SUGGESTIONS

Hello Everyone,
I just bought my first truck ever ! Used 2017 2wd SR. I wanted to buy a small truck that drives like a car. Boy is this truck drive rough. 265R65R17 TRAIL TERRAIN T/A BF GOODRICH TIRES. Any ideas on how to smoothen the ride would be greatly appreciated. Every little bump on the road is felt. I feel like i'm on an amusement park ride. (side to side- up & down) LOL.Help Please, I'm getting really frustrated. Thanks

 

could be tire pressure, tire load/ply rating, shocks, frame of reference, or just unrealistic expectations.

i could not find a 2WD drive truck that i would consider to drive rough, even if i tried. but, most trucks i owned were 3/4 ton solid axle 4WD with E/10 ply tires and 60-80 psi of pressure.

 

welcome

start with air pressure, seems like every place over fills tires these days
but at the end of the day it is a truck, if you really want a car like ride go Ridgeline

 

Spray paint a certain cartoon depiction of primary male sex characteristics around all the pot holes in town to force your local DOT to fix the shitty roads.

Not all heros wear capes.

 

You might get a better ride from different tires, but those are not really aggressive tires. Check your pressures, put a little weight in the bed, and get used to how it rides. Or sell it and get a Ridgeline or something based on a non-truck platform.

 

16" wheels with a taller sidewall (265-75-16) tire will help immensely! Shorter sidewall tires ride firmer.

 

Sell it and get a car. Doesn't sound like you're a truck person.

 

Tire PSI around 30-32 max, upgrade those pogo stick stock shocks.

Learn to love it.

Enjoy.

 

compared to what vehicle?

Tire pressure is a great start, even a few PSI makes a difference.
Maybe take it to a good tech and have them look it over, it may need an alignment, new shocks, or could have other wear and/or damage.
At the end of the day, it is still a pickup, with an empty bed (presumably), so you may also adjust your expectations.

 

+1 to running the tires @ 30psi like the door sticker says.

That said, the SR's and SR5's ride pretty terribly out of the gate. If you want to keep it relatively stock and not spend bunch, try and source a set of the yellow Bilstein shocks/coilover assemblies that are take-off's from an Off-Road. All 16-23 setups will be pnp on the truck and give you a tremendous ride quality increase over the Hitachis that those models come with. They can usually be had with low miles for a couple hundred dollars and it is a relatively simple install. I would recommend getting the alignment checked afterwards.

 

Should’ve bought a suzuki sidekick

 

There are now options out there for you if you want a car that looks like a truck. Santa Cruz, Maverick, Ridgline, etc. The Taco has a full frame. It's a truck and it going to ride like one.

Get some Standard Load (SL) tires for sure, but if you drop the pressures be aware that handling gets mushy, IMO. 29psi-ish, or whatever you door seal says, will soften things, but 35psi feels right to me in corners.

 

Ridgeline does not drive or look like a car !
I had one.
They're great, may not be a traditional truck, but they're still a truck not a car.

 

Had a GF couple years ago that used to bitch about how rough my truck rode. I told her 'Darlin'.... This is a 4x4 truck. It's designed to off-road and climb up the sides of mountains. It's not ever going to ride like a Lexus. Deal with it.'
She didn't last long.

 

Cheers!

Can we say that it rides like a Honda, which are typically stiffer? Would you say that it is significantly more harsh than an Odyssey?

 

Mine rode like between a traditional framed truck and a SUV/crossover. Can't say how it compares to an Odyssey. Never driven or owned any van/minivan.

 

At risk of sounding like a Friday-post troll, I really would suggest trading it for a Honda Ridgeline based on what you said you want and what you've experienced.

 

This is your ticket to paradise

 

I had a rental Nissan Altima briefly, confirmed for me that the Tacoma wallows around instead of proper handling, nose-dives on braking, thumps over irregular spots on the road. But I am not complaining.

 

That's my ticket!!..Did you take a test drive first?