I had this over on the new members section, but thought I would try over here to see if any of you guys have had the same problem.

Thanks for the input on the Monroe Sensa Tracs. Also, after a lot of research on this board and others, and my need for some off-road and snow use, it looks like I'm best off with 14" ATs, and it looks like both Firestone (Destination AT) and General (Grabber AT2) offer decently priced tires.

The question is: Will AT tires inflated to 45 lbs or so and new Monroe Sensa Tracs all the way around (coil-overs in the rear) decrease the Ranger's tendency to drift sideways when hitting washboard on gravel roads? If you drive gravel roads you know what I mean. Or will it only get worse?

This sideways drift is a little scary. You can be going along perfectly fine at 45 mph or so and if you hit washboard, you start bouncing and just about swerve sideways out of control. So what I want to know is, will stiffer shocks and harder tires help or hurt? Keep in mind that this is a 1998 2WD 2.5 liter auto with 82K, OEM shocks, and bald Firestone Destination LE tires on.

I don't mind a harder ride and some tire noise in exchange for good traction off road and in snow and ice, it's a truck after all, but this sideways drift has me worried.

 

the stiffer shocks and harder tires will make hitting those wash boards a living hell, youll want a softer suspension

 

ditch those shocks and set your tires around 32-35 psi. run rancho rs9000x shocks on level 1 settings.

 

never put normal street use tires at 45lbs. (not sure if youre trolling here but thats crazy)

The tire can maybe do it, but no way would I ever...geez..talk about zero grip and a funny wear pattern

I have destination AT's and I havent found a surface type that I dont get good grip on, asphalt, wet or dry, dirt, wet or dry, gravel, sugar, whatever. I love em.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey....jsp?type=ORAT you can clearly see which tire is the best

 

OK FOR 1; Do not run your tires past 35 PSI on ANY RANGER!, ARE YOU CRAZY?

Your asking for poor handling, bad tire wear, and poor ride quality. DO NOT CHANGE YOUR SHOCKS to anything other than what is recommended, Sensa tracs is WHAT COMES ON THESE RANGERS, you guys just dont know that because it is a FORD part Number. Monroe makes 99% of the shocks and struts out there for OEM. Even the FX4 Package is a PAINTED MONROE REFLEX SHOCK with a RANCHO STICKER There is no need for you to run your tires at 45 PSI. NO NEED for it. Run what the door tag says, should be in the low 30's for the front and high 20's for the rear. The stiffer the tire and the suspension and its components the WORSE IT WILL DO. Do your self a Favor and let some air out of the tires. and stick with MONROE, You dont even need the coil overs in the rear. Unless you are packing 10,000 LBS they are not even needed. Most people who do run these dont know any better. They are garbage, all they do is cause ride disturbance. Remember the Rangers do not weigh a whole lot to start with. Add weight to the rear end, let some air out of the tires and take your foot out of it on turns.

Ive been doing suspension and tires for over 10 years, what you want to do will only make that worse.

Firestone sucks, general tire sucks. They are Cheap thats all they are there for. Dont expect alot from your tires if you go cheap.

RANGERS ARE LIGHT, No matter what, your going to get that crazy bounce, but you can help keep it subdued with better parts and less air pressure. Better tires help alot too.

 

Better off going with an actual Monroe non adjustable, since they are the same and the adjustable shocks dont do anything except add a **** and your thinking it is working because the **** moves. RANCHO is just like pro-comp shocks they suck also. Trust me Ive been doing this long enough to know what works and what doesnt. Rancho is a monroe Reflex shock, Exactly the same.

 

upgrade to bilstein shocks.
the FX4 level II's come with them/

i drive gravel roads all the time. most with washboard. and while i still get that sdeways drifting a few times, its only in intense washboard, and when im going faster than 55 MPH

 

im thinking its working because the **** moves...

rancho vs pro-comp... HA

your an idiot. you clearly haven't been doing it long enough, your still horribly misinformed.



you want a soft shock that has good compression and rebound numbers. the self adjusting shocks are nice, but when faced with fast jolting bumps, they stiffen up to reduce body roll and sway. this is what causes you to kick sideways.

get a set of non self adjusting shocks, something in a emulsion style. I chose my rs9000's because they were 65 bucks each new (wholesale), and they gave me the travel i needed. Up front ill have a set of custom valved fox or radflo shocks, setup for camburg race coils. if you really want to fly over this stuff, lower your tire pressure ALOT (30psi), and get some nice shocks. (custom valved is the way to go to get them exact to the truck)

you want a soft tire that conforms to the roadway, then a nice set of springs and shocks that will soak up whats not absorbed by the tire. look fox shocks. they are worth every penny.

