Put on your thinking caps guys, I need some feedback!

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CalDad14

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17' Ram 1500 SLT, CC, Short bed, 5.7Hemi, 4x4, 392gears, approx 29,500kms. I installed factory tow hooks, splash guards on front tires, muds flaps on the rear & a canopy(camper shell).

The issue started about three months ago. I feel like my shocks or something in my suspension has gone bad. It's weird because I feel like it started very suddenly. I battle a neurological disorder which I get treatment for. My treatment is once every five weeks, for three days in row, aprrox five hours each day. It was on the second day of my December treatment. I drove to the Hospital about 7am, all good. Later that day, 12:30pm, even driving slowly through the parking lot, I could feel the truck felt different. It felt like super rigid on bumps, at slow speeds or on the highway. Also, I feel like I have more body roll. Like, if I have to maneuver at highway speed, it doesn' t feel as tight as it was prior to this issue.

It was the end of December and temps were just brutal at the time. We were at the end of a ten day stretch of -35°C. I thought maybe some accumulation of ice somewhere on the shocks? But once the weather warmed, I felt like the issue persisted. I also tried adjusting my psi, but again, the issue persisted. I run 265/70/17, SL rated tires on factory rims. Max press 44psi. Rotate tires every oil change. I stay on my tire pressures, we get drastic temperature changes here in Southern Alberta.

I have a 3'h × 3'deep × 4'wide container in the bed that has emergency gear, a good jack, rain gear etc... also a couple of sand bags, maybe 300lbs. My payload is 1830lbs, so that shouldn't be a problem.

It's not the four wheel drive nor is it the traction control.

Vehicle has only ever been serviced by the dealership we purchased it from. I've had a service advisor and two different technicians take it for multiple test drives to no avail. One tech said he thought he could sort of feel the rigidity over bumps, but also said it was similar to other trucks he's driven. I've had them thoroughly inspect all steering and suspension components, no problems found.

My FIL has an 07' PW and an 09' Ram 1500. I made him take my truck for a drive and he felt like everything was solid as well.

But I know my truck, I still feel like something is not right. It doesn't have many kilometres. But the truck is five years old now??? I want to replace the shocks but I'm so afraid of spending that money and not solve anything. I have qualified technicians telling me not only does it feel good to them, everything is sound mechanically as well. As well as my FIL, i greatly respect his opinion. But I don't feel comfortable driving my truck anymore. How am I suppose to confidently & safely transport my family, camping, towing a travel trailer on the highway? I don't know what to do.

With my disability, we're a one income family, five year old twins. Money is....well, tight, but we make due.

Any experiences you've had, any ideas, articles, posts, threads that might be of some aid. Please send them my way. Much appreciation.
 

crash68

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Rotate the tires see if the problem moves or goes away, something may be up with one of the tires. It could be a shock issue also.
Sounds like you've had several people tell you they can't feel anything wrong, keep driving the truck as it's either nothing or the "problem" will get worse.
 

quickster2

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I would get everything inspected again for leaky shocks, broken leaf spring or single leaf, front suspension components, control arms, ball joints, motor mounts, etc. Double check tires and rotating components. Good luck.
 

Jeepwalker

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Well, here are a couple things to keep in mind:

1) Shocks - A couple things: 1 ..you added a heavy camper to your truck at some point in time. Depending on how and where you drove ..and what potential trauma your shocks were exposed to, you could have one with damage. BUT ...generally shocks that go 'bad' get spongy. Why? because there are seals and valve inside shocks and when shock absorbers become faulty it's because internal seals can allow oil to seep by ..or valves don't close properly. Therefore the oil (which is metered past the valves) flows past quicker than factory specs and become spongy. The opposite of what you are describing. I've never seen a bad shock become 'stiff', but I suppose it's theoretically possible.

Cold -- HOWEVER -- in extreme cold temps the oil in shock absorbers becomes more viscous (thicker) and it won't flow through the small metered orifaces inside the shock's internal valving as fast as it normally would at warmer temps. Therefore they become 'stiff'. Just about all shocks get stiff in the cold. And in real cold temps the ride can become rather 'stiff'. Real common in the cold.

