FX4 Suspension Bounce

[Maltese]

I've found going up to E Load tires and running 38 in the front and 34 in the rear if the bed is empty or low weight. This has made the truck feel great both on and off road.

Clarification: I air down to around 20 when offroad, don't ruin trails with street pressures folks!

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[Mustang2Ranger]

I have about 4000 miles on my truck and about 150 of that is off road on about 8 different trails- going from a sandy wash to rocky and rutted out hillsides. I would say unloaded it bounces a bit, noticeable going over speed bumps, but when driving on the road it rides well and absorbs bumps.

When I add 300-400 pounds of off road and camping gear in the bed, it rides much better, and the FX4 shocks perform well off road with a little weight in the bed

But to each their own, it is all subjective. Overall great ride for me. Whenever the stock shocks wear out I will buy some nice Fox/Icon shocks

To the OP, try a few sandbags in the bed to get a feel of what a little weight can do

 

[Rp930]

Speed bumps slow = head hitting window
Speed bumps fast = FX4 shining in it's designed purpose

That is actually a great description.

 

[User79]

Speed bumps slow = head hitting window
Speed bumps fast = FX4 shining in it's designed purpose

Pedestrians beware! Lol

 

[DBaz]

Speed bumps slow = head hitting window
Speed bumps fast = FX4 shining in it's designed purpose

Tested and confirmed!*

* professional driver on closed course. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it!)

 

[RANGER_MARC]

Does anyone else with the FX4 package feel like the Ranger bounces too much? My tires are at the recommended 30 psi, so that is not the issue. General driving around town hitting bumps makes the truck bounce around too much in my opinion. I must note that my previous truck had factory installed Fox suspension, so the ride quality was extremely smooth. Maybe the FX4 suspension really shines off road versus on the streets?

My wife and I love our Lariat Ranger FX4 overall, but, like some other members of this forum, we do find the Ranger too "bouncy," even over the smallest imperfections in the road. This is just a personal preference, and everyone is entitled to their own opinions about what constitutes a great ride. However, since we do find this annoying, and since it is the only issue we have with our new Ranger, is there anything that can be done about it? The tires are inflated according to specifications, just above thirty, and so there is not much leeway there. I am considering replacing the "off-road tuned shocks" with something a little softer, hoping to get a calmer street ride while keeping most of the off-road features intact. Can anyone offer some advice on what would be the best way to go with this? I would appreciate any suggestions, including brands and models of shocks, etc. Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[rondowe]

I have an FX4, tires at 30psi. Ride/bounce is comparable to my previous 2000 Tacoma. Maybe I'm just used to it but driving over speed bumps the bounce seems similar to what I see in cars ahead of me. I'm quite happy with the off-road handling.

 

[RANGER_MARC]

You could probably go with lariat shocks. They would be direct replacement from ford.
Test drive a lariat and see if that ride is what you are looking for.

But I am already driving a Lariat....

 

[Gavin stevens]

My wife has complained it bounces around a lot.. I kinda like it, feels springy..

 

[Rp930]

I think when I first got it and babied it there was a lot of jostling. Now that I just drive it - it’s perfect.

 

[dallas121469]

This is my first truck in 20 years so I'm not an expert but the suspension seems soft to me, which I like. Part of the reason I never purchased a truck is because they always rode like cr*p. I think it rides smoother than both my Mustang GT and WRX that I traded in. I have taken if off-road just once so far for about 15 minutes but it was FAR less bone jarring than Jeeps that I've owned. I drove the Tacoma and ZR 2 before I settled on the Ranger and think it had the best ride of the three.

 

[Tracy Bowman]

This is my first truck in 20 years so I'm not an expert but the suspension seems soft to me, which I like. Part of the reason I never purchased a truck is because they always rode like cr*p. I think it rides smoother than both my Mustang GT and WRX that I traded in. I have taken if off-road just once so far for about 15 minutes but it was FAR less bone jarring than Jeeps that I've owned. I drove the Tacoma and ZR 2 before I settled on the Ranger and think it had the best ride of the three.

I love the way my truck rides. I have driven a Hyundai Accent the past 12 years and they have served me well. But you just don't know what you're missing until you have it. My Ranger is the most comfortable, most fun (not to mention beautiful!) vehicle I have ever owned. I absolutely love it. NO complaints at all.

 

[South Florida Ranger]

FX4 suspension is tuned for off-road performance, you need more “bounce” in the shocks to absorb uneven terrain

Makes sense. I was off-road yesterday and the ride was impressive

 

[FX4Offroad]

The ride in this 2019 FX4 is defiantly a more plush ride, then I had in my 2009 FX4. So far I like the ride, but again I only have
about 300 miles on it and nothing off-road so far ........ time will tell

I bought mine August 26th. Lariat, FX4 pretty loaded. I absolutely LOVE the ride. Took a 400 mile round trip to button down our campsite (hurricane Dorian). I now have about 500 miles on the truck.

I can tell you the off-road capabilities are outstanding. I traded a 2014 F150 FX4 that was awesome but the Ranger is so much better off road. Smaller, lighter and much more manerverable.

It'll only get better.

 

[dallas121469]

Soooo. When I aired my tires "down" today I noticed that they were aired up way over the 30 psi recommended on my door sticker. I actually aired down to the recommended 30 PSI and after being on the beach I had to drive on pavement to find a safe spot to air back up. OMG the difference in the ride was tremendous. At 30 PSI the truck felt soft, and bouncy, and dangerous. I'm only posting here because we were talking about the soft ride but I hadn't experienced it until today because my tires were aired up so high. Needless to say I aired them back up to 45 psi. I'm curious as to why they would only recommend 30 psi in these tires when Max on the tire itself says 51 psi.

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