Please explain.....................
Used Truck shopping...maybe
- Thread starter panthermike
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Please explain.....................
Sure... trucks built and suspended to tow a lot of weight and 4x4 typically ride harsh.
All the half tons are body on frame, some ride better than others, but they all ride like body on frame trucks, that is to say nothing like a unibody midsized like the ridgeline or a big SUV.
The solid axle 3/4 tons are harsher yet, and pound you death in the right lane unloaded.
One can compensate for this harsh ride by upgrading factory suspension components (like Bilstein shocks) poly or new bushings but a 2000'e era half ton 4x4 is going to be harsh ride in the right lane regardless.
The op said he'd use his truck like a truck so maybe he doesnt care.
Friend of mine had a late model (2015?) F250 for a couple years. Borrowed my Tundra for a quick spin on a bumpy road, said my truck rode way nicer... He traded down to a half ton not much later. [He "needed" the 3/4T for plowing and contractor work, and was giving up plowing, so it kinda made sense.] In turn, I can tell when I'm in my Camry vs my truck--no surprise, but as nice as my Tunda might be, car like it ain't. I'd much rather drive my car on a bumpy road than my truck!
OK-you obviously don't own a truck. That's OK many on here comment all the time without any first hand experience. Today's half-tons unloaded offer a perfectly acceptable ride-even given solid axles and body on frame construction. My wife and I prefer our 2018 Silverado Crew Cab-as our highway cruiser because it rides fine, and it eats the miles effortlessly-all the while getting 25 mpg. Yes-25 hwy. I even posted a pic on here in another thread where it got 33.4 over a 50 mile stretch.
The factory ride on trucks is geared to being smooth-which is one of the reason that "P" rated tires come as OEM equipment.
So-while I appreciate your post-the comments regarding ride aspect is misinformation.
While I haven't driven a RAM-the reviewers say it rides nothing like a truck due to independent coil spring suspension. I look forward to driving one soon.
Absolutely no surprise here, but according to CKN thats misinformation. "You obviously dont own a truck. "
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
The RAM actually rides insanely well, not just for a truck, but in general. It handles bumps and things better than my Jeep does, though the Jeep would hand it its rear on anything with corners even with the suspension tuned to "luxo-barge". It rides better than my dad's Town Car.
I hear the same thing - they did a good job.
I was very happy with the KYB's upgrade from the ranchos on my titan. The bilsteins are even better.
To me the chevy 3/4 IFS rides better than the ford i beam front end, but heavy towers claim the chevy wears out much faster.
GM HDs drive quite smooth. Ford and Dodge not so much.
ls1mike
$50 Site Donor 2025
I will say this. I know my 2002 2500HD was a rough ride. My 2017 3500HD is really nice when compared to that. They certainly improved them, but empty on rough stuff it will beat you up.
If you put good shocks on, the front suspension last longer because you don't get the porposing. I just put Bilsteins on the rear of my 1 ton. Porposing gone. About 6 years into ownership of my 2002 I put KYBs on. The sure were nice when towing, not so much empty.
If you put good shocks on, the front suspension last longer because you don't get the porposing. I just put Bilsteins on the rear of my 1 ton. Porposing gone. About 6 years into ownership of my 2002 I put KYBs on. The sure were nice when towing, not so much empty.
AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
With a budget of $15k or less talking about 2015 or 2018 anything is pointless......
And stay away from anything lifted, tuned, modified or set up to run a gooseneck trailer.
And stay away from anything lifted, tuned, modified or set up to run a gooseneck trailer.
We have emissions testing here in DFW, But not like Cali with the visual inspections & CARB certifications on aftermarket parts.
I actually like the VK56DE/RE5R05A combination in the Titan/Armada, Outstanding power for it's displacement, It takes a LQ9 6.0L or L76 6.0L (Vortec Max) to hang with one & a L92 6.2L to outrun/outpull one.
The 5.3L has to rev it's guts out to pull heavy loads & none of the port injected ones had oil coolers where all the 6.0L/6.2L engines have oil coolers. I'm no engineer....But it makes a huge difference when towing in hot weather.
The Dana 44 was a poor choice when Nissan could have built a HD unit in-house with a 9+ inch Ring Gear, Or just use a Dana 60??
I run the rear tires on my 2500HD at 35psi when unloaded, Fronts at 55psi. Running Bilstein 4600's. Still have 100% factory front suspension components minus the shocks at 420,000 miles with some religious greasing. At least 100,000 mile of that towing very heavy. Never been off road or abused though.
ls1mike, thanks for the tips and mentioning which years, etc to look at. Very helpful.
Clinebarger, as always I like your mechanical input. You helped a lot when I had my problematic 5.4 3V. Good to know on the Titan, I am worried about those two repairs since they are both costly!
