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Shock absorbers?

5K views 33 replies 11 participants last post by  cowboydan 
#1 ·
I'm having trouble finding what is wrong with my 97 truck's suspension. Usually when it is dry, the ride in the front is hard and shakes hard especially on large bumps or holes in the road. Even small cracks in the road can be felt in dry weather at the front, but it is a little bit more softer in the back. But when it is wet in rainy weather, the ride is more softer in general and not as harsh on large bumps. The mechanic looked at my suspension, but said everything looks okay. I would like to have a more softer ride, but what is causing the ride to be more stiffer/shakey in dry weather and softer in the rain?
 
#3 ·
Tire pressures on a 2WD should be 35psi normal. Have more or less air than that and you'll notice on ride/handling issues.
How old are the shocks? Tell tale signs of worn shocks besides the obvious are fluid leaks down the tubes. Just replaced all 4 shocks on my 96 2WD. Ride was like a cocktail shaker and you re-lived every bump as the van bounced down the road. Now its is noticeably harder as the shocks now do what they are supposed to do.
I would also assume (no expert) that if your grease joints on the suspension are dry, then the joints will be harsher than normal and their life span will be cut considerably. Are they all greased up and in good condition?
If you aren't happy with doing stuff yourself, then I would suggest getting a 2nd opinion from another shop or mechanic, just to be sure.
 
#5 ·
Yikes!

A couple PSI, maybe (as in 2). Not 10 psi. You'll wear the center of your tires faster and you will have one heckuva hard, rough ride, as you've already noticed.
 
#7 ·
Shouldn't go by the pressure stamped on tire. Go by the tire information sticker on the vehicle. There is a reason for such information.

Bob
 
#9 ·
RECox286 said:
Shouldn't go by the pressure stamped on tire. Go by the tire information sticker on the vehicle. There is a reason for such information.
I disagree. The most up to date info, the most accurate info,
the tire manufacturer's recommendation info is what is stamped on the tire.
What's on the veh sticker may be for a different brand, style, construction tire.

The NEWEST tire that was installed on any Astrofari is at least 6 yrs old.
I doubt that anyone has those factory orig tires on their van, even if it's
the most recent 2005 year model.

Lump
 
#10 ·
I agree with lumpy.When I worked at fartstone I had a discussion at a meeting with a high member of the company.He said manufacturers recommendation is really what to go by.But company policy is what is on the car to avoid liability issues. Think about running truck tires on van so you can seriously load it down then running factory pressures in a 50-80 lb tire.Tire bowed out runnin on the sidewall it ruined in short order.Pick your tire according to how you treat and drive your vehicle, run in the tire manufactures specs.Tires happy.Vans wheels still turn it dont care what on it.
 
#11 ·
The pressure stamped on the tire is the MAX pressure that tire should ever be inflated to, not what that tire should be inflated to on that particular vehicle.

So I disagree...
 
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#12 ·
45 max what my tires rated.I run 42 fronts 32 rears.Thats where it rides and handles the best.32 lbs front tires look half flat and it handles mushy in corners.My fronts are wearing perfectly, same depth tread all the way across.When I ran 32lbs before I changed the camber it ate the outside tread on both front tires.It workin for me this way.
 
#13 ·
Quite the controversy this topic is
Everyone knows running an under inflated tire greatly increases the wear on the tire because it greatly increases the heat generated when rolling on the pavement, the faster the car is driven the more heat is generated which greatly increases the chance of tire blowout

The greater the weight load on a tire , the greater the rate of heat increases in which that heat increases the chance of tire failure , simply analogy think of walking down the street 2 blocks , and compare that to walking 2 blocks with someone sitting on your shoulders , there is a lot more heat in your body generated by the additional weight load .

