Ride quality on Ranger *head bobble sensation*

[Fordup]

Here is a picture of the part number on one of my rear shocks. The shock has an "FX Performance Tuned" sticker on the side, so pretty sure the differences at least start with a sticker on the FX2/4 shocks...

Just looked under mine and the number is KB3C-18080-DC so it appears same shock with different valving. Probably tuned for street use and that could be why I have a better ride.

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[deleriumtremor]

If I don't plan on doing anything to require articulation, would a sway bar help?
I'm thinking it should help with the rocking back and forth (bobble).

Another thing I just remembered about sway bars, the factory designs the suspension to meet a happy medium of ideal road conditions and super slick conditions.

Adding aftermarket sway bars changes that setup. Generally, if you add heavier bars (or a bar in the rear that didn’t have one), you might feel a great improvement in handling under good conditions, but may feel a much worst result when traction is poor. Like oversteer you were not exp3cting in snow or ice.

When I raced cars in SCCA, our cars tended to be setup for pretty ideal traction conditions. But for rain races, we wanted to soften the car as much as possible. At a minimum, we would disconnect the sway bars front and rear.

 

[deleriumtremor]

Just looked under mine and the number is KB3C-18080-DC so it appears same shock with different valving. Probably tuned for street use and that could be why I have a better ride.

It might be, or maybe just different lot numbers in production?

 

[deleriumtremor]

Just looked under mine and the number is KB3C-18080-DC so it appears same shock with different valving. Probably tuned for street use and that could be why I have a better ride.

Did your shock have the "FX Performance Tuned" sticker on it?

 

[Fordup]

Did your shock have the "FX Performance Tuned" sticker on it?

I don't see one. Tried doing a search and the DC suffix shows up as Australian ranger shocks on Ebay. I have no idea if they are different or just lot numbers as suggested above..

 

[deleriumtremor]

I think the fact that most people who are really satisfied with aftermarket shocks and took the time to compare how easy it is to compress them compared to stock shocks is compelling. But not only do they compress harder, the rebound slower than stock. Pretty telling.

I honestly don't think how stiff or soft they are to manual compression or rebound tells you much about the shock damping ability or stiffness when bump speeds go up. With a Digressive shock, you will get a very stiff reaction to modest pressure because it is stiff even at the slower speeds and then tapers off as bump speeds increase.

On the other hand, if you have a progressive shock, it might feel like it doesn't have much damping at all at lower speeds, but may stiffen up quite a bit as bump speeds increase.

I am not sure what to make of the shock you had that had no damping in a portion of the stroke, very strange indeed.

 

[Todd Chapin]

Did your shock have the "FX Performance Tuned" sticker on it?

Mine did. I noticed it as I was throwing them in the trash after installing Eibachs.

 

[deleriumtremor]

I don't see one. Tried doing a search and the DC suffix shows up as Australian ranger shocks on Ebay. I have no idea if they are different or just lot numbers as suggested above..

Another piece of the puzzle is springs. I would love to know if the rear springs are different between the FX and the standard trucks. I know the Tremor springs are quite different.

Wheel rate (essentially directly correlated to spring rate given all the suspensions are the same basic design) also affects how a given shock will work in a suspension.

I fear there may be too many variables to really understand what is working and why and what doesn't, other than knowing quality aftermarket shocks can cure a lot of ills on the FX4 setup.

 

[Floyd]

Anyone have any suggestions to improve the ride quality on Ranger when going over uneven surface. I noticed it has a sharp feedback transfers from passenger side to driver side or driver side to passenger side. I hate the head bobble sensation feeling lol.

You don't mention it but it sure sounds like you have a 4WD.
This forum is so heavily 4WD owners that it is often inappropriately assumed.
So from your post I'm gonna make that assumption.
Same kinda goes for CrewCab over SuperCab.
So I assume once again that yours is a CrewCab?

My STX SuperCab 2WD is ideal for those long days behind the wheel whether towing or not.
It is one of only a few vehicles which I have left totally unmodified (except the tailgate damper and a couple minor accessories)

 

[Fitzmotor]

The non Tremor spring is also a contributing factor to the rocking, as Phil once mentioned on a similar topic, multi leaf springs have a dampening effect, the friction between the leafs slows or limits the oscillation of the spring.

 

[andy07]

I don't see one. Tried doing a search and the DC suffix shows up as Australian ranger shocks on Ebay. I have no idea if they are different or just lot numbers as suggested above..

Mine don't have the sticker (FX2) and end with BH. I'm assuming different lot numbers. I also ordered the Bilstein 5100's so we'll see how those work out when they arrive.

 

[silverflash]

there's a reason why there are kangaroos on the fx4 shocks. chuck them and get bilstein 5100s like i did. huge improvement. huge.

 

[Snowy]

You don't mention it but it sure sounds like you have a 4WD.
This forum is so heavily 4WD owners that it is often inappropriately assumed.
So from your post I'm gonna make that assumption.
Same kinda goes for CrewCab over SuperCab.
So I assume once again that yours is a CrewCab?

My STX SuperCab 2WD is ideal for those long days behind the wheel whether towing or not.
It is one of only a few vehicles which I have left totally unmodified (except the tailgate damper and a couple minor accessories)

My Ranger is Supercrew, 4WD and XL STX package.

I usually drive on pavement most of the time, however at where I live there is ton of bad infrastructures. I get the head bobble sensation while driving which is affecting me as driver and my passengers. Ranger is @55k mileage, I can notice rear stock wears out. Ranger do carry average 500lbs on the bed weekly, as well plus the tool chest I have hidden there with 200lbs stuffs in it.

 

[Snowy]

You won't find a better place to spend $200 improving your ride than Bilstein 5100s in the rear.

HERE is an extensive thread detailing the Bilsteins.

If just the rear, the Eibachs are also highly recommended.

I have the 5100s front and rear on my truck and the ride transformation is extremely impressive.

Touch base with Frank on here @Stage3Motorsports

They are a forum vendor and all my dealings with them have been top notch.

That is useful, thank you!

 

[Snowy]

Debated on this for almost a year, and finally decided to buy ford performance fox suspension. Night and day difference. Don't regret this one bit. I bought it on ford's website at 20%.

Let me guess, you got this one
https://www.levittownfordparts.com/sku/m-18000-r.html

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