Ride quality on Ranger *head bobble sensation*

[deleriumtremor]

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

That is what I will be putting on my FX4.

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[LostMy65]

Interesting,
I was just watching a consumer reports video and they complained about the ranger ride. They said it wasn't as bad as the Tacoma but "pales in comparison to the Ridgeline".
This really lowers my opinion of consumer reports. Dummies, do they know why the Ridgeline has a smooth ride? Because it's a car with a pickup bed.

 

[Clank]

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

Nope the actual ford website. Actually I believe it was $200 off. I think the deal was 20% off up to 1000 or 200 off over 1000.

 

[markm70]

2x4 Supercab Lariat. Put Bilstein 5100 on all 4 corners at 2k miles. Hayed the factory ride. It's like a different truck. My wife drove it and said she couldn't believe the difference! Should have rode like this from the factory.

 

[Gerder]

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.

go faster! As faster you go as better the shocks work. Realy!
I improved ride quality with some grease on the leaf springs but afaik ur US Rangers are not that „heavy duty“… ??

 

[BettaRanga]

Just wondering if the factory shocks on the fx4 and non fx4 are the same. I have a non fx4 and the ride is great. A little stiff over things like railroad tracks but we don't bobblehead. I have been thinking Blisteens just because everyone says they make a difference but really have been happy with the stock ride so far. Anyone with a non fx4 see a difference in ride after the switch.

Mine is a standard 4x4 and 5100s were a big upgrade imo.

 

[NotBudule]

Well ,all these damn ride quality threads have convinced me I need shocks , even though it seems to ride fine , ima be pissed if i can't tell a difference ?!

 

[AzScorpion]

Well ,all these damn ride quality threads have convinced me I need shocks , even though it seems to ride fine , ima be pissed if i can't tell a difference ?!

Start with the rears first. You should be able to tell a big difference just doing those and they're easy enough to do yourself. Plus if for some reason you don't notice a difference (you'd probably be the first) you're not out a lot of money and only about an hour of your time.

 

[NotBudule]

Start with the rears first. You should be able to tell a big difference just doing those and they're easy enough to do yourself. Plus if for some reason you don't notice a difference (you'd probably be the first) you're not out a lot of money and only about an hour of your time.

I need to test it on some rough road , before and after , is there a phone app for that ??
There is an interstate bridge here that has about 5 expansion joints they redid a while back , they are smooth , but each one has a little "wave" effect and one recovery bounce follows , I see trucks beside me without that little recovery bounce , I believe that's what almost got me when it happened in a curve , I just got paid for my tree fall yesterday so I gots some Ranger cash to spend , Hell Man , I may even get a DAMPER !!!

 

[lazynorse]

From everything I've read (many, many rabbit holes) the Bilstein 5100s are very firm shocks on road, Fox 2.0 on the soft side. I've read retailer blogs suggesting Fox 2.0 will not improve highway handling as much as improve off road handling. Opposite for Bilstein 5100.

Is there a middle ground shock improvement over the stock FX4? Does Eibach live in this 'just right' space for both on and off road handling? I'm not interested in the crazy expensive, external reservoir options.

 

[NotBudule]

From everything I've read (many, many rabbit holes) the Bilstein 5100s are very firm shocks on road, Fox 2.0 on the soft side. I've read retailer blogs suggesting Fox 2.0 will not improve highway handling as much as improve off road handling. Opposite for Bilstein 5100.

Is there a middle ground shock improvement over the stock FX4? Does Eibach live in this 'just right' space for both on and off road handling? I'm not interested in the crazy expensive, external reservoir options.

I'm all pavement non FX4 , so ?,
Foxbachenstein 1.0's ? ?

 

[AzScorpion]

I need to test it on some rough road , before and after , is there a phone app for that ??
There is an interstate bridge here that has about 5 expansion joints they redid a while back , they are smooth , but each one has a little "wave" effect and one recovery bounce follows , I see trucks beside me without that little recovery bounce , I believe that's what almost got me when it happened in a curve , I just got paid for my tree fall yesterday so I gots some Ranger cash to spend ,

Hell Man , I may even get a DAMPER !!!

STOP! Now you're just teasing me. ?‍

 

[YaBoiNewton]

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.

My Vibrations professor in college loved to use truck suspension as an example during his lectures and I'm feeling nerdy today so here's some knowledge you didn't ask for!

