98 mazda/ranger 4x4 handling

[juice90]

I have a 98 Mazda B4000 4x4 and I love the truck, but one peeve I have is its handling. Specifically, its very twitchy. Doesn't take much to get it out of control over say, rumble bumps on a gravel road, or even sudden movements from side to side.

Were these trucks always like that or just a trait for a model year or two?
My 94 with a 4 inch lift is not as touchy like this 98 is.

It does have torsion bar suspension and it has anti sway bars and everything is up to snuff on it.

 

[RonD]

Reads like your shocks are, for sure, wrong for your use/needs and springs(torsion, coil or leafs) are setup wrong for actual weight of the vehicle.
I.E. things are way too tight so you have virtually no suspension travel when cornering or on multiple bump(washboard) roads.

No not normal, could be someone has made adjustments to suspension

Leafs springs are by their nature poor performers on washboard roads but good shocks can help alot.
Off road racers can setup suspension for use and fixed vehicle weight.
Pick up trucks are different in that the weight in the bed will change when using them as a pickup, point of having one, lol.

Best to use are overloads, these are leafs that don't effect suspension until bed load gets over a certain weight, i.e. they don't touch anything until factory springs get pushed down enough.
If bed is setup to haul 1,000lbs all the time it will be stiff driving when empty.

While it is popular to crank up torsion bars to get lift, it also stiffens the suspension, makes it tighter for the vehicle weight.


There is no "best" shock, these are specific for overall use requirements and vehicle weight.
There are good shock brands, but you still need to get the shocks that are correct for your requirements, not just a brand.


And don't forget tire pressure, it IS part of the suspension in that higher pressure won't absorb smaller bumps like lower pressure will, difference between 30psi and 35psi can matter, high compression numbers matter in an engine and in a tire because of the rebound effect it provides