Ideas to make truck ride smoother?

[aboyer]

Guys, I need your advise. Attached is a picture of my truck. I have installed a complete CPP 4/6 drop kit (drop springs/spindles/panhard bar) and have installed a c-notch on the rear of my truck. The truck has new coils and shocks on all corners. New upper/lower ball joints.

I am running 17in wheels with 245/45R17 Firestone Firehawk tires. I know, I made a mistake in getting too low profile of tires.

The truck drives really rough while I am driving around town. Do you think a majority of this boils down to the tire size that I am running with?

Any suggestions/advice would be appricated.

Adam

[VA72C10]

I would say that the tire size would definitely be a factor. Also keep in mind that It is going to be a sportier ride than normal with the drop....and normal is already a truck...

nice truck!!!

[cdowns]

lower the profile of tires the more the feedback you get// what pressure do you run the tires?

[68gmsee]

It's possible the ride will soften up some with use. Rubber parts will smooth out some and loosen up a bit and shocks and springs may also soften up some. Changing tires will help but I suspect the seat may help even more. A thick foam pad seat will absorb a lot of the bounce of these old trucks.

[Lee H]

Which shock are you using? I started out with the nitro and switched to bilstien. Expensive but made a lot of difference. Well worth it to me.

[LONGHAIR]

A 45 series tire is going to be rough on nearly anything. The sidewalls are so short, that everything transfers through the wheel.

[N2TRUX]

That is a low profile tire, but I don't think it's your problem. I am running 245/40/20's on front and 295/40/20's on the rear and my truck rides great. If you have to stiff a shock, it will be rough, and to soft will allow your suspension to bottom out.

Regardless, I think you have to low of a profile for the rear. I suggest replacing the rear tires and consider what need to be done with your shocks.

[cdowns]

do you have urathane body mounts or engine mounts? not noted for smoothness

[aboyer]

Thanks for everyones comments. I kind of thought it was the tires as well, but always good to get feedback. The shocks that I am using are nitro shocks, but the ride has been pretty bad ever since I got the low profile tires.

I think that my first plan of action is save up for some new tires and then possibly phase in higher end shocks. I was thinking about 255/50/17 in the front and 275/50/17 in the rear.

Do you think this is a good tire profile to go with or should I go with something bigger????

The shocks I am using at the standard kit shocks from CPP from their drop kit. They are only 1 year old, so I will use these for the time being.

I am using poly bushings on the cab. This probably doesn't help too much, but I think that the tires are the biggest factor.

Thanks,
Adam

[ETsC10]

I agree with 68gmsee; though you might love your buckets, go borrow
a full foam bench seat from a 67-68. That would be your most affordable
way to begin diagnosing the ridability problems.
If you are happy with the difference, begin shopping for buckets
from a high-end SUV.

Short sidewalls do make for a harsh ride. I think you will find that you
have to sacrifice some ride quality for looks.
The bigger wheel/ smaller tires look grand but the more cush between you
and the road, the better, if looking for nice ride.
Furthermore, all tires are not equal...given the same size, some are made
for performance, some for comfort.
Perhaps look into tires designed for a large, luxury SUV or sedan.

My 2 cents

[Fastfun]

Have you looked into the shock relocation kit from CCP. When you lower your truck the angle of the shock is changed. That would help by installing the kit

[LONGHAIR]

I guess the real issue here is as Ken suggested, you need to figure out whether it is too stiff, or too soft. Both can be harsh, for different reasons of course...

[aboyer]

I forgot to add a couple of points..

--I have a shock relocation kit install
--I have upgraded to 2003 Silverado seats in the cab

I am looking at gettins some Nitto tires for my truck. They have pretty good reviews and look pretty cool. I am thinking the following size

Front Tires: 255/50R17
Rear Tires: 275/50R17

Do you think that this size tire would get the job done? I have seen a couple guys on the forum that are running with this size. Any commits are appreciated.

Thanks,
Adam

[JesseH13]

baggin it

[big mike71]

Originally Posted by aboyer

I forgot to add a couple of points..

--I have a shock relocation kit install
--I have upgraded to 2003 Silverado seats in the cab

I am looking at gettins some Nitto tires for my truck. They have pretty good reviews and look pretty cool. I am thinking the following size

Front Tires: 255/50R17
Rear Tires: 275/50R17

Do you think that this size tire would get the job done? I have seen a couple guys on the forum that are running with this size. Any commits are appreciated.

Thanks,
Adam

I have that tire setup and my truck rides fine, But it's not lowered. Check out Falken tires on Discount Tire. com a little over $500.00 for all four.

[69_hafton]

I've got the full Early Classic's 4/6 drop and have a pretty rough ride even with 15" 60s 245 front and 265 rears. I have a bench seat from a 88 Chevy Silverado and this may be part of the problem. It's not too bad on the highway, but the local roads here are rough anyway, so it may be a matter of the roads you're driving. Here in Tulsa awhile back they put it to a vote to let the people decide if they wanted to pay more sales tax to pay to fix the streets - and it was voted on and it passed.