Due to a dumb <edit> rear ending me on my motorcycle, I need to smooth out my ride as much as possible to decrease the pain in my back and legs. 01 QC 4x4 Cummins. I have airbags on the rear so the shocks don't have to be stiff for hauling. Stock height. I only pull heavy once a year, or I did before the wreck, a 30' 5th wheel. 99% is back and forth to work.
I have read what has been said about the Rancho's and the increased stiffness has me concerned.
I have also read the Bilstein had a smoother ride than stock and Rancho.

 

The easiest and quickest would be to reduce the psi in the tires as low as you can go! 60 psi front 45psi rear?

 

That statement really has me confused. I replaced the stock shocks on my 4x2 dually with the old 5-position Rancho 9000s shortly after we took delivery. On settings of 3 front and 2 rear, this thing will mush along like a 50s Cadillac. At 4 front and 5 rear, everything is firmed up nicely for towing the 5th wheel.

Rusty

 

I've already lowered the pressure as much as a dare...
The shocks are the originals that came on the truck. It has had bags since it was a baby so the shocks have not been abused by heavy loads. I will be putting a FASS on and changing shocks with the $$ I got from the motorcycle since it was totaled.
I want a SMOOTH, well as much as it can be with the spring rates this thing has.

 

Your original shocks are worn out if they have more than 30K miles on them. Mush. You are getting a rough ride now because your suspension is not being controlled by those old shocks. I like my Ranchos, regulated as Rusty said. Also soft tires under no load. Others like the Bilsteins running no load but I believe they are not stiff enough for a good load.

 

Put some Bilsteins on it and drive around with 4 or 5 hundred pounds in the bed and no air in the bags. Eric

 

I'd say more than that. I drive with 1k lbs in the back during winter, and it softens the ride significantly. I'm sure 1500 would be even better.

 

to keep your load rating AND smooth out the ride, you might have to get some new custom multi-leaf springs. the packs will have about double the amount of leafs compared to stock, which means they'll ride smoother yet still handle a load. check with either national spring and dever spring. both are excellent companies and make a superior product. i personally like nationals myself.

 

Since I have air bags, I am not concerned about the shocks handeling a load. I don't need new springs either. I'm just asking what shocks provide the softest ride. I will not run with weight in the back since I can not put the weight in or take it out since my wreck.

 

I would switch out your airbags for a Kelderman rear 2 bag kit. It doesn't change the ride height but makes for a very smooth ride. A friend has it on his powerstroke which made me buy it for my 99 diesel and then I got it and decided to go with the long arm kelderman lift. Not a great ride by the way. The 2 bag was very smooth, absorbed all the bumps and still autoleveled the truck when he hooked up his 9ton trailer to it.

I'll definitely be getting it for the '03 I have now.

 

maybe a concrete bed liner would help?

 

If you have anti-sway bars, remove them. Makes a big difference.

 

I flipped the bottom leaves in my pack and that pretty much makes them useless,and I hual fivers all the time,I've not had to put air in my bags yet (other than the 3psi I allways have in em)
Its a little smoother that way.

 

This may be a dumb suggestion, but what about an air ride seat? It would make sense if you were in the truck for long periods of time, or if you traveled more. Someone here was able to adapt an air seat frame from a ford to work in a 2nd gen.

 

Air ride seat is a good idea. Heard good stuff about it but I haven't had personal experience.