Can feel every single bump in the road

[xTaylor]

As i drive, when i hit even a tiny bump, i can feel it hard in the car. Everything in the car shakes and its starting to P me off. Its not my tires, cause i recently got new tires and the problem is still there. As it was before. So what could it be?? Shocks?

The truck does not sway and turning is fine, it drives good. It's just the bumps/holes that make the truck go crazy. Feels like the suspension or something is really tight and its not absorbing anything. But I honestly have no idea what to do here.

 

[Joe Dirt]

How old are the suspension components? Do you have a torsion twist? Need more info on that you have...

 

[dcdyd]

My 98 EB is behaving the same way. I have ordered front and rear shocks. Hope it will get the ride smoother. By the way, the truck still uses the original shocks.

 

[Joe Dirt]

Stock shocks = done for after 60k

 

[Paraphoe]

Is this a new, sudden problem or something that always was? If that's always the way the truck has driven, it might just be that you have the stiffest torsion bars (there are ratings stickers on the bars if you swing underneath). Remember, the Explorer is going to have a harsher ride than most normal vehicle, and if you have very stiff suspension up front (especially if the bars are cranked), it will only magnify that.

Shocks are the easy answer and my first thought if this is something new. Also, what pressure are you running in your tires?

 

[dcdyd]

Stock shocks = done for after 60k

My truck is at 105K so I am sure that all factory shocks are not functioning correctly.

 

[toypaseo]

Even with new tires, it still could be the tires.

I replaced some dismal Goodyear Wrangler RT/S with Michelin LTX M/S. Improved my ride ALOT. Pricey, but well worth it.

 

[Joe Dirt]

My truck is at 105K so I am sure that all factory shocks are not functioning correctly.

...at 105k, none of them are

(maybe the axle dampener shock)

 

[dcdyd]

Well I used shop to do the maintainence so far and was never told that the shocks need to be replaced. Recently I want to start DIY and I realized that the truck's ride is too rough. I didn;t remember how it was when she was new but I am sure it was not like this. I have ordered front and rear shocks and wait for the tempture to raise.

 

[xTaylor]

i dont know if they are stock, i bought the truck about 2 years ago. It had 140k miles on it. Its got almost 160k now. I also do not know if i have torsion twist, i honestly dont know what those are. Should I start by ordering new shocks and see what happens then?

This problem has been occurring since i got the truck.

 

[dcdyd]

You can do an easy test to know whether shocks are good or not. Puch one corner of the truck three times and see how many bounces it needs to stop the movement. If it only needs one bounce the shocks are good. If it needs three times or more, the shocks are bad. It is harder to do this with Explorer than with sedans. But it gives you an idea about the shock.

My truck needs three bounces to stop teh movement and that is the reason I know I need to change it.

I am new here also. I just don't know what could be wrong if don't change shocks. What could go wrong in addition to the ride comfort.

 

[xTaylor]

Okay, so maybe the shocks are good... so what else could it be? Why is my ride so rough??

 

[Joe Dirt]

The bounce test does not always work. My '95 bounced once, and I could compress them with one finger after I removed them.

Guys- if you have 160k on the shocks, they're shot.

 

[jremington59]

The bounce test does not always work. My '95 bounced once, and I could compress them with one finger after I removed them.

Guys- if you have 160k on the shocks, they're shot.

Agreed. Mine are stock and at 175,000 miles so you can imagine how mine feels. When it's below zero they freeze solid, lol. They must be full of water as they won't compress.Yet the bounce test says they are good when it's warm. If I hit a dime in the road I'd feel it.

Just ordered the Monroe Reflex at Joe's recomendation from Rock Auto (great price by the way) and they will be here tommorrow. Can't wait. Just put new calipers, pads, rotors, new front drive shaft and the shocks will finish things off. At least until tommorrow, lol.

 

[safn1949]

Check your tire pressures,if they are at 40psi or all of them are different it will beat you to death.

 

[Trolling]

your ride is rough because.... you have a 2nd gen explorer

Provided that the shocks are not shot/worn out, in my experience, the shocks do not offer a smoother ride. I've gone through several brands including rancho, monroe, bilstein and the oem motorcraft and they do not differ significantly in terms of ride quality. That's why I sold each set and just stuck with the gabriel brand from the parts store.

But if your shock are indeed worn out, do replace them.

I have the explorer express sway bars and michelin ltx m/s tires with no lift of any kind when I went through all those shocks.

Two big factors to the ride is the condition of the road and the tire pressure like safn1949 said. I personally run 36 psi and lower them down to 32 when I expect to have other people riding along with me and that alone makes a world of difference. But, even if I lower the psi to 28 (hypothetically), the ride would still be a bit rough due to the very poor road conditions here in southern california.

 

[Lanky]

I agree with trolling. To me torsion bar suspensions are not good on heavy vehicles. Too much twist to keep the front end off the ground.

 

[safn1949]

Take a 3000 mile ride in my 94,it will beat you silly.

 

[1995E]

I had the stiff suspension problem before I crashed mine. I put Monroe Sensashocks (Twin tubed so it's softer). Really fixed the heck out of my problems! Felt softer and of course, the Explorer's suspension was still a bit stiff but the shocks do help a lot. Don't buy monotubes but twin tubes as they are softer. If you plan to offroad a lot, buy monotubes.

 

[JEastonjr]

160k on factory shocks? thats the first thing to replace. are the ball joints factory? at 160k they have to go too.(uppers and lowers) it will feet like a new car.