 

Not to argue, but yes i have been doing this long enough, Rancho aint no better than pro comp, both are chinese made garbage. Body roll isnt what he is trying to fix. its the suspension not having enough support to keep contact with the road. Your right with tires, but wrong on shocks, stiffer shocks wont help, it will make it worse. too soft and he will have a very uneasy feeling with the entire truck. Adjustable shocks are JUST like any other shocks out there. Again I have been doing this for over 10 years. Seen just about everything and know what works and what doesnt. You want to spend you money on cheap parts have at it, but your shooting your self in the foot and will not fix the problem, and at what point did I call you an idiot, moron? HA Misinformed, I do this for a living, so yeah I do know 100% what Im talking about. Didnt see your Certs any where Dont talk **** if you dont know what your talking about guy. There are 2 types of shocks, Gas charged and fluid or oil charged. Gas charged will ride very stiff on lighter truck, Gas charged shocks are designed for higher center of gravity and heavier trucks. Oil fluid charged are designed to keep ride quality with out being OVER stiff. Thats really all there is to it. Just replace your shocks. Changing springs is not going to do anything. Its either going to be too soft or too stiff and at 82K miles, I HIGHLY DOUBT there is any issues unless you have hauled HUGE LOADS. I dont under stand why some people think that is the best way to gain better ride............

Ive installed 1000's of Rancho adjustable and half of my customers come back saying they are not helping no matter what number they set them at. Pro Comp they just leak constantly and I warranty 1000's a year just because they leak. Rancho and procomp are cheap, you are getting what you pay for, nothing. So no I dont belive aftermarket shocks are any better than what COME OEM. They are all the same, they all do the same job no matter what. SHOCKS ARE SHOCKS, you want Fox racing, have at it they look cool and are very expensive. But thats it. Sorry to all those who have a different opinion than mine, but I do this for a living and I call it like I am seeing it. and what I have installed. Custom valving, Is he driving a Trophy Truck? ALL SHOCKS ARE SELF ADJUSTING.....wow did you read the box or what.


New OEM type shocks and tires you should be fine with out killing your wallet on cool eye catching parts. run no more than a Load range C tire ( 6 ply radial ) or a P-Metric 4 ply tire will suffice. Was Ford wrong on the shocks they install under all the trucks or what guys, If it didnt do its job at the factory why do they still install it????? Manufacture designs it that way for a reason, I see no reason to step away from that design unless it really is better for the vehicle.

here is some Very useless trivia: The chrome rod on a shock and or strut moves 1 million times in one mile. Self adjusting, yes I think so....... if it was not self adjusting then it is worn out or broke dude.....

 

Love how your still rambling on about how all shocks are the same.

Its unfortunate that fools that have no clue what they are talking about come one here, throw up a big statement, and the new guys listen to them. id sure hate to take my truck to you for any type of work.

you also contradict yourself...


"Rancho aint no better than pro comp, both are chinese made garbage"

"They are all the same, they all do the same job no matter what. SHOCKS ARE SHOCKS"


get your info straight, and stop telling people asking honest questions a load of crap. trust me when i say all shocks arent even close to being the same. your a fool, you need to quit talking out of your ***, your embarrassing yourself.

To the OP: Bilstein 5100's will help you alot with the washboard also. They come in alot of offroad applications, and are designed to take a beating and keep going. I was planning on going with them before i switched to getting custom valved shocks from fox.

 

LOL.
what a joker.
pay no attention to this guy OP.

try the bilsteins suggested in the post above me, they will help.

 

The best thing you can do if your not a fan of the tail kicking out is slow down. However the stiffer your sping and shock combo is, the more it will not react to the fast up and down that needs to be addressed. Adding some weight to the bed may settle your springs a touch more and cetainly airing down to around 35psi will help a bit.