Tires are made in specific weight load ranges , a typical load range rating can be a 95 and there is also a 102 , the higher the number the more weight it can handle , usually the higher number is also associated with a larger tire , taller sidewalls can handle more weight load

Tires at the manufacturer website will give details of how much weight a tire is designed to hold , and give the PSI rating that goes with that weight rating If you are going to load a truck with a heavy load and want a truck to carry 1990 lbs per tire , that psi rating that is with that tire is rated at that weight at that psi so that it will not overheat , if it is rated at 45psi @1990 lbs and you put 35 psi in the tire and load it to 1990 lbs it will heat up to a higher temp than if it was at 45psi in driving condition at highway speeds especially .; in fact the faster speeds you travel you may need to increase the psi
Most people do not load their car to its max weight load capacity , so if you fill your tires to the max load psi it gets a hard ride because there is no added weight to absorb all the bumps in the road , think about how often you load your van to max weight capability , or the sedan that many people drive that can handle 6 passengers actually carry 6 people every time they drive it
35 psi is basically the standard minimum air pressure a tire should have , then depending on size , design and how much weight you will actually carry on a regular day to day basis can vary the psi you run up to the max the tire is designed to carry . if you only have about 2 people in your car most of the time like most drivers there is no need to run at max psi , it will give a harsh ride , but if you are someone who likes to push their ride as fast as possible through tight hairpin turns you will need to increase the air psi
In most cases 37-38 psi is a good compromise between comfort and increased handling , but it varies , here are some charts that show how much should be run at various speeds because there are many tire sizes and designs it would take a lot of charts to cover every category , these are just examples
To over inflate a tire is to put more psi in it than it is designed to handle ,

I usually run 38 in front and 40-42 in rear because I carry various loads of cargo , not people

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/ ... Hspeed.jsp

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/ ... Zspeed.jsp

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/ ... Tspeed.jsp
 
#14 ·
Leeann_93 said:
The pressure stamped on the tire is the MAX pressure that tire should ever be inflated to, not what that tire should be inflated to on that particular vehicle.
Thus my original comment. OP said "all my tires are at 45psi. I guess the last time I was at a shop and they checked my tires they overinflated them."

I asked "What's the max pressure stamped on the side of your tires?"

Surely nobody would recommend exceeding the max psi stamped on the tire,
even if the vehicle owner's manual stated otherwise.

And for me at least, If I was wearing "LT Gumbo Mudder All Terrain Lug Monsters" that
were stamped "MAX PSI 60 LBS" I'd sure think about keeping them closer to 60
than the 35 that chevy might recommend for 205s or 215s.

In every case, I'd always consider the tire stamp max as the true max.
I might want LESS if I thought the ride was too harsh.

Lump
 
#16 ·
miniVan said:
Yes, it sais 44 max on the tires. I keep them at around 38 now, and what a huge difference. Handling is better, more stable ride, and drives smooth as a cadillac. I can barely feel any bumps/holes in the road anymore!
There ya go! Proof boys and girls! 38 lbs is best in miniVan's minivan... :banana:

Over time, trial and error, youll find the best for you and your situation. When you buy new tires again inflate to the stamp on the sidewall and work down, keeping in mind that the softer you go the less responsive the ride. All tires are different, passenger, LT, off road, just do the reasearch before you buy to decide what is best for you rather than buy what the salesman says is best.
Lastly, always check to see what pressure the tire changers put in your tires, I use a LT tire and carry more weight than is recommended every day without loading my rack. I can't tell you how many times I've had tires put on and the kid will put 32-35 lbs in. With my situation that feels like a flat because my minimum is 45 - 50 depending on the season.

Funny, Phantom and I both run more in back than in front for the load. CM seems to run the opposite :think: :think: :think:

Beer-gut I bet :poke: :lol:
 
#17 ·
WoodButcher said:
miniVan said:
Yes, it sais 44 max on the tires. I keep them at around 38 now, and what a huge difference. Handling is better, more stable ride, and drives smooth as a cadillac. I can barely feel any bumps/holes in the road anymore!
There ya go! Proof boys and girls! 38 lbs is best in miniVan's minivan... :banana:

Over time, trial and error, youll find the best for you and your situation. When you buy new tires again inflate to the stamp on the sidewall and work down, keeping in mind that the softer you go the less responsive the ride. All tires are different, passenger, LT, off road, just do the reasearch before you buy to decide what is best for you rather than buy what the salesman says is best.
Lastly, always check to see what pressure the tire changers put in your tires, I use a LT tire and carry more weight than is recommended every day without loading my rack. I can't tell you how many times I've had tires put on and the kid will put 32-35 lbs in. With my situation that feels like a flat because my minimum is 45 - 50 depending on the season.

