Front springs ?

[Ed Fenwick]

Aloha,
I was under the truck (02 Sport Track) today and didn't see any springs in the front!! Is the sway bar the only springy under there?
The reason that I was under was to look at the shocks. The ride is poor. I feel every bad spot in the road. Sometimes I can feel it shudder through the vehicle. My wife has a Grand Cherokee and the ride is way better than my Ford! I have bounced on the ends of the truck and it stops quickly. Is there another test for bad shocks. I really would like a better ride. I use it as a truck only 10% of the time.
Tks Ed

 

[brianjwilson]

Ed,
The Sport Trac does not have conventional springs, it has torsion bars. The long rod that goes through the lower control arm, back to a bracket that comes down from the frame is the torsion bar. It is indexed in the lower control arm, and compresses by twisting (torsional twist).
The poor ride could still be shocks, or could very well be another worn component. It is VERY common for the sway bar end links and/or bushings to wear out and cause noises and a rough ride. Have a good look at them, the endlink should be tightened VERY tight with no play, I believe with a 15mm and 16mm wrench. Also have a look for play in the upper balljoints and lower balljoints.
These trucks do ride a little rough by design. The sway bars are pretty stiff to help keep them up right, but creates a more rough ride. How many miles are on the truck? The factory shocks where out pretty quickly and it would benefit you to replace them, but get some tools out and tighten everything down in front, look for anything that is loose or worn out first.

 

[Ed Fenwick]

Thanks Brian,
The truck has 109K, I'll crawl under and check things out. I don't have any history but the shocks look old. Is there another test that I can do before I buy new? What kind of shock will give me the best ride?
What is the theory behind no springs? All my cars before had springs and sway bars.
Ed

 

[brianjwilson]

It is a spring, it's just storing energy differently than a coil. Old toyotas and chevys were set up this way a lot. It would be very tough to get a coil to fit on that control arm as there is little free space between everything there.

If the shocks don't have any labels they are stock, and they are bad. The may not be real bouncy (low speed dampening may be okay), but the highspeed dampening goes bad (a quick shock like a speed bump).
A lot of people use bilstien shocks (I did on my ranger also) and they rode better, but more firm also. More firm but more controlled. A lot of others use cheaper monroe shocks I believe and they have a more car-like ride from what I hear. Search around the forum and see what you find about shocks.

 

[Squirrelmaster]

Torsion bars maintain tension in a lateral twisting motion rather than a vertical compression motion, but it's the same basic idea as a coil spring.

The stock shocks on my Sport Trac lasted about 25k miles, so I replaced them with Bilsteins and couldn't be happier with the results. My old '95 Explorer had some cheap Monroes on it, and while it helped the ride quality, it also felt more mushy than I really cared for. The Bilsteins will deliver a firmer ride than most other shocks, but it's also a much more controlled ride as well.

Tom

 

[Ed Fenwick]

Maybe it is psychosomatic but after I sprayed armorall on all the suspension rubber, the ride is much better!! Maybe it doesn't need shocks.
Ed