Anything I can do to make this truck ride better?
 

Hi All. Been running my wifes 97 extended cab 1500 4x4 the last few months and had to drive my 76 the other day thats been parked. Noticed my 76 did not ride as rough as I remembered compared to my wifes truck.

Is there any suggestions on improving the ride and soaking up the bumps a little better? The truck is a 97 Z71 extended cab 3 door. It has 130k on it I wanted to start with shocks but every time i replace shocks on something seems to make the ride worse. This has the factory bill stein shocks still on it and they seem to still be ok. No sag or uneven body I even played a little bit with the tire pressure truck actually is smoother with the recommended 65 PSI in the tires which are Yokohama and usually ride smooth. This truck has not lead a hard life everything is still like new but hit a bump in the road and it like your on a skate board.

Re: Anything I can do to make this truck ride better?
 

Might try to describe the part of the ride you don't like.
Shocks are meant to dampen spring oscillation so they only have a slight impact on ride.

Re: Anything I can do to make this truck ride better?
 

Well best way to describe it is every bump you hit is a hard hit the console shakes and every plastic part in the cab rattles. its like there is no suspension at all like being on a skate board. To me it feels like the suspension is to firm. It reminds me of cruising around in my firebird with air shocks in the back pumped up to max pressure....

Re: Anything I can do to make this truck ride better?
 

Are those Yokohamas a 10 or 12 ply rating? A heavy rated tire will be heavier and hit harder on bumps and absorb less of the bump. It is odd that it rides better with higher air pressure though.

Re: Anything I can do to make this truck ride better?
 

Was going to say...65 psi in tires on a 1500 seems like a lot. Is that the recommended pressure for your tires?..I have the same truck, mine are 50 psi. I would try that first.

Also, when was the front end last lubed?

Re: Anything I can do to make this truck ride better?
 

Thanks for the responses not sure i will have to check the tires and see what ply they are. She got the truck from her uncle and he always gets the best of everything he possibly can so im sure they sold him the best possible tire they could. Yes I was thrown off by the tire pressure both the required pressure and how it rides softer with more air. the first time i checked the tire pressure it threw me off a little bit. The front end was lubed about 2 months ago when i did the oil change nothing was dry and i did push out all the old grease as i switched it to synthetic. I think that was my first try at getting the ride a little better making sure it was all lubed up properly. I know its not going to ride like a car but it should be a little smoother then what it is. I have always had trucks for the most part this is the 2nd 4wd chevy I have had my last was an 86 short box and it rode smooth as could be over the bumps so i would think the longer wheelbase of this one should help it out a bit. Are there any known issues??

Re: Anything I can do to make this truck ride better?
 

You say no sag.. Is the truck sitting level??? Just wondering if someone had cranked up the torsion keys...

Re: Anything I can do to make this truck ride better?
 

I would go with tires causing the rough ride. You could also check/replace the sway bar bushings. That usually makes clunks and feels like it dives more though.

Re: Anything I can do to make this truck ride better?
 

it sits like it should compared to my truck where one side sits lower then the other due to bad cab bushings. I dont think anyone has attempted anything with the torsion keys I know some people screw with them to lift it but this thing has never been molested as far as i can tell and nothing is worn out. Its driving me kinda nuts. I will see if i can get a jack under it in the morning do some further inspection. I need to rotate the tires anyway before it starts to get to cold. I will post if i find anything out of whack

Re: Anything I can do to make this truck ride better?
 

What is the load range of the tires?