mlenward

I've read on here about others with the same problem, but my truck is new. 14K mi
So I know it's not worn at all. I let air out of the 20" pirellis to 30 psi, and it helped,
But something isn't right. It will bounce off the ground on rough pavement. My 01 F-150 rode like a Cadillac compared to my new truck.

Fharley780

Your '01 F150 had 15 inch wheels whereas your new truck has 20 inch wheels with rubber band tires. That might be it. Try downsizing.

DirtDawg

Agreed. Large diameter wheels with low aspect tires make sense on some vehicles (like my 2nd gen MINI Cooper S) but IMO not on trucks. Check Craigslist in your area for a nice set of 17" or 18" OEM wheels from same era F-150, buy some new tires equating to prox 32" diameter and you'll be happy with the ride.

You can still choose an LT type tire vs P-metric (passenger rated) from some manufacturers in some sizes. For example, Toyo offers their Open Country AT2 in LT275/65R18C as shown in this prior post which is OEM spec size for FX4 with 18" wheels. Rides very nice while still being a serious truck tire.

Pauli18c

get new shocks for the rear and the crab walk will be gone over expansion joints/bumps. The rear stock shocks were awful

berty

I dont think its the wheels. I mean yes 20"s are going to be a little more firm than 17" or 18"s but not by THAT much unless you are doing a lot of offroading. Is it the front or rear of the truck that is "bouncing" off the pavement?

DirtDawg

OP stated "stiff ride" and bouncing likely from that - not wobbly suspension. With just 14k miles on his truck, OEM shocks aren't toast yet. Mine has only 5.4k total and rides smooth but I do plan to replace with Bilstein yellows when revised 2014 F-150 front version is eventually released. No need to rush plus I prefer that brand, so will continue waiting and upgrade later.

TJPlatinumEB

It is not the wheels. On the 20" wheels, there is almost 6" of sidewall on either side of the wheel before touching the ground. That is MORE than enough to provide a good ride. Rubber bands? Not hardly.

Now having said that, The factory Pirelli's aren't a very good tire for a smooth ride. I had them on my 2011 and ran them almost 45k miles. I was not pleased. The factory Bridgestones that were included on my 2013 were light years better.

How sure are you about bouncing off of pavement? Or is that just for effect? If the suspension is not releasing or decompressing enough to "fall" into a dip or something like that to allow for a smoother ride, then you might want to have a dealer check that out. Or for your own piece of mind, put it on jackstands, see how much each tire sags and put a jack under each one and cycle the suspension a bit. See if anything binds up.

Spiky

But that's a lot less than most people's stories with their 18" wheels on 4x4 trucks, where stock is 7" of tire radius.

Raiser6

All, just to caveat off this thread, Pauli stated rear shocks can help the ride. I want to replace my rears w/ blistens and will wait for the fronts to come out (2014). Will purchasing just the rears improve ride quality? I too have a stiff ride w/ 20inch rims and understand my previous truck had 18inch and was a lot smoother ride. Thanks for the input!

TJPlatinumEB

Absolutely it is less than what the 18's or 17's have. However, the 20's do NOT ride that much more stiff and harsh than the smaller wheels. The symptoms this person is describing would not be a simple wheel size difference. Would the ride improve with a smaller wheel? Probably, but not enough to fix what they are describing.