Bouncy Unloaded 4wd?

[nokia]

My 4x4 Vigo truck is a bit bouncy unloaded compared to a car, but settles down when carrying a few passengers. I do not intend to install any Carryboy yet. Anybody has this minor problem and manage to solve it?

[terdsak_12]

You can take out one of the leafs from the rear suspension, should calm the rear end down a bit.

[nokia]

You can take out one of the leafs from the rear suspension, should calm the rear end down a bit.

terdak_12, thanks for replying.

I guessed most people dont face this problem. Taking out a leaf is not a simple solution, and will affect heavy loading in the future.

[markuk]

My 4x4 Vigo truck is a bit bouncy unloaded compared to a car, but settles down when carrying a few passengers. I do not intend to install any Carryboy yet. Anybody has this minor problem and manage to solve it?

i think the reason is they are still using leaf springs - i am no expert in this matter but i believe that most of the world has moved from this old technology???

[cm das]

Any vehicle designed to be driven off-road will be bouncy compared to a car (meant to be driven on a sealed road), no? A stiffer, car-like suspension would make that off-road driving pretty miserable. Sorry, don't have any suggestions as to how to change it.

[Rooo]

Adjustable shocks?

[chuchok]

just put some weight in the back...like the mother-in-law!

[GoodHeart]

Yes, I thought the leaf spring removal was too drastic myself. Have you looked at the tires? What pressure are they set at? How does that compare to what the Mfg. suggests?

Getting a precision air pressure gauge and experimenting on the tires would be the logical place to start if you asked me. Are they even set at the manufacturers suggested pressure? How does the truck drive if you drop the pressure by 4lbs? What if you drop the rear, only, by 4 lbs, how does this effect the handling?

In automotive tire circles, they say drivers should always keep the Mfg.'s spread in the air pressure differential between front and rear tires as the constant and vary the front and rear axles by the same psi.

I used to do a lot of 4X4 off-roading in the US and the majority of that was done at the Manufactureres suggested psi. But, I discovered a whole new world of comfort & grip when I began to drop the psi. Tire experts say you can operate a radial tire down to 20psi. on normal roads [at normal loads] without damaging it. Of course, at psi.'s that low, your rolling resistance will increase as your gas mileage will decrease- but it does give you an awful lot of room to tweak the 'feel' of the vehicles' road mannerisms.

[taxexile]

have you checked your tyre pressures lately?

my vigo came from the dealership with tyre pressures of 40psi , resulting in a very jittery ride.

the handbook recommends 30 or 32 psi all round.

lowering the presures softened things down a lot.

otherwise , as chuchok suggested , some "dead" weight in the back , positioned just forward of the rear wheels would do the trick. put the weight behind the rear wheels and you turn the car into a pendulum , take a corner too fast or on some wet or greasy stretch , and the back end will be lost.

[nokia]

just put some weight in the back...like the mother-in-law!

That's a good one...

The tyre pressures are between 33-35 psi, about the same for the front & back tyres but the front tyres look slightly deflated compared to the back(engine compartment heavy?). Perhaps i could try to lower the back tyres pressure to 29-30psi as recommended by the handbk, unless doing heavy loading(eg. a troop of mother-in-laws). I could also try to find some cast iron 'dead weight' and put it in the cargo area, just above the wheels as advised, but the 'dead weight' may move around the inner liner when doing cornering...

p.s. btw are the self-service air tanks at the petrol stations the most accurate & best method to reduce/pump air?

[GoodHeart]

Perhaps i could try to lower the back tyres pressure to 29-30psi as recommended by the handbk, unless doing heavy loading(eg. a troop of mother-in-laws).

p.s. btw are the self-service air tanks at the petrol stations the most accurate & best method to reduce/pump air?

To rehash my prior post: the psi as recommended by the MFG is the place to begin. Period. And more so, the difference between front and back PSI is critical. This will be a process of trial and error on the drivers part. You need to start with the psi that was recommended by the MFG.

as for the air tanks at gas stations- the thing to be wary of is water inside the tanks. Try bleeding off some air from the tank while paying attention to how much water it contains. If it has a lot bleed off some more, if not, then go ahead and put some air in your tires.

I would never trust the air pressure guages on the petrol tanks or that the attendants may use. Most are just not accurate. Buy yourself a quality made gauge- brass preferably.

Edited April 9, 2006 by GoodHeart

[nokia]

To rehash my prior post: the psi as recommended by the MFG is the place to begin. Period. And more so, the difference between front and back PSI is critical. This will be a process of trial and error on the drivers part. You need to start with the psi that was recommended by the MFG.

as for the air tanks at gas stations- the thing to be wary of is water inside the tanks. Try bleeding off some air from the tank while paying attention to how much water it contains. If it has a lot bleed off some more, if not, then go ahead and put some air in your tires.

I would never trust the air pressure guages on the petrol tanks or that the attendants may use. Most are just not accurate. Buy yourself a quality made gauge- brass preferably.

