The F150 is the most popular truck in the Ford F-series, and for a good reason. The F150 is now in its fourteenth generation and is beloved by truck lovers everywhere. But for all the things there are to love about the F150, the ride’s smoothness can sometimes take a hit. For a number of reasons, your F150 could be running rockier than it is supposed to be. So there are many solutions for how to make F250 ride smoother.
We know the F150 is a tough guy’s truck, but that doesn’t mean your back needs to take a beating every time you drive. You’re obviously never going to be able to get the smooth Cadillac feeling, but the ride could get more manageable. Let’s look at a couple of ways of making the F150 smoother.
Here are a couple of ways you can make your F150 ride smoother
- Adding weight to the bed
- New Leaf Springs
- Replace the shocks
- Check Your Tires
However, if you’re struggling with a strange clunking noise from your F150, we’ve written a separate article on ways to solve it.
Table of Contents
Tips on How to Make F250 Ride Smoother
Here are the top 4 reasons why your F150 is not giving you as smooth of a ride as it could be!
Tip 1: Add Weight to the Bed
A commonly recommended method of making your F150 ride smoother is to add weight to the bed of the truck. Uneven weight distribution could be the reason why your ride feels way rockier than it’s supposed to. Of course, it’s a truck, and it is going to jostle you around: but you shouldn’t feel like you’re riding on a giant skateboard. If you start to feel every crack in the road, or if your dashboard is making way too much rattling noise: you know there’s something wrong.
Many truck drivers recommend adding a significant amount of weight to your F150 bed. This helps with keeping the truck much more steady during the ride and adds to the comfort factor. A lot of people drive around without carrying a load: so this might be the issue for unexpected discomfort.
How to do it: Add approximately 400lbs of weight to the bed of the truck. Get creative with this since it’s a big number! You have a lot of storage on the F150, so you might as well use it. After all, those spacious dimensions are one of the reasons why you probably went for the F150.
However, adding more than 400lbs may do little to help the issue. In fact, it can even offset the weight distribution again, further contributing to an unsteady and rocky ride.
Tip 2: Get New Leaf Springs
We know that you might want to put off getting new leaf springs since they can be an additional hassle. You have to search for the right pens and then purchase them from a local store or online, depending on availability and the best price. However, it’s necessary to invest in new leaf springs after you’ve used your truck for a decent amount.
When the truck is bouncing about too much, it usually indicates that the leaf springs are not the right ones or have worn out. Your leaf springs might be more suited for towing and hauling — but are not smooth enough for regular no-weight driving.
If you’ve driven about 80k in mileage, it’s time to look at new leaf springs.
How to do it: You should replace your leaf springs with a softer pair. This means lower-rated leaf springs. You’ll immediately get the lift and smoothness in your ride, which will definitely boost your F150’s performance and suspension system. Always remember to check if the leaf springs are designed for your model.
Tip 3: Replace the Shocks
Improving the suspension system of your F150 is two-fold. After you get new leaf springs, you will also greatly benefit from replacing the shocks. But it’s not necessary to take this step in all cases. It is common knowledge that getting shocks will soften the ride but compromise your vehicle’s performance.
However, you no longer have to choose between sore joints and a weak truck. You can have a smooth ride and robust performance when you opt for an adjustable shock system. You can get dual-rated shocks that can adjust both the ride height and the firmness of your truck. So you can keep adjusting them according to your personal preference, the terrain, and whether you’re driving or hauling.
How to do it: Invest in some No products found. that will give you a smooth ride without compromising on performance. We recommend going for full-air suspension dual-rated shocks for your F-150.
Tip 4: Check Your Tires
A big part of whether your ride is smooth or rocky depends upon your tires. A lot of us opt for low profile tires because they look new and modern, but they can take a toll on the comfort factor. Due to stiff sidewalls, the turbulence can be magnified, and the low aspect ratio causes a rocky ride.
You might also be inflating your tires way too much! A tire that is inflated too much is too hard and contributes to a bumpy ride.
How to do it: When opting for wheels, make sure that you don’t opt for ones that are more than 18”. If you are currently running with 20” rims, once you downsize to 18”, more sidewall will have a tangible difference.