Funny, Phantom and I both run more in back than in front for the load. CM seems to run the opposite :think: :think: :think:

Beer-gut I bet :poke: :lol:
Tryin to get rid of that gut.Wife got pregnant I decided to keep her company.I never haul anything in mine but groceries.I use my niebors truck for heavy stuff. Benefits of all that free work I do for him.Hes my friend what ya gonna do.If it is not obvious by now I treat mine like a race car not a truck.I set mine so it corners best with those 12 inch wide tires and dont bounce when I nail it.All I ever driven all my life were race cars everyday.This is the second non-V-8 car I ever owned First was a austin-healy sprite and let me tell you those things weak.Clutch, transmission, rear end, do a hole shot something breaking when you hit second.And I broke em all before that thing went bye-bye for good.To expensive, drive it one day got to put a major repair in.Ran good tho, once a fix.Van isnt as fast as I would like it to be.Still no slouch.But in my opinion looks good, fun to wail on,and tough as nails.Almost 250 thou puts up with me and never even grumbles.Bless her little heart.She earned her up commin engine upgrades.She started as a driver till I could get something more my style.Then she won my heart, got smashed I couldnt bear to see her go. So I restored her to factory with subtle changes to suit my driving style.Met this forum now I as addicted to the van as my chevelle.The van she just tapping her foot being a good girl.Thinkin aint that hunk of junk done yet its my turn. :whack:
 
#18 ·
I don't put any less than 35 PSI in any vehicle. Below that, the tires feel mushy and increase camber wear. They also won't roll as freely. As was also stated, underinflated tires can actually be more prone to blow outs than tires set to their max PSI. The tires on my 87 Astro had some bulge to them so I checked them but they were still at 40 PSI each. Tires are just soft. I bumped them all up to the max 44 PSI and oddly enough, it actually rode better. Some tires/vehicles react differently to tire pressures. Usually, you get thrown in the air over bumps at 40+ psi but that unexpectedly wasn't the case with me.
 
#19 ·
the max psi on the tire is there as a max. one reason is because the same tire can have many different applications. the tag on the door of any vehicle is the required cold psi for "that vehicle". it is chosen for a specific ride quality and a specific handling temperment and optimum milage. that is why you follow the door tag and not the side wall of the tire. i had motomaster tires on the van when i bought it. i put bfg radial t/a on to replace the crappytire...lol. then i put on a set of lt ultragrips for winter. guess what. they were all set at 35 psi. i get the best of everything when they are set at 35. the wife has a sebring, she has h rated tires, the side wall says 44max psi. but i run them at 31 because that's what the door says. here is the big reason why. when tires are measured cold they say one thing, but when you go drive around the block, the psi rises. when you hit the highway, psi rises even more. that is why the max load says such a high number. the more psi you run cold, the hotter the tire gets. and if you set cold psi at the max side wall, then you will exceed max tire pressure. what is the difference between 35cold and 35 hot? nothing they are both 35psi. if you tow, you may require more air in the back to maintain sidewall stability, but it would be dangerous to drive the vehicle with a, missmatched tire psi, and b, a very bad ride temperment, not to mention middle tire wear. when not towing, refer to door tag
 
#20 ·
cowboydan said:
the max psi on the tire is there as a max. one reason is because the same tire can have many different applications. the tag on the door of any vehicle is the required cold psi for "that vehicle". it is chosen for a specific ride quality and a specific handling temperment and optimum milage. that is why you follow the door tag and not the side wall of the tire. i had motomaster tires on the van when i bought it. i put bfg radial t/a on to replace the crappytire...lol. then i put on a set of lt ultragrips for winter. guess what. they were all set at 35 psi. i get the best of everything when they are set at 35. the wife has a sebring, she has h rated tires, the side wall says 44max psi. but i run them at 31 because that's what the door says. here is the big reason why. when tires are measured cold they say one thing, but when you go drive around the block, the psi rises. when you hit the highway, psi rises even more. that is why the max load says such a high number. the more psi you run cold, the hotter the tire gets. and if you set cold psi at the max side wall, then you will exceed max tire pressure. what is the difference between 35cold and 35 hot? nothing they are both 35psi. if you tow, you may require more air in the back to maintain sidewall stability, but it would be dangerous to drive the vehicle with a, missmatched tire psi, and b, a very bad ride temperment, not to mention middle tire wear. when not towing, refer to door tag
I hate to disagree with you , the lower psi you run cold , the hotter the tire will get , and the higher the cold psi the more resistant the tire temp gets , if you go back to my previous post and go to the links posted you will see proof , the number stamped on the sidewall is the highest cold psi rating . If you run a tire at 20 psi on the highway you will heat the tire so hot it will likely blowout as I referred to before the tire is designed not for a particular car but it is designed for a particular weight and load range , that is why there is a designation to how much weight it can carry and why there is a specific load range category , I have never found that my tires get a psi increase more than 4 psi when inflated at the max psi , but can easily see a 20 psi increase if it is inflated at 10 psi and run on a highway , try google for what is the main reason for tire blowout and you will find it is under inflation
 
