Smoother ride. | Ford Explorer Forums

  • Register Today It's free!

Smoother ride.

jtmarkley

Member
Joined
October 16, 2008
Messages
14
Reaction score
0
City, State
Humble, TX
Year, Model & Trim Level
'98 2dr 2wd Sport
:salute:Is there anyone out there that can suggest how to make my Sport 2wd ride smoother. It is a daily driver and I am wanting it to ride more like an old lead sled and not feel every little pebble in the road. Thanks.
 



Join the Elite Explorers for $20 each year or try it out for $5 a month.

Elite Explorer members see no advertisements, no banner ads, no double underlined links,.
Add an avatar, upload photo attachments, and more!
.





Tires, shocks, Torsion bars, and springs.

We need a little info on your vehicle to help you out. Entertain us with some answers here, and we can point you in the right direction through discussion.

Tires:
Old or new? Size & type? Whats your running PSI?

Shocks:
Old or new? Brand and model?

Torsion Bars:
Have they been adjusted?
Are your lower control arms straight across level or are the on an angle up or down?

Springs:
Worn and flat? One side of vehicle lean to one side or not?
 






The tires are Michelin 265/70/16 and I am running 37psi. The shocks haven't been replaced for a few years but when I did I replaced the OEM with Monroe...Auto Zone. Never messed with the torsion bar. My leaf springs are original on a '98. Single leaf...probably worn out. The back has always sat lower than the front so I recently put some Warrior 153 shackles to lift it up a little. Thanks.
 






Oh yea, the driver's side does sit about 3/4" lower than the passengers side.
 






Thanks for the feedback there, that helps a bunch. One more thing though, if you could snap a pic of your rig from the front showing the lower half underneath (so we can see both your control arms), that would help us see how your T-bars are set. These are a large part of the reason for a harsh ride.

Shocks are only a few years old, but still can be worn out.

PSI is just a tad high, but not that high to give you a crap ride.

The lean to the drivers side is caused by the weight of the gas tank and driver body weight both on the drivers side.

Getting a new set of leaf pack springs will help out a lot with ride quality, sag, and lean.

Last thing is to check all ball joints, sway bar end link bushings, and control arm bushings. If these are bad, it would let you feel the cracks in the road.
 






picture.php

picture.php

picture.php
 






I hope this helps. And thanks again for any info you can provide!
 






Besides the tire rub on the swaybar, I see nothing wrong at all on the drivers side. I cant see the passenger side to say anything for it.

Your lCA are nice & level. That is a good thing. T-bars are fine where they are.

Might just be as simple as needing a set of newer shocks. I would get the best you can afford for it. T-bars are just a harsh ride compared to other set ups. A shock with a good rebound rate is best suited for your rig.
 






Price isn't really an issue. Any suggestions on the brand/model of shocks?
 






Only thing- the tires look to be leaning a little towards the truck on the top. If they are, you may need control arms/bushings. Mine rode like a tank until I replaced all of that...

I agree with gman though- shocks should help. How many miles on your Monroe's?
 












The shocks have about 35-40,000 on them. I did replace the control arm bushings about 10,000 miles ago but after I would drive a bit they always seemed like they were loose or compact because they rattled. Thanks for the reply.
 












Did you replace the sway bar bushings? Those like to sound and feel like loose control arm bushings... With 40k, the Monroe's may be toast. Seems like that's around the useful life I've seen/heard for them.
 






No, but it sounds like I will be having a busy day...new shocks, new sway bar bushings...I REALLY appreciate everything!
 












Is there a kit with all of the bushings included? I think I would prefer going with neoprene bushings as I have heard lots of good things about them.
 






Featured Content

Back
Top