Getting pissed with my new truck

Wiggums · June 27, 2019

The same old issue has popped up again and I'm now seeing more from members here posting about it. Yes, those who weren't helpful are still blocked, I don't want to hear drivel from fanboys.

I haven't driven much but I drive on dirt roads frequently in Mexico and out in the desert near Temecula where I run a large ranch. This is the third time it's done that, back end swaying in one direction. This time, it was on a straight dirt road with ripples on it but there were no pedestrians this time, fortunately. The first time it did that, a guy had to jump out of my way. The saving grace was that I was in the middle of an isolated road. If there was traffic on the other lane and I was on the right, I would have hit the pedestrian and that was enough to really piss me off. This was a safety issue and this should not be tolerated by any manufacturer. Roads do get dirt on it, I should not be forced to swerve when the rear end decides to fishtail on its own! I don't want to have to drive ridiculously slow on roads with dirt on it or even dirt roads, especially in a 4x4!

Based on advice from others, I reduced the psi on my tires from 45 to 35 which helped. Had coat of spray-on liner to weigh it down a bit more. It did that again but it wasn't that bad, then did it again last week which is pretty much the final straw.

I could change the shocks on it. It kind of sucks because I paid extra to have better handling and it's clearly failing in that department. The electric gremlins are annoying but I can live with that. I am not too keen on spending more money on it right now.

Yes, it's great, I love the gas mileage I'm getting on my V8. It has a little less power than my previous F-150, but that's nothing when I get much better gas mileage, 18 vs. 24. I like the interior.. although I know some of you don't like it, but I came from the F-150 which had cheaper interior than Silverado, so I obviously don't know what I'm missing out.

If it wasn't for the back end swaying and the electronic gremlins, I'd rate the Silverado above the 2016 Ford F-150 I had.

Moend · June 27, 2019

Amen. I freaking hate those rancho crap. They are just not up to snuff in my opinion. My plan is to replace them soon and get some LT tires. If I want a soft ride I would've got a Cadillac. Came from 2013 F-150 and boy I sure do miss my old truck. Yeah the Silverado is nicer on the inside but ride awful and screen keep blacking out on me

https://youtu.be/gSYL_PuqAUY

UGADawgs · June 27, 2019

Are you in 2 high when this happens? Maybe use 4 auto or 4 high when not on pavement.

ShamrockShooter · June 27, 2019

I had a similar experience on a dirt road a few weeks ago. Hit multiple pot holes and some ripples in the dirt road and it felt like the back end stepped sideways a foot or so even though I was going straight. Bed was empty and I have a Z71 trail boss.

I think because I was slowing down quickly the engine also downshifted just at the right time which spikes the rpms and maybe caused the momentary loss of traction.

I have driven this dirt road in trucks for 20 years and never had the back end get squirrelly on my like that. I have a Leer truck cap on the back now which adds 200 lbs or so, but have not been down that road again to see if it helps.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

diyer2 · June 27, 2019

New shocks are cheaper than buying another truck.

Maybe add some bed weight also.

bshort · June 27, 2019

Is this the short bed of the standard bed? I haven't noticed this with mine (standard bed) and I drive a section of road that will always do this to an old Ford Ranger I still have.

z1boss · June 27, 2019

14 hours ago, Wiggums said:

The same old issue has popped up again and I'm now seeing more from members here posting about it. Yes, those who weren't helpful are still blocked, I don't want to hear drivel from fanboys.

I haven't driven much but I drive on dirt roads frequently in Mexico and out in the desert near Temecula where I run a large ranch. This is the third time it's done that, back end swaying in one direction. This time, it was on a straight dirt road with ripples on it but there were no pedestrians this time, fortunately. The first time it did that, a guy had to jump out of my way. The saving grace was that I was in the middle of an isolated road. If there was traffic on the other lane and I was on the right, I would have hit the pedestrian and that was enough to really piss me off. This was a safety issue and this should not be tolerated by any manufacturer. Roads do get dirt on it, I should not be forced to swerve when the rear end decides to fishtail on its own! I don't want to have to drive ridiculously slow on roads with dirt on it or even dirt roads, especially in a 4x4!

Based on advice from others, I reduced the psi on my tires from 45 to 35 which helped. Had coat of spray-on liner to weigh it down a bit more. It did that again but it wasn't that bad, then did it again last week which is pretty much the final straw.