#21 ·
you know what? you might be right. low tire pressure does create more heat..... thanks. i don't run my tires low just for a test and i don't need to google stuff for common sence things such as reading the tag on the door and why it's important. i know how to properly inflate my tires. over or under is minor when they are both equally bad. thanks for the correction
 
#22 ·
cowboydan said:
...i don't need to google stuff for common sence things such as
reading the tag on the door and why it's important...
Sounds to me like you've simply decided that the door tag is the answer
to all inflation questions and anyone who suggests otherwise doesn't
have common sense... :snooty:

Again, consider some other "common sense" concepts.

YOUR van, is 14 years old. Mine is 22 yrs old. The technology and materials and experimental data
about inflation of tires has, or may have, changed in those 14/22 yrs.
IF we're running the same size, same brand, same construction style as the original OEMs,
then I'd suggest that it's a pretty reasonable approach to use the door tag suggestion, which surely
agrees with the sidewall suggestion. But once you change any of those parameters,
you may certainly have to change the inflation suggestion.

I'm using the TIRE manufacturer's suggestion as a starting point. THAT
is common sense to me.

If my door sticker says 35, but my tires say 50 lbs max, I'm
going to start at 50 and work down.

If my door sticker says 35, but my tires say 20 max, I'm not
going above 20, with the exception of 2-3 lbs for the difference
in hot vs cold (I add 2-3 lbs when the tires are hot).

Look at your typical designated spare donut. It's recommended PSI
is something like twice what a normal, full size tire is. Surely we
wouldn't drop that from 65 to 35 because the door sticker said
that 35 was max.

Lump
 
#23 ·
cowboydan said:
you know what? you might be right. low tire pressure does create more heat..... thanks. i don't run my tires low just for a test and i don't need to google stuff for common sence things such as reading the tag on the door and why it's important. i know how to properly inflate my tires. over or under is minor when they are both equally bad. thanks for the correction
Of course it is right , it would seem if you were using common sense when you made that post , you would not have made that post ,,,and no need to run tires low for a test when you have a low tire and check the pressure and then check it again when you get somewhere you can get air and check it again before you put the air in it ,,always glad to help out
:think: :think:
 
#24 ·
i don't drive on a low tire. driving on it only throws off your accuracy. a small air pump takes 2 min to make any minor adjustments. and it's only right because you googled it 1st. i said i was wrong.... back off. if you don't like what i posted, don't read. trying to make an *** of me only makes you look worse
 
#25 ·
If you were on a highway and noticed a unusual steering matter and pull off the side to check things out and find your tire to low on air and don't have an air compressor with you , you either drive on a low tire or risk having someone crash into you on the side of the highway while jacking up the van to change a tire . and I was not trying to make you anything , it your own attitude , geez i had thought you changed for the better , but maybe not
 
#26 ·
1st i wouldn't pull off to the side of the road. never have. i get off at any junction and find a parking lot to check on a low tire. unless you have a blow out or the engine dies, there is no good reason to just pull off on the side of the road. i check my tires before i go anywhere, every day. and if you don't you deserve the consiquences. but i don't wish harm on anyone. i would rather replace a damaged tire from driving on it low, than to risk my life on the side of a road. yea it happens, but that's why i check my tires. so i'm not on the side of the road for no good reason...ie common sence. what's next you gonna pick apart my spelling? i'll save you the trouble.... it sucks, but it won't stop me from reading the door panel, or checking my tires, or adjusting them before i drive.
 
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