Personally I like sliding on gravel but I also like being planted when I am not. Gotta learn to be comfortable with oversteer and your countersteer.

 

It's not the sliding part, that's fun as hell I think we will all agree, it's the completely unexpected sliding part. That's never fun. And slowing down ain't fun either!

 

I really didn't mean to cause anyone's nose to get out of joint, and realize that 45psi would be a bit hard. Thing is, I really do need new tires, and strongly suspect that new shocks would help in general, as I think time (14 years) has as much to do with worn out shocks as the 82K.

The only reason I'm thinking coil overs in the rear is because the leaf springs seem a little tired (more sagging on one side than the other).

I did notice the truck did ride a whole lot better with about 300 # of oak boards in the back.

So are you serious...do you really run 30 - 35 in the front and high 20's in the back?

Thanks for the advice...

 

You know, it is possible to have a discussion without insulting somebody and making an *** out of yourself. I do however agree with the rest of your post. Ranchos are nice, but pretty damn stiff which will not help the op with washboard gravel roads. Unless it can be adjusted.

OP : If you want to help with your backend kicking out add some weight to the bed. I actually wrecked my Ranger going fast on a gravel road. back end drifted out and found myself in a ditch before i knew what happened. It is a common problem with all trucks, because of the weight ratio, engine and people in front, nothing in back. Especially with torsion bars. Try some of the cheapy soft monroe matic shocks with some weight in the bed and it might help a bit. I also found that moog swaybar end links helped alot with the bumps in my front suspension. And for christsakes air those tires down to 35 or less.

Also keep in mind most shocks are going to be stiffer than ones with 100k miles on them, At least initially.

 

yeah tires should be no where above 35.
i keep mine right on 35 as i commute 300 kms highway, so 35 is about perfect for that and mileage i found.

 

If you're looking for AT tires check out Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs, they may be a little more expensive but they are a great tire! I've done plenty of dirt and gravel washboard roads with them and they handle great. I've driven through almost every terrain with them and i've never had a single problem, I'm very satisfied with them and I think i can say most people on here with them would say the same. They are a bit more aggressive than normal AT's but they are worth it. As for suspension if you are set on changing it you will want to go softer. A softer suspension will allow your tires to stay in contact with the road more which means you will have more traction. If it is really a big deal and you have to deal with it a lot you may want to consider putting some weight back there to keep the rear end planted. Also please do not inflate your tires so much when you inflate your tires more and more they bulge out and instead of having a flat contact patch with the road you will have a rounded one and the actual treads one your tire will not be able to grab the ground so you are loosing traction and making your ride harder... I would run the recomended psi or run a little under it.

 

Last time I went on a gravel washboard road with the Ranger, I was getting major *** end hop at a mere 20 mph.

Fast forward to now... I found a bad shock. Also a collapsed shackle. Yeah, broken parts don't help.

Read into it some more, and if you aren't hauling or towing anything, setting the tires lower at 25-30 psi will help (remember to air them back up when you get to asphalt... especially if you're gonna get on the highway) and disconnecting the sway bars can help as well.

Don't air up the tires... and don't even think of going above the max pressure listed on the tire sidewall. If anything, air them down when you're getting into rough terrain, or just keep them at the recommended pressures as specified in the manual.

 

slammed03 is full of useless info.

Set the tires to the correct psi 32-35psi.
Get a good set of tires i recommend (BFG All Terrain TA/KO)
Check your rear suspension components
Check shock condition (replace with softer one) Quality matters don't skimp out
Pick up some james duff traction bars (they fix this issue)

 

Hold the phone while Helen Keller calls it as she see's it. Dude gtfo out of this guys thread. You clearly enjoy blowing smoke out your ***.

 

Also keep in mind that your springs have a natural frequency they will want to oscillate at with out shocks, and there will be a speed where the suspension should fall in sync with the road surface. For my setup 60-70 km/h is ideal. I have 31' bfg's which are load range c @30 psi, rancho shocks which are meh, and I prefer about 2-300 lb in the bed. My buddy has bilsteins in his fx4 and they are a definite improvement.