So, what you're describing -- stiff ride as temps warm up -- is the exact opposite what one would expect with shock absorbers either good or bad.

2) Tires - Tires also get 'stiff' in extreme cold. And stiffer tires designed with stiffer sidewalls get even 'stiffer' in the cold (compared to say, a P-rated tire). But then again, tire air pressures go down too in the cold. And they lower a lot in extreme cold temps. If you adjusted your tires in the extreme cold, the pressure has probably expanded (potentially a LOT) now ...in the warmer temps ..especially as the vehicle is driven longer distances (heats up) as you say ...to your doctor. So check the tire air pressures now that it's warmer. Check them 'cold'.

But overall, tire rubber compound becomes more compliant in warmer temps if the air pressure stays the same (warm vs cold temps).

If your truck had leaf springs I would say check the interleaf friction ..but yours has coil springs.

I don't know what the issue could be. What you are describing is the opposite of what one would expect going from cold to warm. Shocks get stiffer in the cold ...tires get stiffer, and even seat foam gets stiffer!! Looking at all the factors logically, the ride should be rock-hard in extreme cold ..and become more compliant as temps warm up. People's memory is fallable (mine too). I would take the advice of your techs and just drive it and not worry and keep an eye (and ear) open to any changes. I've driven so many scab vehicles cross country when I was young, with super high-miles and weak ..everything. I had few problems when theoretically should have had breakdowns a lot, but never did. Rarely do vehicles break down in the middle of nowhere like people these days tend to worry about.

As far as the handling, check the anti-sway bushings and end links. They tend to wear and break with extra force that a camper might expose them to.
 
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Burla

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Most of us like the billlsteins leveling shocks, the issue is for you that I believe you can't use them on a 2wd. OEM shocks simply don't hold up long, so REGARDLESS if this is the issue, they need to be replaced anyhow, so look at it that way. After you shock up, then see what comes next if needed. I don't like bills HD, they ae too firm, I think kyb is a solid choice, o maybe something like monoes. Mind you some of the choices for soft ride are similar to oem, so that is why I like kyb. You can just get front shocks and save money that way, you might want alignment, see how it goes.
 

Burla

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My keyboards r's are dying, lol
 

Jeepwalker

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Let's take a look at what it would take to make shocks stiffer. Inside are usually a number of holes of a certain size. Some shocks might have thin finger-valves, others might have a check valve. Whatever system the mfgr employs, the concept is the same: regulate oil flow in a particular manor as ya hit bumps to reduce/control spring bounciness as the vehicle goes over bumps & undulations.

In order for the shock to become stiffer than it once was (new), it would take something inside to plug some of the passages where shock absorber oil would normally flow through. There isn't much inside a shock to come apart and get caught in passages, but it's possible something did. That would make a shock feel 'stiffer'.

But let's say that did happen. It would be highly unlikely that the same thing would happen to two or more shock absorbers at one time. So, for argument sakes, if one shock did have some internal plug-ups, the truck would 'rock' in a noticeable side-to-side motion as you drove over bumps and undulations. A good parallel are snow plows on pickups. The heavy plow up front acts like a lever and puts a lot of additional stress on shock absorbers. Snow plows are really hard on shocks (even rear shocks). There seems to usually be one shock that fails first. Ya can tell when one is failing because the truck will rock 'funny' over bumps ...having a subtle sideways rock ..kind of like a boat on a water with waves coming from the side. And generally as you look at the shocks you can find one which has leaked fluid out (shock is oily) and that's the culprit.

So, what I'm saying is, if you do have one shock or two that have gone 'stiff' you ought to feel some side-to-side movement over undulations. Pay attention as you drive, maybe you'd notice something more pronounced.
 

Jeepwalker

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Worst case you could always have new shocks (OEM ..if you wanted) installed on the rear (or rest of vehicle).

