Possible Tundra Bed Bounce CURE FOUND

[N.textoy]

The "bed bounce" on my crew max seems to have gotten worse when I installed the stiffer tire (285 BFG's), stands to reason it would be more noticeable but it's still tolerable. I sympathize with those that seem to have serious bed bounce issues, went through the dealar can't fix delimma with my last pile of Ford F150 and it was very frustrating.

[Toy Collector]

Originally Posted by Dysan911

Just curious, if you say the issue is a majority of incorrectly matched shocks.. Why would the Rancho's not solve the problem? I agree that they don't because I have a pair but just for my own curiosity I was wondering why it is that they don't make any difference if the issue is mismatched shocks and spring rates.

The Rancho's have 9 settings. Even on the stiffest setting I still get bed bounce.. Same with the softest so I don't think the issue is shock related at all.

Adding weight to the truck does make a difference.. THe amount of weight seems to be around 2 to 300lbs. I wonder if you can have someone design a spring for the tundra and specifically request that it be exactly 2 to 300lbs less rated than the stock Tundra springs.. I wonder then if it would eliminate bed bounce..

Because Rancho's are one step above stock and two steps below Bilstiens. They were good back in 1985 when no one understood suspension design.

I don't know anyone in the off road world that uses Rancho anymore... just people that are looking for cheap replacement shocks for their daily driven trucks.

[mxsjw]

Originally Posted by Derek_Shawn

Thanks for calling for info mxsjw. Could you explain in a little more detail what that is exactly for people like me that don't know much about these types of products? That would be much appreciated. Thanks!

I'll let them explain to you what they are and how they work...
See here >>> SuperSprings - FAQ

And read through the attached PDF
.

[Time4change]

Originally Posted by cabrito

i am in vegas and drive to cali often and i agree, this isn't right. this is my 3rd large truck, all 4x4 with the last 2 being superduty's. granted, there are some roads where i had this same problem on the other trucks but this is way too much.

it almost feels like the frame from the cab back is flimsy and the whole thing flexes like a diving board. i also agree that once it gets started, it is very rhythmic. while i haven't made anyone sick, it is rather embarassing when my passengers look at me this shock and a "what the hell is wrong with your truck!!!"

i too have also noticed that with any significant load (either the harley at 550 or the dirt bike at 300) it goes away completely.

i talked to a guy down the street that owns a spring shop and he's not really sure what to think. while he agrees that it is either sprung too stiff or over shocked, he also thinks that the un-boxed frame is a significant factor.

the rhythmic aspect of it makes him lean toward the spring side he has suggested a softer spring and stiffer shock. since i won't be putting anything near the load capacity in the truck anymore (need it more for the room), i might give this a try.

he is an offroad racer and he also suggested maybe just going to a custom valved shock (king shock) that is set up specifically to this problem (dampens short, quick movments harder and sooner, then softer on longer sweeping strokes). this seems like a viable option too, althought i don't know how much cheaper than the first suggestion.

whatever the case, there is a problem.

Just got done driving around in a buddies Dodge 2500 Cummins.....much stiffer and bouncy than my Crew Max. Being in the area, you know the 2 worst areas are the 215 before it hooks up to the 95 on the South side and going south on the 95 after the spaghetti bowl.......

I told him about these threads and he basically LHAO.

I also currently own an '01 Crew Super Duty....just as, if not more, bouncy when empty.

One more example: My neighbor owns a roll off dumpster business. Being that I only work a few days a week, he asks if I can run bins for him.

When empty, the 6500 series GMC (ex-Penske truck) beats the living crap out of me with the exact same hobby horse motion (even with the extremely long wheelbase) with as little as a 10 yard bin on it, the ride smooths out considerably.......nothing "wrong" with the truck, no flexing frame, just a very stiffly sprung TRUCK!!!

I ASSURE you none of these trucks have flexy frames......including the Tundra.

It is very simply oversprung/over damped, the very fact that a few hundred pounds cures it is proof.

Being "rhythmic" is based on the distance of the expansion joints.....I've been able to speed up on the 215 to completely eliminate the bounce; unfortunately, those speeds aren't beneficial to keeping my license.

Look, I don't mean to be demeaning, and if if you want to meet somewhere and have a soda and talk about it, I'd gladly like to meet, I'll even bring the F-250 and we can go on back to back drives.

[mendonsy]

Here's a link to Tundra Headquarters' discussion on this subject:
Toyota Tundra Bed Bounce Issue: Our Position | tundraheadquarters.com

[oilmpg]

The YouTube videos are very interesting. Search "2009 F-150 Tundra comparison" and you get a Ford video comparing Toyota and Dodge against the 2009 F150. They made a very abusive track which had all the trucks bouncing so much that the rear wheels were 12" off the ground at some points. The Tundra was noticeably worse that the others but they all do the "bounce".

