Softening the Ride on CC Dually

[russellh575]

Does anybody have any experience/knowledge on what I could do to soften the ride on my dually a little. Air bags are out of the question at the moment due to my budget. I'm more than likely going to lower it a little too so right now I'm thinking pulling a few leafs out of the pack, drop hangers and coils up front might get it a little lower and give it a little bit more civilized ride. Towing capacity doesn't matter, in all honesty the most it will ever haul is a 4 wheeler, trash and maybe the occasional bumper pull trailer. Thoughts?

[BigBlocksRule]

Tires did more for mine than anything else. I started with high load rating tires that were like riding on an iron wheeled wagon. Went to the lowest rating I could live with and made a big difference. Removed a single leaf and helped more.
As for the leafs (and tires for that matter), you decision should be based on what you plan to use the truck for. Heavy hauling, be safe, use load rated tires and leave the leaf springs alone. If it's light hauling and daily driving, pull the thickest single leaf you can on each side - that's the cheapest solution - before you shell out coin on tires.

[russellh575]

I'll keep the tires in mind when the time comes to replace them, they do have a high load rating. The truck is just going to be a daily driver so normal tires will be fine. As for pulling a leaf, I'll definitely be doing that.

[dieseldawg142]

carry a spare 454 in the back
exactly like BigBlocksRule says. play with your leaf pack, & tires are a huge factor. my truck is actually smoother with 38's than the 16" stockers, well not smoother, just less rougher ride. some soft valved shocks might help. if the funds ever allow, a set of airbags will do wonders for these trucks.
bite the bullet, these trucks are meant to haul!

[Rubble]

Something else to look at is lowering your tire air pressure.I had a 81 C25 camper special a few years ago & it rode like a lumber wagon,dropped air pressure from 60 to 30 psi & it helped a bunch too..

[bojak]

Silastic shackles look interesting. Google them. I had a conversation with a guy who installed some for a customer and he said they were the $#!+.

[russellh575]

Originally Posted by dieseldawg142

carry a spare 454 in the back
exactly like BigBlocksRule says. play with your leaf pack, & tires are a huge factor. my truck is actually smoother with 38's than the 16" stockers, well not smoother, just less rougher ride. some soft valved shocks might help. if the funds ever allow, a set of airbags will do wonders for these trucks.
bite the bullet, these trucks are meant to haul!

I actually do have the 454 I just took out of it laying around still lol. I can live with a firm ride, like you said it is meant to haul but they make badass looking daily drivers too lol.

Originally Posted by Rubble

Something else to look at is lowering your tire air pressure.I had a 81 C25 camper special a few years ago & it rode like a lumber wagon,dropped air pressure from 60 to 30 psi & it helped a bunch too..

I might try that, they are at 60 psi right now.

Originally Posted by bojak

Silastic shackles look interesting. Google them. I had a conversation with a guy who installed some for a customer and he said they were the $#!+.

I saw those mentioned on another forum earlier but didn't really put much thought to them, guess I'll look em up real quick.

[Remon.]

On my C20 I removed one leaf. After the removal (6 left) the ride still was pretty darn stiff. Turned out my shocks caused it. I had HD Gabriels and now KYB's. Both were new so that couldn't be the case. Rides much better now.

I won't change your tire pressure to much thought, considering mpg and loadability.

[Rubble]

Originally Posted by Remon.

On my C20 I removed one leaf. After the removal (6 left) the ride still was pretty darn stiff. Turned out my shocks caused it. I had HD Gabriels and now KYB's. Both were new so that couldn't be the case. Rides much better now.

I won't change your tire pressure to much thought, considering mpg and loadability.

He said in the original post that it won't be hauling much,so load ability doesn't really make any difference.He was more concerned with ride from what I got from the original post too...

[Remon.]

Originally Posted by Rubble

He said in the original post that it won't be hauling much,so load ability doesn't really make any difference.He was more concerned with ride from what I got from the original post too...

I get your point. It was just an addition to my argument. I think it's good to give it a thought that it can have a negative effect on your fuel mileage. Personally I won't choose for a softer ride if it affects fuel economy.

[TexasJeff]

Not trying to offend any one, if you want a softer ride buy an half ton.

[Remon.]

Does make sense, but a CC dually is super cool.

