airbag overwhelmed!!!

[weircc]

Ok guys my truck is currently riding with a 4/6 drop and im looking to improve the ride quality. I am happy with stance and don't want t change it. But with 20inch wheels and the drop it has its a rough ride. I don't want it slammed to the ground just looking for a reasonably priced kit for what i need. I also plan upgrading the a arms when i do the bags. i attached a pic of the truck so you guys can see the stance now

[bluex]

It shouldn't ride that bad at that drop. How is it lowered currently? How are your shocks? Does the rear have enough travel in normal driving or does it need a notch?

Air isn't going to significantly improve your ride quality enough to justify the cost, especially if you don't want to change the ride height.

[mongocanfly]

I agree...that should ride ok...like stated...how the drop was done may lead to the answer...did you use shorter shocks with the drop?
big wheels a short sidewall will affect ride as well..

[weircc]

The truck has nitto drop shocks. The rear has shock relocators. Not really sure how the truck has been lowered. It was done when i bought it. The front bottoms out if i hit a bump too hard. Other than the front hitting it has a decent ride.

[Kudzupatch]

I will third that. I have a 93 Suburban with 2" drop spindles, 1" drop springs and a 2" shorter tire, so 4" on the front. Flip kit and shackles on the back for 6". Drop shocks and it rides as good as it ever did if not better and it sits a lot lower than yours does.

The things is I still have 15" wheels. Never run 20's but I strongly suspect that is at least part of your issue. Those short sidewalls are stiff and don't absorb bumps as well as smaller diameter tires.

Mine also has overload air bags on the back and I can tell the difference when there is a little bit of air in them. I suspect air ride would help the ride quality too. I would love to convert mine over to air but the nice thing about static is there is no risk of a leak and being stuck with it aired out somewhere on the side of the road.

[PGSigns]

You can go on tire rack and look up your tires and see what folks think of the ride. The ride varies a lot on the same size tire. No use changing the suspension if the tires are the issue. With that setup it does not look like you have a lot of room for travel on the front tires to the wheel well. That may be the bottoming out. Also look at the front bump stops and see if they are the stock length with just a bit of room before they hit. If they are cutting an inch off them can improve the ride. I have the belltech street performance shocks on my 66 and they were an improvement over all the others I have run.
Jimmy

[lolife99]

How about posting some pics of your suspension,... front and rear.
It would help to see your problem.

[bluex]

I bet the springs were heated to lower it. That will make it ride bad for sure.

[Steve@Ridetech.com]

The A #1 most important variable affecting ride quality is shock absorbers. Cheap one-size-fits-all twin-tube shocks are almost always the culprit. As an aside, the next biggest factors are tires and suspension bushings. Springs are in a distant forth place if they are sagging or broken. Control arms have no impact on ride quality.

Back to shocks:
-- Great shocks cost more (under $200 per corner), but for what you get, they don't break the bank. Once installed, they will likely transform your driving experience from garbage truck to modern luxury car. Our shocks have a 1,000,001 mile warranty.

In contrast, some of the El Cheapo twin-tube shocks start out bad and get worse. By "start out bad", I mean that you get a generic calibration that feels sloppy and/or harsh. The one-size-fits-all shocks are prone to bottoming out. You can easily inspect your shocks to see if they are crashing into themselves. Also, attach cable ties to the shafts, go for ride and see how much they move.

By "Get Worse" I mean that many gas charged twin tube shocks utilize plastic gas bags that quickly fail which allows the gas to escape resulting in horrible ride quality.

Before you go changing everything:
-- Inspect the dates on your tires, ancient tires will hurt ride quality. How old are your tires?
-- Inspect your suspension bushings with a flashlight. Poly bushings yield a harsh ride. Same for worn out rubber bushings. What bushings do you have?
-- Inspect your springs with a flashlight to make sure they are not broken or sagging.

While you are under your truck, note that shock absorbers are the easiest parts to change in the whole system, so start there. Before you go changing anything else, upgrade your shocks. We've been through this a million times. The merits of really good shocks -- in terms of driving experience -- far outweigh their higher cost. Everyone raves about our shocks for good reason.

http://www.ridetech.com/products/q-series-shocks/

Thanks,
Steve