Why does a F350 Tremor Ride So Much Nicer Than My Silverado?

[Chuck FB]

43 minutes ago, UWSkier said:

ride height is stock, truck was new off the lot when I got it.  The ride isn't atrociously bad, I'm just surprised how well that Ford rode compared to my truck.

I read wrong between the lines LOL, well thats good then as the truck has not been messed with by a prior owner. I haven't driven a Ford HD for some years now so I have nothing to recently compare with my Chev, I just know that the Ford super duty with the 6.2 gas was not that great of a ride when compared back to back tests with a Chev gas at that time. I haven't looked into it as to the spring capacity of the Ford Temor over their standard truck, but for sure those tires with a much taller sidewall if its not over inflated would help with the ride. But that is still not to say that your truck might be helped slightly by torsion adjustments if its settled in and riding too hard on the jounce bumpers or even worn/crushed the jounce bumpers as can happen over time. Do you take it off road out into the desert or has it been strictly pavement driven.

[UWSkier]

On 4/12/2025 at 3:33 PM, Chuck FB said:

I read wrong between the lines LOL, well thats good then as the truck has not been messed with by a prior owner. I haven't driven a Ford HD for some years now so I have nothing to recently compare with my Chev, I just know that the Ford super duty with the 6.2 gas was not that great of a ride when compared back to back tests with a Chev gas at that time. I haven't looked into it as to the spring capacity of the Ford Temor over their standard truck, but for sure those tires with a much taller sidewall if its not over inflated would help with the ride. But that is still not to say that your truck might be helped slightly by torsion adjustments if its settled in and riding too hard on the jounce bumpers or even worn/crushed the jounce bumpers as can happen over time. Do you take it off road out into the desert or has it been strictly pavement driven.

Pavement queen and stuff hauler.  18k miles with about 16k of those towing a travel trailer or a waterski boat.

[Chuck FB]

5 minutes ago, UWSkier said:

Pavement queen and stuff hauler.  18k miles with about 16k of those towing a travel trailer or a waterski boat.

Low miles and if you haven't hit the frost heave highways I can't see the front end having had a hard life at all. Never the less it would be interesting as to what the factory set your height at and if even from side to side. The other day I saw a HD pickup ahead of me on the highway and holy crap did that thing have a lean to the drivers side, reminded me of a pickup I bought new years ago and it had that crazy lean. My new truck didn't stand out as leaning from the back but the measuring tape sure showed the front end was leaning and the jounce bumper gap difference confirmed that.

 

It will be interesting to hear what the fellow who on here is putting the ZR2 lift on his truck with the cognito bars, what his ride impression is after although there are a lot of mods with different shocks and so forth though and different sized tires, so hard to compare.

 

On another thread we were talking about the legality of aftermarket window tint on the drivers/passenger windows as officially its not legal here in Alberta. Is it legal in Arizona due to the extreme heat ( but I know, its a dry heat LOL ).

[UWSkier]

23 hours ago, Chuck FB said:

Low miles and if you haven't hit the frost heave highways I can't see the front end having had a hard life at all. Never the less it would be interesting as to what the factory set your height at and if even from side to side. The other day I saw a HD pickup ahead of me on the highway and holy crap did that thing have a lean to the drivers side, reminded me of a pickup I bought new years ago and it had that crazy lean. My new truck didn't stand out as leaning from the back but the measuring tape sure showed the front end was leaning and the jounce bumper gap difference confirmed that.

 

It will be interesting to hear what the fellow who on here is putting the ZR2 lift on his truck with the cognito bars, what his ride impression is after although there are a lot of mods with different shocks and so forth though and different sized tires, so hard to compare.

 

On another thread we were talking about the legality of aftermarket window tint on the drivers/passenger windows as officially its not legal here in Alberta. Is it legal in Arizona due to the extreme heat ( but I know, its a dry heat LOL ).

Plenty of frost heaves and craters.  This truck runs back and forth to Wisconsin and back.  The craters on I-40 in New Mexico around Gallup are up there with the worst the Midwest can dish out.