Strange that they do not have a comparison of a GM product.

[Time4change]

Originally Posted by oilmpg

The YouTube videos are very interesting. Search "2009 F-150 Tundra comparison" and you get a Ford video comparing Toyota and Dodge against the 2009 F150. They made a very abusive track which had all the trucks bouncing so much that the rear wheels were 12" off the ground at some points. The Tundra was noticeably worse that the others but they all do the "bounce".

Strange that they do not have a comparison of a GM product.

Last year's video had the '07 GM truck......IMHO it did just as bad as the Toy. The Chevy hopped from side to side while the fuel door kept popping open.

What was funny is the GM pundits were saying it was from the overly stiff springs but the Tundra's performance was due to the frame.


What I find strange is ford doesn't show how their open C-channel F-250> trucks do on that course. I cannot open my tailgate on my 250 if parked in an off camber ditch......but guess what? No frame failures!!!

I also don't believe that video represents what many here are complaining about......the expansion joints are evenly spaced and across the entire roadway. Ford's track has them at un-even intervals; which is a totally different parameter. (twisting as opposed to fore and aft)

[los211]

I aggre with T4C that all those "testing facility" videos are not an accurate account of what "real world" driving is. No one in their right mind would drive at "28" mph on that type of surface. They should use the SoCal freeways for their "testing" at real world speeds and that would really have the engineers twisted up. I have had the bed bounce so severe at times that I have difficulty seeing the road aka beer goggles.

[vegasheat]

Originally Posted by Toy Collector

Sorry, incorrectly matched shocks and springs are the majority of the problem.

I'm not new to this... I have a 1993 Integra that I have torn apart and experimented with over the last 10 years and I know what good suspension setups do and what bad suspension setups do. I modify vehicles for performance, that's what I do.

Back in 2001, some genius decided to sell me Civic springs for my Integra (my coilovers were getting rebuilt, had no choice but to run a simple spring/shock setup) without telling me. I threw them on, went for a drive, hit a bump in the road and the car would not stop hopping in the front and I almost totaled the car. We're talking a few hundred pound difference between the Civic and the Integra but, the spring rates were so different that the stock Integra shocks didn't do anything with the over powering spring.

The Tundras have a very stiff rear spring to handle the weight that they can carry and the shocks are not matched to that stiffness. If aftermarket companies can develop rear shocks that eliminate the issue, that tells me that the shock was the problem.

You don't have to listen to me... but I do know that Rancho is not going to solve your problem. Sorry.

I'm sorry, but your wrong about the shocks. So what your saying is that Toyota put the wrong shocks on from the beginning? This IMO is a frame problem

[vegasheat]

Others have tried softer springs and still got the same if not worse bounce and less payload.

[Keto]

Originally Posted by Time4change

What I find strange is ford doesn't show how their open C-channel F-250> trucks do on that course.

Hehe, if theres a vid like that Ford will never release it! My 250 would turn the occupants into salsa on that course, assuming the truck didnt fly completely off the course first.

Originally Posted by Time4change

I cannot open my tailgate on my 250 if parked in an off camber ditch......but guess what? No frame failures!!!

Exact same here.

[Time4change]

Originally Posted by vegasheat

Others have tried softer springs and still got the same if not worse bounce and less payload.

Please link......I don't recall anyone replacing spring packs; just ADDING the Deaver(?) paks.

[Time4change]

Originally Posted by vegasheat

This IMO is a frame problem

So all trucks(other makes) that do this have a frame problem???

[Time4change]

Originally Posted by guntech

I have tried softer springs. Didn't help. Still get the Boing sensation when I hit a road joint.

That overload pak is not the entire spring pak.....

My '70 Bronco has an 11 leaf pak from "Wild Horses". It's a very progressive spring; meaning very soft in its initial travel before firming up.

A pak like that is what would work on the Tundra for those who really don't like the resonance.

the correct spring should NOT lower GVW but it would have more initial squat...air bags would correct that.

[mendonsy]

OK, sorry to stir up this thread again, but I had an opportunity to test some stuff today. I was on a 5 mile stretch of really bad washboard concrete (I890 West from Schenectady, NY to I90). I tried different speeds from 45 to 70 and watched carefully in my mirrors. My 07 DC did not have any bed bounce at all.
Not that I'm complaining mind you, but something has to be different with the trucks that do have a problem.