Southside Houston Freeway

[lrymal]

Geeezeeee, loueezzzzzzeeeeeeeeeeeee... How do you Houston guys enjoy your vehicles on those roads? I drove down to Galveston Island from Huntsville and there is no choice.......... you have to carve your way through the traffic in Houston since Houston is in between.

 

The freeway was smooth from Huntsville to north of downtown Houston, but south of there, all the way for about another half hour at 70mph, my truck jiggled and bounced as if the suspension was having a seisure. Man, that is a mess. They cover the expansion joints with concrete resulting in a very unlevel and wavy freeway.

 

On the way back, the result was the same. Go north of downtown Houston, head back to Huntsville. Other than trying to stay out of the way of the drivers who seem to have this remarkable talent of metal merging with other drivers without damage as they instantly cross eight lanes of bumper-to-bumper traffic, the ride was very smooth.

 

These trucks just don't seem to do well with the little tiny rises in the road. And I don't have my keys cranked, so that ain't it. Tires aren't over inflated.

[Shaners]

Thanks God you don't ever have the need to travel the PA turnpike!!! Yes it is the oldest thruway in the US and yes it rides/drives like it is!!!

[lrymal]

Thanks God you don't ever have the need to travel the PA turnpike!!! Yes it is the oldest thruway in the US and yes it rides/drives like it is!!!

No tank yew.... I'll stick with our smooth two lane farm market roads and pasture dirt roads up here. One guy said that driving through Houston was like driving through a mine field. Gosh, I agree. They have a real problem in that city.

 

If I lived there, I'd have to change shocks or something. Maybe Rancho 9000s????, so the shock's dampening could be adjusted???? Wonder if those would solve the jiggling bouncy issue when encountering those little 1/2'' rises?

 

And I even have velvet ride shackles in the back. Can't even imagine how it would have ridden without them.

[2000 GMC]

Try driving the Alcan in Canada. We drove from Anchorage, Alaska to the lower 48 in 2002 and some areas still aren't paved. Some areas we couldn't do over 30 mph.

[lrymal]

Try driving the Alcan in Canada. We drove from Anchorage, Alaska to the lower 48 in 2002 and some areas still aren't paved. Some areas we couldn't do over 30 mph.

HEH............ yeah, but that frontier road is expected to offer those kind of conditions, whereas a concrete freeway is not.

[Wingnut]

There are quite a few sections of highway around town here that I will avoid like the plague in my 02 for that very reason. If I'm going certain places around town, I take the 92, as it doesn't "pogo" like the 02 does on half of the roads.

[lrymal]

There are quite a few sections of highway around town here that I will avoid like the plauge in my 02 for that very reason. If I'm going certain places around town, I take the 92, as it doesn't "pogo" like the 02 does on half of the roads.

Well, good luck. I can certainly understand your need for strategic driving there. Man, I have never been on a freeway that was as severe as I-45 going south. And this is all NEW road topping. It was really unpleasant and the roads here in Huntsville look far worse, yet are so much smoother.

[JayMan]

Thanks God you don't ever have the need to travel the PA turnpike!!!  Yes it is the oldest thruway in the US and yes it rides/drives like it is!!! 

No tank yew.... I'll stick with our smooth two lane farm market roads and pasture dirt roads up here. One guy said that driving through Houston was like driving through a mine field. Gosh, I agree. They have a real problem in that city.

 

If I lived there, I'd have to change shocks or something. Maybe Rancho 9000s????, so the shock's dampening could be adjusted???? Wonder if those would solve the jiggling bouncy issue when encountering those little 1/2'' rises?

 

And I even have velvet ride shackles in the back. Can't even imagine how it would have ridden without them.

I just put in the Velvet Ride shackles from Lord MPD Manufacturing - Xmas present to myself for being such a good boy last year

 

I should have put those shackles in the same week I picked up the truck. I could NOT believe what a difference they made! With a full load it rides about the same, but especially empty, MUCH smoother! None of that jiggling you'd expect from an empty truck.

 

I put the Rancho 9000x's in last year, which alone really smoothed out the ride. My 2000 Z71 came with those red shocks that are so stiff you can feel it run over a wet cigarette butt. No factory Bilsteins in 2000.

 

I had to crank my Rancho 9000x's all the way up to get the same awful firm ride. i leave mine set on "1" or "mushy" and it seems fine. For towing or hauling, I set them at "5" which seems to provide just the right damping.