Window tint is legal in AZ to a certain level.  Most people go farther than legal.  Nobody ever gets fined for it.  Most of us actually tint our windshields too, which IS illegal, but even at 50%, not really noticeable.  Makes an enormous difference.

[Chuck FB]

10 minutes ago, UWSkier said:

Plenty of frost heaves and craters.  This truck runs back and forth to Wisconsin and back.  The craters on I-40 in New Mexico around Gallup are up there with the worst the Midwest can dish out.

Window tint is legal in AZ to a certain level.  Most people go farther than legal.  Nobody ever gets fined for it.  Most of us actually tint our windshields too, which IS illegal, but even at 50%, not really noticeable.  Makes an enormous difference.

I was mistakenly picturing the truck being used in the more southern states where frost isn't an issue on roads. Having said that, this is 18 years ago I would have been on the stretch of interstate 40 between Petrified Forest National Park and Kingman and then it seemed quite fine. Of course things can change a lot in that many years and your speaking of a section I had not been on. Also I guess highways in general I have been on in various of the lower 49 united states during that time and prior, I never happened to encounter anything that was was bad. However Alaska as per west of Whitehorse to Tok was another story LOL. So that goes back to my initial thought of doing some measuring and a visual of the space at the jounce bumpers and if they look beat up. Also to see if there is any leaking showing up on the shocks or rubber bushing eyes getting beat up and loose.

 

Good to know some tint is legal in Arizona, however due to your drive across several states makes it a tough one as not all states would see it the same way and "look the other way". The particular company that supplied the tint to the outfit that applied it, in what they called a ceramic film which of course is more expensive, the two tints they were mentioning were 35 and 55 percent and that company didn't make one in between. I saw a truck with 55% they had done and while it certainly was there it also wasn't anything that jumped out as dark at all. Their claim was that the ceramic film was far better in heat rejection p;performance with light shades of tint over a traditional type of film, I just went on their recommendation since I don't know much about tint and put on the 35% but still have not driven the truck in the dark with it.

[asilverblazer]

Doesn't Ford put a chassis damper on the rear of the frame - something of a harmonic resonance? Seem to recall something like that on my father-in-laws truck.

 

For comparison, both our trucks are configured similarly his a Ford and mine a Chevrolet. The only difference between them is his is a long bed compared to my short bed. His rides noticeably better, that I attribute to the longer wheel base. A co-worker has a 3/4 ton Ford in similar configuration except 3/4 ton, and gas engine, rides more comparable to mine. 

[AT4X Steve]

On 4/10/2025 at 9:34 AM, newdude said:

 

 

Tremor has slightly softer suspension.  That is also why you can't order plow prep or heavy springs/camper package on them.  It also has 35" tires (LT285/75R18) so more compliancy in its ride.  So shock change, 35"s and springs all add up to the better ride.  

 

If you drove a ZR2 HD you'd find that it probably drives like the Tremor as that has the Multimatic DSSV shocks and 35" tires (LT305/70R18).  I drove one around the block at work and it was almost 1/2 ton in its ride compared to an equivalent regular HD.  

 

ZR2 HD (and AT4X HD), GM put the DSSVs and 35" tires but left the springs alone so you get the softer, more compliant ride but don't lose on getting plow prep or 5th wheel or heavy spring packages.  

 

On 4/10/2025 at 9:34 AM, newdude said:

 

 

Tremor has slightly softer suspension.  That is also why you can't order plow prep or heavy springs/camper package on them.  It also has 35" tires (LT285/75R18) so more compliancy in its ride.  So shock change, 35"s and springs all add up to the better ride.  

 

If you drove a ZR2 HD you'd find that it probably drives like the Tremor as that has the Multimatic DSSV shocks and 35" tires (LT305/70R18).  I drove one around the block at work and it was almost 1/2 ton in its ride compared to an equivalent regular HD.  

