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My truck makes me SEASICK

Is this common of 1994 F350 2wd crew cabs? The ride is so mushy and bouncy that I get seasick. Granted the roads in my area aren't new, but this truck feels bumps that CAN NOT be seen (ok very hard to see). If there is a little line in the road where the asphalt splits - YOU FEEL IT!

Is something wrong with my truck? My friend had a 1991 F-250 4x4 (in

1994) and I remember that road strange also...mushy and dived easy.

I also own a 1996 Dodge 2500 4x4 that rides rough, but it is still much better than my 1994 Ford, granted it has a 4x4 suspension.

I've changed the shocks and tires (I won't go as far as changing the springs - I will sell the truck first or let a worker drive it) and I've tried different air pressures to no avail...I've talked to some Ford people and they told me Ford had a few years when they were trying to make their trucks ride like cars - if this is true - BIG MISTAKE. I like Ford and in my business you need a ford (I also have an F-450 that is rough, but still much better than the slushy F-350), but I an wondering if my truck is messed up or if Ford was real stupid in their design of the early 90(s) suspensions (The new ones are greattttt!)?

Thanks

Reply to
newworldactor
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If you want a smooth ride, get an F-150. F350 & F450 are work trucks. No work truck is going to ride like a car, but the 150 will come closer.

Tom J

Reply to
Tom J

Basically quite true. With a higher load rated chassis comes a stiffer ride especaily when not loaded heavily. If you want a soft ride, you need a LD truck and even consider a front spring change in current one. I can understand where you are coming from as I have a GM 1 ton pickup with optional HD front suspension and it can be a pill at times. If your vehicle has a front swap bar, sometimes removing it on a HD truck can soften it up a bit.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

Reply to
SnoMan

What I'm trying to say is the ride is too "smooth"! I want more of a truck ride and my 1994 F350 doesn't have it. It is the worse ride possible, all mush and slush, bounce and dive. What I'm asking is - if this is normal?

I prefer the ride of my 1993 F450 over the 1994 F350 (what was ford thinking trying to make a truck ride soft?). Of course the newer trucks are "Fixed".

Reply to
newworldactor

Is the chassis heavily loaded (or overloadeed?)

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

Reply to
SnoMan

Or drive a car. Ford makes some, too.

Reply to
Jeff

Sounds to me like you need new shocks at least on the front. A heavy suspension should be stiff but, not bouncy. If they have never been replaced, a 1994 is probably well overdue for shocks.

Lugnut

Reply to
lugnut

...

Changed the shocks to what? Same factory replacement? That is your problem. Springs hold the vehicle up. Shocks dampen the movements. What you describe is a function of the shocks. You need to work with a good suspension shop and identify a shock that allows more damping for both compression and rebound.

Certainly different springs could be used to change this as well, but you should be able to clean things up with a change in the shocks.

Reply to
Mike H

While you make a good point, as chassis gets heavier the shock have a smaller overall effect on ride quality than they do on say a lightly sprung 1/2 ton or car.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

Reply to
SnoMan

I take it that you have never seen a truck with more than one shock on each corner.

Reply to
Mark Jones

Sure I have as I have had a few that came that way but point is that as suspended mass increases and spring rat with it, shocks play a smaller roll in ride stiffness than with a lighter vehicle. Shocks on HD truck are mostly to for trying to control rebound from copmpression, not compression itself. It would take a very large shock and mounting bolts to have any seriuos effect on compression on a heavily loaded HD truck

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

Reply to
SnoMan

I apologize in advance, but I just can't help myself. I used to be a deckhand. Save money-Buy Dramamine.... And yes, I deserve to be slapped. Best wishes to you.

Reply to
dumbneasy

What kind of shocks did you put on it? You might need to put some "off-road" shocks on if you want to make it stiffer. Or try Bilstein shocks.

Reply to
Ashton Crusher

Only for top-posting instead of in-line posting.

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff

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