For simplicity I am only discussing high speed damping, not low speed damping here. Where speed refers to how quickly the suspension compresses rather than the actual speed of the vehicle. Hitting a bump is high speed compression whether you're going 5 mph or 105 mph.

Vehicle suspension can be simplified down to a mass-spring-damper system in which a mass(truck + cargo) is attached to a spring (coil or leaf) and a damper (shock absorber) that control how the mass oscillates, or bounces, in response to a shock or bump as it returns to steady-state(normal ride height). This is called Damped Harmonic Motion and can be characterized by the damping ratio, ζ, as overdamped (ζ>1), critically damped (ζ=1), or underdamped (ζ<1).

Overdamped suspension, as the name implies, provides too much damping and the vehicle will ride as if there is no suspension at all. Underdamped suspension doesn't provide enough damping and will float/bounce excessively or even bottom out on the frame. Critically damped suspension will perfectly absorb an impact without any oscillation but it can be too slow for practical use in real world driving. In order to maximize comfort and response time, vehicles are usually designed with slightly underdamped suspension.

If we look at the equation to calculate the damping ratio for a given system we can see the following:

ζ=c/2sqrt(mk)

Where c is the damping coefficient of the shock absorber, m is the mass of the truck + cargo, and k is the spring stiffness. What we can gather from this equation is that the damping ratio, ζ, is inversely proportional to the mass, m, of the vehicle.

Now, this mass - damping ratio relationship is very important when designing truck suspension. Based on curb weight and payload numbers found here, you can potentially reduce the damping ratio of your truck up to 16%!(these are fudged numbers just for demonstration)

So, Ford engineers did the math and settled on a damping ratio that sacrifices some ride comfort while unloaded but ensures that your truck doesn't become sorely underdamped, bottom out, and lose control when you're carrying at max payload and hit a pothole.

TL;DR suspension feels stiff because the truck has a huge payload.

 

[lawrench]

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.

When you feel your head beginning to bobble, just throw on some Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody really loud. Then everyone will think you are a fan of Wayne's World.

Party on Garth!

 

[D Fresh]

My Vibrations professor in college loved to use truck suspension as an example during his lectures and I'm feeling nerdy today so here's some knowledge you didn't ask for!

For simplicity I am only discussing high speed damping, not low speed damping here. Where speed refers to how quickly the suspension compresses rather than the actual speed of the vehicle. Hitting a bump is high speed compression whether you're going 5 mph or 105 mph.

Vehicle suspension can be simplified down to a mass-spring-damper system in which a mass(truck + cargo) is attached to a spring (coil or leaf) and a damper (shock absorber) that control how the mass oscillates, or bounces, in response to a shock or bump as it returns to steady-state(normal ride height). This is called Damped Harmonic Motion and can be characterized by the damping ratio, ζ, as overdamped (ζ>1), critically damped (ζ=1), or underdamped (ζ<1).

Overdamped suspension, as the name implies, provides too much damping and the vehicle will ride as if there is no suspension at all. Underdamped suspension doesn't provide enough damping and will float/bounce excessively or even bottom out on the frame. Critically damped suspension will perfectly absorb an impact without any oscillation but it can be too slow for practical use in real world driving. In order to maximize comfort and response time, vehicles are usually designed with slightly underdamped suspension.

If we look at the equation to calculate the damping ratio for a given system we can see the following:

ζ=c/2sqrt(mk)

Where c is the damping coefficient of the shock absorber, m is the mass of the truck + cargo, and k is the spring stiffness. What we can gather from this equation is that the damping ratio, ζ, is inversely proportional to the mass, m, of the vehicle.

Now, this mass - damping ratio relationship is very important when designing truck suspension. Based on curb weight and payload numbers found here, you can potentially reduce the damping ratio of your truck up to 16%!(these are fudged numbers just for demonstration)

So, Ford engineers did the math and settled on a damping ratio that sacrifices some ride comfort while unloaded but ensures that your truck doesn't become sorely underdamped, bottom out, and lose control when you're carrying at max payload and hit a pothole.

TL;DR suspension feels stiff because the truck has a huge payload.

Makes sense.

My milk truck rides like shit when it's empty. And a bit better when loaded.

But a brand new unloaded Ranger rides worse than a brand new unloaded milktruck. And that is not right at all.

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