Do all HD pickups ride rough?

[ericm979]

I haven't driven a 3/4 or 1 ton pickup since the '80s. My trucks have been 1/2 tons or less. I test drove a recent model Chevy 3/4 ton today. It was nice but I felt every bump. I realize the extra carrying capacity requires stiffer springs but it rode stiffer than I expected. Do all modern HD trucks ride like that? My Tundra's not smooth for sure but has more compliance. The Chevy had a tire pressure monitor and the tires were at 58-60. Do people lower the tire pressure when running unladen?

 

[TMGT]

Diesel? If the rear tires were at 60 without a load it'll make it ride rough, if you look at the door tag there is usually a loaded and unloaded tire pressure for the rear. Still going to be a rougher ride then a 1/2 ton, but lowering the rear tire pressure helps a lot.

 

[4570Man]

The tundra is a half ton. 3/4 ton trucks are always going to ride worst than 1/2 tons.

 

[deserteagle71]

3/4 and 1 ton trucks not only have stiffer springs, they come with 10 ply tires with very stiff sidewalls - plus the tires are also aired up to 60 to 80 psi. I have both a 3500 and a Ford F150 and the difference is a noticeably better ride on the F150 - even though the payload of the F150 is essentially 2000 lb (1 ton!). Half tons are designed to give a better ride and it is very evident. On the other hand, that soft pillowy ride of the F150 makes for a white-knuckle ride when towing heavy or pulling a tall trailer that catches a lot of wind. Why I have the 3500.

 

[Squirrel's242]

I haven't driven a 3/4 or 1 ton pickup since the '80s. My trucks have been 1/2 tons or less. I test drove a recent model Chevy 3/4 ton today. It was nice but I felt every bump. I realize the extra carrying capacity requires stiffer springs but it rode stiffer than I expected. Do all modern HD trucks ride like that? My Tundra's not smooth for sure but has more compliance. The Chevy had a tire pressure monitor and the tires were at 58-60. Do people lower the tire pressure when running unladen?

What are you looking for your truck to do? Any specific jobs or tasks you have planned?

I guess we all have a different seat-o-meter to measure from so ride is pretty subjective. I've driven solid front axle (SFA) 4wd trucks all my life so to me the difference of ride is very noticeable when a truck is is un/loaded, tire psi, springs and shocks. Someone who is used to riding in cars, suvs or any luxury vehs will take a much different view of ride.

My current trucks are a 06' 5.9l Ram 2500 4wd SBQC 192k with Thuren softride springs, Fox 2.0 shocks and stock rear leaves. The other is a stock 07.5 6.7l 3500 Short Bed Mega Cab 4wd w rear overloads and Bilstein 4600s and 262k. Both trucks ride great and I'd put them against any other out there.

Trucks these days have huge differences in equipment from coils, to leaves to Independent Front Suspension (IFS) to solid front axle (SFA). Ride is subjective.

As to your question, the trucks ride different. I can feel it with just an adult passenger and weekend camping gear on board.

When unloaded I ride both trucks' tire psi at 63front/57 rear. Loaded it's 63front/6e-65rear. Rear psi unloaded DOES make a noticeable change. I Cat scale my trucks every now and then. My 06 stock was 4500 front/2700 rear. Superlight rear so any change in balance/weight is noticeable. As is the psi. Think of it like ballast/balance/weight transfer in the tractor when you do adjustments to rear ballast, front loader weights or tire ballast. It all affects the handling. With a higher psi in the rear unloaded the truck tends to bounce around and skitter or grab tire groves. Not comfortable.

I'm a Ram/Cummins owner- always have been. There's lots of GM/DuraMax or Ford/Powerstroke owners have the same type of knowledge and driving experiences to draw from. I don't change/buy vehicles every few years. I don't have vehicle payments and I keep my vehicles for a long, long time. So, my perspective my be very different.

IMO the current/newer great riding trucks are why the work figures/expectations of trucks have decreased. If you think a modern truck rides rough, you might be disappointed in trucks altogether. My feelings are that modern trucks have gotten soft at the expense of capacity and broadening the scope of owners. This era of new trucks, of all brands, have gotten much softer than trucks of the past.

I think if you purchased a pickup truck that was right for you, and you drove around for it a while, you wouldn't even notice the ride. You just have to get acclimated, like changes in seasons.

 

[Bearsixty7]

Well our 2019 F350 4WD SRW LB CC rides much smoother than our 2006 version did yet has a higher payload and tow capacity. This is achieved with different spring rates and more use of the secondary/helper spring pack in the rear.
I would say it rides better than 1/2 ton 4WD pickups of 20 years ago.
It has a lot more sag when the Toyhauler is put on the hitch until the Weight distribution bars are installed.
PSI is 60 front 80 rear for max capacity, I often run 60 frt and rear when I know I'm not hauling or towing anything for a little better ride empty.