I could change the shocks on it. It kind of sucks because I paid extra to have better handling and it's clearly failing in that department. The electric gremlins are annoying but I can live with that. I am not too keen on spending more money on it right now.

Yes, it's great, I love the gas mileage I'm getting on my V8. It has a little less power than my previous F-150, but that's nothing when I get much better gas mileage, 18 vs. 24. I like the interior.. although I know some of you don't like it, but I came from the F-150 which had cheaper interior than Silverado, so I obviously don't know what I'm missing out.

If it wasn't for the back end swaying and the electronic gremlins, I'd rate the Silverado above the 2016 Ford F-150 I had.

Not sure if you tried this yet but what about if you add some weight in the back like maybe 300-400 lbs of sand/dirt bags and see if it does the same exact thing. I'm thinking these shocks are bouncing too much with no load on them

aseibel · June 27, 2019

8 minutes ago, z1boss said:

Not sure if you tried this yet but what about if you add some weight in the back like maybe 300-400 lbs of sand/dirt bags and see if it does the same exact thing. I'm thinking these shocks are bouncing too much with no load on them

Its the springs, not the shocks. Our truck springs are capable of carrying close to 2,000 lbs more than they normally carry empty. Of course they will perform very differently when unloaded. Adding weight should soften the bounce and make it more stable. The springs support the weight. All the shock does is control the speed at which they can compress and rebound.

People seem to ignore the job of the springs and think shocks cause the problem or new shocks will fix everything. Its hard to design springs that will handle the same way with double the weight on them as they do with no load at all.

I think the simple solution is to drive slower on rough roads. Since none of us were there with wiggums we don't know how bad this road actually is. I've experienced a similar phenomenon a couple times, and it requires a pretty big bump. Nothing I would worry about on a well maintained road.

Chris walker · June 28, 2019

It isnt just Chevy/GMC....My buddy has a Raptor and it feels like the back end of the truck steps out all of the time (even on maintained roads). He let me drive it on a few instances and its what caused me to pick the AT4 over the Raptor. I just dont like dealing with a rear end that steps out at highway speeds.

Lift + off road tires + off road shocks + light rear end + truck springs = active rear end.

Edited June 28, 2019 by Chris walker

diyer2 · June 28, 2019

19 hours ago, aseibel said:

I think the simple solution is to drive slower on rough roads. Since none of us were there with wiggums we don't know how bad this road actually is. I've experienced a similar phenomenon a couple times, and it requires a pretty big bump. Nothing I would worry about on a well maintained road.

Agree

I drive dirt roads in and out of our house.

If my speed is low enough my rear end does not slide around.

Wash board sections of a dirt road are the worst.

The dirt road to one of my favorite lakes always gets a lot of wash board for long distances due to the amount of traffic. With my boat and the tongue weight it helps but will still slide if speed is to fast.

Sierra Dan · June 28, 2019

On 6/26/2019 at 11:08 PM, Moend said:

Amen. I freaking hate those rancho crap. They are just not up to snuff in my opinion. My plan is to replace them soon and get some LT tires. If I want a soft ride I would've got a Cadillac. Came from 2013 F-150 and boy I sure do miss my old truck. Yeah the Silverado is nicer on the inside but ride awful and screen keep blacking out on me

https://youtu.be/gSYL_PuqAUY

Have you voted here?

Sierra Dan · June 28, 2019

20 hours ago, aseibel said:

Its the springs, not the shocks. Our truck springs are capable of carrying close to 2,000 lbs more than they normally carry empty. Of course they will perform very differently when unloaded. Adding weight should soften the bounce and make it more stable. The springs support the weight. All the shock does is control the speed at which they can compress and rebound.

People seem to ignore the job of the springs and think shocks cause the problem or new shocks will fix everything. Its hard to design springs that will handle the same way with double the weight on them as they do with no load at all.

I think the simple solution is to drive slower on rough roads. Since none of us were there with wiggums we don't know how bad this road actually is. I've experienced a similar phenomenon a couple times, and it requires a pretty big bump. Nothing I would worry about on a well maintained road.

Hard to agree with you here Andy.

How could my truck have ride have improved from the pogo stick ride when i replaced the factory shocks with something else all while utilizing the same springs?