Also, it's a myth these days (and has been for a long time) that shocks on new vehicles fail after a couple years. That was true in the 50's-80's but not anymore and hasn't been in a long time. At least on most quality vehicles. Ok. can a shock leak ..is there a failure from time to time?? Sure. But I have a Jeep with 233k miles on it with original shocks. Absolutely no evidence of shock failure. My Ram has 173k with OEM shocks. No bounciness or soft ride. My H3 had one shock that leaked at 168k miles but the others felt as good as the new ones (OEM) when I went to replace them ...so I put them back on (those are mono-tube and they last a lot longer too). There are videos online where a guy tests a number of shocks on a manufacturer's Pro shock-dyno and runs each through the computerized manufactuers industry-standard test procedures (and graphs the results). There were original shocks off some cars that had a ton of miles, like 250k+ (I forget the actual miles), which performed as well if not better than brand new shock absorbers that had never been installed.

Shocks get weak and fail for a lot of reasons, but pages turning on the calendar isn't one of them. They can last a long time nowadays.

What I wouldn't do is remove your OEM shocks and replace them with Monroe or Gabriel shock absorber. That's what a lot of shops would have you do. In my own personal experience having installed many of them is their premature failure rate is astronomically high. You can almost guarantee no more than 3-5 yrs w/o having one crap out. I would only go with something like a Bilistein or OEM shocks (and a few other proven long-lasting shocks). If you think of, like in the case of my pick-up, and a lot of guys on this forum ...OEM shocks lasting for 120k+ miles (and still going strong) ..that's a heck of a value/miles driven ..even if replacment OEM shocks were 3x more than a Gabriel or Monroe shock (that will last 3-5yrs). Sorry, I'm not real high on those shocks due to too many failed sets on mine and other people's cars.
 
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GTyankee

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Could you take a picture or two of your truck & camper

I for one am stuck with the image of an oversize camper & under sized shocks & no rear sway bar
 
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CalDad14

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Hey thank 4 the replies. Sorry I haven't responded sooner to posts.....life!

There seems to be some confusion. Although I have towed a small camper in the past, I have not done any towing w/the truck since this issue has started.

I have a "Canopy" over the bed of my truck. For years I knew them as a "Camper shell" or "Topper". Now they call them "Canopy's. Nothing fancy. 20171209_122440.jpg
 
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CalDad14

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Could you take a picture or two of your truck & camper

I for one am stuck with the image of an oversize camper & under sized shocks & no rear sway bar
Sorry if I confused you. In the past I've towed a small camper w/my truck. But this issue I'm dealing with now has nothing to do w/towing. I actually wouldn't feel comfortable towing/hauling anything, at this moment, w/how my truck feels to me.

I was referring to the "Canopy" over the bed of my truck. Back in the day we called them "Camper shells" or "Toppers". Today they're known as "Canopies". Or atleast here in Canada they are.

Hope these pics help?
 

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CalDad14

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Well, here are a couple things to keep in mind:

1) Shocks - A couple things: 1 ..you added a heavy camper to your truck at some point in time. Depending on how and where you drove ..and what potential trauma your shocks were exposed to, you could have one with damage. BUT ...generally shocks that go 'bad' get spongy. Why? because there are seals and valve inside shocks and when shock absorbers become faulty it's because internal seals can allow oil to seep by ..or valves don't close properly. Therefore the oil (which is metered past the valves) flows past quicker than factory specs and become spongy. The opposite of what you are describing. I've never seen a bad shock become 'stiff', but I suppose it's theoretically possible.

Cold -- HOWEVER -- in extreme cold temps the oil in shock absorbers becomes more viscous (thicker) and it won't flow through the small metered orifaces inside the shock's internal valving as fast as it normally would at warmer temps. Therefore they become 'stiff'. Just about all shocks get stiff in the cold. And in real cold temps the ride can become rather 'stiff'. Real common in the cold.

So, what you're describing -- stiff ride as temps warm up -- is the exact opposite what one would expect with shock absorbers either good or bad.

