crashes over potholes?

[angeno]

So there I was, driving down RTE 17 in beautiful Bergen County, NJ when suddenly I hit an expansion joint and instead of shrugging it off, my VX bounced and banged across it with far more drama then I'd expected. Seemed as though instead of rebounding, the VX hit its shock/spring stops. Likewise, going over potholes the same banging and bouncing. Not as though something was broken or even close to breaking. But not what I remember from previous VX ownership. Having driven the same kind of vehicle with far fewer miles on the odometer, I can tell you that the VX should laugh at potholes and assorted road imperfections. :confused:

Car has 130K+ miles. But I've replaced LOTS of parts already -- including rear shocks and tie rods, brakes all the way around, etc. Does this sound normal, or maybe I need new front shocks? Since I am sentenced to spend many more years living in NJ, I would prefer to solve this problem, otherwise every time the VX crashes over a big bump I know I won't be happy. Sound like something simple and straightforward to you guys? Any suggestions will be welcomed..

[VX KAT]

Sounds very familiar, like what many of us have commented on.

There's numerous threads about the rear bump stops (which Black Sambo will correct me and advise they are officially called "Spring Helpers".)

Here's some threads to read up on it. Might help you decide if you want to cut yours in half or not like several of us have done. But even with this, the VX is never going to be even remotely a "smooth" ride. This mod just made it a whole lot less jarring/slamming.

Here's a thread from just last week that discussed it and referenced several other threads with more info:
http://vehicross.info/forums/showthread.php?t=21549&highlight=bump+stops

[angeno]

Thanks VX KAT. Nice to know I'm not alone on this merry-go-round. ;)

[VX KAT]

Thanks VX KAT. Nice to know I'm not alone on this merry-go-round. ;)

This simple free mod was THE best bang for the buck I've ever done. I think there's at least 4-5 of us now that have done it so far, and I haven't heard ANY negative comments about it. (etlsport, Mile High VX, VT_Maverick and I think there's one more that's done it) They're not that hard to cut either, think VT Mav used a hacksaw. (I actually had my off-road shop do it for me...I'm a wuss)

I don't care if the spring rate and such is changed by doing it....it reduces that slamming SO much it's worth it! And just for back up get some from a junkyard in case you want to return it to stock or you don't like it with the half. :thumbup:

[angeno]

Thanks for the great bump stop circumcision idea. Gonna do it, definitely. However, I'm also thinking of doing something else, and I'll be grateful for input from anyone who has experience with what I'm about to propose.

I want to do a lift kit and go with much bigger tires to fill up the space I'll be creating. Here, my goal is two-fold. First goal is the one I was hoping to get feedback on. And that is, I want my VX to "laugh" at potholes. I'm thinking that with so much tire meat and suspension travel between my VX and the sh*tty roads, I will basically render myself immune from crashing and banging and bumping and thumping my way down the moon-crater afflicted war zones that constitute our so-called 'roads' here in lovely New Jersey.

Is my hypothesis correct? Will this do the trick?

Second goal is to give my vehicle the look that I find awesome in those VX's that I've seen undertake the lift kit process. Again, I'll appreciate feedback and/or direction to threads that have already perhaps covered the subject at hand thoroughly. :)

[VXorado]

I don't know... usually the ride gets rougher with a lift/bigger tires. I have 919 coils & never ever hit the bump stops, but the 919s are stiff so I feel road bumps.

My suggestion is to get your ride problems sorted out first before opening a new can of worms with a lift. If you really want to lift, start with adjustable shocks (RS9000xl) & see if that helps the "crashing" issues.

[VX KAT]

Agree with VXorado...
~I got the Ranchos and tried the softer settings like 2/3. I got some floating action on front when braking.

~So I raised them to 4 front/4 rear.....still got some floating.

~Then cut rear bump stops in half...still very VERY harsh, kidney jarring ride on anything other than smooth pavement. It vibrates so much I think my steering wheel and rear door feel like they'll fall off.

~Then put them at 6/4 (Ranchos recommended settings for off-road). I liked this setting and now leave them at that, but it's still really rough.

ALL this combo dramatically improved the "slamming" effect of the rear end, but the VX is just a rough ride, no way around it.
.
.

[Breezy]

My rear bump stops were actually cut in half already when I got my VX in Alabama. I don't know which owner cut it though.

[vt_maverick]

Couple thoughts...


