Hi, just found this forum, lots of great info. here.
I recently purchased a 2002 Supercrew.
It has an excellent ride on the Interstate, but anywhere else it seems to hit the bumps pretty hard.
It does have an aggressive tread on the tires, but that cant be the problem. I did let a little air out of them, the max is 44 PSI, so I have them at about 35 right now. Is that too low?

I'm thinking the shocks are my problem. The dealer told me I should get about 70,000 out of the stock ones, but I dont really believe that.
They have about 42,000 right now. It does have the tow package, so I imagine something stiffer was put in the back.

I thought of just re[placing the front woth Monroe Sensiride (or whatever there called) to see how much that helps, as It really seems to hit the bumps hard in the front, I dont mean to exagerate it, its not like the shocks are totally gone, but my 2001 Ram had a much smoother ride, (that was about the only positive thing about THAT truck, HEH, HEH!)

Anyway, Can ya all give me some advice on what you think I should do, keeping in mind I do pull a 17' speed boat, so I dont want to go too soft in the back, if I decide to replace them at the same time, but I probably wont, because it seems the fronts are taking the hits the hardest.

thanks again

 

Welcome ! I'll go in order. Brand new, the ride is choppy on rough terrain. What tires need 44 psi? What does the sticker on your driver's door jamb list for tire pressure? My sticker recommends 32 front and rear. Your dealer is very optimistic; factory shocks are trash at 42,000 miles. No comment on Rams . If you like a smooth ride and towing capability, you sound like an ideal candidate for adjustable shocks. You can tinker with the adjustments for soft, firm, handling, towing/hauling, and front vs. rear. I used Rancho RS9000s on my 2000 F-150 with Class III and found them to be versatile and overbuilt. Many recommendations for them have been posted here and I can't remember ever seeing a negative post about them.

 

The tires on there now are Widetrack Baja AT's, I believ they said max PSI at 44, but I have them at about 35.

I'll check the shocks out.
Now I had a guy at checker auto tell me the stock shocks should still be good unless I have been ditch hoopen, heh!
I dont believe him, I think its just his opinion, I dont believ there would be any other major suspension problem, I think its just the shocks.

I'll see if I can tell if they have benn leaking or something, but from what you say about the stock shocks anyway, I think I'll still replace them, and I might as well replace all 4.
The ones you mentioned, should I put those on in the front AND back?
thanks

 

You're very welcome !! You don't want to run your tires at max inflation and higher pressures will stiffen up the ride. If you search here about F-150 shock life, you'll find that your Checker Auto Guy is uninformed. Yes, these shocks can go on the front and rear. A matching set is normally suggested. What you can do, is try the adjustments on a variety of settings and see what "feels" right to you. Some like soft and others like firmer for handling. Once I tested a few settings, I left the fronts and rears on ONE setting, except for heavy towing/hauling. For loads, I firmed up the rears ONLY, then back down later. The rears are also really easy to reach for this.

 

What size tire do you have on your truck? I have 265/75/17.The max tire pressure is 35. Sounds like you have really way too much tire for that truck, which is causing the hard ride. I believe the stock tires are C load rated if you go higher like D the get stiffer in the sidewalls.

 

265/70 R17 is what they are, I double checked, max pressure, yep 44 PSI. They were on there when I bought it.
seem like a pretty aggressive tread.

I am thinking of getting the Ranchos you mentioned,
do you think they will soften it up enough in the front
to make a big difference, its really taken the small bumps hard,
it drives me nuts.

Also, I'm not very familier with the Ford suspension, this is my first Ford.
Does it have a torsion bar in the front?
If so, can a guy crank it up a little without it messing with anything else, such as wheel alighnment, or ride?

maybe you could point me in the right direction if there is a helpful thread on this subject.

thanks

 

You're Welcome ! All tires list a maximum inflation rate. What we are trying to say is that you don't inflate your tires to this rate. Inflate your tires to what your owner's manual or driver's door jamb sticker recommends. Yes, the adjustable shocks can make for a very soft ride. This is the major advantage of using them; you can go from soft to firm. You didn't mention if your Screw was a 4X4 or a 4X2, but the 4X4 uses torsion bars and the 4X2 uses coil springs. Yes, I can point you in the direction of threads providing instructions for torsion bar adjustment. Do a search for "torsion bar" in the "Suspension" area and you will get hours of reading on the first hit.

 

I agree with max mitchell. The F-150 OEM shocks are crappy. They are not very good when new, and wear quickly. I lasted 40k miles on my 99 F-150, and replaced them with the Rancho RS9000. I loved the adjustability, for time when I was towing or had a heavy payload. I now have a 2003 Screw, and the shocks sucked when new compared to my last truck, and now with only 17k miles, these things are worn. Most OEM shocks should be good for 75k miles, but not F-150's in my experience.