Softest shocks?
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Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2012
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Softest shocks?
I just need advice on soft shocks. I know the whole deal about leaf springs being bad ride etc but I am looking for shocks that would almost ride like a car. I want some that would allow a truck to go over a speed bump without jumping into the air lol. Gabriel shocks recommended their 20.00 red shock and the darn thing is stiffer than monroe reflex coil over. If I have to get the Rancho 9000 I will. Any help would be nice.
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 4,293
Likes: 6
From another thread on the same subject...
Aaarrghhh...you guys kill me with this super soft ride crap on a truck! OK, here's the problem; actually, it's not a problem, it's just how it is...Your truck has leaf springs on it sprung to a certain rate/weight/capability. The problem with trying to find a shock that will make your truck ride like a car is not only does that shock not exist, that capabilty does not exist.
To have a nicley balanced suspension and compliant ride capable of doing the job it was designed for, you need to understand the job of a shock...you apparently do not. The shocks one and only job in life is to control the rate (speed) at which the spring compresses and rebounds from its normal resting postion, period. We percieve this as ride quality when in actuality, the spring rate determines ride quality. The quality of the job the shock does at dampening (or not dampening) this spring speed is translated to your brain as a change or shift in ride. When you install a shock that's too soft for the springs on this truck, its actually counterproductive. It ends up not controlling the spring at all and the spring is free to do whatever it wants. Depending on just how severe the lack of dampening capability is with a given shock, the ride of the vehicle due to the lack of control of the spring can actually be worse than with a stiffer shock that does what its supposed to (controll the spring). I can't tell you how many times I've seen guys improve the ride quality of a vehicle by installing a stiffer shock or even a stiffer spring. (note...maybe "stiffer shock" isn't the best term, but a high quality, dependable, name brand shock would be a better term)
All these shop idiots telling you to install the cheapest thing possible are all idiots. Hell, with that mentality, why not just take the shock off and drive like that?? Might as well, you're almost there anyways. Challenge...you think your truck will ride soft with no shocks on it?? Go try!
When I first got involved in suspension stuff, it was when getting started in motorcycle racing. I really started focusing on suspension set-up and needed to do some work on my bike because the rear end was waaaaay too stiff. My suspesion mentor guided me to install a much stiffer spring! I aruged with him for weeks and said no way that's possible; only to discover I was the idiot...the stiffer spring completely softened the ride, making it more compliant and letting it work the way it was intended. My learving curve only grew up after that.
Aaarrghhh...you guys kill me with this super soft ride crap on a truck! OK, here's the problem; actually, it's not a problem, it's just how it is...Your truck has leaf springs on it sprung to a certain rate/weight/capability. The problem with trying to find a shock that will make your truck ride like a car is not only does that shock not exist, that capabilty does not exist.
To have a nicley balanced suspension and compliant ride capable of doing the job it was designed for, you need to understand the job of a shock...you apparently do not. The shocks one and only job in life is to control the rate (speed) at which the spring compresses and rebounds from its normal resting postion, period. We percieve this as ride quality when in actuality, the spring rate determines ride quality. The quality of the job the shock does at dampening (or not dampening) this spring speed is translated to your brain as a change or shift in ride. When you install a shock that's too soft for the springs on this truck, its actually counterproductive. It ends up not controlling the spring at all and the spring is free to do whatever it wants. Depending on just how severe the lack of dampening capability is with a given shock, the ride of the vehicle due to the lack of control of the spring can actually be worse than with a stiffer shock that does what its supposed to (controll the spring). I can't tell you how many times I've seen guys improve the ride quality of a vehicle by installing a stiffer shock or even a stiffer spring. (note...maybe "stiffer shock" isn't the best term, but a high quality, dependable, name brand shock would be a better term)
All these shop idiots telling you to install the cheapest thing possible are all idiots. Hell, with that mentality, why not just take the shock off and drive like that?? Might as well, you're almost there anyways. Challenge...you think your truck will ride soft with no shocks on it?? Go try!
When I first got involved in suspension stuff, it was when getting started in motorcycle racing. I really started focusing on suspension set-up and needed to do some work on my bike because the rear end was waaaaay too stiff. My suspesion mentor guided me to install a much stiffer spring! I aruged with him for weeks and said no way that's possible; only to discover I was the idiot...the stiffer spring completely softened the ride, making it more compliant and letting it work the way it was intended. My learving curve only grew up after that.