Rough ride question

[clemsonxplorer]

Hey guys just bought a used 4runner with 5100s already installed at the .85" setting on stock springs and 285 LT Load E Terra Grappler G2s.

Which one of these is causing the rough ride more so? The stiff heavy tires or the stiffer suspension?

Thanks!

 

[dawudih]

Hey guys just bought a used 4runner with 5100s already installed at the .85" setting on stock springs and 285 LT Load E Terra Grappler G2s.

Which one of these is causing the rough ride more so? The stiff heavy tires or the stiffer suspension?

Thanks!

Shocks mainly for me.
Best thing I did to this car was to remove the 5100's & the 10 ply BFG tires & go back to stock shocks & normal a/t tires.

 

[Engineer]

What is the air pressure in the tires? That's a good starting place, make sure they are correctly inflated. But based on them being a load range E tire I am going to say tires are your main issue.

 

[clemsonxplorer]

Shocks mainly for me.
Best thing I did to this car was to remove the 5100's & the 10 ply BFG tires & go back to stock shocks & normal a/t tires.

so you aren't lifted anymore?

I'm thinking about switching to ICONs and P rated Falken Wildpeaks....
just not sure which to do first.

 

[clemsonxplorer]

What is the air pressure in the tires? That's a good starting place, make sure they are correctly inflated. But based on them being a load range E tire I am going to say tires are your main issue.

Yea that was my first thought but they are at 30 psi. I suppose I can test it by temporarily dropping them down to 20-25 so i can get a better feel of how stiff the suspension is.

 

[e60ral]

they are already underinflated, definitely don't go lower, you need to inflate them

 

[Engineer]

Its worth a shot, or better yet if you can find someone/dealer willing to do a wheel/tire swap for a test drive to see if that makes enough of a difference for your needs.

If you were concerned about the ride should have bought a Lexus ound:

 

[brent95m3]

I have the same setup with C rated Nitto Terra Grapplers in stock size. I thought the ride actually improved slightly on my SR5 with the 5100s. I installed them at 5k miles. I think it is the stiff sidewalls giving you the rough ride.

 

[Engineer]

they are already underinflated, definitely don't go lower, you need to inflate them

Where does this come from? Not saying your wrong - just curious. My understanding was that you get a reduced load rating at lower PSI but assuming you don't go to low causing abnormal wear or handling the main downside would be reduced load capacity but at the gain of a more compliant ride.

Edit: I fully agree about not running them any lower for any extended period and in my brain I have a 30-40psi range that I played around with when I first got my new tires (which are not the OP's tires) but where that came from.....no idea.

 

[e60ral]

Where does this come from? Not saying your wrong - just curious. My understanding was that you get a reduced load rating at lower PSI but assuming you don't go to low causing abnormal wear or handling the main downside would be reduced load capacity but at the gain of a more compliant ride.

Edit: I fully agree about not running them any lower for any extended period and in my brain I have a 30-40psi range that I played around with when I first got my new tires (which are not the OP's tires) but where that came from.....no idea.

32psi is the pressure for the OEM p-rated tires, and they are under even that.

E-range tires require higher pressure,30psi has got to be at least 10psi low. Running tires underinflated is how you get blowouts

http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/589830/23447320/1378330097907/Discount+Tire+inflation.pdf

 

[Bumbo]

Id say tires then shocks... but its most likely a combination of the two.

The 5100 is a digressive shock (starts off stiffer), that is a bit stiffer than some, but not by a large margin. That said, I do like that particular damper.

The added weight of the tire can influence what you feel since you have more mass on that shock which can at times feel like chatter or a bit more jarring depending on the terrain. Less is absorbed into the tire and becomes the shocks problem to deal with.

Personally I am a fan of a SL, C and D load ranges over E. P rated tires for a road only truck is also fine. Just depends on what you do with it...

If it were my truck, I would change the tire before the shock. Maybe you have a friends with a Toyota, I would swap rims/tires. I can feel a significant difference moving from my on-road set to my off-road set.

 

[clemsonxplorer]

Its worth a shot, or better yet if you can find someone/dealer willing to do a wheel/tire swap for a test drive to see if that makes enough of a difference for your needs.

If you were concerned about the ride should have bought a Lexus ound:

Well if i had bought a lexus with aftermarket 5100s and E Rated tires I would still be in the same boat.

It's ok to want a smoother ride on an offroad rig. Otherwise people wouldn't be buying the ICONs or C and P rated tires. I understand the consequences of lifting a rig and putting bigger tires on in terms of ride quality, but since both were already done to mine I am just trying figure out which had the bigger impact on the rough ride. I'm not new to this either...I had a FJ with BOSS 2.0 and 295 KO2s and it rode great at 38 psi and no swaybar.

