball, and throw yourself" Woo, that was funny- Good timing!

I hear ya 00Expo-

I haven't bent a rim yet either, but because I have seen bent rims, I opt on the side of caution.

I have a good friend that works at Discount tire, and they had several bent 18", 20" & 22" rims in stock that a consumer had to replace. My barber has a lexus GS300 rolling on 18" Katana 5-spoke chromes, on some Toyo or Yokohama tires-

Anyhoo, he hit those big plastic city bumps that seperates the lanes- (Anyone in the Dallas area, knows what I'm talking about) he hit those at 80 MPH (Which he shouldn't have been going that fast) and bent 3 out of 4 rims. He just bought another set of the same wheel.

I have hit some bumps that sounded bad, but caused no wheel damage. Centerline, the manufacturer of my wheels on the super crew, rated them, in so many words as meeting all SUV & Truck standards with a 33" tire. My tires are 31.9", so, I was a bit worried- but I've had them on the truck since January with no problems.

**Not a Flame**
My professor used to always say- "Smart people learn, not only from their mistakes, but from the mistakes of others as well." I try to make smart choices- whenever possible, but I have been known to take risks from time to time too- ( I don't have run-flats as was suggested to me to protect the rims either).

Bottom line: Alogng the lines of what you said, as long as the person is happy with the mods they have made, that's all that's really important.

I saw an Expedition sitting on 22" wire spoke (I hate spokes)rims, with some 305/35/22's- In my opinion, it was not nice- he had a yard of wheel well space between the top of the tire and the body- But he saw me checking out his wheels, so I complimented them. He was all smiles, and apparently thought his ride was fly.. If he's happy, that's what's important.

So be it.