Jk rough ride

[mesha]

Well I had the lift put on the JK. I was worried about the ride quality. After install though it rode betterthan stock. I was pumped so I got some wheels and tires put on and that made the ride suck. The wheels probably don't matter. The tires I put on are 35 inch MTRs. I dropped the pressure down to 24psi and that helped a lot but it is still really jarring. I was wondering if some different tires would make the difference or if it is the size that messed everything up?

 

[LT.]

The wheels can make a difference. The larger the wheel diameter the less tire side wall you will end up with. With less side wall you will experience a rougher ride.

LT.

 

[Bear T]

The wheels can make a difference. The larger the wheel diameter the less tire side wall you will end up with. With less side wall you will experience a rougher ride.

LT.

Thats what I was just going to say, that's why I laugh at all these guys runnin 20's that complain about how bad there trucks ride.

 

[Coco]

It could be your tires and wheels were not balanced right. Try taking them back to be balanced again, maybe even roadforce them. (They will know what that means)

 

[Coco]

Thats what I was just going to say, that's why I laugh at all these guys runnin 20's that complain about how bad there trucks ride.

Try 37x13.50R24 Toyos..... They SUCK!!! Glad I dont own anything with that big of a tire/wheel

 

[mesha]

the wheels are 15X8 inchers. So I have more side wall than I did before.
Would being unbalanced cause the ride to be more harsh?

 

[Coco]

the wheels are 15X8 inchers. So I have more side wall than I did before.
Would being unbalanced cause the ride to be more harsh?

Yes it could. Also, if the tires have hopping, or side-to-side wobble, that will also have an effect. You would be able to see if they have hops, or wobble on the balancer. And when you roadforce them, the machine will tell how many pounds are being put down in certain spots of the tire. It will also tell you, if you have a lot of pounds being forced to the road in one spot, if you can rotate the tire on the wheel to reduce it.

 

[Bear T]

the wheels are 15X8 inchers. So I have more side wall than I did before.
Would being unbalanced cause the ride to be more harsh?

No,

If I understand you right, you got a "stiffer" ride with the new wheels and tires? Not a rougher ride, as in poor handling?

What load rating tires are the MTR's? Could just be they have a stiffer side wall, causing the problem. Wheels won't change anything, if they are 15's. So the problem has to be in tires. If it's handling right, then it must just be a harder rubber, or stiffer sidewalls. I used to run my jeep tires at 18lbs on the road, and 30 on the freeway. Just because they can hold 35psi, doesn't mean you have to run them at 35.

 

[JoeT]

What lift did you end up with? Did it come with adjustable control arms?

 

[Coco]

Just because they can hold 35psi, doesn't mean you have to run them at 35.

True, I run 25PSI in my jeep tires

 

[Bear T]

True, I run 25PSI in my jeep tires

I am only running 10psi in my fronts and 8 in the rear on my chevy. makes it ride a lot better.
but I also don't drive it over 45mph.

 

[jdub]

Unsprung weight. My super swampers make for a tough ride in comparison to the bfg at's that are on my wifes cj just due to the weight. Not to mention how hard they are when brakeing

 

[mesha]

No,

If I understand you right, you got a "stiffer" ride with the new wheels and tires? Not a rougher ride, as in poor handling?

What load rating tires are the MTR's? Could just be they have a stiffer side wall, causing the problem. Wheels won't change anything, if they are 15's. So the problem has to be in tires. If it's handling right, then it must just be a harder rubber, or stiffer sidewalls. I used to run my jeep tires at 18lbs on the road, and 30 on the freeway. Just because they can hold 35psi, doesn't mean you have to run them at 35.

Stiffer not rough I guess. Handling is fine

What lift did you end up with? Did it come with adjustable control arms?

rough country 4 inch no arms. I was just gonna buy some arms, but didn't seem to make a difference until Iput the tires on.

True, I run 25PSI in my jeep tires

I'm at 24psi

Unsprung weight. My super swampers make for a tough ride in comparison to the bfg at's that are on my wifes cj just due to the weight. Not to mention how hard they are when brakeing

So the weight makes the suspension not be able to keep up with the movement?

