Rides Like a BRAND NEW Truck!

[Art64]

Originally Posted by Dysan911

Just an update.. I think someone suggested taking out the spare tire just to see what effect it would have.. Well, I did that tonight.. Let me tell ya fellas.. That spare is one beefy Mofo!. That thing must weight 60lbs.. Holy Cr@p.. Anyhow.. Unfortunately it didn't make any difference on the Boing effect. LOL.

It really has me baffled too.. I stood on the back bumper and bounced it a few times and it's amazing the ripple effect that you feel.. Could it be some sort of rubber isolators the bed is sitting on that has too much flex? I tried tightening the bed bolts for the heck of it.. A few turned just a little but still the same deal.

Just the oddest thing.

Here's a kicker though.. My Step Dads 05/06 Ram 1500 has the same effect when you jump on the back bumper.. I was over at my mom/dads this weekend helping them setup their PC and when I left I was telling my Mom about the bounce and wanted to show her how the Ram doesn't do that but it did.. Probably not as bad as the Tundra and likely doesn't transmit to the cab but enough to make you go hmmmmmmmmmmmm..

Try doing this with the shocks disconnected at the bottom mounts. The springs should flex. The stock shocks are too stiff for an empty truck. I replaced mine with Rancho adjustables. The Rancho adjustables and mini-pak leaf springs make a nice combo for smooth ride without sacrificing too much loss in load capacity. If you have a DC or Crewmax the ride will be nice. For RCSB, I still found the ride a little harsh, so I went further on the mod and replaced the leaf springs with Alcan's.

[Dysan911]

Thanks Art.. Can you tell me more about the shocks? Like what model or part number so I can look for some? I'll try the shock disconnect this weekend and report back..

[DanielAcosta]

Originally Posted by Art64

Try doing this with the shocks disconnected at the bottom mounts. The springs should flex. The stock shocks are too stiff for an empty truck. I replaced mine with Rancho adjustables. The Rancho adjustables and mini-pak leaf springs make a nice combo for smooth ride without sacrificing too much loss in load capacity. If you have a DC or Crewmax the ride will be nice. For RCSB, I still found the ride a little harsh, so I went further on the mod and replaced the leaf springs with Alcan's.

There seems to be a lot of us who have done shocks as well as the mini-pack. I did notice an improvement with the new shocks, but a much bigger improvement from the springs.

[dbarnett66]

Is there a consensus that this issue is limited to a few trucks? I have own trucks all of my life and this one seems about the same as all the others. I have a 2008 DC 4x4 TRD. It seems that some of us here are having our teeth rattled out of our mouths and others like myself who don't seem to have the issue. I did speak to a guy with an 07 Salsa Red Tundra and he said the bed bounce was unbearable on certain parts of the freeways in the greater San Diego area. I have yet to experience such bed bounce issues on the 52, 15 and 8 freeways.

I definitely have a stiff ride and I can feel vibration, but it is not white knuckle and I can easliy carry a cell phone conversation. It would be really neat if someone could swap trucks with another Tundra owner. (One with a claim of horrible bed bounce and the other who states that they do not have any.)

No this is not an invitation. I hate the idea of letting someone else drive my truck.

Dan in San Diego

[DanielAcosta]

Originally Posted by dbarnett66

Is there a consensus that this issue is limited to a few trucks? I have own trucks all of my life and this one seems about the same as all the others. I have a 2008 DC 4x4 TRD. It seems that some of us here are having our teeth rattled out of our mouths and others like myself who don't seem to have the issue. I did speak to a guy with an 07 Salsa Red Tundra and he said the bed bounce was unbearable on certain parts of the freeways in the greater San Diego area. I have yet to experience such bed bounce issues on the 52, 15 and 8 freeways.

I definitely have a stiff ride and I can feel vibration, but it is not white knuckle and I can easliy carry a cell phone conversation. It would be really neat if someone could swap trucks with another Tundra owner. (One with a claim of horrible bed bounce and the other who states that they do not have any.)

No this is not an invitation. I hate the idea of letting someone else drive my truck.

Dan in San Diego

I would say it's limited more by the road than the truck. If you don't frequent one of the "bad" roads, you won't have an issue.