2) Tires - Tires also get 'stiff' in extreme cold. And stiffer tires designed with stiffer sidewalls get even 'stiffer' in the cold (compared to say, a P-rated tire). But then again, tire air pressures go down too in the cold. And they lower a lot in extreme cold temps. If you adjusted your tires in the extreme cold, the pressure has probably expanded (potentially a LOT) now ...in the warmer temps ..especially as the vehicle is driven longer distances (heats up) as you say ...to your doctor. So check the tire air pressures now that it's warmer. Check them 'cold'.

But overall, tire rubber compound becomes more compliant in warmer temps if the air pressure stays the same (warm vs cold temps).

If your truck had leaf springs I would say check the interleaf friction ..but yours has coil springs.

I don't know what the issue could be. What you are describing is the opposite of what one would expect going from cold to warm. Shocks get stiffer in the cold ...tires get stiffer, and even seat foam gets stiffer!! Looking at all the factors logically, the ride should be rock-hard in extreme cold ..and become more compliant as temps warm up. People's memory is fallable (mine too). I would take the advice of your techs and just drive it and not worry and keep an eye (and ear) open to any changes. I've driven so many scab vehicles cross country when I was young, with super high-miles and weak ..everything. I had few problems when theoretically should have had breakdowns a lot, but never did. Rarely do vehicles break down in the middle of nowhere like people these days tend to worry about.

As far as the handling, check the anti-sway bushings and end links. They tend to wear and break with extra force that a camper might expose them to.
Thanks for the feedback.

Sorry about the confusion. I did not add a heavy camper. I added a "Canopy", that fits over the bed(Added a pic in a follow-up post). Enclosing the bed of the truck. It's made of fibreglass. Idk exactly how much mine weighs? But a Google search reveals average weight at approx. 350-400lbs. Had it installed when truck was only six months old, truck is now over five years old. Actually we just paid it off last month! But, that also means no more warranty.

I've never overloaded the truck. Last summer we rented a 19' R-Pod, <4000lbs. I was no where near my max trailer rating(10,160lbs), but I was prob right at my payload capacity, (1530lbs). B/c we rented the camper, we picked it up on the way to the site. Unfortunately, the majority of our weight was in the bed of the truck adding to my payload. Not ideal, but w/my disability, I can only do what I can do. That being said, the truck drove & towed like a dream! We get horrible winds here in S. Alberta. On our drive home from camping, wind was howling. She ran great, and I had all the confidence in the world in her. Today, I would be hesitant to tow/haul anything heavy.

I'm really kind of stuck. It's so hard to descibe. It's doesn't feel right. Between the rigidity over small bumps, and then sometimes it feels like there's a swaying motion from side to side. Which feels like each axle is swaying independently. It's crazy.

She's not even @ 30,000kms yet. I basically change the oil once every six months along w/a tire rotation. Use Full Syn 5w20. Brand; whatever the dealership's service dept. uses. Again, we can get huge changes in temp, in a matter of a few hours. I am incredibly vigilant in terms of adjusting the psi on my tires.

It's incredibly frustrating, b/c nothing w/the truck changed. As well as how fast the problem arose. I drove to the Hospital for my treatment in the morning, 7am. Then, my drive home @ 12:30pm, the truck felt entirely different??? I understand it's a full sized truck, but it's not a 3/4ton HD or bigger. I've driven 3/4's, 1-tons, I know how they feel. My truck use to feel smooth, she would float so nice over rough road, bumps, humps, etc.....

I've tried different air pressures during warmer temps, nothing. She just doesn't feel like she use to???
 

SitKneelBend

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I don't know if its been mentioned but did you fill the tires when it was cold out? I notice the stiffer ride every time it warms up outside because the warmer temps increase tire pressure via expansion. The colder it is when you fill them, the more expansion will occur as temperatures warm. For me, I can see a 3-4psi increase from 0 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
 

Plainbroke

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Have you personally looked under the truck to see if the rear sway bar is still there? Sway bar bushings are a wear item just like shocks. Shock bushings can cause that feel you are describing. Sway bar bushings can cause the feeling you are describing also. A tire with broken belt can cause the squirrely felling you describe also. I have had all throughout the years. Bushings Shock and Sway bar are hard to tell sometimes if they are bad or not.
 
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