harsh ride question

[Buckeye26T]

whats up...i have a 96 4dorr xlt i bought a couple months ago it has 96k on it and the ride seems to be getting a little harsh...i don't do any offroading and it is the stock ride height...any clue what to check??...i figure its just the shocks gone bad...where should i buy new ones and which ones??...i want a nice comfortable ride..what do u guys suggest?...thanks for any help

 

[CodePoet]

Your shocks are probably shot...mine's rough as heck too and I'm 98% sure that new shocks will help. The first question is what are you looking to spend? I've heard nothing be good things about Gabriel VST's they are around 20 bucks each...which is pretty darn good. But then if you wanted to spend more than that I think that EE sells edelbrock shocks (i dont' know much about them though) and to help the ride their sway bars are supposed to be awsome. You can get those gabriel vst's at pep boys...i'm sure any autoparts store has them though.

Good luck
CP

 

[stubborn1]

I replaced my front shocks with Gabrial VSTs and it made a big difference. I'm doing the rears this weekend.

Shocks are cheap and easy to replace - thats probably where I would start.

 

[Buckeye26T]

k cool thannks for the responses....so u think the Gabriel VST's are the best to go with money wise and everything?....i'll prob go with them cause the problem could be worse than the shocks so i don't want to spend alot of money on a remedy that won't fix the problem

 

[Rhett]

Gabriel VSTs are the best shock for the money for our trucks in my opinion; for $30 each they are an excellent shock.

 

[jagarundi]

I put Monroe's on my 98 xlt and the ride is still horrible! It bangs around so hard, I'm scared a window might bust soon. What else can be done to smooth my ride? The tire pressure is between 32 -34psi.

 

[Rhett]

If you put new shocks on, and the ride is still horrible, then the shocks aren't your problem. I would fully examine all of the suspension parts on the front and rear ends and make sure everything is proper.

 

[X~FACTOR]

Change of tires make the biggest difference in my opinion. Go for all season highway tires instead of all terrain or the like. I found Michelin tires are the best at "softening" the ride.

 

[audiodude332001]

jagarundi
I put Monroe's on my 98 xlt and the ride is still horrible! It bangs around so hard, I'm scared a window might bust soon. What else can be done to smooth my ride?

Have you checked to see If your torsion bars are cranked up pretty tight, which would reduce the amound of travel that your suspension is getting when you hit a bump. I know that In my moms mountaineer she was complaining about the harsh ride, so I loosened the torsion bar bolts a bit which lowered it about 2", and the ride quality improved alot.

 

[mdriggan]

I had Monroe shocks put on about a month ago also and the ride is still rough. Where is this torsion bar that you mentioned and how easy is it to loosen? i may try this and see if there is any improvement.

Michael