The bad road I am most familiar with is I-10 through Beaumont. Without exception, every 07+ Tundra owner I have heard from who tries that stretch confirms it's the worst ride ever. I personally had an 01 Silverado Z71 and 05 Frontier NISMO before my 07 Tundra. The NISMO had almost a sedan smooth ride on this stretch, the Chevy rode like a truck on that stretch but was tolerable. The first time I had the Tundra on that stretch I couldn't believe how bad it was. Between 65-80 we couldn't carry on a conversation because our voices were quivering. It was okay at 90, but traffic through that stretch is usually too heavy to hold 90 for long.

Since then I have tried everything I could think of, as well as everyone else's suggestions, to improve the ride. The PRG pack made the biggest improvement by far. I am heading to Beaumont within a week for a final check. On the small portion in Phoenix I know of that's nearly as bad, ny ride is now dramatically improved.

Since you know of sections in your area others have complained about, I would try them yourself to see. If you are happy with your truck as is, that's good. A TRD DC SB seems to be the worst.

BTW, I like the rest of the truck so much I would keep it even with the bad ride, but I'll keep it longer now that the ride is fixed.

[GMoney749]

Originally Posted by dbarnett66

Is there a consensus that this issue is limited to a few trucks? I have own trucks all of my life and this one seems about the same as all the others. I have a 2008 DC 4x4 TRD. It seems that some of us here are having our teeth rattled out of our mouths and others like myself who don't seem to have the issue. I did speak to a guy with an 07 Salsa Red Tundra and he said the bed bounce was unbearable on certain parts of the freeways in the greater San Diego area. I have yet to experience such bed bounce issues on the 52, 15 and 8 freeways.

I definitely have a stiff ride and I can feel vibration, but it is not white knuckle and I can easliy carry a cell phone conversation. It would be really neat if someone could swap trucks with another Tundra owner. (One with a claim of horrible bed bounce and the other who states that they do not have any.)

Dan in San Diego

I've had mine all over the city (my ride to work spans most of the length of 805) and thus far the only uncomfortable rides I've found are on a half mile section of highway 54 going east and about a quarter mile of the 805 going north out of Mission Valley. And I wouldn't describe either of those as jaw rattling, just really bumpy.

Worst ride I've felt was on the 101 heading east about an hour out of Santa Barbara. Even with my bike in the back, it was pretty bumpy.

Funny thing - before I bought my truck, I asked my buddy (who's owned an '07 for quite some time now) for his opinion on the Tundra. He said I should check to see if the '08 still had the "bed bounce". Turns out a friend of his (who was having problems making his payments and was trying to somehow get the dealer to take his Tundra back) had told him he'd read about the bed bounce issue on the internet, and then he adds, "I'd never noticed it until my friend told me about it".

Not saying it doesn't exist, but just some food for thought...

[rackman]

On my CM I have the 'shake-N-bake' and 'aftershock' bed, I have never had severe bed bounce at highway speeds. But for those that have noticed the reverberation of the bed here's what I did. When I slam my tailgate there is a considerable amount of 'aftershock'. You can see and feel the bed reverberate several times after doing so.
Today I put jack stands under the frame at the mounting point of the OE tow hitch and just barely took the weight off the springs. When I slammed the gate I observed NO movement in the bed. I removed the jackstands and put one under the receiver and had the same results.

This pretty much shows that it is the springs that are causing the problem and not things like thin metal or bed mounting and support. When I was shopping for a new truck, one of the first things I noticed about the Tundra was how thin the leaf springs are compared to Chevy, Ford and Dodge trucks. I wonder how the overall length and O.C. to the rear wheel from front and rear mounts compare?

[Dysan911]

Originally Posted by rackman

On my CM I have the 'shake-N-bake' and 'aftershock' bed, I have never had severe bed bounce at highway speeds. But for those that have noticed the reverberation of the bed here's what I did. When I slam my tailgate there is a considerable amount of 'aftershock'. You can see and feel the bed reverberate several times after doing so.
Today I put jack stands under the frame at the mounting point of the OE tow hitch and just barely took the weight off the springs. When I slammed the gate I observed NO movement in the bed. I removed the jackstands and put one under the receiver and had the same results.

This pretty much shows that it is the springs that are causing the problem and not things like thin metal or bed mounting and support. When I was shopping for a new truck, one of the first things I noticed about the Tundra was how thin the leaf springs are compared to Chevy, Ford and Dodge trucks. I wonder how the overall length and O.C. to the rear wheel from front and rear mounts compare?