Also, try to inflate your tires a little less so that they have more cushion to them. Don’t follow the recommended inflation pressure, and actually go about 3-5 psi below that number. This will soften the ride significantly.
Tip 5: Reduce the Unsprung Mass
Reducing the unsprung mass of your vehicle will also significantly improve it’s performance giving you a much smoother ride. You might need to revamp your suspension system, and one of the main ways to do this is to reduce your unsprung mass.
What is Unsprung Mass? Simply put, the unsprung mass of the vehicle is the combined weight of all the components of the car that are not leaning on the suspension system. This would include your tires, wheels, wheel hubs, brake rotors, and even your hub cap! Everything on the underside of your vehicle accounts for your unsprung mass.
When there is less Unsprung Mass on the vehicle, the suspension system has a better chance at absorbing the impact from an uneven terrain: leaving you with a smoother ride.
How to do it: The biggest component of the Unsprung Mass is the wheels, which tend to be the heaviest. You should always make sure that the weight of your wheels and suspension system are much lighter in comparison to the weight of your vehicle in total.
Consider switching your tires to a lighter alternative with the right sidewall.
Tip 6: Make Modifications to the Chassis
The chassis components that connect the tires also have a big part to play in how smooth your F150 runs. Your vehicle needs to have a certain degree of flexibility in its chassis connectivity for it to be able to steady itself when encountering potholes and other uneven terrain.
As a general rule, your truck will run more easily and smooth with an independent suspension system. If you have a solid axle system, it will definitely be heavier and stiffer and cause a bumpier ride.
Of course, this isn’t always a realistic option. Making modifications to your chassis will result in a very different vehicle with different capabilities. You may also void your warranty, which is something that you definitely do not want to do. Make sure that you’re well aware about the legalities surrounding modifications that can be made to your vehicle.
How to do it: You can replace your original brakes for lighter alternatives. Try changing your axle weights to carbon fiber options. Explore chassis modifications that you can make with materials like carbon fiber, aluminum and ceramic: as these tend to be lighter than the default components you receive. This will improve the chassis and also simultaneously reduce the unsprung mass of your vehicle as well.
Tip 7: Reduce Vibrations
It’s easy to reduce the vibrations of your vehicle by taking a closer look at your coils. Every vehicle already has in-built anti-vibration parts. If you’re experiencing an extremely rocky ride that has you sore all over, you might have a classic case of worn out anti-vibration parts. Take a good look at the underside of your truck to figure out if the anti-vibration parts are working properly.
If you find that your anti-vibration parts are not to blame, you might want to take some extra measures to reduce the vibrations in your vehicle. You can do this by double-stacking the rubber rings that are present on your coil springs. Double stacking will definitely reduce the vibrations.
Even if you decide not to go ahead with double-stacking your rubber rings, it’s a good idea to check out the existing single layer of rings. They may not be in the best condition. Cleaning them or replacing them altogether might give you much better results.
How to do it: If you decide to go ahead and double-stack the rubber rings, make sure that you liberally grease the rings before you set them up. This will greatly reduce the noise that would have otherwise been produced by having double-stacked rubber rings.
Tip 8: Cushion your Vehicle
There’s a limit to how much double-stacking your rubber rings will help you. If you want to add the rubber effect to absorb even more vibrations, you can cushion your vehicle further. And no, we don’t mean throwing in some embroidered cushions in the backseat!
Adding rubber pucks to the driveshaft can make a difference in reducing the overall vibrations. You can also find rubber isolators which are readily available and install them in various parts of your vehicle, like the steering column. These additional rubber installments will better safeguard you from gravel and uneven terrain.
How to do it: You’ll also easily find rubber strips that you can carefully install into the flooring of your vehicle as well as the base of seats. What this will do is essentially ‘cushion’ your vehicle against vibrations. Having this in the floorboard as well as the seat mounts will trap the vibrations, making the ride feel much smoother to you.
Conclusion
So there you have it: four reasons why your F150 is not riding as smooth as it could be. You should start with trying to add weight to the bed and checking your tires since these are options you can do right away without spending any extra money. However, this is sometimes not enough, and you’ll have to invest in a new pair of leaf springs or dual-rated shocks. Either way: you’re bound to revamp your beloved F150 and enjoy riding it!
