Stiff Ride

grizzlyrafting · January 12, 2014

I must admit after nearly 5000 km's I've noticed my truck is riding smoother that the first week I had it... Must take time to "settle in"...

TxTruckMan · January 13, 2014

Throw some weight in the bed and the harse ride will settle down quite a bit. The suspension is rated to handle >1200lbs in the back, so will be stiff when unloaded.

BringTheRain403 · January 14, 2014

Yea if you have the 20's lower the pressure down to 32-35. I was running running mine at 44 (max pressure is 50 something). And it was terrible. Lowered it down toe 38 and its considerably better.

Holy crap! That's way to much! Down to 32 psi before you wear the centers out your tires!

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mike94silverado · January 14, 2014

If you were concerned about a soft ride you should have gone with a Dodge..... the coils do excel at that.....

fondupot · January 14, 2014

Holy crap! That's way to much! Down to 32 psi before you wear the centers out your tires! Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

I could care less if the goodyears wear out fast. I think 32 is just too damn low.

lrymal · January 15, 2014

A follow-up.... I pulled the 20" wheels and installed 18" wheels with Michelin tires--I forget which Michelin. The Michelins I purchased were surveyed high for ride comfort. The ride comfort was immediate and was a bit better than my 2011 GMC crew cab.

I decided to do this after recently test-driving a 2014 model with 18s and its Goodyears and noticed its softer ride, especially when encountering expansion joints.

The Michelins are giving me better economy as well--I'm averaging 19 mpg, as compared to about 17 mpg. My driving is about 80% highway and 20% city and "other". Other is farm duty in the pasture.

What a marvelous truck this is! I have had several pickups through the years, but this one has been the best.

Hootbro · January 15, 2014

Why are stiff suspensions only noticeable after the sale and never during the test drive?

LTZ2014 · January 15, 2014

Well.... you know what I am going to say. Bilstein 5100s as soon as available. Michelins when you get tired of the goods....20s, less sidewall, will ride a little harsh compared to 18s.

They already are available. Cognito motorsports has them. I posted a link in one of these threads on here.

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BringTheRain403 · January 15, 2014

I could care less if the goodyears wear out fast. I think 32 is just too damn low.

To each their own. However you do know that improper air pressure not only makes the tires wear faster it also affects ride quality and it can cause blow outs. In fact the improper air pressure was the primary reason for the huge issue with the Ford Explorers tires literally exploding and causing the car to flip or spin out. In that case the tire pressure was to low and the excess heat created by the low air pressure caused the tire to come apart. Improper air pressure is a safety issue...

jeffreydc · January 15, 2014

I put Sulastic springs on the back of mine and it made a HUGE difference in the ride

lrymal · January 15, 2014

I put Sulastic springs on the back of mine and it made a HUGE difference in the ride

I used a similar product several years ago and liked it. I didn't know that Sulastic picked up their product and is selling it.

Sulastic Rubber Spring stops listing the Chevy/GMC at year 2012. Did you have installation issues? Installation Review from Truckin' magazine.

fondupot · January 15, 2014

I could care less if the goodyears wear out fast. I think 32 is just too damn low.

To each their own. However you do know that improper air pressure not only makes the tires wear faster it also affects ride quality and it can cause blow outs. In fact the improper air pressure was the primary reason for the huge issue with the Ford Explorers tires literally exploding and causing the car to flip or spin out. In that case the tire pressure was to low and the excess heat created by the low air pressure caused the tire to come apart. Improper air pressure is a safety issue...

Max psi on the tires is 50. Running at 37-38 won't cause a blowout.

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BringTheRain403 · January 15, 2014

Just because it says you can do something doesn't mean you should do it. It gives you that leeway incase you are hauling something heavy and need to up the pressure temporally. For the record if you are running 38 psi cold you are over 40 psi when the tire warms up and it would probably climb into the mid 40's in the summer. It doesn't take much to generate the heat needed to blow out a tire. If memory serves it was around 3 psi that caused the problems with the Ford Explorers...

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fondupot · January 15, 2014

Just because it says you can do something doesn't mean you should do it. It gives you that leeway incase you are hauling something heavy and need to up the pressure temporally. For the record if you are running 38 psi cold you are over 40 psi when the tire warms up and it would probably climb into the mid 40's in the summer. It doesn't take much to generate the heat needed to blow out a tire. If memory serves it was around 3 psi that caused the problems with the Ford Explorers... Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

I know the pressure goes up when driving. But its winter time, the ambient temperatures don't allow the tires to get above 40 psi. Right now the most they get is 38 and that is after sitting in the heated garage all night. When I get out on the road on my way to work, they drop down to 36-37. After sitting outside all day at work, they are at 35, and they don't go above 37 on my way home.

In the summer, I will lower the PSI down to allow them to more room to heat up, even then, I wont let them go past 38. I know how to monitor tire pressure. This ain't my first rodeo. I'd rather have slightly higher PSI than to drop below the recommended 32.

Cheers.

TxTruckMan · January 15, 2014

The problem with the Firestone tires was from low air pressure causing too much sidewall flex which resulted in frictional heat causing them to blow out. Running too high a pressure (within spec limits) will just cause a stiff ride and uneven tire wear. Regardless of the tire rating (P, LT) you should run at the door sticker PSI unless you have increased load on the tires. Then you should increase pressure to maintain the same even wear patch on the tire and prevent too much sidewall flex.