Bumpy Road .. Is it just me??

[ktravis]

hey hey!

i've got a problem. i think.
I love my redline, but the shocks seem to be almost non-existant. i have stock, nothing added, nothing taken away. but every speed bump seems to take my backend and pile-drive it on the pavement, every crack in the highway i can feel. am i the only one who notices this?

fyi, i drive a 2004 and every scheduled maintenance has been followed to the letter. the tires are inflated exactly to the recommended psi, everything is as it "should" be for stock. my shock issue has been here from the start, it didn't just "appear" one day......

any thoughts? ideas? comments? i'm pleading here! do i need aftermarkets? or just a re-configuration on the existing? i'm oblivious to my options here.........

[BlackBoyVUERL]

It's sport tuned suspension...that's just the way it is...maybe a softer shock that will however allow more body roll might help

[ktravis]

ahhh!! of course. thanks!
can the current suspension be tuned for a slightly softer ride?

[BlackBoyVUERL]

Originally Posted by ktravis

ahhh!! of course. thanks!
can the current suspension be tuned for a slightly softer ride?

I wouldn't do it if it bothers you that much I would consider changing the tires for 245/50/18 (stock) to 235/55/18 - there's slightly more rubber and other users on this forum have reported a softer ride.

A set of new tires can be expensive but you might be due soon anyway since you said you have an '04. Hope this helps!!

[ktravis]

ahh it might be an 04, but i bought it last june (get this... i bought it 6-6-6. nice, eh?!). had new tires for me (or at least really nice tread!). i'm coming up on a 5,000km tire rotation scheduling as well as an oil change, so i'll probably bring up my concern and ask what they think. of course, talking to a salesman doesn't sound like a cost-savvy way of going about this. lol...

[docderek05]

Kt..
I know exactly what you are feeling, and talking about..
if you run the thing on a smooth flat billiard top steet...any car or
truck feels nice and smooth..
I have a 2005 RL...no major mods other than a K&N drop in,
and a set of OEM size Dunlop wintersport tires.
The Dunlops helped over the stock (Bridgestone Turanzas..model el42..
IMO absolutely the worst)

My truck does exactly as you describe..its bucking side to side..
over every expansion joint, pot hole, etc.
I think alot has to due with A: the super stiff suspension, and B: the low
side wall height of 245 tires.

I love the look of the big tires on this truck, but I hate the ride, so I live with it..sometimes the noise, vibration and harseness just gets me so infuriated, and you can hardly have a conversation with your passenger without hollering at them! Of Course, Slamming it off the line when a envoy
pulls up and you blow his doors off is fun, but the hopping of the suspension
kills the joy...you feel like you have to back off, and takes the fun out..

I think a slightly softer shock would take the sharp side to side pitch out of the ride, but I don't think you could really get away from it by using deeper sidewalled tires, completely. its the side to side motion that is really annoying because the shock is recovering so fast that it makes the car feel
just too stiff...I like performance suspension, but I think there is a bit of overkill in this suspension.

[Xboxer]

Hey I'm from Calgary too - and have the same complaints for my 04 RL. I had an older thread going related to this very concern.

It is most probably the Redline suspension. I went to winters recently (on 16" winter wheels) - 215-70-16 A very high sidewall - loads of rubber.

But, the same pothole that caused my VUE problems before on the OE Tires, still causes it to happen - that side-to-side wobble.

It *could* be the angle the rears are set to - they are toed out like on other performance vehicles. When the car rises over a bump too fast the angle of the rear wheel may change, hence changing the lateral direction from side to side. Just a guess.

Thoughts?

[ktravis]

i don't think it's a side to side issue. my stability is tight, but the lateral give, the leeway, over bumps is a bit too tight imo. but the fact that the RL has sport suspension makes complete sense. i did buy it for the look. and my plans for the RL will only make it all the more tight. if i get my way, i would like to put a lowering kit to neg 2-3" with low profiles for the summer and rise it and replace with winters for snow. but UNTIL THEN, with just the stock turanzas i got (which i really am happy with for now), i'm just trying to understand my available options. besides, who said a sexy outfit was supposed to be comfortable? lol

[FGCA_XRL]

My '04 rides very nice and very smooth. Much smoother than any of my friends' cars(who are pretty much all lowered), an smoother than my girlfriend's Hyundai Accent. I'd say it's slightly less smooth than my Dad's Explorer Sport Trac, and much less smooth than my Mom's Chrysler Pacifica.

Maybe I'm just used to my old Explorer Sport, it had a terrible ride. Pretty sure the shocks were all destroyed.