 

The combination of Velvet Ride shackles and Rancho 9000x's is perfect, though I'd have to say the Rancho's did more for the ride. I'd highly recommend them. If the freeway expansion joints still bother you, add 300-500 lbs to the box and it'll be smooth as glass.

 

Only thing better is an Air Ride conversion. Friend of mine has a one ton with the Kelderman Air Ride and that thing is smoother than my half ton.

[seadoons]

You probably had a good time on the pierce elevated that cuts through downtown on 45...thats like a d**n rollercoaster...its like you are driving over the waves in the ocean, only they are close together so it is up and down hardcore. I don't know how some of the smaller cars don't bottom out in that area...

[lrymal]

Jayman, thanks for the info on the suspension mods, especially on the Ranchos. Certainly not an overly expensive modification and could be absorbed by my income tax refund. Actually, I have Monroe Reflex on the truck now. These are pefect for big bad mud holes and pot holes, and work amazingly well on pasture roads, but are helpless with 1/2" tall rises from concrete roads. Until your note, I was almost ready to post a topic of Monroe Reflex vs. Racho 9000s on concrete freeways. Thanks also for mentioning the Keldermann air ride. Wish I could afford THAT one. Below is the website link for it in case someone is a bit more familiar with money than me. Really looks like a great idea:

 

http://www.keldermanmfg.com/airride.htm

 

seadoons, I agree with the comment on driving the L. Heck, the L was wavy on the first day it was opened. And they spent a fortune on that thing, bragging how it was completed in record time. I'll bet Old Man Pierce would be "rolling" (cough-cough) in his grave if he knew just wavy that thing is, in his name.

[JayMan]

Thanks also for mentioning the Keldermann air ride. Wish I could afford THAT one. Below is the website link for it in case someone is a bit more familiar with money than me. Really looks like a great idea:

 

edited by Jerry

All of my commercial highway tractors/trailers and the logging equipment run full air ride. Especially with the logging equipment, the leaf springs were so stiff the bad roads would literally shake the equipment apart. Had a lot of cracks in the frames too.

 

Once you're familiar with how the air bags work, you learn to add JUST enough air to keep the load. not too much air pressure. It's hard to believe a fully loaded tractor/trailer riding as good as some cars. I figure the savings in downtime is worth it.

 

When empty, you air down the bags until they're almost soft, so even washboardy roads and potholes don't bother you too much.

 

The bags do eventually wear out, but that takes 6-10 years of constant use on rough roads. Shocks also wear out, and I'm sure you've seen cracked leaf springs. Have never had a bag fail unexpectedly.

 

I still think I may have to invest in a heavier truck, probably a one ton. Will almost certainly put the Kelderman air ride in it.

[lrymal]

Well, Jerry. The Kelderman system I'm certainly convinced of. I'm going to give the Ranchos a try in February and hope that makes the Houston L acceptable. If not, I'll have to save up and do the Kelderman system.

 

Thanks for the education on this. No way that I would have learned about this via google searching.

[OUMike]

hey all, I'm a Houston native with family in PA and Las Vegas. Out of the top 10 worst bottle necks in the US, Houston has two in the top 5. I-45 North and I-10. Both of those carry about a two hour rush hour traffic. Try I-45 South at 4:00 pm... Guess thats what happens when ya got 4 million people in your city.

[JayMan]

Well, Jerry. The Kelderman system I'm certainly convinced of. I'm going to give the Ranchos a try in February and hope that makes the Houston L acceptable. If not, I'll have to save up and do the Kelderman system.

 

Thanks for the education on this. No way that I would have learned about this via google searching.

Actually, I don't think Kelderman offers an air-ride conversion for the half tons. I've seen them offered for the 2500HD's and I've seen one in a one ton. I went for a ride in the one ton (1998 Dodge Ram 3500 2WD) and was very impressed.

 

There are companies that offer airbag rear suspension, but it's more for that weird show effect. You know, push a button and the thing lowers until the frame scrapes on the pavement.

 

I don't see how THAT helps the ride

 

I think once you put in the Rancho 9000x's, you'll be happy. A word of warning: with the shocks set on the softest setting, "1," the truck will feel a bit floaty, like an early 70's Buick. I'd take floaty over stiff any day.

[lrymal]

....I'd take floaty over stiff any day.

I think it would be a while before I would be financially able to purchase a Kelderman system anyway.

 

Floaty.........??? I'd bet maybe a 2 setting or some experimenting on a wavy road in town could balance things out a bit.

 

We have a road in front of the school bus barn that is terribly wavy for about a block due to the busses shoving the asphalt around as they exit the yard. That has historically been a marvelous road for testing suspension components.