Hello all.

My 2001 Durango 5.9L SLT+ rides like crap, and I was curious to see if anyone else has had similar issues. I have replaced the shocks three different times (first set - Gabriel standard, second: Gabriel ultra, third/current: monroe sensatrac) and I cannot get this truck to ride any better.

It's getting to the point where on normal 65mph highway driving feels like my old 98 S10 with a 3/4 drop on it. It's very rough and bouncy.

The ball joints appear to be fine, and all bushings for the leaf springs as well.

Any advice would be awesome.

Thanks!

 

What kind of tires do you have and what condition are they in? Also let a few psi out of them to see if that helps any. Keep in mind these are on a truck chasis so it's not gonna ride like a BMW or Benz.

Also, if it's bouncy you did something wrong with your shocks as these are supposed to eliminate bounce. I also have Monroe sensatrac load adjusting on the back and Monroe reflex on the front.

 

sensatrac is monroes 'factory replacement' shock as i understand it, you want at least the reflex line (the load adjusting might be different, im not sure, but for their standard shocks)

i also agree with whitewidow on the air pressure in the tires, and keeping in mind that these are built on a truck chassis and will therefor ride like a truck

 

The monroe "matic-plus" is Monroe's baseline shock absorber. The Sensa-Trac is the softer riding shock, and the "Reflex" is their premium shock. I chose the sensa-trac for the great reviews on the D's.

I have installed new shocks on every vehicle I have ever purchased on an immediate basis, and this is the first time it didn't affect the ride quality for the better.

I actually just bought brand new tires in October. I purchased the BFGoodrich Long-Trail T/A's, and the truck actually rides better than the previous Goodyear Eagle LS's that were on it when I bought the truck. I run the front at 32PSI (35PSI is recommended) and 30 on the back (any more pressure and the back-end sway's when I hit consecutive bumps).

My Ex-Wife has a 2002 4.7 SXT, and that thing rides like a cadillac comparatively speaking, and our only difference is her 15" wheels comapred to my 16", and the 4.7L vs my 5.9L.

 

i had those bridgestones on my old dakota, they suck in the rain and snow (or they did on my 2wd dakota)

 

The sense trac load adjusting back shocks have a stiffer ride due to the coilover spring around them. Not sure if you have these but it definitely is a rougher ride than compared other shocks.

 

I just have the standard Sensta-Trac shocks with no coilover spring.

And I completely agree, these Long-Trail T/A's suck really bad, if I hit standing water at 45mph, the truck feels like its going everywhere but straight. The Goodyear Eagle LS's were the same way.

 

Could a previous owner have tightened up the front torsion arms to lift it up a little. Seems like that would make it stiffer.

 

yup thats a possibility

 

That could be a possibility, but the truck's stance is about an inch higher in the back. I suppose this could be due to bad springs, but I was under the assumption that most 5.9's were like this given the sheer weight of the motor.

I actually bought this truck from the original owner, who was a 65 year old woman. Never wrecked and only 110,000 miles on it here in Dallas, and there wasn't a single aftermarket part. All dealer parts were put on it whenever it needed maintenance.