 

[dieselscout80]

Yes 2500/3500 and up trucks ride rougher than the 1/2 ton trucks.

However, the newer trucks ride much better than those same class trucks of the mid 80s and earlier.

My 97 GMC K3500 rode really well for a one ton I thought.

However, now I have a 2500 Ram that I really like the way it rides due the the rear coil springs. The front is not as good at take bumps as the GM independent front suspension, but unhooking the front sway bar made it less harsh.

Air pressure and the load range E tire both cause a harsher ride. I don’t run the factory setting of 60psi front & 65 psi rear rather I run these psi’s 40f/45r. If you look up load tables for my tires my settings will still carry my +2800 pound payload rating, but if I was going haul or tow heavy I raise the psi back to the factory spec.

This causes the TPMS to stay on unless you change the settings as my preferred psi’s are less than 20% of the factory settings. To fix that you have to use a programmer tool like JScan/AlphOBD (alpha maybe spelled wrong).

There are suspension modes that can also help with the ride, but I am not familiar them and some may compromise load capabilities.

Ram also has rear air ride in their 2500/3500 trucks. I think I would only select the 3500 version as it has both leaf and air bags where the 2500 is just air bags in the rear.

The 3500 versions ride on the air bags until loaded down and then the leaf springs engage.

I have heard good things about the Sulastic shackles for rear leaf spring trucks.

Sulastic Rubber Springs. Sulastic Shackle

www.sulastic.com

I wank to try some softer bump stops from SuperSprings their SumoSprings (SSF-302-40) these are the fronts, but they have them for the rear too.
These engage a bit sooner and thus lessen the harshness of the engagement. I think this will help low speed harshness for me.

https://a.co/d/eNw2lyf

 

[hiddentacocatneddih]

My 2006 ram 3500 rides better than my 92 d250. The modern ones are borderline Cadillacs

My 1994 f350 is the roughest riding truck I've ever ridden in or owned.

 

[Hay Dude]

I haven't driven a 3/4 or 1 ton pickup since the '80s. My trucks have been 1/2 tons or less. I test drove a recent model Chevy 3/4 ton today. It was nice but I felt every bump. I realize the extra carrying capacity requires stiffer springs but it rode stiffer than I expected. Do all modern HD trucks ride like that? My Tundra's not smooth for sure but has more compliance. The Chevy had a tire pressure monitor and the tires were at 58-60. Do people lower the tire pressure when running unladen?

What was the configuration? A reg cab rides like a ox cart. A crew cab is noticeably better.
I have a 2020 Ram 5500 crew cab 4WD and it actually rides pretty nice. My wife and I drove it on a 1,000 mile trip and about 1/2 way through the trip she said “I’d travel anywhere in this truck”.
I keep my tires slightly deflated. 95PSI is recommended, but I run 85-90 in the rear tires and 80 in the front tires when not towing.
When towing really heavy, I’ll run 95 in the rear tires.

 

[bdhsfz6]

My 2012 GMC Sierra 2500 HD rode like a tank. Dropping the tire pressure from 60 psi to 40 when not hauling helped a bit. I've owned 3 other HD models over the years and they all rode rough.

I don't haul heavy loads anymore, so I replaced the HD with a 2022 GMC Sierra 1500. Big difference! Now on long trips, I don't have to stop every hundred miles or so to screw my butt back on.

 

[Runner]

My 2004 F350 with camper and snowplow packages rides like a coal cart (to quote my Dad). Basically feels like you have no suspension at all. If you hit a bump going around a corner, it bounces sideways. Seems to be airborne more often than not.

By contrast, the 1984 F150 rode like a big, cushy Lincoln from the old days.

Not complaining, I knew it would be that way.

 

[D&D]

Yes 2500/3500 and up trucks ride rougher than the 1/2 ton trucks.

I wank to try some softer bump stops from SuperSprings their SumoSprings (SSF-302-40) these are the fronts, but they have them for the rear too.
These engage a bit sooner and thus lessen the harshness of the engagement. I think this will help low speed harshness for me.

https://a.co/d/eNw2lyf

https://kelderman.com/shop/?srsltid=AfmBOoo_9xyBtnUIjbSFfT6D4CHtqgW2oUljQtLX8yABjaDDOxu9Z3ks&_year=2020%2Cram-2020-2%2Cram-2500-ram-2020-2

 

[check]

Wow, I don’t think I would like to have an F250. I have an F150 and the ride is so silky, that it rides much better than my wife’s 4runner.

