How to Improve the Ride of My F350

[johns1959]

Hello All,

I have a 2021 F350 6.7L Diesel SRW. We love the new truck, but my wife is unhappy with the rough ride we get especially when we are not towing. The truck is stock height (I don't want to lift it) and has the original shocks on it. Would different shocks or air bags help with ride quality while driving it unloaded? What do you experts suggest? Please advise...

[kdauto]

Much of what has been said in this thread could apply. https://www.irv2.com/forums/f45/any-...ly-565198.html

It's a one ton, it'll never ride like a limo. Fords will tend to be more harsh with a solid front axle.

No shocks or airbags will remove that harshness. If you convert the entire rear suspension to arbag ONLY, no more springs, you will get the rear better, but the front stays just as bad.

Honestly, she probably needs to get used to it or you fiddle with tire pressure every time you hook and unhook.

[Rhagfo]

Lower the air pressure in the rear tires to between 45 and 50 psi when not towing.

[yielding]

My 2016 f350 also rode to harsh so I replaced the rear leaf springs with ones from a f250.Then I added air bags with in cab controls so I can change the ride as needed.

[Rhagfo]

We went from a 2001 Ram 2500 that rode like a buckboard, now have a 2016 Ram 3500 DRW and rides a lot smoother.
If you wanted a smoother ride research would have taken you to look at the Ram 3500 with air assist rear axle.

[Gammel]

Topical novacaine on the tushy?

I have a '21 F350 Tremor with 35" off road tires and while it rides stiffer than my F150 FX4
it's by no means uncomfortable, and my wife has a very sensitive tush. YTMV

[JIMNLIN]

When my 3/4 ton or one ton drw is unhooked from a heavy trailer I drop psi to 38-40 psi on the 3/4 ton and 30psi on the drw if we plan on making side trips.
I use a small air compressor to air up when we hook the trailer up for a move.
Airing up and down isn't a problem for me.

Not everyone can stand the pounding from a HD pickup . Some have bad backs/hips/other med issues .....others simply pay no attention to the hard ride.

There are rear suspension products that eliminate the buck board ride from the trucks rear suspension.

[jleonard]

Generally speaking, lowering the tire pressure when you're not towing usually softens the ride. It's the cheapest and easiest thing to try.

[BirchyBoy]

You can try going to Bilstein 5100 shocks as well as lowering the pressures as mentioned. Mine improved with the new shocks but it also had 55k on the oem shocks. Certain roads will also produce a bucking motion if you have a shorter wheelbase such as a CCSB.

I love mine but my wife is sensitive to the bucking motion. So much so that after her first trip of about 15 miles she wants to go back to a class A. I’m waiting on a new Moryde pin box to be installed instead of the Rotaflex which I hope will help. If not, she may be follow me in her Jeep.

[JDT]

My F350 is a long bed which may make the ride somewhat different but my wife likes the ride in ours. It is pretty smooth for a big truck. In fact we take it solo on long trips probably more than we take her Subaru.

Not cheap compared to others but soon after I got it I put a set of Fox 2.0 shocks on it and the difference was very nice. Really took the harshness out of it. I also put a set of Sumosprings on the rear which doesn't affect the empty ride but do make a difference when we tow.

[traveldawg]

Originally Posted by johns1959

Hello All,

I have a 2021 F350 6.7L Diesel SRW. We love the new truck, but my wife is unhappy with the rough ride we get especially when we are not towing. The truck is stock height (I don't want to lift it) and has the original shocks on it. Would different shocks or air bags help with ride quality while driving it unloaded? What do you experts suggest? Please advise...

I've got air bags. They do nothing to help the ride when unloaded.

I figure the empty ride is what it is.

Maybe throw 500 or 600 lbs of weight in the back to help the empty ride?

Remember - it's a truck, not a sedan.