Will do some fine tuning with the front/back PSI when i get back to LOS next month.

Thanks for the fine advice, Goodheart!

[Plus]

Jet stations usually have self-service air pumps, I've also seen one at Esso and once at Shell, too, but only Jet seems to have them as standard.

[kasi]

Throw a couple 100lbs sand bags in the back and drive the piss out it! It should soften up soon enough.

[think_too_mut]

My 4x4 Vigo truck is a bit bouncy unloaded compared to a car, but settles down when carrying a few passengers. I do not intend to install any Carryboy yet. Anybody has this minor problem and manage to solve it?

I had that same problem with Mitsubishi Strada. Fixed it by replacing the whole wehicle with Toyota LandCruiser, the real 4WD.

Strada was 2WD with 4WD capability "on demand", I had to stop to engage it.

Leaf springs in the back, proper for agricultural needs but bouncy and uncomfortable when it comes to regular road crusing.

[nokia]

I had that same problem with Mitsubishi Strada. Fixed it by replacing the whole wehicle with Toyota LandCruiser, the real 4WD.

Strada was 2WD with 4WD capability "on demand", I had to stop to engage it.

Leaf springs in the back, proper for agricultural needs but bouncy and uncomfortable when it comes to regular road crusing.

Erm...a rather expensive solution, 3.6M baht can buy a few Vigos/Stradas/Fortunas.... or build a huge mansion.... seriously, do you do river-crossings, go off-routes, or cross international borders with your excellent machine?

[think_too_mut]

I had that same problem with Mitsubishi Strada. Fixed it by replacing the whole wehicle with Toyota LandCruiser, the real 4WD.

Strada was 2WD with 4WD capability "on demand", I had to stop to engage it.

Leaf springs in the back, proper for agricultural needs but bouncy and uncomfortable when it comes to regular road crusing.

Erm...a rather expensive solution, 3.6M baht can buy a few Vigos/Stradas/Fortunas.... or build a huge mansion.... seriously, do you do river-crossings, go off-routes, or cross international borders with your excellent machine?

I used to ...with a 4WD club, almost every weekend for 2 years. Extreme driving with winching, not just towing ....sometimes all 4 wheels in the air. Crossed the Simpson Desert in Oz with it.

Then kicked the seats out, loaded surfboards and back to my old hobby - roamed the beaches for surf.

It was also comfortable for regular travel. With Mitsubishi, I could not make Sydney - Gold Coast in 1 go. Poor quality of the wehicle made driving it very diffucult after few hours.

With LandCruiser I could go in 14 hours (1100km) and no need to hire a room on my way.

[nokia]

I used to ...with a 4WD club, almost every weekend for 2 years. Extreme driving with winching, not just towing ....sometimes all 4 wheels in the air. Crossed the Simpson Desert in Oz with it.

Then kicked the seats out, loaded surfboards and back to my old hobby - roamed the beaches for surf.

It was also comfortable for regular travel. With Mitsubishi, I could not make Sydney - Gold Coast in 1 go. Poor quality of the wehicle made driving it very diffucult after few hours.

With LandCruiser I could go in 14 hours (1100km) and no need to hire a room on my way.

Amazing. Just one question. If you stay in LOS, would u pay 3.6M baht for the same fantastic machine to use here?

[think_too_mut]

I used to ...with a 4WD club, almost every weekend for 2 years. Extreme driving with winching, not just towing ....sometimes all 4 wheels in the air. Crossed the Simpson Desert in Oz with it.

Then kicked the seats out, loaded surfboards and back to my old hobby - roamed the beaches for surf.

It was also comfortable for regular travel. With Mitsubishi, I could not make Sydney - Gold Coast in 1 go. Poor quality of the wehicle made driving it very diffucult after few hours.

With LandCruiser I could go in 14 hours (1100km) and no need to hire a room on my way.

Amazing. Just one question. If you stay in LOS, would u pay 3.6M baht for the same fantastic machine to use here?

I would if I wanted it.

Buying a wehicle for half agricultural/half tesco-lotus safari is another thing. Don't complain if it is not everything you want, under dull circumstances.

Or owning an uncapable and uncomfortable pick-up just to show it your wealth?

I know nothing about your circumstances, forget it.

[busgen]

My 4x4 Vigo truck is a bit bouncy unloaded compared to a car, but settles down when carrying a few passengers. I do not intend to install any Carryboy yet. Anybody has this minor problem and manage to solve it?

Well Nokia,

my Toyota Vigo 4x2 is also pretty bumpy, as was my former car, Isuzu DMax.

An aquainted car body shop owner, who drives a Vigo 4x4 himself, suggested me to mount so called gas jocks or gas shocks.

No experience on that one, but it seems to help.

[pop3]

Yeah the problem's those bledy leaf spring's or ( cart ) spring's as there called, Range rover changed all that nonsence year's ago in 1969, it's just price that keep's the spine julting leaf in production, tire pressure will help but you can't make a silk purse out of a pig's ear !

