I have an 03 Supercab FX4, auto with a 5.4. Bone stock.
I'm gettin' older and I'd like to smooth out the ride.
Is that possible without spending a fortune?

 

what’s a fortune? Do you have a budget in mind?
looks like fox has a setup for your truck. Price would be about 700$
https://www.americantrucks.com/fox-p...-9703-4wd.html

 

You cant really soften the ride....its a truck

except by putting 800lb of cement bags in the bed

Run passenger tires at 32 psi

Stock shocks

 

Being a 4x4, you could make the front bounce softer by turning the keys down a slight bit. It might lower you a bit in the front, but it does take away the harshness some. I found by tightening them, the front gets more bouncy and rougher riding. Turned down a couple turns and it is much softer riding. Just a thought for you.

 

4WD trucks by nature ride rougher than 2WD's. But as mentioned above it's a truck and isnt gonna absorb bumps and divots as well as crossover SUV's and luxury cars. You can replace the shocks with ones with better travel but that isnt cheap
the rancho shocks on FX4s, from these years anyway tend to ride stiffer than the ford factory ones on other models

 

Tires make a difference. Softer sidewalls absorb the smaller bumps. You need to determine what kind of bumps you don't like, the small ones, the big ones, or both.

 

It looks like it's the way it is and I'm perfectly fine with that. I love the truck they way it is. I did go with some less aggressive tires and that seems to help quite a lot so I'm happy.

 

You can try progressive springs where the spring rate increases as compressed. Your truck I believe only came with linear rate springs. The best option is an air bag kit where you can adjust the suspension as needed. As others have already said though, it is a truck.

 

On my 03, moving from E-load rated tires to C-rated made a big difference, and switching to Bilstein 5100 shocks from Rancho 5000's was a vast improvement as well.