2001 sport - need a smoother ride

[slugmike]

hey all

i'm trying to smooth out the ride on my 2001 sport to make it more "wife-compliant." it would also be nice if i didn't get headaches on extended drives from all the bumps/bounces.

i already replaced the stock shocks w/ monroe sensatracs. that helped for about a month or two, now the X feels just like it did before.

i never take the sport off road, and i don't plan on doing so, so off-road capabilities are not a factor here . i'm trying to make it more comfortable for long trips, commute to work, etc. i would basically like the ride to be as car-like as possible.

i'm pretty new to trucks/suv's, so i don't know a whole lot about their suspensions. i've been seeing things like add-a-leaf kits and helper springs and other stuff, would that help me at all?

open to any suggestions

thanks,
mike

 

[Stic-o]

Well...

First of all you have to understand two things

1. It's a truck

2. It's a truck with a short wheelbase!

You may wanna try taken the air pressure down in tires.

Short wheel base Trucks just always kinda bounce around, It just a fact of it. Bigger heavier tires may also help. My wife drives her sport and we have taken it on trips, and it's not to bad....It's not a Lincion.

 

[slugmike]

i guess its just the nature of the best huh?

i mean, i understand that it won't be super-smooth, but what can i do to make it better?

i've driven 4wd sports (mine is 2wd) and they seem to be smoother... probably due to the extra weight.

maybe i should load some bricks in the back haha

 

[X~FACTOR]

Get "softer tires". I found Michellins to have the softest tires around. For the life of me I can't remember the model of it but it is made for highway driving. Just make sure to get the correct load ratings to handle 2.5 tons.

 

[Foo]

I think it might be LT4's it's what I ride around on.

 

[X~FACTOR]

Close Foo. Its LTX M/S. It has a quite ride rating of 9.

 

[slugmike]

hmm tires huh? sounds good, i might be due for some new ones soon anyways.

how much do those run?

anything else i can do to soften things up? anything suspension-related?

 

[Nick26]

you could lower the torsion bars and loosen the front swapbar links, thats should definitely soften the ride. also you could go as far as getting softer torsion bars and putting those on. just remember if you adjust the torsion bars you will need an camber alignment afterwards. also what size rims are yours? the small the rimm the more rubber = softer ride.

( *on a side note: its people like you that turned the explorer into a glorified minivan, damn you! )

 

[Rhett]

Michelins will give you a better ride. They are expensive though. Be prepared for sticker shock.

As was said, there's only so much you can do with a short wheelbase Sport and truck. I guarantee you that your truck rides 50% better than my truck, due to your truck's torsion bar front suspension. You should let your wife ride in my truck around the block, then she will get in your Sport and think it rides like a Caddy.

 

[CodePoet]

Haha I hear you Rhett...same with mine! I'm wondering if EE has anything that helps? I know that they have their sway bars and while those would help it handel alot better do they make anything specifically for the overall ride of the explorer? Just wondering if that might be a route.

Good Luck
CP

 

[Rhett]

I have the EE swaybars front and rear, and while it really didn't make it ride any rougher, it is a nice stiffer better handling truck.

My truck won't ride any rougher unless I get Flintstones tires on it.

 

[slugmike]

i've been seeing lots of ads for helper springs that claim they help improve the ride... do you think those would help me at all?

 

[Rhett]

You mean rear leaf helper springs, like Add-A-Leaf? Those generally make for a rougher and stiffer ride.

If you mean front coil springs, then SOME aftermarket coils will give a better ride in our trucks. Some worse.