what kind of ride does your explorer give you?

[jwgeetar]

hey all,

well i've had my 98 explorer for 14 months and it's got 96,000 miles on it. but ever since i've had it it's taken most normal bumps quite hard and i can feel them all. is this a normal explorer ride or has my shocks gone out? the alignment seems fine and stays on the road straight.

what kind of ride does yours give?

 

[jnsnwt]

I have had the same question as you. We got our 94 Sport @123K miles and it is very rough going over bumps and potholes. It does a fine job of going down the highway but I practically stop to cross RR tracks, otherwise you will be picking everything up off the floor. At work I drive a 3/4 ton Chevy P.U. and it's a lot smoother than the Sport. Our 94 Sport is a dead stock grocery getter with no mods. The shocks are new looking Gabriels (sp?)

 

[hillrad]

My 02 rides like a car (independent rear suspension).

My 94 rides like a truck.

 

[Joey P]

My '94 rides like an unloaded 1933 dump truck! Actually worse! My add-a-leaves don't help none, but before that it still rode bad. I like it! I bought an Explorer.........not a Lincoln.

 

[VairKing]

My 91 rides like a log truck...My 97 (with the air ride suspension) rides much better, but still not as nice as say a luxury car...

 

[Rhett]

91-94s especially will ride like a truck.
Shocks can only do so much. Quality of tires makes a big difference too.

 

[Rhett]

I was going to say...if you have a 98 Explorer and have never driven a 1st gen...then you have it on easy street..as far as ride quality is concerned. 2nd/3rd gens ride like Cadillacs compared to a 1st gen.

 

[Stig]

I have a 02' Sport,, IT rides great... little choppy on certain bummpy roads but all in all a good quality ride... for a 101 in wheel base with rear leaf springs... better than I had expected.

 

[Bill Kemp]

3rd. Gen. X = No top needed on coffee cup.


2 nd. Gen. X = Top deffinetly needed on coffee cup.


1st Gen. X = Don't get your coffee to go....

 

[MO_GUY]

Mine sorta feels like riding "THE BOSS" rollercoaster at Six Flags...it bounces like it's a lowered car. The excuse I was given is that it bounces because it is so top heavy and such a short wheel base....but from what I've actually done offroad I think that with the 2 door Sport X's if you swap out the monoleafs for a set of 4 door leafs the ride will improve much more but I haven't had the time & money to try it so I can't say for sure

 

[MO_GUY]

Originally posted by Stig
I have a 02' Sport,, IT rides great... little choppy on certain bummpy roads but all in all a good quality ride... for a 101 in wheel base with rear leaf springs... better than I had expected.

3rd gen have leaf springs? I read in another thread they did not.....guess someone is wrong here but I don't know who!

 

[Stig]

Originally posted by MO_GUY
3rd gen have leaf springs? I read in another thread they did not.....guess someone is wrong here but I don't know who!

The Sports carried over the old suspention with a rear leaf spring "upgrade".. Same old suspention as the 2nd gen.

 

[huskyfan23]

Mine's not too bad but everything's gonna move around. Whenever I get some type of drink from a fast food place, I always have my right hand on top of the cup just to be safe.

 

[jwgeetar]

Originally posted by Bill Kemp
3rd. Gen. X = No top needed on coffee cup.


2 nd. Gen. X = Top deffinetly needed on coffee cup.


1st Gen. X = Don't get your coffee to go....

i think new tire might help out. i still have the wider (have to check the numbers) tires that came with it. still got about a third of the tread on them and their wearing very slow.

 

[fetterjohn]

My '97 X rides pretty nice now that I swapped out the shocks for Monroes Reflex and the tires for Good Year's Fortera HL. It has improved the body sway and the jarring the stock shocks would give me. Overall for a truck...very nice.

-John

 

[DonM]

My 95 XLT rides like $hit!

I feel every bump, big or small. Pretty much come to a stop when crossing rail roads. I think this is why my Alignment gets out of wake so much.

Poor poor ride.

 

[blackcrowe]

In my 92, EVERY litte bump or pothole is a teeth rattleing experience! That is even with my monroe "sensitracks" i had installed. I just try to avoid all potholes, and go extra slow over speedbumps.

 

[matey]

ya mine rides like a car as well i have 40psi t/p cause i thought it was a bit too smooth after seeing some other posts i might put it back down to 30

 

['96explorereddiebauer]

I don't know...

Mine rides very very smoothly on nicely paved roads and kinda rough on rougher roads. I guess it's a characteristics of a truck??

 

[03ExplorerSPT]

My '95 rode very bumpy over potholes and bumps in the road. My new '03 Sport rides silky smooth for having such a short wheel base and leaf springs. Much better ride than the '95.