SundayMoney

I added Ride Rites to my truck over the weekend.

I didn't add them because of a sagging issue,I added them in hopes of keep my fiver from bouncing off the overloads.

With the pin weight that I have,I'm about 1" or so off the overloads. When I hit a rough section of road,the fiver drops the suspension enough that it hits the overloads and then bounces on/off until it smoothes out enough to quit bouncing.

Firestone recommends enough air to ride level. I ride level when towing the fiver as it is. I need to ride slightly higher than level.

Is riding slightly higher than level a problem?

CTD NUT

Riding slightly higher than level isn't really a problem as long as it is wthin an inch or two. Airbags won't really help the bounce much, though. They will change the ride height but won't dampen the rebound at all and in fact can make the problem worse. A good shock is what you will need to smoothen out the ride if the 5ver has a really heavy pin weight. A good adjustable shock in the rear will provide much stiffer dampening than any non-adjustable shock and can be turned down when empty. Rancho 9000's or Pro Comp MX6's fit the bill well. While the MX6 is a true mono tube, I have actually had better luck with 9000's in the rear. Too many leaking issues with the MX6's for my liking. I have had a fade issue a couple of times with the 9000's but that is a rare case. Even then, they offer the much larger 9000XL now that should be more resistant to fading and if that isn't enough, you can get either the 9000 or MX6 in a remote reservoir....though, I do not know how a remote reservoir works on a twin tube shock like a 9000???

Fueling around

Other shock options are true high pressure mono such as Bilstein & KYB Monomax.

A buddy of mine had the same problem with his 96 slapping the overloads. He removed them when adding the airbags.

Riding as level as possible is better. It really changes the rest of the vehicle dynamics if jacked or sagging.

CTD NUT

What Bilstein's are you referring to? No KYB experience but I have been in a truck loaded heavy with 5100's in the rear and they simply didn't provide enough dampening. I love 5100's in the front but not for the rear when loaded very heavy. Hard to beat an adjustable shock for that.

Fueling around

Any of them. BUT, shocks will not replace springs. Heavily loaded means the springs need help first (airbags) then an appropriate shock to dampen.

I hate overloads for the jarring action especially as SundayMoney describes from the loading and unloading. That's why my buddy removed the overload springs and uses just airbags.

SundayMoney

You're correct,its not a dampening issue,I don't believe for a second a new set of shocks would cure this.

I'm going camping this weekend,I'm going to start with 10psi in the bags and see where that gets me. Unloaded,10psi is ever so slightly above level,maybe 1/2".

According to Firestone,that should keep about 500lbs off the suspension. Maybe that'll be enough to leep the overloads from making contact.

Luis Garcia

I run mine with 5 lbs. when emty that smothes out the bumps some. When loaded between 65 to 80 lbs. dose the trick, it also depends on how you distribute your load.

CTD NUT

Ok guys....we are clearly not on the same track. Spare me that...I'm very much aware that shocks do not support any weight....please.

If your truck rides level, air bags are going to do very little to help control bumps since much additional air pressure will begin to raise the ride height before the so called spring rate changes much. With additional weight, often comes the need for additional dampening. Adding air bags with significant air pressures with a heavily loaded truck only further increases the need for yet more additional dampening. If you are happy with the ride height of your truck and refuse to change the rate of dampening and feel the need is to increase the spring rate, air bags will do that but only to a minimal extent without altering the ride height. Timbrens can help but I'm not a fan...I thought the ride was too choppy.

I haul a heavy slide-in that is almost 5K wet and I tow my Jeep on a tandem axle trailer at the same time. It takes 80 psi in the bags to hold the truck level. With the rear shocks turned down, the truck is not even safe to drive because it is way too bouncy....got all the load support in the world - but the shocks can't control it. With them cranked all the way up the truck runs tight and smooth and does not float up and down every bump on the highway - much more control. That is the beauty of having the adjustable shock. You don't have to guess on the dampening. You can prove to yourself how big an effect it will have on the handling and ride no matter how the truck is loaded....good or bad. It is possible that your rear axle weight isn't anywhere near heavy enough to bother with different shocks especially if the bag pressure is very low.

The best thing to do would be to just eliminate the overloads....the bags will take care of your load support needs much better anyway. I removed the overloads on my 98.5 because of a similar issue when lightly loaded. Heavily loaded it was fine. The bags worked much better alone.

Need95-00CTD

CTD NUT is right, if your problem is spring bounce, its your shocks, not your springs. If you can add a shock that is stiffer, you will reduce the speed the axle travels under dampening and/or rebound. All you need to do is slow the axles movement (Which is what a shock does), and while airbags will help, when you jack them up, your shocks are now severely overloaded, and the amount of dampening and rebound they provide is not nearly enough for the amount of momentum and inertia your applying to them.

Since you have the bags, try it, you'll find how bouncy air bags get without a good set of shocks.

revvinkevin

I have had this exact problem, if you remove the overload leaves and use the airbags the problem WILL be solved.

TJAR66

I put the same air bags on for the same reason you have. I run them at about 25-30lbs. Firestone suggests 50lbs but that made the truck feel like a buck board and I started to lose bed to 5er clearance by the back of the truck. It helps but it does not cure everything I think a combo of airbags and some great shocks would do the trick.

Fueling around

The best way to gauge level is a trick showed me by the same guy that removed his overloads.
Put the truck on level ground with no bag pressure. Find a measure point between the rear axle and a solid frame point. Cut a block of wood to fit in the space. Add the load and use this block to gauge your airfill on the bags. You'll find the truck does not sit body level without a load.

With the camper and trailer I usually don't go more than 35 psi. Once with a hard side wind it required 50 psi on the passenger side to level up the truck with only 35 psi on the driver side.