New here....hope you guys can help

[badfish]

New to this forum...from Wisco.......GO PACK!

I have a suspension question.....my ride is a 2001 explorer sport (4x4). I'm at my wits end with it, it rides like complete crap. I guess the model year I have has torsion bar suspension rather than springs. Well, how do i know if they need to be replaced? The truck hydroplanes like crazy, the wheels leave the road on bad bumps and it almost feels like it is floating at times. Just doesn't feel hooked up to the road. I've replaced the shocks, tie rods, sway bar...pretty much everything up front other than the torsion bars. Could this be my problem? The truck has 105,000 miles on it.......do they just wear out? What am I looking at spending if I would take it to the ford shop?

any help will be very much appreciated......thanks in advance!!!

 

[IZwack]

Its not the torsion bars. Unless your tires are shoved up the wheel wells at ride height, then the torsion bars are doing what they need to do. The torsion bars have nothing to do with hydroplaning as hydroplaning is a function of tire surface area, tire design, the weight of the vehicle, and the speed of the vehicle.

And just because the shocks have been replaced, doesnt mean that the vehicle will handle the way you would like it to because each shock has its own characteristics. Some shocks are very firm while others are very soft.

You didnt by any chance try to lower the vehicle with the torsion bars did you? Because doing so often leads to a "floating" suspension.

Also, tires play a huge role in road characteristics. I think most people on the forum have stated that they dislike some of GoodYear's line of tires.

 

[badfish]

Thanks for the quick response......I really don't think it's the tires, doubt the type of tire would stop the wheel chatter...the front tire will literally lose contact with the road when going over a bump. Really notice it when you go over a bump while turning....truck will jump to the edge of the road. The tire look to be in the correct position with relation to the wheel well so maybe it's not the torsion arms. I put monroe gas-matic shocks on it....middle of the road quality. I've never tried lowering or raising the vehicle.

 

[IZwack]

I'd say that the truck is doing what its supposed to do, and you're not supposed to turn the wheels when you're going over a bump at high enough speeds to get the tires off of the ground . That's one easy way to roll a truck

Is this the first "truck" you've owned? Because it almost sounds like you expect car-like characteristics out of a truck -- which is nearly impossible to achieve just because of the different weight.

I'd almost say you should trade it in for a Subaru -- which will ride 10 times better than '01 Sport, has AWD, and a turbo option

 

[badfish]

not supposed to turn the wheel?? So if I'm on a hwy with a curve in the road and there happens to be a bump on the curve I should just keep the wheel straight and head off the road? I've driven plenty of trucks/suv's before, I know what they should and shouldn't feel like. Maybe I have to try a higher grade front shock.......I don't expect a "car like" ride but I do expect to feel safe and connected to the road in any vehicle I drive. The explorer felt great when I purchased it with 60,000 miles on it......something feels worn out now with the amount of miles on it.......maybe it's time to get rid of it.
Thanks again for your response......

 

[IZwack]

The thing that's kind of throwing me off is the "floating" and "leaves the road" thing -- because the two are almost opposites of each other. If the vehicle is "floating", that means it has a very soft suspension which means that the suspension should not be leaving the road on bumps. Leaving the road on the other hand requires a suspension thats very stiff.

I guess my question is, how do you know the tires are leaving the ground? I mean its very difficult to actually tell whether or not a tire has left the ground unless you actually see it leave the ground. Even though it feels like the entire vehicle is in the air, the tires are typically still planted on the ground because the last few inches of the suspension is somewhat "soft" (relative to the sprung weight of the vehicle).

My bet are its either the tires or at least one very worn out ball joint.

 

[badfish]

IZ,

maybe "floating" was the wrong term to use. I can tell it's leaving the road because of the corner bumps I was talking about. Example would be....I'm cruising down the freeway at 60mph or whatever and there is a bend in the road. I follow the bend, hit a bump and the explorer will jump (slightly) to the side of the road opposite of the way the wheel is turned. Just a little skip at that speed feels pretty sketchy. I totally agree with what you said though...floating and leaving the road really shouldn't be able to happen. I guess it just feels like the wheels are flapping around....chattering on bumpy roads.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! How long do you have your vehicle? What did you drive before?

 

[sjr033]

When I bought my '01 sport, it took me some getting used to the way it road. Keep in mind we have a shorter wheelbase. Mine fells like the back end jumps to the side when I hit a bump and speed. With 105,000 mile on the clock, have you checked or had replaed the lower ball joint and outer tie rods?

 

[Sams01XplrSprt]

welcome

 

[Dopler174]

It does sound like a ball joint issue other than hydroplaning. That is caused by tires and tires only. What kind of tires do you have and do you know the mileage on them? you have about 45K from purchase to now.

 

[Nick1421]

Ball Joints

New to this forum...from Wisco.......GO PACK!

I have a suspension question.....my ride is a 2001 explorer sport (4x4). I'm at my wits end with it, it rides like complete crap. I guess the model year I have has torsion bar suspension rather than springs. Well, how do i know if they need to be replaced? The truck hydroplanes like crazy, the wheels leave the road on bad bumps and it almost feels like it is floating at times. Just doesn't feel hooked up to the road. I've replaced the shocks, tie rods, sway bar...pretty much everything up front other than the torsion bars. Could this be my problem? The truck has 105,000 miles on it.......do they just wear out? What am I looking at spending if I would take it to the ford shop?

any help will be very much appreciated......thanks in advance!!!

I have replaced 3 out of 4 Ball joints on My 2000, all went bad at the same time. I was getting the same effect. Has since become most enjoyable to drive again. Ford has had a problem with the sealed units. Some last forever and some just quit for no reason. I would check them before spending money on anything else.
Go Pat's (hehe)