New pick-up Ford RangerXLT, add shock absorber for a softer ride??

[Kwasaki]

10 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

You're the exception that proves the rule!  My theory is that everyone else likes them because they're big and the drivers think that they're intimidating.

I didn't buy my Vigo truck to intimidate anyone 16 years ago without 4x4 where we live and in some of the places we went back then you couldn't go with most cars.

I bought 4 door for when my family was visiting from UK. 

[Kwasaki]

1 minute ago, transam said:

I bought the 4x4 because at the time it was the only Toyota truck with auto trans..

Plus, Toyota was the only brand truck I was going to buy, at that time... ????

Yeah remember my wife telling family & people in the village I was buying Auto and with all the horror stories she heard from the dumbos she ask me to cancel it and buy manual. ????????

[Liverpool Lou]

8 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

25 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

You're the exception that proves the rule!  My theory is that everyone else likes them because they're big and the drivers think that they're intimidating.

I didn't buy my Vigo truck to intimidate anyone

I know, sorry, I meant to say that you're the other exception!

[jumbo]

1 hour ago, transam said:

I bought the 4x4 because at the time it was the only Toyota truck with auto trans..

Plus, Toyota was the only brand truck I was going to buy, at that time... ????

That was my previous pick up as well 4x4 Vigo AT Hi Lux. That was a great ride...

I want to have a similar ride back, not that rigid ride the Ford is..

Step 1 is to buy 4 shock absorbers and see where it gets me

Step 2 is to remove the shortest spring leaf as they are the harder ones compared with the longer

 

Tire pressure was ok at 30, for me,  so I left it that way

 

[Kwasaki]

53 minutes ago, jumbo said:

That was my previous pick up as well 4x4 Vigo AT Hi Lux. That was a great ride...

I want to have a similar ride back, not that rigid ride the Ford is..

Step 1 is to buy 4 shock absorbers and see where it gets me

Step 2 is to remove the shortest spring leaf as they are the harder ones compared with the longer

 

Tire pressure was ok at 30, for me,  so I left it that way

 

You have got me at it looking at someone's Vigo 4D 4x4 to see what rear spring arangment it is, I want the same.. ????

[Yellowtail]

On 12/7/2021 at 11:00 AM, Moonlover said:

What I don't understand is why people buy a truck if what they want is a good comfortable ride. Let's face it, their reputation does go before them by a considerable margin.

What I don't understand is why the same people seem to ask the same questions over and over and over again. 

[JoeW]

I also have a Ford Ranger XLT 2020. I changed my shocks with Ironman 4x4 shocks (comfort ride) and also changed the springs. The ride is much better and less bumpy, also the truck is leveled now. However, as pointed out by many users, if you want a really comfortable ride, it's better to look at something else than a pick-up.

[guzzi850m2]

I drove my 2013 Ranger WT 2.2 in one go from Chang Rai to Pattaya with my family onboard, original suspension.

 

In the end my legs went numb and I had to get out and walk around. I fell this is because of the seats are not that supportive.

 

On shorter trips like Pattaya-Bkk and back in one day is not a problem.

 

It's a bitch to park in indoors shopping garage spaces but other than that I like it, I fell safe in it compared to driving some little mini tin can car.   

[Yellowtail]

Chiang Rai to Pattaya and you had to get out and walk around? 

 

Shocking 

 

[Kwasaki]

9 hours ago, JoeW said:

I also have a Ford Ranger XLT 2020. I changed my shocks with Ironman 4x4 shocks (comfort ride) and also changed the springs. The ride is much better and less bumpy, also the truck is leveled now. However, as pointed out by many users, if you want a really comfortable ride, it's better to look at something else than a pick-up.

Don't know what shocks Cockpit fitted to my Vigo but yeah instead of the truck having the tipped forward look it was level.

Didn't change the springs though.

[jumbo]

9 hours ago, JoeW said:

I also have a Ford Ranger XLT 2020. I changed my shocks with Ironman 4x4 shocks (comfort ride) and also changed the springs. The ride is much better and less bumpy, also the truck is leveled now. However, as pointed out by many users, if you want a really comfortable ride, it's better to look at something else than a pick-up.

Can you detail a bit more?

You changed the shocks?? Were they originally included already?

You changed the springs?? From existing to??

 

 

[jumbo]

Just now, Kwasaki said:

Don't know what shocks Cockpit fitted to my Vigo but yeah instead of the truck having the tipped forward look it was level.

