Rough ride

[Farmhandz]

Fitted Eibach adjustables at the front 2yrs/20k miles back and had the height set at 1” above std as I prefer a slight rake.
Had 33 12.5 22’s on at the time. Noisy but showed good, even wear at recommended psi.
Recently fitted 275/55/20 Bridgestone Ascent AT’s in an attempt to lower road noise and smooth things out. Dissatisfied, I fitted 275/60/20 HT Alenza’s hoping the 60 profile and HT tread would do the trick, but to no avail.
It feels as if there’s zero damping up front. Every little crevice or bump feels harsh, although directional stability is perfect. Steering is tight. I’d like to think suspension is good as I can’t detect any clunking and am thinking the shocks are no good.
I hate to say it but my buddy’s King Ranch rides better - how I’d expect my pickup to ride.
Current mileage 76k miles.
Original steering and suspension components.
Any ideas?
Different approach to adjustable shocks only?
I prefer a smooth, quiet ride - No off-roading.
Wish I had 275/60 Ascents rather as they look good.

 

[Morenar]

did you mess with the PSI a bit and see if they could be too inflated?

 

[Farmhandz]

It shows 34 - 38 psi when cold.
Almost commited to 4 new Bilstein 5100’s yesterday.
Still deciding

 

[Scram1500]

I had Eibach coil overs for a couple months then got rid of them. The ride was crap, worse than the worn out OEM Hitachis.

 

[Ready Go]

I have Eibach Pro-Truck struts/shocks...using 1" ORP springs (matched to OEM) on Front set on Clip #2 (0.6") for 1.6" Leveled Lift, and using OEM Rear springs (RR cut 1 full coil off to level RR/LR) with Airlift bags at 5psi.

I have Front swaybar Energy Suspension Poly-E 36mm bushings and have a Progress Technologies 25mm Rear swaybar set on Tight.

I'm running OEM 20s with OEM Deuler H/Ls at 39psi...and the ride is near perfect as possible for a cheap setup!

If I'm being 100% honest, swapping to Fox 2.5 PEs would give that last bit of perfection..but that's a $4000 hole I can't justify just yet.

I did just order Fuel Variant 20x9-1mm wheels..29.8lbs, HC rings, TPMSs, but deciding yet on 275/60R20s (Firestone Destination AT2s..42lbs) vs 285/60R20s (Bridgestone Dueler Ascent ATs..54lbs)..the weight is my hang-up...OEM~72lbs, FD~72lbs, BD~84lbs

I find the Eibachs (and others that have the Bilsteins) a really good overall upgrade to OEM at a very minimal cost.

 

[H2OMAN]

That's too bad. I have two buds that have them and they think thy are pretty good. I myself have had two sets of Bilstein 5100's which are pretty much the same thing. The Eibach kit comes with coils which should make them better than just the shocks. However, both are digressive valved and therefore, very stiff at the beginning of the stoke. This is great for towing and is a bit annoying at low speed. Mid speed is where they work best and they remove a lot of body roll. Getting into higher speed they fade and don't rebound well. But as a budget setup there isn't much better for the money. If you are looking to be able to control high speed dampening you need to move to the 2.5 inch bodies with remote reservoirs to reduce overheating and handle the complete stroke of the shock. But that entails a large layout of money. So, whatever setup you go with you need to understand the limitations of the system you have chosen and stay within those parameters. Just saying.

 

[Ready Go]

That's too bad. I have two buds that have them and they think thy are pretty good. I myself have had two sets of Bilstein 5100's which are pretty much the same thing. The Eibach kit comes with coils which should make them better than just the shocks. However, both are digressive valved and therefore, very stiff at the beginning of the stoke. This is great for towing and is a bit annoying at low speed. Mid speed is where they work best and they remove a lot of body roll. Getting into higher speed they fade and don't rebound well. But as a budget setup there isn't much better for the money. If you are looking to be able to control high speed dampening you need to move to the 2.5 inch bodies with remote reservoirs to reduce overheating and handle the complete stroke of the shock. But that entails a large layout of money. So, whatever setup you go with you need to understand the limitations of the system you have chosen and stay within those parameters. Just saying.

"Just saying"...very well said!

I do believe the Eibach coilovers & reservoir rears are digressive valved, like the Bilsteins, but seem to remember that the Pro-Truck struts and reverse-body rears are progressive valved..putting them in between Bilsteins and Fox 2.0s performance and comfort wise.

I got my Eibach Pro-Truck pkg on a holiday sale for ~$450 and have been very happy with them..as I currently have them set. The only real complaint is a slight bit of secondary rebound on some bumps/holes at some speeds, but that could well be a tire limitation of the cheap OEM Bridgestones.

I imagine some day I will move to the Fox 2.5 PEs, like you have..and be incredibly happy for doing it (once I get over the sticker shock)..if I go with the heavier Bridgestones, I'll most likely be moved towards the Fox 2.5s sooner..if I go with the lighter Firestones, I'll probably stick with my Eibach setup for a bit longer.

 

[Ready Go]

It shows 34 - 38 psi when cold.
Almost commited to 4 new Bilstein 5100’s yesterday.
Still deciding

I will say that I did play up & down with cold psi quite a bit, and in the end found that the factory suggested 39psi cold (which runs up to ~41-42psi warm) is definitely the sweet spot for my setup..so maybe set your psi to a similar 20" wheel psi like mine and then fine tune it a bit if desired.