Very bouncy ride, any suggestions ?

[voivod]

Hey guys,
My ex has a very bouncy/rough ride on highways and sometimes in the city .
I have changed all my shocks this month , got monroe sensatrac rear and gabriel ultra in the front.
But the ride hasnt changed much !

Is there anymore i can do to get a smooth ride ? i know it wont ride like a bentley, but atleast i want to drive for 2 hours without having to hold my coffe so it wont spill all over !!

P.S: my ex. has smaller tires, they are pirelli scorpion 225/70r16, does that affect the ride ?

 

[Minivek]

My 94 used to bounce around like an old beat up chevy caprice, I ended up changing all my springs (I was putting on a lift) but that really firmed up my ride and killed body roll, it's a lot more solid, kinda like a new superduty, but my cups aren't spilling over anymore.

Your tires might have a bit to do with it as well, when you change tires get some LT (stiffer sidewall) and go up a size or two, when pumped up to 34 psi it really rides well.

Check your bushings as well for wear and tear, if they're done for, new ones will give you a new ride.

 

[PRS]

Mine used to bounce a lot too, but as soon as i put on the new shackles and did the tt, as well as the 31's it stiffened right up

 

[voivod]

Well i was thinking about lowering my explorer around 1" using TT and a lowering Block .... would that improve the ride much ?

Also i checked the bushings, im not quite sure which ones i have to check ... are they the ones on the control arm ?

Here are some pictures :

 

[Big6ft6]

also just check to be sure one of your sway bar links hasn't popped off. This happens and when it does you can get a lot more wobbling/sway back and forth, side to side even on highway, and it feels like you are bouncing.

 

[toypaseo]

Michelin LTX M/S improved my ride ALOT. Previous tires were Goodyear Wranger RT/S.

 

[briwayjones]

P.S: my ex. has smaller tires, they are pirelli scorpion 225/70r16, does that affect the ride ?

Do you mean 225/70r15s? 15" not 16"? That is an odd size and it's unusual to have 16" tires on an XLS. When you get new tires go with 235/75s that would help some.

 

[voivod]

Do you mean 225/70r15s? 15" not 16"? That is an odd size and it's unusual to have 16" tires on an XLS. When you get new tires go with 235/75s that would help some.

Nope they are r16 !

The dealer i bought the truck from changed the tires before i bought it , and for some reason he put on this very odd and hard to find tire size , so when one of my tires poppes amonth ago because of a small accident it was really hard for me to find a spare . These tires usually come on Toyota Rav4.

What im planning to do now is lower my ex by 1" and install 255/70R18 tires/wheels , might need some trimming i suppose ... Hope this will improve the ride !

 

[slowmod'01]

Your passenger upper ball joint is shot (lower pic), chances are the others are too or close to it. Replacing those will have a huge impact on the ride, gets rid of a lot of clunking as well on the rougher terrain.

 

[asessnios]

what makes you think those uppers are shot . the boot looks a little rough, but that doesnt necessairly mean the joint is loose

 

[slowmod'01]

let me re-phrase that... the boot is gone, at that point i would replace them, but that is just my opinion as i feel they are no longer properly lubricated. You really wouldn't know by looking at the picture, someone would need to be prying on the tire.

 

[Gator7]

Bouncy ride

Hey guys,
My ex has a very bouncy/rough ride on highways and sometimes in the city .
I have changed all my shocks this month , got monroe sensatrac rear and gabriel ultra in the front.
But the ride hasnt changed much !

Is there anymore i can do to get a smooth ride ? i know it wont ride like a bentley, but atleast i want to drive for 2 hours without having to hold my coffe so it wont spill all over !!

P.S: my ex. has smaller tires, they are pirelli scorpion 225/70r16, does that affect the ride ?

If you have low profile tires on it, you have no hope of a smooth ride. No side wll to absorb road shock. If not, then you need to look at the springs next. Also, some tires will do this after 10-15 K miles. Read up on the tires.

Good luck.

Gator,

 

[SoNic67]

Sensatrac on rear? Those are very loose to begin with... and you coupled them with Gabriel Ultras on front (very stiff)? No wonder your truck will bounce the rear like heck!
Get the same kind of shocks on rear (or stiffer). Especially with those crappy tires that are not meant for your SUV.

 

[Gator7]

Sound like the tires are the 1st item I would rule out. Certain tires will do this bouncy ride thing after 5-10 K. Also, if you went with a lower profile tire, that will cause this issue. Before you put on more tires, look at reviews 1st. A little home work pays big later.