truck suspension question

[ridehonda400ex]

I have a 98 chevy 1500 w/t its a great truck. reg cab, short bed. so its a short truck but it rides like a log wagon. I was wondering if the w/t has a heavier duty leafspring/suspension set-up over your standard truck my truck is 2wd and a 4.3L v6 5-spd.

[KKiowaTJ]

The w/t stand for work truck. They are usually plain jane trucks with a tape deck if your lucky. Yeah some do have stiffer spring rates, But the shocks also play a big part.

A nitro shock will ride rough as heck and the hydro will be plush and to some feel like a blown shock. I run hydros for comfort and a softer ride.

Another thing to check is your air pressure in your tires. Just because the tire says 45psi or whatever, Dont mean you have to run it. I run 35-12.50-15's on my jeep and 26-28 psi max.
I have never ran more than 30psi in any jeep. Try dropping the psi and see if it makes a change in ride. But dont go too low or you will wear the tires funny.
I usually do a "chalk test" and add 2-3psi from that. Google chalk test, It will show you what and how to do it properly. Good luck

[CJM]

Replace the shocks, I prefer plain jane monroes. The monroes ride nice and are decently cheap.

My toyota has bilsteins in it, I dont mind the stiff ride but many complain it jars thier kidneys.

[ridehonda400ex]

lol its actually a really nice truck, i knew what w/t meant i just figured you guys did too. it actually has a sony cd player in it. but yeah i figure it had heavier duty shocks. and it says 32 psi in front and 35 in rear. i previously lowered the back to 32 but its still rough. Im thinking about going with plain monroes like CJM said, i work at a garage and can get them really cheap with my employee discount but i still wanna be able to pull a small trailer for mowing during the summer. so would plain be okay? or would heavy duty be a better idea?

I was also gonna ask if you guys had any idea why my back end jumps around so much? it seems like going over a railroad or a bump the back end comes off the ground lol and where i ride i have to drive thru a pastuer area and going like 5-10 mph it like the back end just wont stay planted lol

[CJM]

Springs could be worn out causing axle hop. bad shocks will also do that.

Bounce the back and front. it should come up smoothly-not bounce alot over and over. It bounces alot your shocks are bad.

You should be fine with plain jane monroes, the trucks at least a 1/2 ton so it should tow things just fine.

[Stickman400]

The *** end of my 2wd Ranger bounces up when I hit any kind of bump also, I think it's just the nature of the beast when it comes to 2wd trucks. They are too light in the *** end and instead of the shocks being soft enough to absorb the bump it just throws the entire truck into the air. I have Bilsteins all around on my ranger and it rides about the same as when I had stock shocks on it when it has no load on it, but when I put a load in the bed it rides like a Cadillac (for me). So I am usually always hauling my 400 in the bed or some sand tubes to weigh it down and ride better. It may use slightly more fuel, but I prefer the ride over slightly more fuel consumption. I also have a 2" lift block and an add-a-leaf in the rear, so that may also cause a harsher ride.

[CJM]

The leaf and lift block sure arent helping you at all, if anything the leaf is making it ride quite stiff.

[ridehonda400ex]

I had sand in the back when it snowed and it was definetly smoother:)

[Kovatch]

Don't forget you have a short wheelbase. That causes your truck to react more to most bumps, dips, etc. We've had a whole fleet of trucks from extended cabs, crew cabs, std cabs, short & long beds, and the longer the wheel base the smoother the ride. Same goes for a car vs truck. The extra length allows more time for the front to react/recover before the rear reacts to the bumps (if that makes sense).

Ride around with the weight in the bed and that should help too.

[Stickman400]

Originally posted by CJM
The leaf and lift block sure arent helping you at all, if anything the leaf is making it ride quite stiff. Well I kinda figured that, but even when I didn't have that leaf in there it still rode pretty rough. Any kinda leaf spring setup isn't gunna ride worth a damn without a load on in.

[CJM]

A progressive leaf setup will ride nice, leafs are softer. Can cause axle wrap tho and your payload ability will be less.

[ridehonda400ex]

ill just leave it alone for now. will probably do plain monroes in the rear. and i was gonna ask you guys, is there any relatively cheap ways to increase gas mileage? for a 4.3L, it sure is thirsty!! 15 mpg:(

[CJM]

Light foot and smaller tires is all you can do. 15mpg is nice, my work van gets 10mpg I think and my old F250 got 12mpg in town as well.

[ridehonda400ex]

not nice when your 16;) and any cheap parts i could add on to improve it?

[CJM]

Zilch man. It gets what it gets, its a truck. Drive it like grandpa and you might eek out another 1-2mpg.

[ridehonda400ex]

haha thanks CJM. i appreciate your help. looks like ill shift the ol girl earlier too. i usually do about 2000 tho

[CJM]

Try shifting at 1700 and see what happens and use OD more if possible.

[ridehonda400ex]

is it possible to get worse MPG by running to low rpm's?

[CJM]

It is, sometimes the gearing, transmission and engine need to be on a specific range to get the best mpg. Almost like a sweet spot.

Lightly applying the throttle, coasting more than using the gas will generally get you better mpg b/c the engine isnt working as hard as say you jamming the pedal down at every chance.