Ride far too stiff -- replace shocks?

[bluevolume]

I just bought a 2000 XLS 4x4, with about 65K on it. My city is pot-hole central, and where there aren't pot holes there are rough, bumpy roads. I'm really not happy with the way my Explorer rides, you feel and hear every bump in the road.

I've checked the tire pressure, and it is exact to the door label. The shocks don't seem to be bad, in that I can't get the truck bouncing by jumping on the bumper. So what is my next step? This is a road-only vehicle but with the winters we have here, sometimes the road is just like off-road.

Are there some aftermarket shocks that will give me a more comfortable and quieter ride? I put the AutoZone ones (~$25 whatever they are) on my old '95 and was not happy with the change it made. If there really is something better, I'd pay to have them installed, but all I really care about is a nicer ride without going to the poor house.

Thanks,
Blue

 

[Jason_25]

Sorry, you are stuck with what you have. Unless you completely re-did your suspension anyways. Shocks aren't going to make any difference at all, besides possibly making it more stiff.
The only things I can tell you is that its ok to run at 30 PSI in your tires and there are aftermarket shock makers that sell adjustable shocks which can be turned to the softest setting.

 

[Adam Berger]

I had similar problems here in Australia, as our roads are a disgrace. The biggest drama was those crappy auto adjustable shocks that raised the car when a load was in it. They were simply too hard. After much research, I decided on Rancho RS9000's. This allowed me to set them where I felt was most comfortable. Not necessarily the sofest either. The improvment was dramatic and great with loads as I could adjust to a stiffer setting to cope with the load. The only thing is you may not like the price. At the end of the day, we are talking about an offroad vehicle, so you can't expect passanger car comfort (but you can get close)!

 

[Rhett]

Blue, maybe you should look at the tires. I have found that in most cases, a cheaper tire won't ride as well as a more expensive tire. If your truck came with Goodyear Wrangler GSA's, maybe it would ride better with Michelins on it.

And also, if you ride in a newer Explorer with the torsion bars or the Independent Front Suspension like yours, and then go ride in a 1st generation (1991-94 model) Explorer, you will find that you don't have much to complain about concerning ride quality!

 

[jobunn]

Disconnecting your front swaybars would help a lot, but would make you feel like you were tipping at every turn.

Airing down would be your best bet.

 

[wvtuff]

I noticed a big difference after putting on Michelin XCX/APT 31x10.50's. Even if you don't want to lift it you can run this size with no problem. The larger diameter will soak up the potholes alot better. Please DON'T disconnect your swaybars. The reason you feel you are tipping at every turn is because you ARE TIPPING at EVERY turn. Not good for any of us and even though one poster on here thinks it's funny to scare other drivers with his tipping/lifted X it's a really asinine thing to do.

 

[Jason_25]

Give him a break newb

My explorer has no swaybars and handles better than many of my friend's stock trucks.

 

[GaSouthern1]

Originally posted by wvtuff
I noticed a big difference after putting on Michelin XCX/APT 31x10.50's. Even if you don't want to lift it you can run this size with no problem. The larger diameter will soak up the potholes alot better. Please DON'T disconnect your swaybars. The reason you feel you are tipping at every turn is because you ARE TIPPING at EVERY turn. Not good for any of us and even though one poster on here thinks it's funny to scare other drivers with his tipping/lifted X it's a really asinine thing to do.

You know this? I think you are overstating the effects by a long shot.

If you disconnect the rear sway bar it is barely noticable, but with the front disconnected it is a little tipsy feeling, it really depends on your driving style, if you are a balls to the walls driver then you will not want to go without the front sway bar, but if you are "conservative" you should be fine. It will take some getting used to it but you will get more comfortable with it after a while and you will learn the limits. And you should also give thought to those RS9000 shocks, they are now nine way adjustable and are pretty bad a$$ if you ask me.

Good Luck with whatever you do
Patrick