Just bought a new 2003 F-150 standard cab long bed to replace my 1990 standard cab long bed. The new truck bounces rhythmically at all speeds from about 40 to 60. The dealer has replaced three tires which he says were out of spec. Things are now actually at bit worse than they were initially.

Went for a test drive with the service manager who says that this is a "characteristic" of the F-150, especially between 40 and 50.

I've alos owend a 1998 F-150 extended cab short bed and don't recall any problems.

I know that trucks ride like trucks and I don't mind the stiff suspension. What I mind is a harmonic vibration that must be coming for something rotating. It must be the tires as the vibration is constant with speed and not RPM.

So, does anyone else have ths problem? Also, does it seem like it should be a "characteristic" of the F-150?[B]

 

I also occasionally get something like this...but I dont know if it is "characteristic" of an F150.

I also wonder if anyone knows what causes it.

 

Yes, I've experienced what you are talking about with my extra cab...and it does seem rhythmic as you say, at certain speeds.

 

Yes....feels like I am out at sea while driving. My wife gets car sick on long trips, but now, we can't drive through town without her feeling bad. I'd hate to have to trade-in my new 2003 xcab....

 

I bought my 91' F150 about 2 months ago, and when i got it, it had been sitting and was driven every so often, but had basically sit for about 3 months, and it was great for the first month and a half, now it rides really ruff, it only does it from like 45 to about 70, where it gets horrible, and then it quits and is perfectly smooth at 80 and higher. I hate it, i dont know whether its alignment or what yet. I plan on having the front end looked at shortly, and i will let u guys know what happens there. But i would love to know y it is so ruff around that spot.

 

I had my new '03 SCrew in yesterday for an oil change and this very problem. What I was told was that the tech used a load-force test on all tires to see if one worked better at a different position on the truck (i.e. front left versus front right). They also rebalanced all four tires (which is what I thought the problem was). The one tire that I believed had too much balance weight on it was partially dismounted and the tire was rotated on the rim then remounted and rebalanced - very small weight on there now. I think that is called reindexing.

Here's what I would do. Check your tire pressures. They should be 30 psi in the front and 32 in the rear at COLD temperature (i.e. not been drived over 5 miles before checking). Those are the pressures for the SCrew so double check them against your truck's values. Next I would check to make sure you don't have a bad shock absorber. There could be a leak in one or more which would be visible by a "wet" cylinder. I had three go bad on my old '00 F-350 within the first 15,000 miles. I would also ask the service dept at the dealer when the last time the tire balancing machine was recalibrated. Yes, it is a machine that has to be recalibrated. Most tire stores have there's recalibrated monthly I believe but keep in mind that they do a lot more work with them than a dealer would. Finally, ask the dealer to reindex and rebalance the tires.

So far mine seems to be riding better. I need some more test miles to be sure though. Let us know if you find out anything and I'll post again later when I have driven a few more miles.

On Edit: Check the Ford Owners Support Forum under the Ford Owners button at this site --> http://www.flatratetech.com/