Cut your bump stops before you do anything else. Assess the ride harshness from there and see if you've fixed the problem.
Be mindful that there are two types of harshness: (1) slamming/impact from rear axle hitting the bump stops over uneven terrain, and (2) general ride "stiffness" characterized by excessive vibration and the sensation of "feeling the road". Generally speaking problem #1 can be attributed to bump stops that are too close to the rear axle for everyday driving, hence the solution Sue and I and others have implemented. Problem #2 (stiffness) is a characteristic of your suspension system as a whole, so you need to take a holistic approach in fixing the problem. Are your springs too stiff? Are you running oversize wheels and low profile tires? Are your shocks designed for on-road or off-road use? Overall ride harshness is likely a combination of multiple factors, so adding a lift kit (usually nothing more than taller springs and a torsion bar crank on the VX) is not likely to fix your problem. Heck you might even create a new one.
Floating is NOT what you want. It sounds like a good thing when the car is in motion, but generally speaking it can make fast braking, cornering, and steering (especially when you've just hit a bump) extremely unnerving - you feel like you're about to lose control of the truck.


Like I said, start with the stops and go from there.

[VX KAT]

Mav's right on the money! Couldn't agree more. :thumbup:

[bearandbee]

I'm going to be cutting my bump stops tonight. And then I have a click, loose sound on the front suspension that is heard on bumps that I will need to address.

[vt_maverick]

Remember to cut only the REAR stops.

[angeno]

Thanks very much to all you guys for the sage wisdom. I'll start with the bump stop haircut and go from there.

;)

[angeno]

"Be mindful that there are two types of harshness: (1) slamming/impact from rear axle hitting the bump stops over uneven terrain, and (2) general ride "stiffness" characterized by excessive vibration and the sensation of "feeling the road".



Yeah, (1) is my problem EXACTLY. The SLAMMING over potholes and sh*tty pavement. I don't care about the generally rough ride (2) which is characteristic of the VX. That doesn't bother me at all. But when I hit a nasty expansion joint or pothole and the friggin vehicle goes SLAM that's what pisses me off and unnerves me. That's what I want to fix. Sounds to me like the bump stop cut down may significantly improve the situation. Gonna test the theory and let everyone know...

[bearandbee]

I cut the bottom section of rear bump stops last night and it helped! Sharp limb pruners worked the best, my hack saw was too dull.

[VX KAT]

I cut the bottom section of rear bump stops last night and it helped! Sharp limb pruners worked the best, my hack saw was too dull.

:thumbup: Welcome to the club! :p

[vt_maverick]

:thumbup: Welcome to the club! :p

x2 - Glad it worked for you! :)

[bearandbee]

Thanks guys!

[angeno]

Cut the bump stops in half. Sadly, didn't do squat. Still crashes over expansion joints and potholes like a meteorite smashing into the earth. Not at all what I remember from previous VX ownership experiences. Plus, I've already replaced shocks/struts in the rear with supposedly OEM equipment. Frustrating as hell, this one....

:(

[VX KAT]

Cut the bump stops in half. Sadly, didn't do squat. Still crashes over expansion joints and potholes like a meteorite smashing into the earth. Not at all what I remember from previous VX ownership experiences. Plus, I've already replaced shocks/struts in the rear with supposedly OEM equipment. Frustrating as hell, this one....

:(

Bummer.....:eek:
but if you replaced rear shocks with "supposedly" OEMs....you would have paid around $400 - $500 EACH....and they have little reservoir canisters attached to them, so they're absolutely identifiable by $$$ and by appearance.

How much space was there between the rear axle and the bottom of the bump stop at rest (before you cut it in half) ?.....mine had about 1/2"....so when I cut half of that big black thing off, I added about 4" clearance....for total of about 4-5". Check how much space you have.

If you DO have OEM KYB rear shocks...maybe consider selling them and getting something softer...like just about any other shock on the planet....ok, a little exaggeration. Maybe the adjustable Ranchos would work out for you?

These are the OEMs: I can't recall which are the front vs rear....I think the last pic is the rear...
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/DSC_0076.jpg

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/DSC_0059.jpg

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/DSC_0075.jpg

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/DSC_0074.jpg

[Gussie2000]

Angeno,sorry but what you're trying to accomplish is just not possible.

As you said the VX ride is harsh,it was built to be like that and sorry,but cutting the bump stops wouldn't help that much at all.

Few steps that will help to make the ride a bit more tolerable is changing your shocks.but again,the problem is not the VX's ride,is the roads with soo MANY pothholes,bumps and uneven streets.

The amount of these untreated roads is just so ridiculous,last year i bent one of my 20" rims on queens boulevard. I don't have the stock shocks,i got the rancho 5000 series which helps a lot,but again,every inch you drive by is just pothholes,bumps destroyed roads and driving @ 30-40 MPH is all but a pleasant situation.

