Ok, explain this to me like Im a 2 year old, why does my F150 have such a rough ride?

I love my F150 but im tired of the rough ride. I traded in the '02 for the '05 because of the ride. Ive since put on 33'' tires and have levelled the truck. I love the look, but i cant stand the ride.

My buddy has a Ford Edge which I get to drive quite a bit and my wife has a Focus. Both have a much better ride then my F150!

I took off the levelling kit and replaced the stock shocks with Bilstein 5100's because the upper control arm was hitting the spring. In general, it rides better but it doesnt handle the speed bumps like it did when it was stock new. In the Edge and Focus you can hardly tell you went over a speeed bump, but the F150 is a different story. So whats different??

I thought I was upgrading by going with Bilstien 5100's all around, but im not convinced yet.

Can someone explain this too me?

 

I'm not an expert, but part of the reason is it is a truck (not being a smarta$$) These trucks have a factory rake, which you leveled, but the trucks are "meant" to have a load in the bed which puts more weight over the rear suspension. This causes less pounding becuase the bed is not light when loaded and can't bounce around. It is hard to compare cars and small SUVs to these trucks. Trucks have become more consumer friendly, but don't forget thier heritage... they are meant to be workhorses. We like trucks and over the past 2 decades they have become more luxurious, but don't expect a car like ride necessarily. Mine rides pretty well, but not quite like a car, then again mine's 2wd. Maybe someone else will have more insight

 

im no expert either and also not a smart a$$. it is a truck and they have harder suspensions to handle weight. i think the main difference is the leaf springs in the rear compared to the coil springs in cars and SUVs. leaf springs are simple and also very old design. the 60's cars used to have leaf springs but coil are a better ride but usually cant handle as much weight which is why trucks still have them. the new dodge ram is coilover in the rear so try test driving one of them or get airbags on your truck but i think it will make your rear suspension very weak for pulling. but it should have a better ride without a load

 

Four wheel drive trucks will always have a stiffer suspension than any two wheel drive truck. Along with a leveling kit that compresses the front coil springs will also cause the truck and you to feel the road. Empty truck beds, leveling kits, and tire composition all will exhibit the ride you are expressing. They are not cars and will never behave like a car. The advantages have over a car or small SUV are significant. It's your choice.

 

I would say like everyone else that your driving a truck its not going to handle or drive anywheres near a Ford Edge and not be a d'ck but seriously comparing it to a Focus?? thats crazy.. its a truck its going to ride a bit rougher than everything else its made to pull heavy loads and handle weight in the bed, its what you expect when you buy one.

 

I've always owned trucks( I'm on my 6th) and not one rode like a caddy. Like one poster said , no 4x4 is gonna ride smooth. Also, anytime you upgrade to bigger tires and aftermarket rims, its gonna affect the ride too. Now some will say that their truck rides better with a lift or other things, but the majority on here will probably tell you that their truck does not ride as good as when it was factory.
As far as the Bilsteins making your ride more smooth and less "bumpy" its not gonna happen. I've been running them for over 2 years and I can honestly tell you the ride is more harsh, but it handles better with bigger tires. I was needing new shocks anyway plus a leveling kit. So I killed 2 birds with one stone. I've learned to accept my rough ride. The only time my truck rides good is when I have my bass boat hooked up. More weight in the back can do wonders!!

 

bilstien 5100 are good shocks, but it wont make a truck ride like a cadillac. try getting a set of shocks with a resivoir, or if money isnt a big issue try getting a set of Fox shocks. Truck suspension is set up to have a heavier spring rate than little economy cars.

 

Thanks everyone for your reply! Much appreciated.

Hey PICH, lmao, I knew I was gonna have to take some flack for mentioning the wife's Focus, lol, but i was tryting to make a comparison to other vehicles while at the same time at least keeping the make the same. I would be opening myself to even more ridicule if I suggested my buddy's Saab as a compaison model!!!

Anyhow, it appeasr that I didnt say this in the original post, but yes, I know this is a truck. But the ride was what convinced me to upgrade from the '02 to the '05. But of course those bloody 10 speed bicycle tire that come with the F150 as stock are ridiculous. So I changed them. And put better then stock shocks on. I guess I was hoping by putting on the Bilstein's I could get away with a bigger tire and still keep my factory ride. ....guess not!

 

Hey 01s-crew (or anyone for that matter!)

Talk to me about the Fox shocks you mentioned, or the reservoir type shocks. By reservoir, are you suggesting coil overs? But keep in mind, just because Ive heard of a coil-over doesnt mean i know how it works or what the differences are.

REMEMBER, you got to keep this at a 2yrs level!! ;-) I'm still learning about suspension and its components!

On that note, have you seen the Ford Raptor!?? Looks awesome! So what allows it to do 100mph through the desert and I cant take a speed bump at 20.

 

I can think of several reasons your truck seems to have stiffened up. Those silly stock tires are so soft that they would make a two horse wagon seem like it's riding on butter. The stock shock are valved for the ride from the factory. They want the customer to be impressed with how smooth the "truck" rides when they go for a test drive. Remember, if they jar the wife around, they just might loose the sale. So you combine the tires and the shocks and there you go, a smooth ride. Now, add good upgraded tires and shocks to keep the truck from wallowing around on curves, and there goes your factory ride. I'm not saying that's bad either. I ditched my factory tires after the first year. Here's a sugestion, put 500 pounds in the bed and it will ride like a Lincoln.

 

LOL! 500lbs in the bed, a Lincoln like ride and a gas bill that'll knock your socks off!! ;-)

I know it rides way better with a load in the back. With a bit of a load it gets rid of that bounce the back end has when its empty. My gripe is with the front end.

I found with the Bilstein 5100's that the front got real 'hard'. I mean it rolls beautifully down the road but its even more aggressive over the speed bumps. It bounces (jumps) over the speed bumps worse no then it did before. I guess its because the coil spring is compressed even more now. I didnt expect that much a difference though.

I was thinking of putting the levelling kit back on and using the 5100's but at the 0" setting. Any thoughts on that set up? Will that take the aggressiveness out of the front? But with the advantage of the better Bilsteins??

 

just going to say the FX4s i have driven have a stiffer sport suspension vs. the Lariat

 

Absolutly agreed. If you have the chance drive an xlt. It's like floating on a cloud compared to the fx4.

 

the raptor is set up like an actual baja racing truck. it has buttons in it to stiffen the shocks for on road driving. it is in no way like any other f150.

 

500Lbs will not make it ride like a lincoln. and you will lose about 3mg if you do it. my last truck which was a 04 heritage 2wd rode smoothe already. 2wd trucks have a more road freaindly ride because 2wd is not meant for offroading. if you buy 2wd, you are most likely staying on pavement or dirt roads. so the ride is smoother. my heritage was a reg cab longbed and for winter i put 490Lbs in the back for weight. ride got worse. i now have an 08 reg cab shortbed 2wd and the ride is about the same as the heritage because of better shocks from the factory and they are set up in better placement. usually with trucks, for smoother ride you want a longer wheelbase. for example a crew cab long bed should ride a lot better than a reg cab short bed. there is more metal to absorb the shock before it gets to you. you will never make your truck ride like a lincoln or a caddy. and yes generally the stock tires and rims are the best ride.