Didn't change the springs though.

Fitted 4 or 2?

[Kwasaki]

6 minutes ago, jumbo said:

Fitted 4 or 2?

As I said in another post they changed all 4 around to a better quality than OEM and put 2 extra angled one at rear but they were for stability when cornering.

[HauptmannUK]

The springs support the vehicle body. Shock absorbers are there to damp the movement of the body. They don't actually support the body or absorb shocks - its a misnomer.

The absorber damping force is a strongly nonlinear function of piston velocity, being asymmetric against the velocity direction (compression and rebound). A typical damper is designed to exert only about half the force in bump as in rebound. A large rebound coefficient helps stop the wheel from dropping into potholes. However, generally the best all-round behaviour is achieved if, for the given total damping, 60–70% accounts for the rebound stroke. Most vehicle manufacturers know what they are doing and changing damping can lead to handling and stability problems (wheel skipping, loss of stability on braking etc etc). Adding additional dampers sounds like a recipe for disaster since there are likely to be unpredictable secondary effects.

As said earlier, try adding some ballast over the rear wheels before altering the suspension.

Edited December 10, 2021 by HauptmannUK

[transam]

10 minutes ago, HauptmannUK said:

The springs support the vehicle body. Shock absorbers are there to damp the movement of the body. They don't actually support the body or absorb shocks - its a misnomer.

The absorber damping force is a strongly nonlinear function of piston velocity, being asymmetric against the velocity direction (compression and rebound). A typical damper is designed to exert only about half the force in bump as in rebound. A large rebound coefficient helps stop the wheel from dropping into potholes. However, generally the best all-round behaviour is achieved if, for the given total damping, 60–70% accounts for the rebound stroke. Most vehicle manufacturers know what they are doing and changing damping can lead to handling and stability problems (wheel skipping, loss of stability on braking etc etc). Adding additional dampers sounds like a recipe for disaster since there are likely to be unpredictable secondary effects.

As said earlier, try adding some ballast over the rear wheels before altering the suspension.

I put after market shox on my Vigo that were supposed to be the nuts at a well known outfit. The shox took over from the springs, rigid, after one week I went back and complained, they took them off and put stock replacements on and gave me credit for the price difference. The suspension was back to like new.

 

Wasn't that nice of them....???? 

[blackprince]

On 12/7/2021 at 7:56 AM, jumbo said:

I bought a Ford Ranger XLT but I find the ride a bit bumpy.

I like the Ford pickup 3 litre, It's one of several pickups we've had on the farm. But I found the 3 litres overpowered if there's nothing in the load area.

 

And yes the ride is a bit bumpy because it's a pickup.

 

I would seriously advise against making modifications to the suspension or any other functional part of the truck, as it will affect the resale value and almost certainly affect the warranty that a new pickup will have.

 

The only pickup I've preferred to the Ford is the Mazda BTS something or another. Its front seats beat the BMW7 series for comfort and even the Volvo XC90, which says something, given that seat comfort is one of the things that Volvo regularly scores 1st position for. It's like sitting  in a La-Z-Boy.

 

I believe Ford and Mazda brands share production line or something. I'm not a car tech, so please no abuse if I'm wrong lol.

 

[HauptmannUK]

1 minute ago, transam said:

I put after market shox on my Vigo that were supposed to be the nuts at a well known outfit. The shox took over from the springs, rigid, after one week I went back and complained, they took them off and put stock replacements on and gave me credit for the price difference. The suspension was back to like new.

 

Wasn't that nice of them....???? 

Excessive damping will make the ride feel very hard because transient inputs will bypass the springs and feed through to the body.

[Yellowtail]

23 minutes ago, HauptmannUK said:

The springs support the vehicle body. Shock absorbers are there to damp the movement of the body. They don't actually support the body or absorb shocks - its a misnomer.

The absorber damping force is a strongly nonlinear function of piston velocity, being asymmetric against the velocity direction (compression and rebound). A typical damper is designed to exert only about half the force in bump as in rebound. A large rebound coefficient helps stop the wheel from dropping into potholes. However, generally the best all-round behaviour is achieved if, for the given total damping, 60–70% accounts for the rebound stroke. Most vehicle manufacturers know what they are doing and changing damping can lead to handling and stability problems (wheel skipping, loss of stability on braking etc etc). Adding additional dampers sounds like a recipe for disaster since there are likely to be unpredictable secondary effects.

As said earlier, try adding some ballast over the rear wheels before altering the suspension.