[Pond Life]

Try putting 2 bags of cement in the front of the flat bed, they weigh 50 Kg each, wont take up much room & wont damage the bed. Plus theyre only 110 B a bag.

[Pattaya Dave]

have you checked your tyre pressures lately?

my vigo came from the dealership with tyre pressures of 40psi , resulting in a very jittery ride.

the handbook recommends 30 or 32 psi all round.

lowering the presures softened things down a lot.

otherwise , as chuchok suggested , some "dead" weight in the back , positioned just forward of the rear wheels would do the trick. put the weight behind the rear wheels and you turn the car into a pendulum , take a corner too fast or on some wet or greasy stretch , and the back end will be lost.

I checked the tire pressure on my 4x4 double cab Vigo yesterday and found that the factory or dealer pressure was set at 45 PSI. I experimented a little by initially dropping the pressure to 35 PSI. To be honest, I really can't say that I noticed any improvement in reduction of the bouncy ride in the rear seat, however I did notice a disconcerting lateral shimmy in the whole cab as I drove around in Pattaya which I didn't notice when the tire pressure was set at 45 PSI. Has anyone experience similar symptoms? I've heard of some people attaching anti-sway bars or a single shock absorber/spring combination unit mounted horizontally at the rear of the truck just aft of the rear shock absorbers to reduce or eliminate lateral movement of the truck when there is a light load or no load in the truck bed. Others have recommended changing the rear shocks to an adjustable design such as "Shockbreakers" made by Precision or "Rancho 9000X" made by Rancho, of course.

Also, be advised that I have installed a slimline sport lid called "Super UP" on the bed of my truck which should evenly distribute 50 kilos or so.

So, what did you do to eliminate the bouncy ride and/or lateral shimmy resulting from a stiff suspension and lightweight rear-end of your truck other than load up the truck bed with weights?

Pattaya Dave

[Mid]

hey ,

it's a truck !!!!!!!!!!!!

[taxexile]

hey ,

it's a truck !!!!!!!!!!!!

thats exactly it. its not a car , and losing control of them is easy if you are not careful.

the cart springs are there for taxation reasons , vehicles with cart springs at the back are taxed less than those with proper suspension , shocks etc , and cart springs are basic , tough and cheap.

[Hssl]

2 ratcket straps, 2 x 25 ltr or more plastic water drums..........................do i need to explain the rest?

[Crossy]

2 ratcket straps, 2 x 25 ltr or more plastic water drums..........................do i need to explain the rest?

Put water in the drums

[Pattaya Dave]

hey ,

it's a truck !!!!!!!!!!!!

thats exactly it. its not a car , and losing control of them is easy if you are not careful.

the cart springs are there for taxation reasons , vehicles with cart springs at the back are taxed less than those with proper suspension , shocks etc , and cart springs are basic , tough and cheap.

NO S**t!!! And I thought I had bought a car? I'm well aware that the truck does drive like a car and for all practical purposes, it shouldn't. I've owned a few trucks in my 35 years of driving, however this is my first double cab model. The bouncy ride doesn't really bother me, but I'm not crazy about the lateral shimmy that it displays. I've noticed it mostly when driving at low speeds in Pattaya traffic. Several posters to this thread had recommended to lower the pressure in the tires, but to me, the lower pressure seems to exacerbate the shimmy problem. My intent for posting in this thread was to see if anyone who owns this model truck has come up with any new solutions that will lessen the negative effects that go along with owning a truck besides adding extra weight in the bed. I've been a bit intrigued with the suggestion of upgrading the shock absorbers and installing an anti-sway bar, but have only a few posters have suggested this approach. Other than that, very little feedback has been posted on the subject.

I don't mean to sound unappreciative of those of you who have responded, however I was looking for a little bit more. Otherwise, I guess I will just live with the ride this truck exhibits as it is by no means a bad ride.

Pattaya Dave

[chanchao]

Serious reply: At tyre/shock absorber shops (Cockpit et al) they can sell you some additional gear / steal beams for the back suspension that provide a smoother ride.

It's not expensive, and it works.

Had this done when the Mrs was pregnant and would't ride in a bumpy car.

Changing shock absorbers might also help, but will add cost.

Cheers,

Chanchao

Edited February 5, 2007 by chanchao

[warwick7735]

Hi

Changing the shocks wont have much effect. The shocks are there to damp out the movement of the rear axle.

The reason its bouncy is that the leaf springs are stiff due to the fact it has to carry heavy loads, when its empty the rear springs are hardly moving, if at all due to the light weight, and hence there isn't much movement for the shocks to dampen.

Same reaction to towing an empty trailer which bounces all over the place to one that's loaded.

Best and cheapest solution is carrying a few kilos in the bed at the back, sand, cement thats been mentioned before.

Wawick