 

[Engineer]

Well if i had bought a lexus with aftermarket 5100s and E Rated tires I would still be in the same boat.

It's ok to want a smoother ride on an offroad rig. Otherwise people wouldn't be buying the ICONs or C and P rated tires. I understand the consequences of lifting a rig and putting bigger tires on in terms of ride quality, but since both were already done to mine I am just trying figure out which had the bigger impact on the rough ride. I'm not new to this either...I had a FJ with BOSS 2.0 and 295 KO2s and it rode great at 38 psi and no swaybar.

I should have put it in green text = sarcasm , carry on

 

[clemsonxplorer]

I should have put it in green text = sarcasm , carry on

No worries! Thanks for your other input though :tea:

 

[wfo9]

5100s = not such a great ride.

E rated tires = not such a great ride

It's a combination of both.. but most of it is the shocks. 5100s are not plush at all. However, not everyone is sensitive to this.

 

[philsey]

5100s = not such a great ride.

E rated tires = not such a great ride

It's a combination of both.. but most of it is the shocks. 5100s are not plush at all. However, not everyone is sensitive to this.

I agree - sorta.

I ran 5100's on my 2010 for 7 years and I loved them. I'd describe them as somewhat firmer than stock. No way did I think they were rough. Mine is a DD, and I thought they were a great improvement over stock.

@OP. Do you know what an E-rated tire is?

FYI:
Identification: The load range is identified by a letter of the alphabet, usually from A to F, which represents the ply rating and load pressure. A rating of "E" on the tire means the tire has a ply rating 10 and a load pressure of 80 psi.

Vehicle Type:
The "E" designation for the load rating of the tires is only used on light truck tires, not passenger tires. You can identify whether a tire is a passenger tire or a light truck tire by looking at the start of the service description on the sidewall: passenger tires start with a "P" and light truck tires start with an "LT."

Significance:
"E" signifies one of the highest load ranges available. You may need a tire rated this high if you carry heavy loads with your truck.

My $.02 is that your issue is 75% tire, 25% shocks.

 

[clemsonxplorer]

Id say tires then shocks... but its most likely a combination of the two.

The 5100 is a digressive shock (starts off stiffer), that is a bit stiffer than some, but not by a large margin. That said, I do like that particular damper.

The added weight of the tire can influence what you feel since you have more mass on that shock which can at times feel like chatter or a bit more jarring depending on the terrain. Less is absorbed into the tire and becomes the shocks problem to deal with.

Personally I am a fan of a SL, C and D load ranges over E. P rated tires for a road only truck is also fine. Just depends on what you do with it...

If it were my truck, I would change the tire before the shock. Maybe you have a friends with a Toyota, I would swap rims/tires. I can feel a significant difference moving from my on-road set to my off-road set.

I was thinking about these tires...Falken Wildpeak A/T3W P 285 /70 R17 117T SL RBL but perhaps the side walls are too weak for the rocky offroading in Texas.

 

[clemsonxplorer]

I agree - sorta.

I ran 5100's on my 2010 for 7 years and I loved them. I'd describe them as somewhat firmer than stock. No way did I think they were rough. Mine is a DD, and I thought they were a great improvement over stock.

@OP. Do you know what an E-rated tire is?

FYI:
Identification: The load range is identified by a letter of the alphabet, usually from A to F, which represents the ply rating and load pressure. A rating of "E" on the tire means the tire has a ply rating 10 and a load pressure of 80 psi.

Vehicle Type:
The "E" designation for the load rating of the tires is only used on light truck tires, not passenger tires. You can identify whether a tire is a passenger tire or a light truck tire by looking at the start of the service description on the sidewall: passenger tires start with a "P" and light truck tires start with an "LT."

Significance:
"E" signifies one of the highest load ranges available. You may need a tire rated this high if you carry heavy loads with your truck.

My $.02 is that your issue is 75% tire, 25% shocks.

Yes, i know what an E rated tire is, which is why i knew to begin with that it could be the tires, but I never got to experience the bilsteins with passenger tires and thus my dilemma.

 

[clemsonxplorer]

ok i got another question I hope to not have to start a new thread for....

Can I do ICONS up front and BOSS in the rear or will combining digressive and progressive of each give a wacky ride? I ask because I still have the BOSS rear setup off of my FJ.

 

[Bumbo]

I was thinking about these tires...Falken Wildpeak A/T3W P 285 /70 R17 117T SL RBL but perhaps the side walls are too weak for the rocky offroading in Texas.

Jack of all trades, master of none... there is no single do it all tire that is as good as something dedicated for the application, on-road or off-road. Everything is a compromise.

That said, there are always C load and D load tires that make for a great middle ground.