You should qualify your statement. Conventional shock absorbers do not provide support but both coil-over and  gas-charged shocks may.

[transam]

6 minutes ago, HauptmannUK said:

Excessive damping will make the ride feel very hard because transient inputs will bypass the springs and feed through to the body.

That's what I said......????

[transam]

1 minute ago, Yellowtail said:

You should qualify your statement. Conventional shock absorbers do not provide support but both coil-over and  gas-charged shocks may.

Yes, my fun ride had 3-way adjustment front shox, soft to bloody hard....????

[Kwasaki]

14 minutes ago, transam said:

I put after market shox on my Vigo that were supposed to be the nuts at a well known outfit. The shox took over from the springs, rigid, after one week I went back and complained, they took them off and put stock replacements on and gave me credit for the price difference. The suspension was back to like new.

 

Wasn't that nice of them....???? 

Should of gone to Cockpit. ????????

[transam]

5 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

Should of gone to Cockpit. ????????

Noooo, they would have said <deleted> off......????

Mind you, as you know, I know the head guy where my shox prob was done, so think I was treated a little different...????

[Kwasaki]

22 minutes ago, transam said:

Noooo, they would have said <deleted> off......????

Mind you, as you know, I know the head guy where my shox prob was done, so think I was treated a little different...????

Yeah only joshing I know the Cockpit guy he will make my Isuzu truck into a bit better ride the same the SUV's.

[blackprince]

1 minute ago, Kwasaki said:

Yeah only joshing I know the Cockpit guy he will make my Isuzu truck into a bit better ride the same the SUV's.

I've come in on the end of a dialogue that I haven't followed. So I don't know who's joshing whom.

 

You can't turn a pickup into an SUV. And you can't turn an SUV into a pickup.

 

Just make sure you know which one you want before you part with hard earned cash.

 

 

 

 

[HauptmannUK]

44 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

You should qualify your statement. Conventional shock absorbers do not provide support but both coil-over and  gas-charged shocks may.

No qualification needed.

A 'coil-over'  is not a shock absorber, it is a suspension strut (spring+damper unit).

Gas-filled shocks do not provide springing. They are dampers with oil, and the displacement volume is filled with nitrogen gas to prevent cavitation and foaming of the oil.  Maintains damping performance when the shock is working hard.

[Kwasaki]

18 minutes ago, blackprince said:

I've come in on the end of a dialogue that I haven't followed. So I don't know who's joshing whom.

 

You can't turn a pickup into an SUV. And you can't turn an SUV into a pickup.

 

Just make sure you know which one you want before you part with hard earned cash.

Mu7

[blackprince]

2 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

Mu7

Mu7 looks good.

 

My point is that SUVs and pickups are substantially different technology sets.

 

They are designed for different purposes.

 

The Cockpit franchise or group cannot turn one into the other.

 

Drive a good quality pickup and drive a good guality SUV. Anyone with experience of driving can feel the difference even if they are not car techs.

 

 

[blackprince]

Although it's a bit off topic, my favourite SUV drive at the moment is the Ford Territory. It's rare in Thailand, made in Oz. It compares favourably or better with SUVs from Merc, Range Rover, BMW, and even my fave brand Volvo.

 

It's a bit lower, giving greater stability, but high enough for greater visibility. Apart from the ceiling TV/video player for the kids in the 2nd & 3rd rows, it has comparatively rudimentary bells and whistles, which I actually prefer: manual windscreen wipers lol!, but great ac and heater of course, rear cam monitor for reversing, which frankly I could do without.

 

But the drive, braking, suspension  - absolutely fantastic. No pickup will ever come close.

 

But for farmwork, building work etc any pickup will be better.

[Kwasaki]

19 minutes ago, blackprince said:

Mu7 looks good.

 

My point is that SUVs and pickups are substantially different technology sets.

 

They are designed for different purposes.

 

The Cockpit franchise or group cannot turn one into the other.

 

Drive a good quality pickup and drive a good guality SUV. Anyone with experience of driving can feel the difference even if they are not car techs.

 

 

You don't get it my point is trucks and many SUV's are the same chassis, go figure.

[blackprince]

3 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

You don't get it my point is trucks and many SUV's are the same chassis, go figure.

I'm not trying to dis you Kw, I never saw that point about chassis. I am not a car tech, but I do know that the chassis is just one component of increasingly complex car tecnhnologies.

 

I am not qualified to talk about chassis.

Edited December 10, 2021 by blackprince