Rough Country Shocks

[dogememe]

Just lower air pressure to get a reasonable contact patch. What pressure are you running now? How is present tread wear?

I used to run 37x12.50x15 MTR's on 15x7's. Zero problems and drove great. I only ran about 24psi on the highway in a full-size Bronco. And I had a live front axle so that's dead simple compared to GM IFS, but still.....I also had 2.5" BS to clear 60 calipers with steelies which doesn't exactly aid handling (or at least scrub radius)

With 17's you've got less sidewall (and air volume) so you'll need a bit more pressure.

I'm again running 37's on stock 17×7.5" JL alloys. Drives fantastic....but again, SFA

35x12.5r17 vs 315/70r17

Currently I’m running the 35s on my Yukon however I found that the 315/70r17 is a little cheaper and only 1/2” smaller. Is there any reason that wouldn’t work? Thanks.

bobistheoilguy.com

You think I should lower pressure? I think I set it to 36 all the way around. When I got it they were all over the place ranging from like 28 psi to 36 psi. Don’t think the previous owner was big on maintenance.

 

[D60]

35x12.5r17 vs 315/70r17

Currently I’m running the 35s on my Yukon however I found that the 315/70r17 is a little cheaper and only 1/2” smaller. Is there any reason that wouldn’t work? Thanks.

bobistheoilguy.com

You think I should lower pressure? I think I set it to 36 all the way around. When I got it they were all over the place ranging from like 28 psi to 36 psi. Don’t think the previous owner was big on maintenance.

At 35 if you're getting a good contact patch, no

Some people think it's best to run at max inflation all the time and that'll cause crowning, wander and encourage DW.

However you could try 30 just as an experiment to see if anything improves. I wouldn't tow at that but this doesn't look like a tow rig

 

[Nick1994]

35x12.5r17 vs 315/70r17

Currently I’m running the 35s on my Yukon however I found that the 315/70r17 is a little cheaper and only 1/2” smaller. Is there any reason that wouldn’t work? Thanks.

bobistheoilguy.com

You think I should lower pressure? I think I set it to 36 all the way around. When I got it they were all over the place ranging from like 28 psi to 36 psi. Don’t think the previous owner was big on maintenance.

What tires are on it?

Load Range E tires will ride like crap on a 1/2 ton

 

[dogememe]

At 35 if you're getting a good contact patch, no

Some people think it's best to run at max inflation all the time and that'll cause crowning, wander and encourage DW.

However you could try 30 just as an experiment to see if anything improves. I wouldn't tow at that but this doesn't look like a tow rig

I would say the 36 PSI actually helped the wobbles vs the lower inconsistent pressures before. In fact I was thinking of increasing it further?

Other thing I did recently was tighten the sway bar links. They were loose? Super weird. But it made absolutely no difference sadly.

What tires are on it?

Load Range E tires will ride like crap on a 1/2 ton

Very well used Toyo Open Country MT. Tires are on the list but $$$ for this truck. As per my other thread if I go with new tires they will be the "correct" size for the wheels I have. Or I'll pick up a different used set of tires and wheels.

 

[D60]

I would say the 36 PSI actually helped the wobbles vs the lower inconsistent pressures before. In fact I was thinking of increasing it further?

Other thing I did recently was tighten the sway bar links. They were loose? Super weird. But it made absolutely no difference sadly.



Very well used Toyo Open Country MT. Tires are on the list but $$$ for this truck. As per my other thread if I go with new tires they will be the "correct" size for the wheels I have. Or I'll pick up a different used set of tires and wheels.

If it improves with higher tire pressure it would further my suspicion of really bad alignment or something loose/worn.

As pressure drops you get more contact patch and the tire can "chow" more pavement. So, if your left tire is trying to veer left or right relative to the right, that tire has more "grab" to try to pull. As you increase pressure it's more like riding on the apex of a heavily radiused caster wheel.

This is a cave man explanation but that sums up my experience

 

[D60]

Also I recommend scorched earth and just SAS it.

I'm joking. Kinda. Maybe not.....

88-98 Solid Axle Conversion for GMT400 Trucks

Our solid axle conversion kit allows you to remove the stock independent front suspension from your '88-98 Chevy and replace it with a solid axle. Does not fit GMT800 trucks with 5.3L or 6.0L factory engines

www.offroaddesign.com

 

[dogememe]

If it improves with higher tire pressure it would further my suspicion of really bad alignment or something loose/worn.

As pressure drops you get more contact patch and the tire can "chow" more pavement. So, if your left tire is trying to veer left or right relative to the right, that tire has more "grab" to try to pull. As you increase pressure it's more like riding on the apex of a heavily radiused caster wheel.

This is a cave man explanation but that sums up my experience

Yeah, the alignment is pretty bad, the steering wheel is pretty far left when going straight. It was the same with the old gearbox so it's not because of that.

 

[meep]

sounds like there is a lot going on here. The bobbing? new shocks. agree with the monomax or 4600. But, 37” tires are heavy and a lot to control. Those shocks may not be enough to control those wheels. But, a stiffer shock (Fox) that tames axle movements will also transmit the vibrations to the cab as a stiff ride. sounds like there is an alignment thing happening as well. All this has to get dialed in to the best point of compromise. Honestly, if you like the 37s, I’d recommend the basic Fox offerings. It’s a quality shock, it will control the movements, but you’ll feel it. You’ll want to experiment with tire pressures to balance it out. I don’t think you need that high of pressure.

 

[AZjeff]

You think I should lower pressure? I think I set it to 36 all the way around.

36 psi is a ridiculous amount of air pressure. Use this calculator to get you close. Just plug in your stock tire specs and the new tire specs.

My Jeep stock had 30x9.50x15s at 29 psi, the 33x10.50-15s calculate to 25 psi only because that's a minimum pressure.

Tire Pressure Calculator

 

[dogememe]

As an update, my friend was selling a set of 20s with 33s off his Silverado so I swapped them out and they look good! Also, it made a big difference to the ride quality. Far less squishy and bouncy. But I think I will throw a new set of quality shocks on there in the next few months because it's still not perfect.