How does your 100 series ride in town? (1 Viewer)

[Mike NXP]

Just wanted to have a fun thread about ride quality in the cruiser, so like the title says, how does your 100 series ride?

I run a stock ride height rig with new toyota shocks up front and fox shocks in the rear. Medium OEM springs to handle a bit of weight, but man I feel every bump in the road.

Every time I see someone talk about their plush luxurious ride I get pretty jealous. The truck feels great at low speeds crawling over rocks and handling the weight no problem, but some cracks in the road or washboard dirt roads is enough to make me want to sell the truck. I find myself creeping over sidewalk / entrances to parking lots that my little toyota highlander would just blast over.

I have done everything from checking body mounts, experimenting with different tire pressure, new suspension, deep meditation and hoping things will just get better, but no luck.

Should I just get over it and move on? Maybe empty everything out of the interior, could just be all the crap I have shaking around?

Anyone else having these same concerns or do you all have smooth riding Cadillac feeling cruisers?

 

[ga12r1]

Just wanted to have a fun thread about ride quality in the cruiser, so like the title says, how does your 100 series ride?

I run a stock ride height rig with new toyota shocks up front and fox shocks in the rear. Medium OEM springs to handle a bit of weight, but man I feel every bump in the road.

Every time I see someone talk about their plush luxurious ride I get pretty jealous. The truck feels great at low speeds crawling over rocks and handling the weight no problem, but some cracks in the road or washboard dirt roads is enough to make me want to sell the truck. I find myself creeping over sidewalk / entrances to parking lots that my little toyota highlander would just blast over.

I have done everything from checking body mounts, experimenting with different tire pressure, new suspension, deep meditation and hoping things will just get better, but no luck.

Should I just get over it and move on? Maybe empty everything out of the interior, could just be all the crap I have shaking around?

Anyone else having these same concerns or do you all have smooth riding Cadillac feeling cruisers?

What is this “bit of weight” weight you speak of?
BTW all things considered I think mine rides like a dream

 

[Mike NXP]

What is this “bit of weight” weight you speak of?
BTW all things considered I think mine rides like a dream

=] good point...

Rear bumper from bump it offroad w/ spare tire and the SS1 sleeper platform in the cargo area . Maybe +350lbs give or take.Figured the medium
OEM springs would help with that and the sleeper platform is no different than a passenger or two in the third row.

Front ARB bumper added recently to stock front end setup. I have a set of railroad tracks that I cross everyday and it actually rides a bit nicer after the front bumper addition.

So it sounds like you fall into the category of smooth riding 100 series operators, so damn you! I will continue to obsess over this and wonder why I have to baby mine over bumps =[

 

[devlooper]

I still have functioning AHC on mine so the ride is awesome. I'm wondering if it would ride better if you put a little weight in the back (drawer or bumper or something?) I'm no expert on spring rates, or how suspension works, but if youre running springs that are...sprung too high for the weight in the back then they are not allowing the shocks to do their job as the springs are taking the load.

I could be completely off, in my understanding of suspension, but I have heard in the truck world that a 350 super duty rides like s*** until you have a horse trailer and horses back there, then it rides amazing.

Also, what sort of tires are you running and are you running a pressure that is too high? I know tire compound and air pressure could affect ride quality.

 

[jLB]

Stock 99 LX w/ AHC and P-metric tires is smooth around town.

Mild 06 LX w/ ToughDog and E rated LT tires, can be smoothish.

Less mild build 00 LC with OME and E rated LT tires, not smooth around town at all.

 

[Mike NXP]

I still have functioning AHC on mine so the ride is awesome. I'm wondering if it would ride better if you put a little weight in the back (drawer or bumper or something?) I'm no expert on spring rates, or how suspension works, but if youre running springs that are...sprung too high for the weight in the back then they are not allowing the shocks to do their job as the springs are taking the load.

I could be completely off, in my understanding of suspension, but I have heard in the truck world that a 350 super duty rides like s*** until you have a horse trailer and horses back there, then it rides amazing.

Also, what sort of tires are you running and are you running a pressure that is too high? I know tire compound and air pressure could affect ride quality.

Absolutely, some good points. Springs that are meant to hold some weight ride like s*** with nothing added. A lot of my roughness seems to be in the front end, but that is also where I am sitting so not sure.

So I checked, I have the stock/light load replacement springs, rated for 250 additional pounds of payload. Considering the rear bumper and other weight I have back there it should be fine.


I'd like to blame the misc. items and gear I have throughout the truck, but it's all bagged up and pretty secure. Seats are tight, front end has been inspected many times, I just cant seem to get her riding smoother.

I opt'd for some D range tires, didn't want to go E range. I have tried several different pressures, lower is a bit nicer, but still doesn't fall under the category of rides like a dream or plush ride like some ops are describing. Maybe I am over thinking this one?

 

[ga12r1]

=] good point...

Rear bumper from bump it offroad w/ spare tire and the SS1 sleeper platform in the cargo area . Maybe +350lbs give or take.Figured the medium
OEM springs would help with that and the sleeper platform is no different than a passenger or two in the third row.

Front ARB bumper added recently to stock front end setup. I have a set of railroad tracks that I cross everyday and it actually rides a bit nicer after the front bumper addition.