Thats interesting and not at all too surprising when you think about it.. You'd think the PRG mini-pak would really make a difference and I understand for the majority of folks it did.. with my Tundra the issue seems strictly related to the aftershock which even on some of the relatively smooth roads causes you to constantly bop up and down in your seat. I swear the seat springs will be worn out in a year at this rate. I would have to say even with the Mini-Pak installed, it failed to do anything for my aftershock as it's just the same as before and in some cases almost feels worse.. I almost felt like putting my stock Overload spring back on..

So, I guess we have two separate issues going here.. The bed aftershock and the Bed Bounce.. Great!

If this aftershock is indeed the Springs. What options are there to fix that?

[rackman]

I wonder if it has anything to do with the length of the springs? How much does the OE spring extend out past the mini-pack? Are the springs the same length on all body styles? Has anyone tried the super springs? At least it seems the answer is some type of modification or replacement of the rear springs and maybe shackles. Art64 should be the guru of rear springs at this point.

Or you can just put jackstands under your truck. It works great until you want to go somewhere.

[DanielAcosta]

Originally Posted by Dysan911

Thats interesting and not at all too surprising when you think about it.. You'd think the PRG mini-pak would really make a difference and I understand for the majority of folks it did.. with my Tundra the issue seems strictly related to the aftershock which even on some of the relatively smooth roads causes you to constantly bop up and down in your seat. I swear the seat springs will be worn out in a year at this rate. I would have to say even with the Mini-Pak installed, it failed to do anything for my aftershock as it's just the same as before and in some cases almost feels worse.. I almost felt like putting my stock Overload spring back on..

So, I guess we have two separate issues going here.. The bed aftershock and the Bed Bounce.. Great!

If this aftershock is indeed the Springs. What options are there to fix that?

If I understand what you are calling aftershock correctly, it seems that would be fixed more with shocks. The harshness of the overload leaf does not allow the back of the truck to flex enough on repetitive bumps. The stock TRD Bilsteins are too stiff which contributes to the problem. The mini-pack supports the same load (approximately anyway, don't hold me to this) as the single overload spring, but does it with three softer leafs that are more progressive. Thus the back end has more give and can absorb the repetitive bumps like on I-10 in Beaumont. Changing the shocks to something softer intitially but with better damping helps reduce the harshness while damping out the aftershock.

FWIW, even stock I never noticed anything unusual with my TRD when closing the tailgate. For those that have that issue, is that with a TRD?

Summary: my ride got better swapping the stock TRD Bilsteins for aftermarket hydraulic shocks, and others have reported a better ride from doing the same. Rancho adjustables seem to be the favorite. But the biggest improvement in my ride by far was from the mini-pack.

[Dysan911]

My Tundra is Non-TRD.

This video is a visual representation of what my ride feels like..

YouTube - Tundra Vibration (NOT BED BOUNCE)

Although the author says its not Bed Bounce.. I dunno but this is pretty similar to what I'm experiencing just going over a relatively decent road.

WHats the part number on those Shocks?

[CobERA]

I hope to do my minipak install tonight.

What is the best place to position the jack to lift this beast up? I've got a 6-ton floor jack and a couple of 6-ton jack stands.

Thanks,
Rick

[DanielAcosta]

Originally Posted by Dysan911

My Tundra is Non-TRD.

This video is a visual representation of what my ride feels like..

YouTube - Tundra Vibration (NOT BED BOUNCE)

Although the author says its not Bed Bounce.. I dunno but this is pretty similar to what I'm experiencing just going over a relatively decent road.

WHats the part number on those Shocks?

The shocks I used are in my signature block. Scroll up to post #229 if you don't see it. I don't know the part number people are using for the Ranchos.

Keep in mind that the shock length depends on how much lift you have in the rear. The shocks I have are for two inches taller than stock, but other lengths are available.

[rackman]

I have the TRD and a factory tow hitch. I tried the Rancho adjustables and any improvement was on the softest setting, but it was minimal. I removed them when I met with the factory rep. and put the Bilsteins back on because I didn't want to hear any BS about the shocks. (they are sitting in my basement) I'm beginnig to think that I need a stiffer spring and softer shock set-up. I also want to compare shackle types. Over all I like the truck but as a first time Toyota owner, I'm not to happy with their (lack of) response to this problem. T -2 years to trade and back to Chevy?

[ThirdHorseman]

I'm going to run Sway-A-Way rear shocks when they are available. If they improve on the ride, I'll let you know and you can ride in my truck to see if you like the results.