1997 2WD Rides Like it Is Going Down Railroad Track Crossties

[Rooster71]

I replaced the shocks, tires, and had the front end aligned on my truck. It
Rides awful! If I run over an ant in the road I will feel it. If I hit a good sized bump in the road, the whole truck will veer to the left or right. Never know which way. It honestly feels like I am riding down a railroad track on the crossties. Could it just be that every bushing is worn out?

 

[Uncle Gump]

Whoever aligned the truck should have inspected all the suspension parts before alignment.

Have you checked the wheel bearings?

TIB trucks do have a tendency to follow lines in the road... it's just kind of their nature.

 

[ericbphoto]

What tire pressure do you run? Any mods to the truck?

 

[Uncle Gump]

Important point Eric makes...

What tires did you install... Light truck tires? running at max psi?

 

[Rooster71]

235/75-15 LT running at recommended pressure. No mods at all. I ran over a bump at a traffic light yesterday and it sounded and felt like the whole dang front end fell out from under it.

 

[ericbphoto]

I see you're in New Mexico. Has the truck always been in that region? If so, I would expect it to be mostly rust-free. Is it solid and rust-free? How do the body mounts look? Shock mounts good?

 

[Uncle Gump]

Some of those tires say 50 psi...

I would check tire pressure and lower it if it's that high... probably 30 psi

 

[RonD]

Yes, tire pressure 28-30psi

If you have some weight you can throw in the bed, 400lbs at least
See if it makes the ride better, it could be "over sprung" in the rear, pickups often are

Look at the front coil springs, see if previous owner put in "spacers" between the coils to raise up the height, that also makes the front "stiffer"

 

[89Twincharge]

Upper ball joints have a concentric bushing that are "non adjustable" unless you cut the tabs on them or buy new "adjustable" ones that are 20ish bucks and get it aligned by a reputable shop.

 

[89Twincharge]

Oh yeah and check radius arm bushings.they can cause that during breaking and bumps. Reccomend poly bushings as replacements