So it sounds like you fall into the category of smooth riding 100 series operators, so damn you! I will continue to obsess over this and wonder why I have to baby mine over bumps =[

The wrong combo of springs and shocks can make the ride really terrible. You may think it’s the springs when it’s the shocks or vice versa. Or could it be both. Sometimes the only way to figure it out is to experiment.
I went through a ton of shocks and springs to get where I am today.
The good thing is springs are relatively cheap and only take about 30 minutes to replace.
Shocks can get up there though. I would recommend trying Tough Dog adjustable to start.

 

[devlooper]

I posted my reply before I saw you had rear bumpers. Yeah man, thats a tough one, to me my truck rides awesome. Granted I came from a Jeep wrangler 6spd manual so maybe my biased is tuned a little different than yours.

Good luck in finding the solution!

 

[Mike NXP]

The wrong combo of springs and shocks can make the ride really terrible. You may think it’s the springs when it’s the shocks or vice versa. Or could it be both. Sometimes the only way to figure it out is to experiment.
I went through a ton of shocks and springs to get where I am today.
The good thing is springs are relatively cheap and only take about 30 minutes to replace.
Shocks can get up there though. I would recommend trying Tough Dog adjustable to start.

Thanks for the heads up, I think the best move I have made so far is putting toyota OEM back onto the front. Had a rough go with the fox shocks. Makes me want to change the rear back to toyota OEM as well. Hmmm, will have to ponder this one for a while.

I posted my reply before I saw you had rear bumpers. Yeah man, thats a tough one, to me my truck rides awesome. Granted I came from a Jeep wrangler 6spd manual so maybe my biased is tuned a little different than yours.

Good luck in finding the solution!

That may be part of the problem, I am looking for that brand new truck feel but need to face that it's an old dog.

 

[MongooseGA]

Suspension-wise, my truck is extremely comfy. Added weight in the rear in the form of drawers smoothed the ass-end out a lot. I've also got a completely replaced/upgraded suspension.

As far as total ride, IMO, it's s***ty on rough roads. My tires are incredibly stiff. Also, I've probably tweaked my front ARB on a trail at some point, so every now and then I'll hear/feel it make contact with my PS fender. For now I've got little felt spacers in place until I can get a shop to un-tweak it.

If it weren't for the tires (or rough roads), I'd say the overall ride quality is equivalent to that of my W126 560SEL. Not the characteristics, but the overall quality is high. Despite the tires, I just had another modded 100 owner riding shotgun with me the other day and they were very impressed with the ride so, I guess it's all relative.

 

[ClassyJalopy]

Suspension-wise, my truck is extremely comfy. Added weight in the rear in the form of drawers smoothed the ass-end out a lot. I've also got a completely replaced/upgraded suspension.

As far as total ride, IMO, it's s***ty on rough roads. My tires are incredibly stiff. Also, I've probably tweaked my front ARB on a trail at some point, so every now and then I'll hear/feel it make contact with my PS fender. For now I've got little felt spacers in place until I can get a shop to un-tweak it.

If it weren't for the tires (or rough roads), I'd say the overall ride quality is equivalent to that of my W126 560SEL. Not the characteristics, but the overall quality is high. Despite the tires, I just had another modded 100 owner riding shotgun with me the other day and they were very impressed with the ride so, I guess it's all relative.

Yeah right your modded and lifted LX with E rated tires is comparable to w126

Did you take the sprung seats out of your Merc and replaced then with wooden benches?

 

[phatdragon]

I run stock suspension (all new OEM shocks etc.), without a ton of added weight and do think the bumps at 25-35 MPH are more jarring than at highway speeds. All in all it rides pretty great for a full size SUV I would say.

 

[MongooseGA]

Yeah right your modded and lifted LX with E rated tires is comparable to w126

Did you take the sprung seats out of your Merc and replaced then with wooden benches?

Ok, well maybe closer to the overall comfort of my W123

But, as to the actual suspension (tires not withstanding) , it's pretty darn good. Even with the tires, my preferred road trip car.

 

[dividedan]

Our roads in town are rough so my truck with armor and Ironman foam cells can be rough around town, not noticeable though. On washboard roads around 30-40 it can be downright awful, but I’m thinking that’s the tires and being on 18s. I’ll be switching to 16s when these wear out, but unfortunately probably won’t be able to get out of an E rated tire since all the tires I like don’t offer a C or D rated option.

 

[95Fantasma80]

LX with AHC suspension and 33" Load E tires rides like a dream in nicely paved streets and highways...

introduce roads with cracks and just those roads that aren't well maintained, or wash boards and it reverberates accross the cabin and is so annoying. I blame the tires, but its a trade off for the capability and piece of mind when going into the mountains/desert to explore.

 

[Kofoed]

Heavier t bars and springs, stiffer shocks and E load tires it is rough. Loaded with camping gear bombing down a dirt road it is smooooth

 

[MountaineerLC]

'01 LC with stock suspension and E rated 285/75/16 BFG KO2 tires. I think the ride is great and not harsh in the least.

 

[nukegoat]

Worse than my beater Acura by a large margin

 

[yukon]

Lots of weight, Tough Dog T bars, shocks and springs to set at factory ride height, stock LTX tires and mine rides like a dream.

 

[ClassyJalopy]

Lots of weight, Tough Dog T bars, shocks and springs to set at factory ride height, stock LTX tires and mine rides like a dream.

Stock LTX tires are probably the biggest comfort factor in the rough street surfaces