Very harsh ride due to weight reduction. Plz help

[grndzro]

Ok I have a 2000 explorer sport 2d 2wd, with extensive weight reduction.

The ride is about as harsh as it gets. I swear if I ran over 2 ants I could tell the difference between a red ant and a black one.

I need to find some way to lighten the suspension so it actually works instead of being fully extended.

Things removed so far
All AC equipment.
All unnecessary engine bay plastic/rubber/hood insulation.
ALL! interior except for front seats and dash.
Sun visor extenders.
All sound proofing.
Rubber floor dampening grommets replaced with gorillia tape(top and bottom).
All power locks.
Center console/cup holder.
Rear and side windows replaced with tinted Lexan. rear window hardware.
Rear hatch latch connectors replaced with 1/8 cable. (Lighter/quieter)
Spare tire/tools/winch.
Stepsides.
Tow bracket.
Cargo rack.
Roof reinforcement metal.
Hood center reinforcement metal.
Hood latch/hinges/hydraulics replaced with front pins/rear slide brackets.
Torsion bar covers.
Rear bumper reinforcement.
Cargo light.
Flood lights.
Grille mesh.
Intake restrictor.
All mirrors replaced with light aftermarket ones.
Stereo replaced with mechless.
All wiring from removed components.
All excess foam/caulking/crap.
Rear seat belt hardware and bolts.
Rear speakers(didn't work).Gonna put in 2 high end 6x9's/tweeters/sub.
Entire front license plate, rear dealers bracket.
Rear wiper/hose/motor/everything.

I haven't weighed my explorer yet, but I think I took off 600-800 lbs. So I now have suspension designed for 4000-5000 lbs on a vehicle that is ~2800 lbs....

Is there a way to adjust the suspension for a better ride?

 

[Flash]

2 birds with one stone here.

Remove and replace the front torsion bars with a much lighter coilover setup.

Remove most of your rear spring pack leaving the the top leaf and replace with a coilover.

 

[MuscleJunkie]

Bilstein shocks, torsion bars, rear springs spec'd for 2000~ Limited with RLL shocks (softest)??????

 

[RangerX]

No suggestions but I'm just wondering why the weight loss? Hyper-miler or drag racer?

 

[grndzro]

Thanks for the replies. I'll guess I'll have to swap to coilovers and lighter shocks.

I'm going for mileage. I guess as I keep going lighter, performance comes with that also. I plan on engine upgrades after I finish weight reduction/interior.

Gonna put skinny 30-31/9.5's on the rear and smaller tires in front. Also gonna remove the fender plastic and skin it with copper colored vinyl to match the copper tinted lexan rear windows.

I don't ever plan on selling it so I might as well do everything I can to it. I plan on picking up a duratec 3.7 block from pick and pull and all the bits I will need to swap from 4.0 SOHC when the current engine eventually gives up. Eventually a manual tranny, and manual steering rack also.

Is there any way to set it up so the ride is great when empty, but still be able to carry a decent load? I do quite a bit of general contracting.

It'l probably be ready for pictures in spring.

 

[Rhett]

I'm going for mileage.

Are you planning any aerodynamic mods? Like the solid wheels, and underbody cladding, things like that? You can take some cues from some of the electric vehicles like the VW E-Golf.

 

[grndzro]

Are you planning any aerodynamic mods? Like the solid wheels, and underbody cladding, things like that? You can take some cues from some of the electric vehicles like the VW E-Golf.

I hadn't thought of those yet. Good idea. Time to start looking for light solid hubs/wheels, and roll around how I'd want to streamline the underside.

 

[turboranger91]

I can't help but wonder how much of a difference all that has made. What type of mileage are you getting?

 

[colintrax]

I hate to break it to you, but weight reduction does very little for gas mileage. You need to be working on aerodynamics

 

[grndzro]

I can't help but wonder how much of a difference all that has made. What type of mileage are you getting?

Pretty good I'd say. I can go into town and back on 1 gallon of gas. That would be ~30 minutes of driving. So somewhere ~30 MPG.

 

[grndzro]

I hate to break it to you, but weight reduction does very little for gas mileage. You need to be working on aerodynamics

Acceleration and hills take a lot of gas. I might be inclined to agree with you if I haven't already experienced quite a bit better gas mileage.

 

[funfool]

What air pressure are you running in your tires and what ply rating are they?

The psi rating on the side of the tire is the max they will hold, not what you should have in them..
On the other hand,, depending on your weight it is what you need.
Is also a suggested air pressure rating on the door jamb.

If you would consider the air carries the load.
If you have a tire with zero air pressure, it is not considered under inflated, if it is not carrying any weight.
If the tires will only carry a axle that you will roll around on the garage floor, maybe 10 psi is all you need to carry the load and not be under inflated.
You get my point.

On a car with 4 ply tires, I would never go less then 28 psi.
On my truck with 10 ply, they hold 80 psi, but I run them at 45 psi unless going to haul a heavy load and then raise the pressure.
At 80 psi they would beat the crap out of you and feel every bump in the road.
Because of that, is why I wonder what pressure your tires are at.
I also have found that michelin tires will give the best ride, is the way they design the sidewall construction.

 

[colintrax]

Acceleration and hills take a lot of gas. I might be inclined to agree with you if I haven't already experienced quite a bit better gas mileage.

I'm not saying weight reduction does nothing. But it does very very little compared to reducing drag from wind or normal vehicle loses (transmission and the like) and improving driving habits. I can get over 50mpg in my Spark if I try. That's hauling around 100 lbs of crap and no modifications what's so ever. Just fuel efficient driving.

 

[RangerX]

Pretty good I'd say. I can go into town and back on 1 gallon of gas. That would be ~30 minutes of driving. So somewhere ~30 MPG.

Wait, wait. MPG stands for miles per gallon, not minutes per gallon! How many miles is it to town and back?

 

[colintrax]

Wait, wait. MPG stands for miles per gallon, not minutes per gallon! How many miles is it to town and back?

Let's not forget he's judging gas mileage off a 30 minute drive. I can get 70mpg if we're talking such a short drive lol