Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives Ford F-150 ride question

We have a 2015 Ford F-150 4WD King Ranch that my wife absolutely loves so I get to drive it on occasion when I am good or it needs washed!
I had air bags installed on the rear to keep from blinding oncoming drivers at night if I am pulling a trailer or have cargo in the bed.
My problem is this really nice truck rides like a tank on railroad tracks. The bags never have more than five pounds pounds in them when not loaded
but I have ran as much as 25 in them depending on load.
Any suggestions on how to get a better ride would be great. New shocks are my first thought and try a good gas one?
Brand of shocks or other ideas?
Thanks

Tires? Air pressure? My 2014 XLT rides great, even with E rated tires on it. Mine has 18" wheels, but most of the higher trim models come with 20" wheels which give a stiffer ride.Getting the correct pressure in the tires makes a huge difference. But it is a balancing act. Too much air and the ride is stiff, not enough and fuel mileage suffers.

Was the ride harsh before the airbags?

Has best Michelin's highway tires with 18 inch wheels and I run 34 lbs in them. As for the ride before the bags it was a little stiff but not as rough as it seems now. I have been reading on some Ford forums and It seems like the factory shock can be an issue so I will probably go that way to start!
Thanks for the replies and ideas

I was researching bags and collapsible rubber blocks/bumpstops recently, thinking about putting some on my Tacoma for the times I pull a trailer and the rear sags, and it seemed like nearly everybody commented on ride quality getting somewhat stiffer with either type of device that made constant contact.

a truck that rides like a truck....Who'da thought?

If you drive it as your primary vehicle you probably won’t notice how crappy the ride is. This coming from someone who drives a F150 with 10 ply tires. Although one time I Aired them up to 80 psi by accident and did notice how crappy the ride was.

Shoulda bought a Chevy...



DF

Is it possible you have a frozen shock?
Is usually noticeable with one corner not moving like the rest.
Some won't notice the signs.

Have seen it numerous times, twice on my junk.

If one sticks, you have no suspension. Just a solid connection
between frame and axle.

That is something i will consider.........never thought of it. Thanks for the suggestion! I have ordered new Bilstein shocks and will see what happens.
Thanks all

Im running airbags with new Bilstein shocks (2" lifted in front and 1.5' in rear) and 10 ply tires on my F150 and the ride is firm. Personally I like the ride now, it doesn't float like a car when it was stock.

You got the heavy duty rear end? I do. It rides harder than the regular but not F250 bad.

Good tires made a big difference. Also it rides much better when loaded down. This puts the springs where there are designed to be for proper ride.

"I had air bags installed on the rear to keep from blinding oncoming drivers at night if I am pulling a trailer or have cargo in the bed"

My 2019 Tundra headlights are adjustable from the driver's seat! I haven't needed to use that feature yet but it's there just in case.

My 1999 F-250 had bags that I ran for years. Truck has a big sprayer in the bed and weights quite a bit and I fought finding the best ride for 15 years. Played with different shocks which kinda helped. Air pressure was hard to keep in the sweet spot with the constant fluctuation of the volume in the tanks.

Last year, I bought some heavy aftermarket springs for it.

Shoulda done that 15 years ago!

Much better ride over a wide load range.

Call ATS springs and see what they got. Good folks.

Thanks for the suggestions guys......I am going to try the Bilstien shocks and see what I think. I love the truck and it has everything you could want just rides like a tank without a load on it.
I recently acquired a used 2016 Dodge ram 1500 eco diesel and it rides a lot better than the F-150 King ranch so Momma may get a SUV that is more of a highway car and trade the Ford off????
We will see thew for is just such a nice truck that I hate to get rid of it

If you haven't bought the Bilstiens yet, I would give a serious look at Falcon.

Michelins ride hard. if you want to soften the ride buy firestone. I run 35 lb in my firestone tires and it is ok..

What tires and size ?

My ‘16 will need new tires soon.

Buy a Ram. Rides a ton better. The f-150's have a solid rear axle so they ride like a truck should ride.

Is there a half-ton that doesn't have a solid rear axle?