The cities would pay million of $$$ to private companies to install redlight cameras,but wouldn't spent a cent on the roads,highways and streets to avoid you spending thousands of $$ in mods to improve your vehicules' ride.

The VX wasn't design to provide a comfort ride.

[Riff Raff]

After reading this entire thread, my question is if the problem could be the rear springs??? Are the OEM rear springs worn-out??? Could faulty rear springs be causing the bouncy see-saw effect??? Just throwing it out there as a possibility.

:_confused

[vt_maverick]

I think we're still missing critical info here. angeno can you give us specifics on your previous VX? How many miles did it have? What size tires were you running? Did you still have the OEM shocks and springs, or did you have a lift or other aftermarket components? It could be that you have a different configuration on your new VX, or as Riff suggests, you could simply have some worn-out components if this one is much higher mileage than your old one.

Coincidentally I kind of know how you feel. My new VX rides a little "looser" than what my last VX did. It was really bad at first because the previous owner had put on big sidewall tires and super crappy shocks. When I swapped my old rims, tires, and shocks back on it made a definite improvement. But then I put my Daystar 1.5" spacers back on and she seems to "sit" a bit higher (and therefore roll a bit more) than my previous VX. This truck has 20K more miles, so it's hard to know if worn springs or other components might also be an issue.

[angeno]

[QUOTE=vt_maverick;248159]I think we're still missing critical info here. angeno can you give us specifics on your previous VX? How many miles did it have?

Fair questions. Okay, here goes. My VX has 133K miles.

What size tires were you running?

Stock tire size, 245/60-18's.

Did you still have the OEM shocks and springs, or did you have a lift or other aftermarket components?

OEM shocks & springs replaced with KYB monomax shocks/struts.

It could be that you have a different configuration on your new VX, or as Riff suggests, you could simply have some worn-out components if this one is much higher mileage than your old one.

Actually, the reason I replaced the shocks/struts was because I thought "hey, maybe that's why the ride is so friggin rough". No dice though...

Coincidentally I kind of know how you feel. My new VX rides a little "looser" than what my last VX did. It was really bad at first because the previous owner had put on big sidewall tires and super crappy shocks. When I swapped my old rims, tires, and shocks back on it made a definite improvement. But then I put my Daystar 1.5" spacers back on and she seems to "sit" a bit higher (and therefore roll a bit more) than my previous VX. This truck has 20K more miles, so it's hard to know if worn springs or other components might also be an issue.

Thanks for the good feedback. Actually though, I wonder if maybe going with a 3" lift kit coupled with "softer" M/T tires might help a bit over some of the rougher moon-cratered roads we're afflicted with in the NYC metro area. I don't know if I've made it clear beforehand but I don't care that the overall ride of the truck is rough. That's not the problem. It is the CRASHING over potholes and other road detritus that rattles my nerves. Really, it feels like the VX is just smacking one hard component against another hard component and sorry folks, but that is not good, no matter what kind of vehicle you're piloting. Now I know there is a solution to this and I will damn well figure out what it is. In all events, I'll plan to keep you guys posted. :)

[angeno]

Came across this one on one of the gallery pages on this site. I LOVE this truck and want to lift my VX so it approximates the look of this one. Any input from you folks would be gratefully received. :)

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/3506/ppuser/32

[VXorado]

Came across this one on one of the gallery pages on this site. I LOVE this truck and want to lift my VX so it approximates the look of this one. Any input from you folks would be gratefully received. :)

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/3506/ppuser/32

35" tires :freek:, Are you crazy?????

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/medium/32vx_snow2.jpg

[VX KAT]

IIRC, somebody asked about lift/bigger tires to improve ride....and lifting and bigger tires IIRC do NOT help like you think they would...:_thinking
Somebody jump in here..I know I've read that somewhere.....

JMHO..but the SLAMMING still sounds like the sound and feel we got when the rear bump stops hit the rear axle.

Since you gained at least 4" clearance, did you feel/hear SOME/ANY difference???.....


Can you tell, does it sound like the slamming is coming from the rear?


Here's my stock...actually touching the axle....no clearance.
http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g386/photokat4/MISC%20VX%20PICTURES/DSCN0435.jpg


After cut down:
http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g386/photokat4/MISC%20VX%20PICTURES/0908111658c.jpg



http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g386/photokat4/MISC%20VX%20PICTURES/0908111649d-1.jpg

[bearandbee]

I have alot of knocking and noise with my front suspension now as I go up my drive at low speeds and as I turn wheels and go over bumps.