 

ZR2 HD (and AT4X HD), GM put the DSSVs and 35" tires but left the springs alone so you get the softer, more compliant ride but don't lose on getting plow prep or 5th wheel or heavy spring packages.  

My 2500 AT4X rides really nice....not quite 1500 quality but definitely nice.   I have the gas engine but have owned a diesel as well and found the heavy engine helps smooth the ride.

[Chuck FB]

7 minutes ago, AT4X Steve said:

 

My 2500 AT4X rides really nice....not quite 1500 quality but definitely nice.   I have the gas engine but have owned a diesel as well and found the heavy engine helps smooth the ride.

On your door pillar sticker, does it list the front end axle as a 4800 lb rated axle ? , if so I assume it probably uses the same torsion bars as the base model trucks. Also what tire pressures are you running at the moment ?

[AT4X Steve]

39 minutes ago, Chuck FB said:

On your door pillar sticker, does it list the front end axle as a 4800 lb rated axle ? , if so I assume it probably uses the same torsion bars as the base model trucks. Also what tire pressures are you running at the moment ?

I have the plow prep package on mine as well...GAWR FRT is 6000lb, GAWR RR is 6600lb.

 

I run 65 psig in the front, 55-60 psig in the rear - aligns with the door sticker recommendation.  Yes, front is higher than rear.

[Chuck FB]

12 minutes ago, AT4X Steve said:

I have the plow prep package on mine as well...GAWR FRT is 6000lb, GAWR RR is 6600lb.

 

I run 65 psig in the front, 55-60 psig in the rear - aligns with the door sticker recommendation.  Yes, front is higher than rear.

I was not expecting your truck to have the snow plow prep at all as a good ride and 6000 lb rated torsion bars on the front of a gas engine pickup doesn't typically equate to a comment of a good ride. Did you buy this truck with the intent of running a snow plow as that would necessitate those stiff bars. As you might have come across on this forum there are a few who have recently been rounding up parts through GM to convert the front end suspension to the AT4X/ZR2 and a couple of them rounded up the even lighter rated cognito torsion bars ( smaller than the 4800 lb rated factory ones ) in an effort to gain a better ride as well as buying different wheels and tires to reduce the tire pressures needed to carry the trucks weight over the stock sized tires. And speaking of tire pressures with your gas engine, as long as you were not loaded down with anything much of weight ( I believe those are metric LT tires that come from the factory ? ) you should be able to run 35 pounds front and rear in a scenario like that. Obviously when/if you had a snow plow on the front that would not work or carrying a load i the box or pulling a trailer with much hitch weight.

[AT4X Steve]

14 minutes ago, Chuck FB said:

I was not expecting your truck to have the snow plow prep at all as a good ride and 6000 lb rated torsion bars on the front of a gas engine pickup doesn't typically equate to a comment of a good ride. Did you buy this truck with the intent of running a snow plow as that would necessitate those stiff bars. As you might have come across on this forum there are a few who have recently been rounding up parts through GM to convert the front end suspension to the AT4X/ZR2 and a couple of them rounded up the even lighter rated cognito torsion bars ( smaller than the 4800 lb rated factory ones ) in an effort to gain a better ride as well as buying different wheels and tires to reduce the tire pressures needed to carry the trucks weight over the stock sized tires. And speaking of tire pressures with your gas engine, as long as you were not loaded down with anything much of weight ( I believe those are metric LT tires that come from the factory ? ) you should be able to run 35 pounds front and rear in a scenario like that. Obviously when/if you had a snow plow on the front that would not work or carrying a load i the box or pulling a trailer with much hitch weight.

I always get the plow prep if I can...truck tends to not squat in front as much over time and I may actually plow with the truck (varied over the years).   Sure, if I go over a set of RR tracks at high speed or hit alot of bumps at speed it jumps a little but for all around driving I am very happy.  As for tire pressures, I tend to tow at least 1-2 a month so I leave the pressures up.  yes, the tires are metric size.  