Again, those of you who have Not replaced your RANCHO'S with something else will never know what that planted feeling is like especially in the rear.

aseibel · June 28, 2019

Just now, Sierra Dan said:

Hard to agree with you here Andy.

How could my truck have ride have improved from the pogo stick ride when i replaced the factory shocks with something else all while utilizing the same springs?

Again, those of you who have Not replaced your RANCHO'S with something else will never know what that planted feeling is like especially in the rear.

I was waiting for you to show up, Dan. haha.

Have you figured out how or why the Bilsteins are "better" than the ranchos yet? I won't argue about quality or longevity. But I am still waiting around for an explanation of how they perform differently than the OEM shocks. Are they softer or stiffer? Do they allow for faster or slower rebound? Everything you explain is subjective, with no scientific explanation.

Why don't you drive down to the California/Mexico line and test out your truck on the road the OP is driving on and report back to us how well your truck handles it.

Sierra Dan · June 28, 2019

Here I am Andy

I enjoy reading other members thoughts and posts on many topics.

This topic is one I can definitively address.

I cannot speak for every member who has installed the Bilstein to replace a factory Rancho.

What I can do is proclaim beyond the shadow of a doubt that switching from Rancho to a Monotube Bilstein improved my truck's ride.

How? First and foremost when simply backing out of my driveway my Truck exhibited No more side to side bobble going over the curb.

At the end of my street there is a harsh transition between intersections that is more of a rough dip. Not an expansion joint really.

Driving over this with the Rancho, the front was ok but the rear was just a jarring clunk every time.

With the 5100s.... they soaked it up and rebounded accordingly.

Then in the downtown area we have a railroad crossing. Double track crossing actually.

This is where the 5100 was most noticeably better than the Rancho.

The Ranchos seemed to just hover or glide over the tracks. The whole truck and my dairy air would shake. I had to take it slow.

Felt like driving over the rumble strip sections that you encounter on highway shoulder edges.

Then with the 5100s i could just drive over without slowing and although there was still some up and down shimmy the reaction was faster and smoother.

My final opinion between the two is that the 5100 is better suited for off roading thus handles on road crap we encounter in every state so much better.

Let's face it. The roads and streets (even some highways) are simply sub par for vehicles. So why not install a shock that can handle pavement just as well as off road.

Yes you do get a "firmer" ride but the firmness is not a harshness but rather a planted slot car style feel. Almost like the tires and pavement are velcro together.

I am sure this same improvement will exist with any good monotube over the twin tube Rancho.

Yes tire pressure can help in both cases. You just have to find that sweet spot.

Does this make sense?

Grumpy Bear · June 28, 2019

21 hours ago, aseibel said:

Its the springs, not the shocks. Our truck springs are capable of carrying close to 2,000 lbs more than they normally carry empty. Of course they will perform very differently when unloaded. Adding weight should soften the bounce and make it more stable. The springs support the weight. All the shock does is control the speed at which they can compress and rebound.

People seem to ignore the job of the springs and think shocks cause the problem or new shocks will fix everything. Its hard to design springs that will handle the same way with double the weight on them as they do with no load at all.

I think the simple solution is to drive slower on rough roads. Since none of us were there with wiggums we don't know how bad this road actually is. I've experienced a similar phenomenon a couple times, and it requires a pretty big bump. Nothing I would worry about on a well maintained road.

Not hard Andy. Impossible. The right shock valving can certainly improve things and a noticeable amount but it can't fix the problem completely. GM did not help a bad situation by using a price point damper to control such a low leaf count spring. To really cure this it would (did) take both a lower spring rate and better shock valving. You will give up payload to do this UNLESS you bag it. Wiggums problem is he has no wish to spend the kind of money it takes to cure a trucks tendency to be a truck OR to lower his speed to a rate that prevents the issue (free) OR to compromise with the partial improvement a good damper would provide. He has one option left and Dyier2 handed it to him. Toss a five hundred to a thousand pounds over the rear axle.

The OP isn't totally at fault in this. A half ton is 1,000 pounds not 2,200. Sprung for a true half ton it wouldn't ride much harsher than a mid 60's full sized station wagon. He is rightly frustrated but stubbornness won't fix the problem either. This isn't an opinion, this is physics.