Opinions. Please. Washboard Float.

I have a 2015 Trd OR. I currently have 3rd gen OR suspension under it. I live near the Appalachian mtns and drive a lot of forestry gravel roads with a lot of terrible washboard and potholes.

My truck currently will jar teeth out going over this stuff.

I stay in the 10-30mph range through the gravel roads.

I want to smooth the ride out considerably and install new suspension.

I am currently leaning towards the OME Bp-51 internal bypass shocks and an icon rxt leaf pack in the rear.

Do y’all think that suspension setup will give me what I am looking for ? Or do y’all think kings or fox’s would better give me what I am looking for ?

I appreciate any help y’all can give me on this. Thanks.

 

I want to start with the obvious stupid question.

Have you tried deflating tires? Believe it or not airing down does wonders for washboard.

 

I’m seein’ more & more washboard roads now. Strongly considering Hammer Hangers but not lookin’ forward to the install.

 

What's your budget? If you have ~$5 to $7K to put into a suspension, say so & I'll link back a bunch of my long posts on my Fox 2.5 DSC / Deaver setup.

I went FOX + Deaver because I'm interested in long-term reliability. From what I read around the forums here, anecdotally it seems like Dakar & Icon leafs don't hold up all that well, whereas Deavers appear to be more or less bomb-proof.

 

Yes, I usually air down to around 20-25 psi. That does help for sure. But I believe the right suspension setup could greatly help as well. So more less want opinions on which suspension setup could help me achieve that.

 

Just curious... are you running e rated 10 ply?

 

Lower tire pressure is the easiest solution.

High performance shocks help but a solid axle always suffer. It’s just how washboard goes.

 

It does help, for sure - an ideal speed range for washboardy dirt/forest roads is 30-35mph.

The problem comes when oncoming objects -- of any kind: other cars/trucks, mountain bicyclists, hikers, deer, etc. -- appear on/around the typically tight/blind curves on these roads.

That's why I generally go 15-25mph max.

 

I have two sets of wheels / tires. One is e rated and the other set is the factory tires that come on 3rd gens. Obviously the lower ply of the factory 3rd gens is more comfortable you know but the teeth jarring is still there.

 

I ask because, for a cheap low-end shock, the OR takeoffs are about as plush as it gets in a sub $3k setup.

That said, most side by side reviews say the kings are as plush as it gets also, though a few said that the Kings are the worst for "all-purpose" duty. They are not as great as others for highway.



Another stupid question... Have you tried pulling the sway bar? That's another night/day move and it's free.

 

So in other words, buy a Honda ridgeline ? lol. I’m hoping the 10-20 percent less spring rate of the icon rxt leaf pack really helps.

 

I have not ! But I have considered it. Just didn’t know if it would be a good idea being on the soft worn out factory shocks when I go from gravel to pavement in the mountains.

 

You are wise not to just speed up to try to smooth it out. A lot of vehicles end upside down (unexpected turn or swerve) or with a bent frame (unexpected rut or washout) from going too fast on “good dirt roads”.

Air down a bit more, like 15 to 18 psi. It depends on the tire, but it can make a surprising difference with washboard. I ran for years with my older truck not aired down enough on washboard.

My understanding from lots of research way back when I did my suspension was that ride comfort for a given surface really comes down to valving. All the fancy “racing shocks” have shim stacks to adjust the valving. So really, with effort and a knowledgeable installer any shock can end up with the same ride as any other.

That said, I didn’t want to mess with fine tuning the shocks and when I was buying there were definitely different “standard” valvings being used by the different manufacturers on their various products. At that time, a particular set of Icon shocks was reported by multiple people who ran the same Mojave washboard roads as I typically do to really smooth out washboard. Others, with very different goals, didn’t like them but liked Fox, King or whatever instead. And some washboard runners complained about some Fox, King and so forth as not smoothing washboard at all. This was apparently largely all just down to the default valving used in all these shocks.

So I ended up getting the Icons and they did exactly what I expected, making horrible washboard buttery smooth at nearly any speed when combined with 15 psi. But the point is that it wasn’t anything magic about the Icons, it was just how they were setup by default.

All that is to say, be sure to check that folks are giving you specific advice that is relevant to your particular problem - washboard - and that they haven’t tuned the shock valving, otherwise their experience may be irrelevant.

 

I had a pilot many years ago and with the sway bars disconnected I could rocket over wash board.

But then the shock boils because it’s a car shock lol

 

I will definitely try airing down a bit more. But would you say that the shocks alone are worth it ? Did they really make that big of a difference ? Thanks for the detailed response.

 

Your price range is what sets the stage for what range of options / packages you might use. How much are you able, or willing, to spend, on a complete (front/rear) suspension upgrade?

 

https://accutuneoffroad.com/article...m the graph we can,large roll in ride comfort.

 

IF I can be convinced it’s going to make a huge difference and I’m able to achieve the smoothness I’m after, I’d probably spend somewhere in the 3k range.

 

Cure; big heavy front bumper