 

I have had other 2500 and 3500 trucks in the last 6 years - Ford and GMC - my SD Ford rode good too but not any better than my at4x.  It was not the Tremor package.   I have ridden in Ram 2500s as well which are alot worse.   

 

Everyone who has ridden in my truck is really surprised how well it rides for a 2500.  Maybe my expectations are lower on what a good ride is LOL.   I like a "truck ride feel" so my definition of a good ride may be off from what others feel a good ride is.   If I wanted a really smooth ride I would go with a 1500.

 

Edited May 16, 2025 by AT4X Steve
Added last paragraph

[Chuck FB]

7 hours ago, AT4X Steve said:

I always get the plow prep if I can...truck tends to not squat in front as much over time and I may actually plow with the truck (varied over the years).   Sure, if I go over a set of RR tracks at high speed or hit alot of bumps at speed it jumps a little but for all around driving I am very happy.  As for tire pressures, I tend to tow at least 1-2 a month so I leave the pressures up.  yes, the tires are metric size.  

 

I have had other 2500 and 3500 trucks in the last 6 years - Ford and GMC - my SD Ford rode good too but not any better than my at4x.  It was not the Tremor package.   I have ridden in Ram 2500s as well which are alot worse.

Its only a guess that the roads in Indiana are smoother than what I have had to deal with here and the amount of rubber skid marks from lift axles on semi trailers hitting the road at every frost heave and messed up bridge abutment and falling apart railroad crossing tells a story ! LOL. Your just using your truck differently then some do who buy that specialty package. This winter for example when I ordered my truck ( and decided to pass on going down the road of a ZR2 ) I dropped into a shop that does paint protection film and detailing etc and they were working on a customers brand new AT4X and the owner of the shop made a comment that this customer and a friend of the customer both bought the same AT4X package trucks .... as toys, nothing more than to have/own as a frivolous toy as they didn't need them to use as an actual truck and yes both were duramaxes in that case ( because up here your nobody unless you buy a duramax if its a GM product ... which of course means I am a nobody LOL ) . Obviously some do buy their off road packaged truck to do truck things but thought that was an interesting statement at that shop, sports cars and trucks bought as toys.

 

I had to run off there as I didn't quite hit on all the points you made in truck comparisons. I am rather surprised at your comment about the Ram 2500 riding rougher and I will admit I have not personally ridden in a 2500 to compare so its based off of my nephew who is a heavy duty mechanic and has owned and driven a variety of the heavy duty truck brands and his personal truck is a Ram 2500 that I think is around a 2013 year and is a gas with crew cab and long box. I think the long box has a part to play in it as well but he raves about the ride of that truck, carrying capacity though is a bit more limited vs the Ford or GM but for what he purchased it for it has the capability. He had a company F 250 that was a 2018 and was also a gas crew cab but with the short box and he said that thing rode something awful compared to his Ram. But then I hear comments about the newer F 250/350 riding better than the ones of just a few years back, no doubt little changes to spring rates and spring rate options. Now going back years ago we had tried out a used Ram 2500 single cab and it had leaf springs all the way around and I've never been in a pickup of that rating that rode as insanely awful as that truck, it was like there was no suspension on that truck, you would swear the axle housings must be bolted directly to the frame !

 

And your right, everyone has there own expectations of what they expect but with the feedback your getting with your actual truck, somehow its riding better than what I would envision with those stiff front torsion bars paired with the gas engine. My 3500 certainly has truck characteristics, its no mushy 1/2 ton car like ride but yet with me running as low a pressure as the weight of the truck will allow, I find it quite acceptable and it certainly doesn't lean over going around corners briskly like some vehicles that feel like they are on 4 marshmallows.

 

The beauty of the GM torsion system is that its able to be fine tuned for height, from side to side as well as total height and when the bars take a set over time as springs do and sag a bit, as long as the key bolts are not seized up its easy to reset the height so its no longer riding on the a arm bump stops.

Edited May 16, 2025 by Chuck FB