What Rear Shock Upgrade Will Fix My Bumpy Ride?

[itsDom]

Hi everybody,

I own a 2022 F-150 Powerboost hybrid with 4x4 and Max Trailer tow. The truck does not have CCD and no FX4.

When I got the truck, I knew I wanted to lift the front with some puck spacers (not actually pucks, I just forget what brand I purchased) to remove the factory rake for when I'm just cruising around town. It lifted the front of the truck about 2" over factory. It looks great and doesn't cause any noticeable loss in MPG - God bless the Powerboost.

I also tow a couple different types of trailers quite frequently and the truck would squat quite a bit, which isn't safe and defeats the point of having a levelled truck. So, I outfitted some AirLift Load Master 5000 airbags with the onboard compressor to help level out the truck while towing. I love it! It works great and I love the versatility that the airbags provide. My plan was to always put the airbags on, as I thought being able to run the airbags at 5 psi while just cruising around would preserve the factory ride quality. However, that hasn't been the case.

My concern now is that the ride quality is quite harsh. While driving around it just feels like I am getting catapulted around in the cab. It's worse when you sit in the back. My father has literally the exact same truck as me (totally stock) and the difference is night and day. I had a 2021 XLT with the same level kit installed and the ride quality was the same as factory, which is why I think my problem lies with the rear suspension/airbag set up.

I think I would be able to eliminate most of my ride quality woes with a rear shock upgrade. I have been looking at the Bilsten 4600's or 5100's and with the research that I've done I'm even more confused about which shock would best suit my application.. I don't know too much about these shocks, or any shocks actually.

If anyone would be able to chime in with their suggestions, it would be greatly appreciated as I don't really have the time to make a mistake and order the wrong shocks..

Thanks in advance!

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[SpaceWhiteF150]

I would recommend the bilstien 5100s, but the shocks are not going to fix the harshness caused buy the airbags.
I would look into the new ready lift air back setup or road master active suspension. When you add air bags the rear travel of the truck is limited and since you always have to run air there is a harshness when unloaded.

Or these but they don’t exists for our truck yet
https://fulltravelbags.com/products/raptor-2017-20-f-150-2015-20

 

[HammaMan]

You don't need 5 psi in the bags. You can jack the truck up by the hitch, get the rear tires just barely touching the ground, zero out the pressure, and set it back down. The whole 5 psi thing is an attempt to not get the bags to go into vac when your rear end goes up after a bump. So long as the bag holds its shape and doesn't squeeze in on itself due to vacuum, you're fine.

Try that and if it's still a bit too much, remove 3 psi from your rear tires so long as you air back up before a tow, given you do so with the bags, I assume it's SOP for you. If you're a frequent tower you may already have a checklist, just add it to it.

 

[Jmet8]

Look at some shock relocation brackets or b woody shock extender brackets. The shocks in the Rear are at very steep Angle which will not absorb the bumps. With these brakes it puts them more up and down so they can do there job better. I don’t know if these will work with what you already have but maybe something to look into..

 

[Henfield]

The more you take the truck away from stock, the more you have to accept any negatives that come from the modifications.

 

[Blue22]

Off topic, but what mud flaps are those?

 

[Michael1955]

Tongue weight out of spec will cause excessive squat that will start you you chasing your tail by compensating with air bags which create harshness when not towing….then off to the shock store….I don’t know how much you pull but I routinely pull 8-9K with a max tow 6.5..5.0. I up tire pressure when towing but I’m mindful of the load position and thus the tongue weight….a 1/2 inch fore or aft makes a huge difference….tire pressure when empty is important. Good luck

 

[TheGoatman]

Bilstein digressive piston will not provide what you’re after in my experience.

the twin tube from a non maxtow King ranch would be smoother. I gave mine away unfortunately.

a Fox 2.0 would work too. Light compression and more rebound

 

[EcoB259]

I have the fox 2.0 and had squatting. I added the RAS to the rear and it greatly improved squatting. It did raise the rear end up though.

 

[Popplemer]

Put weight in the bed. I have a very similarly spec'd truck and even with stock tires at 35 psi it rides a bit harsh. I always run with a bunch of stuff in my truck. While the Bilstein 5100s and rear sway bar have helped take the 70s Eldorado float away it still is a truck, not a Honda. You gotta compress those leaves a bit.

 

[itsDom]

Off topic, but what mud flaps are those?

Those are just the Ford plastic splash guards direct from the dealer. I think they were $100 CAD for front and back.

 

[itsDom]

Tongue weight out of spec will cause excessive squat that will start you you chasing your tail by compensating with air bags which create harshness when not towing….then off to the shock store….I don’t know how much you pull but I routinely pull 8-9K with a max tow 6.5..5.0. I up tire pressure when towing but I’m mindful of the load position and thus the tongue weight….a 1/2 inch fore or aft makes a huge difference….tire pressure when empty is important. Good luck

The reason for the squatting is only because I levelled the front of the truck with 2" puck spacers. Before I levelled the truck and towing my trailers the truck would still have about an inch of rake. The air bags are just to level the truck out while towing only because I have increased the height of the front of the vehicle. I understand what you are saying and the points you raise are important to consider, however tongue weight and load position are not really relevant for my concern with ride quality when not towing. Thank you for your input!

 

[DK4]

Out of curiosity OP, did you get the airbags with the jounce bumpers inside of them?

 

[itsDom]

You don't need 5 psi in the bags. You can jack the truck up by the hitch, get the rear tires just barely touching the ground, zero out the pressure, and set it back down. The whole 5 psi thing is an attempt to not get the bags to go into vac when your rear end goes up after a bump. So long as the bag holds its shape and doesn't squeeze in on itself due to vacuum, you're fine.

Try that and if it's still a bit too much, remove 3 psi from your rear tires so long as you air back up before a tow, given you do so with the bags, I assume it's SOP for you. If you're a frequent tower you may already have a checklist, just add it to it.

I will try lowering the rear tire pressure first but I sort of thought that might be the case with keeping 5psi in the bags, to prevent vacuum. I may add a couple of ball valves in line with the air hoses and purge the bags for cruising and possibly leaving one cracked open to allow it to vent. It would be a cheaper initial fix than purchasing new shocks. Thanks for your 0.02!

 

[itsDom]

Out of curiosity OP, did you get the airbags with the jounce bumpers inside of them?

Yes, I did get them with the internal jounce bumpers.

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