Clinebarger, as always I like your mechanical input. You helped a lot when I had my problematic 5.4 3V. Good to know on the Titan, I am worried about those two repairs since they are both costly!
I like everything about my Titan except the way it fits in the garage.
Great highway and back road cruiser.
Great highway and back road cruiser.
Yeah the 44 is marginal, I dont do a lot of low range crawling, and added a finned cooler w more capacity right away so maybe thats part of the reason Ive been ok- maybe I just got lucky(knocking on wood) , A super 44 would be the min they should have used, but still ...
Have you ever put a different rear end in one?
You are dead nuts on about performance parity - I have to explain this all the time to people, and its one of the reasons Im still ok with a 16 year old truck - its performance is on par with all but the very biggest new stuff. The power has to be in the 4 Valve head.
What do you charge for labor on a manifold change?
best sir !
UD
Well..OK. The point here then owning a Tundra is nothing like owning a modern truck. I have a friend that has one as well. Rode in it recently as three weeks ago. Rough ride, bouncy, it had the "1794 edition" interior and the seats are as hard as a rock. The Tundra is sold for two reasons now:
1) To give the Toyota Loyalist a truck
2) Because Toyota has billions in cash reserve and can float many of their products that making little to no money.
So yes-the generalizations regarding modern trucks are misinformation-but if your basing it on a Tundra, I completely understand.
At the end of the day, if all I was hauling was people, with no heavy towing or need for high payload, I'd stay far way from a 3/4 ton or higher truck.
We have both at work. The loaded down 3/4 ton and up trucks are fine. The empty 3/4 ton and 1 ton trucks that haul air every day are not fun to drive - we joke they ride a like a dump truck... They are built to be worked hard - and as a result don't provide the best of ride qualities when empty.
And I agree on the Tundra - when I test drove back in 2016, it reminded me of the F150 I was replacing - which was a 2004 model. The Big 3 have evolved further, Toyota has stuck with what they brought - which appeals to some, and not others. And that's OK.
We have both at work. The loaded down 3/4 ton and up trucks are fine. The empty 3/4 ton and 1 ton trucks that haul air every day are not fun to drive - we joke they ride a like a dump truck... They are built to be worked hard - and as a result don't provide the best of ride qualities when empty.
And I agree on the Tundra - when I test drove back in 2016, it reminded me of the F150 I was replacing - which was a 2004 model. The Big 3 have evolved further, Toyota has stuck with what they brought - which appeals to some, and not others. And that's OK.
You can keep using the words "modern truck" over and over but it doenst really mean much other than you went out and bought a recent model year of an example that still has a relatively new parts on it. If you didnt get the 4x4 with a tow package it will ride a bit better than the examples that have these upgrades unloaded.
In terms of actual technology, you have a body on frame solid rear axle truck with IFS.
Pretty much the same as they have always been and what everything else in the half-ton category is and has been for the last 20-years.
The only thing really "new" in the segment is the front end on the new dodge which rides better than your chevy, which is about the same as the ford and everything else in the segment. Pretty much all of them ride better with bilsteins or kings than stock, new great parts make even old trucks ride pretty well.
Our last group get together had a new EcoBoost, new dodge, my ridgeline and an older avalanche.
The larger group also has a new chevy 1500, afew 2500's my Titan, 2017 tundra, a new taco, a frontier, a few big diesels, a canyon, and a bunch of small old toyotas.
No body on frame 1/2 ton truck comes close to the IFS/ IRS Ridgeline ride, and no 3/4 rides, as well as even an older half-ton unloaded.
I go out all the time and get to drive all the new stuff extensively.
I get you are happy with your newish truck but believe you are biased into thinking its something that it really isn't.
UD
In terms of actual technology, you have a body on frame solid rear axle truck with IFS.
Pretty much the same as they have always been and what everything else in the half-ton category is and has been for the last 20-years.
The only thing really "new" in the segment is the front end on the new dodge which rides better than your chevy, which is about the same as the ford and everything else in the segment. Pretty much all of them ride better with bilsteins or kings than stock, new great parts make even old trucks ride pretty well.
Our last group get together had a new EcoBoost, new dodge, my ridgeline and an older avalanche.
The larger group also has a new chevy 1500, afew 2500's my Titan, 2017 tundra, a new taco, a frontier, a few big diesels, a canyon, and a bunch of small old toyotas.
No body on frame 1/2 ton truck comes close to the IFS/ IRS Ridgeline ride, and no 3/4 rides, as well as even an older half-ton unloaded.
I go out all the time and get to drive all the new stuff extensively.
I get you are happy with your newish truck but believe you are biased into thinking its something that it really isn't.
UD
I guess we are going to have a disagreement that the Ridgeline is a real truck. What's the towing capacity of that thing? ANd the payload? While the Chevrolet is advertised to tow nearly 10,000 pounds-I will concede the real number is probably closer to 8,000 after payload concerns.
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