what kind of ride does your explorer give you?

[Majisto]

The Explorer's soft suspension is really nice for highway cruising as long as you don't hit pot-holes. The biggest problem the Explorer has is when one side of the truck hits a pothole and the entire truck sinks into it due to the solid axle. There's not a lot you can do about it unfortunately, but that's just one of the little thing about the beast Just learn to move with the truck, and you won't have the problem anymore.

As for the Chebby riding better...well of course it does. A pretty boy truck has to ride nice too doesn't it? Real men drive a rough and tough Ford that can actually haul around trailers without complaining.

Remember, Chevrolet went to IFS on their Heavy Duties which is a big nono from me, but it makes the ride nice. That's what Chevrolet has been good at. Looking "good" and having strong powertrains when un-loaded to make the vehicles look appealing, but when you start replacing water pumps, power windows, locks, and transmissions once every few months, that nice ride of yours is getting pretty expensive.

Stick with the X. If you want a smoother ride, I suggest lowering it. It will not only improve handling and safety, but the ride may improve slightly.

 

[diablo5969]

Every is making it sound like the first gens are absolutely terrible, but I don't think mine's too bad. I don't have any trouble with drink cups or anything, mine seems relatively smooth.

Granted, it's no longer stock, but they aren't exactly mods that would help the ride

 

[metstalker]

first generations arnt as bad as yall say even though i have not been in a 2nd or 3rd generation. i like the ride. plus if you wanted a good ride then you should have not bought an explorer! common sence suv = ride like a truck

 

[Crankcase]

Well, my shocks aren't too healthy, so it rides like a tank...

 

[98BlackXSport]

When I bought my '98 sport last summer the shocks were gone. The nose would dive when braking and the corners would dive when turning. The ride was "soft and gooshy" in the words of my friend. Since then I replaced the shocks with Monroe Sensatracs. They REALLY stiffened up the ride. My ride is a lot tighter which is good for handling, but the bumps are insane. I really didn't expect this. Also, mine is sagging in the back like everyone else's. Does anyone think that by doing an AAL will help the ride? Thnx.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Expensive. It rides like a tank, and you feel everything. I like it. My shocks (factory as far as I know) have 115k on them. I think they have recently went south.

 

[Joey P]

Hey 98blackxsport, adding an add-a-leave will stiffen the ride up a little. I know it did on mine. You can definately feel the roughness after adding it. But it will help the sag. Remember though that an aal will only give you about 1.25-1.5 inches of lift in the back so if it's worse than that it won't help much.

 

[94WhiteEB]

My butt is numb when I exit my 94 after a trip involving more then 20 miles. I love the raw, rugged, hard core, non-panzy SUV, truckish ride mine delivers. It also comes in handy when my friends are deciding whos car to take on a road trip. Saves me lots of mileage and gas. Speaking of which, we took my friend's newest generation Mustang down from Greensboro to Charlotte last Sunday. It's a 97 mile trip, we did it in an hour and 5 minutes! Its a 6er, but with all the modifications he has done to his, it could rape a GT. We did 115 pretty much the entire way, slowing only when passing troopers. Downshifts into 3rd will cause serious neck pain if you don't brace. To top the entire journey off, we are returning home and a hatchback Civic Dx with exhaust and the lil neon Tach on the dash passes us with some ugly lookin kid hanging out the window yelling at us. Neal (the stang owner, who is the quitest, most calmest kid you have ever met) rips through the traffic to meet him at the next light. The light went green and the G-forces of our acceleration knocked my cell out of my hand as we predeeded to show the Civic drivers the power of a well tuned V6 Domestic engine. My fiend and I were cracking up, both of us telling Neal his car was "supa-ill" and all he said was "Opps, forgot to deactivate the A/C." Ok anywho, my grandparents have a new Caddie, I bet you could drive it off a cliff and wouldnt feel anything on impact due to the suspension. Its like ridding on a giant cloud, you seriously cannot feel the road, or even speed bumps. As for 1st Generation Explorers, stuff a pillow under you for long trips and check the allignment and tire balence often. New bushings and that kinda stuff help alot aswell. The squirlyness your car will show at speeds greater then 60 is common in most all 1st Generations.