2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission For a nice ride call Kelderman?Rancho?Roadmaster?Velvet Shackles?GM?

[geusterman]

Come on guys. Lets talk about the perfect fix for sweetening up an empty ride. Some of us have to drive these brutes empty. With women. George

 

[JLinder]

Some of us have to drive these brutes empty. With women.

Maybe you just need a bigger one to smooth out the ride... Course then the truck would lean to one side. Nevermind...



Ah, I got it! You just need more than one woman.

 

[geusterman]

Funny funny funny. No, I just meant that my wife no likey Magilla's rough ride. Somebody surely has found out which mod softens the empty ride. Right? Please tell me YES! Oh, noooooo... PULEEESE SAY YES. George. Waiting away right here.

 

[GAmes]

I recommend the velvet shackles. The other thing that made the ride more comfy was dropping the front tire press to 55 and the rears to 40 (with no load). Rancho 9000s didn't hurt either, but I didn't put them on till I had about 98,000 on it.

 

[Dane]

Can't change the laws of physics, we have big beefy springs in the rear of our trucks. I have Roadmasters, Velvet Ride shackles, 150 lbs of Bedslide and Bilstein shocks. Together they help tremendously on the smaller bumps. BUT... the bigger bumps still cause the big beefy springs to come into play. The only way around that is the Kelderman air ride as far as I know.

 

[Sky]

Our trucks are made for pulling, working and hauling. If you dont do any of that and want the Cummins then your either going to have to deal with it or spend a lot of money to change it all. Sounds like the ride your looking for is a 1/2 ton GM.

 

[tmacc]

Originally posted by Sky

[B Sounds like the ride your looking for is a 1/2 ton GM. [/B]

OUCH!! Kind'a harsh there weren't you Sky. Not that I disagree on what this trucks were designed for though. :-laf

 

[geusterman]

It is true though, Sky. I have owned a lot of half and 3/4 ton GM's and the ride is great. I even planned a Cummins swap into a quad-cab dually 88 Chev but opted for a new 2002HO. There must be a way to mellow it out. I am 52 years and perhaps that is an issue. Love to talk to a Kelderman owner. George

 

[fest3er]

While my '98 2500 4x4 doesn't ride like a Town Car, it does ride quite nicely when unladen, with the Yoko 19. 5" TY303s or the OEM Goodrears.

What did I do to achieve this? I kept the OEM tires at 55 front, 40 rear when unladen, as the owner's manual suggests. I keep the 19. 5s at 65 front, 50 rear when unladen. I ditched the OEM shocks at about 15K miles and installed KYB GasAjust shocks, which, BTW, take much longer than 75K miles to loosen up/wear out. The OEM shocks are, IMNSHO, just plain junk, as they are on *most* vehicles.

Getting the front end *properly* aligned can make the ride a little smoother by minimizing the side-to-side jerkiness and wandering.

Rear suspension changes would help even more, but I'm rather satisfied with the ride as it is now.

Even me 76 year-old Dad likes riding in it for long distances. It's almost as good as his Town Car, but not nearly as quiet! As long as this truck keeps running like this, and doesn't develop any rattles or squeaks, I'll keep driving it. I can't envision going back to a car or a smaller/lighter truck.

Fest3er

 

[geusterman]

Well, air pressure seems to be a good lead. Going to check mine right now. I have been rooting through the older posts on this subject and consensus (such an elusive thing on these strings) seems to be that the Velvet Shackles do some good, the Roadmaster really helps as an assist (like an overload) and I hear great improvement in ride quality but not sure what that means. No Kelderman responses yet. George

 

[Ramafid]

The combination of switching to 285/75's and Bilstein shocks made a big difference compared to stock. The truck still doesn't ride like a Lincoln or Caddy but every little bit helps. Lower tire pressure helps also. I'm going to try the velvet rides later this year.

 

[geusterman]

I have only 2500 miles and already switched to those new Toyo 295's. Probably wear out my steering early. I want to move to 19. 5's eventually as I figure out the camper of my dreams. George

 

[emarsh]

I got a spare set of rear wheels from okiego and put some soft riding tires on the rear for everyday unloaded use. They are designed for a Lincoln Navigator, spoke specifically about ride quality in the brochure, also got slightly larger size. They call for 35 PSI? (unloaded) and make a difference, although only as much as a tire can, still have same springs! It realy helped, but iIdon't want to mislead you. I still have my stock tires & wheels for heavy work, although I haven't used them yet, since I am mostly unloaded, or very light towing, which is still within the limits of the softer tires. I would NOT tow a 5th wheel or gooseneck with them however.