softer ride

From: Patrick and Kelly Engram (shetland@erols.com)
Date: Mon Feb 08 1999 - 20:44:55 EST


" I haven't altered
the heighth, but am considering a 3-5 drop. Either way, I need to
change
something to get her back in the Dak. Thanks, David. "

>From my understandings, the T/H package only gave wider tires and
wheels, swaybars, and on certain years, fender flairs. I dont recommend
you drop the truck to make it handle softer, that will in most cases
stiffen the ride. Ride quality is a factor of a few things-
 - air volume and air pressure in tires: the larger the tire, the more
air volume, drop the pressure in that larger volume and you can softern
the ride. Do you inflate the tires at factory settings printed on
doorjamb sticker, or at max. inflation printed on sidewall? This
probably has the least affect on the way a truck rides.
-spring rates: the higher the spring rate, the harder it is to compress
and the harsher it will ride. This wasnt affected by the T/H group, but
would have been affected by the payload option the truck was built
with. Changing all the springs to the lightest springs installed in
your model will soften things up.
-Shock absorbers. Again, shouldnt have been part of the T/H group. Go
find the oldest, cheapest used shocks you can find and pop them on. Now
you own a Cadarakota!
  Good luck.
In regards to airbags, they wont soften your ride unless you completely
replace your springs with them, which requires major alterations, but a
side benefit is that the truck will run lower due to the reduced air
pressure necessary for a softer ride.
Patrick



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