[dieseldawg142]

i agree with Rubble, if your running 60 lbs in your tires, that would explain a lot of your rough ride.
i have toyo radials for my crew, empty i run 32 psi, loaded (camper & trailer), i run 45 psi. my bias swampers for the crew i run at 25 psi, & around 40 loaded. my truck is around 7500 lbs empty, D rated tires.
at 60 psi it must feel like a lumber wagon!
and ANY crew is cool

[Rubble]

I found this a few years ago on my goose neck flat deck as well,torsion bar axle so not much give unless it's loaded.We were hauling our 11ft camper & 3 quads on a 20' deck with 2 7000 lb axles.At 60 psi it shook camper & hard to keep the quads tied down secure.Dropped tire pressure to 30 lbs & it helped a bunch.

[TexasJeff]

Originally Posted by Remon.

Does make sense, but a CC dually is super cool.

Oh I agree completely, I have always wanted one too, but I would expect a rough ride if not towing or hauling anything.

[BigBlocksRule]

Part of what makes a CC dually cool is the ride - longer wheelbase helps reduce the feel of the rough ride.
Kinda like riding in a limo. Not.
But a lot better than a shortie with a stiff suspension.

[russellh575]

Originally Posted by TexasJeff

Not trying to offend any one, if you want a softer ride buy an half ton.

Already have an '80 SWB.

Originally Posted by TexasJeff

Oh I agree completely, I have always wanted one too, but I would expect a rough ride if not towing or hauling anything.

I know I'm not going to have a soft ride unless I bag it, but I know it can be softer. I fully understand that a 1 ton is going to ride rough and why, but that doesn't mean that it has to stay that way especially if there isn't a need for it.

[russellh575]

Originally Posted by dieseldawg142

i agree with Rubble, if your running 60 lbs in your tires, that would explain a lot of your rough ride.
i have toyo radials for my crew, empty i run 32 psi, loaded (camper & trailer), i run 45 psi. my bias swampers for the crew i run at 25 psi, & around 40 loaded. my truck is around 7500 lbs empty, D rated tires.
at 60 psi it must feel like a lumber wagon!
and ANY crew is cool

Originally Posted by Rubble

I found this a few years ago on my goose neck flat deck as well,torsion bar axle so not much give unless it's loaded.We were hauling our 11ft camper & 3 quads on a 20' deck with 2 7000 lb axles.At 60 psi it shook camper & hard to keep the quads tied down secure.Dropped tire pressure to 30 lbs & it helped a bunch.

It looks like I'm going to let a little air out of the tires. The truck is going to be out of commission for a little while due to a transmission rebuild but hopefully I can get some work done on the suspension while I'm at it. I'll report back with results when I'm done.

[dieseldawg142]

you might also want to check the shape of all your bushings, (springs, swaybar etc). the rear spring bushings in my nephews blazer were toast, axle was shaking bad & twisting every time he was off or on the throttle, went from being a handful to drive to a dream

[Skunksmash]

Well since he said towing isn't a concern, could he just slap some 3/4 ton springs in there instead of the 1 ton springs? There should be a difference in ride quality between the two. Combine that with new shocks (if needed) and SUV comfort tires, and he should notice a fairly big change.

[Mr.green]

Personally, I think my 78 CC dually rides like a dream compared to my 2500 4x4 suburban.

[russellh575]

Originally Posted by Skunksmash

Well since he said towing isn't a concern, could he just slap some 3/4 ton springs in there instead of the 1 ton springs? There should be a difference in ride quality between the two. Combine that with new shocks (if needed) and SUV comfort tires, and he should notice a fairly big change.

This was something I was considering as well, I just wasn't sure if it would make a noticeable difference or not.

[suxtobu65]

Buddy of mine has a CC dually. During the summer when he doesn't haul/tow anything, he has a complete 1/2 ton rear and springs ready to swap out for the duals. Now he does run some big @$$ Hoosier tires under the rear with the 1/2 ton suspension.. After a few swaps, I think he can do it in under 45 minutes now...

4 hanger bolts, lower shock mounts and driveshaft. Roll out, roll in swap, then bolt it back up... He has quick disconnects on brake line. Eliminates the need to bleed rear brakes..
Just an option. Cheaper than airbags.