 

[Coco]

Trust me, try to get them re-balanced/roadforced. Start there. You would be surprised at what a not-correctly balanced tire will do.

 

[jdub]

From what I understand it is similar to adding a larger axle, it is under the springs so it effects the ride and usually is described as harsh. Yes, it has a negative suspension feel probably because it was designed with smaller tires as far as ride quality standards. The best way to see I think is to go(with another vehicle than your jk) and test ride a standard one, then ask to test one of the lifted ones that they have at the dealerships. My guess is that they are significantly different. My friends, once lifted and added larger tires, noticed that freeway handling was compromised.

 

[mesha]

Trust me, try to get them re-balanced/roadforced. Start there. You would be surprised at what a not-correctly balanced tire will do.

I'll ask about the road force thing. they balancing is hard because they can't use the sticky weights because clearance is too tight and they rims are aluminum so they didn't want to clamp them on the outside of the wheel.

From what I understand it is similar to adding a larger axle, it is under the springs so it effects the ride and usually is described as harsh. Yes, it has a negative suspension feel probably because it was designed with smaller tires as far as ride quality standards. The best way to see I think is to go(with another vehicle than your jk) and test ride a standard one, then ask to test one of the lifted ones that they have at the dealerships. My guess is that they are significantly different. My friends, once lifted and added larger tires, noticed that freeway handling was compromised.

I expected the ride to be different. Just wondering if a different tire of similar size would be better. I have heard the MTRs are poopie. Never had a problem with them before now. I never had a rig that rode nice in the first place. Could I add more shock or something to make up the difference in weight?

 

[jsudar]

The road force balancing is pretty cool. I used to run the machine at the Ford dealer and it could make a big difference. You can use it to check the tire and wheel for out-of-roundness and then rotate the tire on the wheel so that the tire's high spot is aligned with the wheel's low spot-- sort of making it more round.

An out of balance 35" will be much more noticeable than an out of balance stocker, simply because it's bigger. Another problem is only putting weights on the inside of the wheel-- that is only a static balance. By putting weights on the inside and outside of the wheel; you get a dynamic balance that compensates for side to side imbalance too.

jdub is right about the unsprung weight. Heavy tires take more force to accelerate when you hit a bump, more spring energy to slow down once they are moving and more shock to dissipate it all when the bump is done. More shocks or shocks with better dampening might help, but the bottom line is that the jeep isn't stock and won't ever ride that way again. Unless you go back.

 

[mesha]

The road force balancing is pretty cool. I used to run the machine at the Ford dealer and it could make a big difference. You can use it to check the tire and wheel for out-of-roundness and then rotate the tire on the wheel so that the tire's high spot is aligned with the wheel's low spot-- sort of making it more round.

An out of balance 35" will be much more noticeable than an out of balance stocker, simply because it's bigger. Another problem is only putting weights on the inside of the wheel-- that is only a static balance. By putting weights on the inside and outside of the wheel; you get a dynamic balance that compensates for side to side imbalance too.

jdub is right about the unsprung weight. Heavy tires take more force to accelerate when you hit a bump, more spring energy to slow down once they are moving and more shock to dissipate it all when the bump is done. More shocks or shocks with better dampening might help, but the bottom line is that the jeep isn't stock and won't ever ride that way again. Unless you go back.

Oh the jeep isn't stock.

I will look into the road force balancing. Is there a tire that mightbe easier to balance in a 35? Maybe if I add more shock and better tire it will get better. I might go back to more stock.

 

[rholbrook]

Why don't you post a picture of it.

 

[jdub]

I had the harsh ride thing on my scrambler with my 35's that are dang heavy. I figured out that it was probably time to replace my shocks. I removed one and drove to six states and noticed no change in ride quality. I proceeded to remove others and found out that some had no suspension functions to them at all. Now that is not your case but I moved up to a nitro/gas shock from a rancho and noticed that my rig felt more stable and that so much of the ride noise and rattles went away. I'd think if the bumps are harsh the shocks can't handle(smoothly) the tires out on the end of those axles.