 

[dieselscout80]

https://kelderman.com/shop/?srsltid=AfmBOoo_9xyBtnUIjbSFfT6D4CHtqgW2oUljQtLX8yABjaDDOxu9Z3ks&_year=2020%2Cram-2020-2%2Cram-2500-ram-2020-2

That’s a cool idea, but kinds expensive, but if it includes an air compressor that’s a bit of a plus for airing up tires etc.

 

[RjCorazza]

My 2011 F250 rides real rough, but it doesn't bother me. It has the camper package rear suspension, and heavier springs on the front for the snow plow. I do run tire pressures of 40 front and 50 rear, which allows for about 1000 lbs of rear cargo. I adjusted the TPMS with a programmer.

 

[ericm979]

The truck I drove was a crew cab short bed diesel, which is the configuration I'd be looking at as its the most common in used trucks and suits my needs. The Tundra I have is 2wd. I want a 4wd truck for when we move to Oregon as it snows there and going anywhere in winter means going over passes.

It'll get used for farm stuff like towing tractors and equipment. The ride wasn't too bad but was worse then the Tundra, which we used to use for road trips until we got a more comfortable car.

Thinking about the ride and the steering on the truck I feel the tires were a little over inflated for the load on them. I run 36f/34r in the Tundra unloaded. It's about 5700 lbs and the Chevy was about 8200 lbs. If the pressure scales linearly that'd be more like 52 and 50.

 

[EddieWalker]

I went from a F250 4x4 diesel that had tons of power, but road really rough, to a F250 4x4 gas that didn't have as much power, but had a better ride, but it was still rough, to a F150 2 wheel drive with a gas engine with plenty of power and a super smooth, comfortable ride. As a Contractor that works on houses in town, I don't need 4 wheel drive, and I don't need all the power of a diesel. What I do need is a full 8 foot bed, and enough room behind my seat for my tools. The comfortable ride just makes getting to the job and coming home more enjoyable.

 

[George2615]

I have a 2500HD and think it rides smooth. Only slightly stiffer than my previous 1500. I tokk 3 friends to a flea market and they all commented how nice it rode. They were surprised it was a 3/4T truck. It's a huge difference than a 1980 3/4T I had. That truck would jar your teeth out. Wife got sick riding in it towing a camper. Had to go back home and she followed me in her own car to the campground.

 

[LightningCamaroGuy]

Try doing this with a 1/2 ton. The trailer weight alone would possibly have a 1/2 ton bottoming the bumpstops out on the rearend.

Admittedly when I bought this tractor new, JD delivered it the same as it's configured in this picture with the tires filled, and the FEL, weighing probably 8,500+ lbs without the trailer using an old steel body, GEN1 3.5L EB F150. Wasn't using a large 5 wheel trailer though, which these things are heavy. I was impressed. There are some fairly decent hills and elevation changes between me and the Deere dealership. I asked the guy about it, and he said you definitely know it's back there, but that their company EB F150's manage tractors this size okay.

Still, you tow 7-8K with a 1/2 ton, you going know it's back there for sure. A 3/4 or 1 ton particularly will feel more settled and comfortable or less bouncy with that load and weight on it, and will have you feeling much safer and more confident while towing X load.

You don't buy a 1/2 ton to feel the role of a Corvette, just like you don't buy a HD truck to feel the role of a Lincoln Town Car. You need to buy, based on your needs. If you want a nice, comfy DD, but need to have a truck for serious work, I recommend getting a nice 1/2 ton to daily, and buying a used, more base model 1 ton for tow pig duties, and hauling heavy loads. You think a 3/4 ton rides rough, try a 1 ton. Still I prefer a 1 ton, and it will haul noticeably more weight than a 3/4 ton. The only big difference between the two is the rearend/rear suspension setup.

With that said, what kind of weight are you wanting to move? If you're not over-taxing a 1/2 ton, then no problem with a 1/2 ton. Rams coil spring setup rides really nicely. I'm generally a Ford or Chevy guy so don't quote me on this, but I believe the Ram 2500 has a coil spring or air ride setup, while the 3500 sets up to beefier leaf springs.?.? You may try testing a Ram 2500 if you're looking for a HD with a decent ride.

 

[camshawn]

Our 3/4 tone dodges ride a little rough. Tires, air pressure, and shocks all make a difference. We have adjustable shocks and make them as soft as possible if the camper is off the trucks. My buddy with a 3/4 ton has a back issue that he manages it with tire pressure and also tire brand. His old tires( no longer available) were softer than the BFG’s he put on last year. He runs them quite soft in the rear unless he is pulling his travel trailer.